* From WAND TV’s coverage of the planned Danville abortion clinic…

The Sanctuary Cities For the Unborn initiative is also trying to help residents draft an ordinance to block the clinic from opening. Pastor and anti-abortion advocate Mark Lee Dickson of Texas said there are 65 cities and two counties across the country that have passed ordinances prohibiting abortion within their jurisdiction.

“Ladonna Prince in Indianapolis, Indiana wants to set up here in this city,” Dickson said. “Well, the voice of this city is loud and they’re saying, ‘Not on our watch.’”

The state’s Reproductive Health Act preempts more restrictive local ordinances, but there’s always the zoning process. Expect a legal fight if either happens…

Under the RHA, a person can sue the State of Illinois or local governments like cities and counties if they improperly deny, interfere with, or discriminate against the person’s fundamental rights to make their own reproductive health decisions.

* DPI…

Infamous grifter and Florida resident Dan Proft recently released a list of candidates to support in the April 4 Illinois municipal elections. Proft, known for distributing right-wing propaganda designed to mislead voters, once again thinks he can prop up his own radical agenda through deceit. Proft’s “newspapers,” distributed throughout Illinois, routinely spewed racist, homophobic rhetoric that his endorsed candidates will no doubt bring to local school boards if elected. 

At a January training hosted by Awake Illinois and the Leadership Institute, candidates were offered access to Proft’s pink-slime papers by Brian Timpone. Timpone, who helps Proft operate his pay-to-play network, “told those in attendance his publications ‘can punch back for you,’ and added, ‘If somebody is giving you a hard time, we can fix that.’”

While the extreme views of candidates on the ballot in April are sometimes harder to spot than those of Proft’s once preferred gubernatorial nominee, Darren Bailey, the same network of external power players has banded together to impart regressive policies that will hurt Illinois’ students. Since voters already rejected their extreme vision for Illinois last November, Proft and his allies are now using a different strategy to effect the same backwards agenda.

Top donor to Proft’s People Who Play by the Rules PAC, Dick Uihlein, is also getting involved in municipal races via the New York-based 1776 Project PAC, which endorsed several candidates in Illinois who fit their definition of “un-woke school board members.” 

Uihlein has thrown his money at races across the country for years, notoriously backing extreme conservative candidates; his donations commonly support “firebrand anti-establishment candidates who typically defend broad access to assault weapons and assail transgender rights.”

Uihlein’s Restoration PAC also contributed $13,000 to Awake Illinois in 2022, a group known for espousing anti-LGBTQ+ views who have actively recruited, trained, and supported fringe candidates in the upcoming election.

“Candidates who would align themselves with proven far-right zealots like Dan Proft and Dick Uihlein are unsuited to represent the interests of students, parents, and teachers in Illinois. Having tried and failed to influence the outcome of statewide elections in 2022, these bad faith actors have returned to seize power through supposedly nonpartisan candidates,” DPI Executive Director Ben Hardin said. “Now, they cower behind buzzwords like ‘parental rights’ and ‘pro-family,’ but they’re working from the same playbook, and voters deserve to know who’s really on their ballots.”

In response to organized efforts by these extreme organizations, the Democratic Party of Illinois has launched an unprecedented program to identify and prevent fringe candidates from being elected to local boards. DPI is opposing candidates backed by known far-right organizations as well as those who have embraced values and policies that contradict those of the Party including banning books, blocking full spectrum sex education, teaching revisionist history and ignoring public health. To identify candidates that DPI is recommending or opposing, voters can visit DefendOurSchoolsIL.com.

* Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel…

With a week before the election for the [Wisconsin] Supreme Court, liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz continues to eclipse her conservative opponent Dan Kelly in fundraising — this time with the help of three billionaires who have each given $1 million to the state Democratic Party. […]

Billionaire financier George Soros donated $1 million the state Democrats on Feb. 22, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave $1 million on March 14 and Tulsa philanthropists Stacy and Lynn Schusterman made four donations in March totaling $1 million. […]

“George Soros and J.B. Pritzker’s million-dollar contributions underscore that Protasiewicz will simply be a progressive rubber stamp,” said Rachel Reisner, spokeswoman for the state Republican Party. “They’ll drop whatever cash needed to buy her a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat because her pro-criminal record aligns with their agenda.”

GOP megadonor Liz Uihlein, an Illinois resident who co-founded the Pleasant Prairie-based shipping supply giant Uline, donated $500,000 to the state Republican Party on March 10 — the most of any individual. Her husband, Dick Uihlein, is supporting Fair Courts America, a super PAC that has spent nearly $5 million in 2023 on ads to boost Kelly. Dick Uihlein has donated $4 million of that total.

* Press release…

Seizing the opportunity to capture the billions of dollars of federal and private investment in science, technology and climate initiatives, Governor JB Pritzker, in partnership with P33,the Civic Committee, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, is launching Innovate Illinois, a diverse coalition of business leaders, higher education institutions, and elected officials to coordinate the state’s efforts to secure funding through the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“With the formation of Innovate Illinois, we are launching a first of its kind effort to bring federal dollars to Illinois and strengthen the state’s long-term economic vitality for generations to come,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We are uniquely positioned to leverage our innovation hubs, public and private universities, and national laboratories to provide 21st century opportunities for our state’s workers, scientists, and businesses. With this effort, Illinois will accelerate an innovation-driven economic development plan and usher in a new era of scientific and technological progress.”

“Given the enormous capability and innovative nature of the companies and institutions within our state, this powerful coalition positions us to compete aggressively for Federal and private resources that will help us make critical technology advances and inclusively grow our economy,” said Jennifer F. Scanlon, President and CEO of UL Solutions Inc., board member of P33 and Chair of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. […]

The coalition will be chaired by Governor Pritzker, and vice-chaired by Jenny Scanlon, Chief Executive Officer of UL Solutions and Civic Committee Chair, and Robert Jones, Chancellor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. US Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth will serve in advisory roles. In addition, Innovate Illinois will include a broad coalition of members representing state and local economic development partners, including the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, World Business Chicago, and Intersect Illinois; higher education institutions including the University of Illinois system, the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and our state’s Community Colleges; as well as private sector representation through business CEOs, the Civic Committee, and P33. This collective effort will bring together the relevant expertise and capacity to pursue specific grant opportunities in a coordinated way with rigor and focus on priority areas, including science, transportation, innovation and technology where Illinois has a competitive advantage and is well positioned to win. The initiative will serve as the “front door” for businesses who would like to partner with the state and education system for research, technology, and workforce development for innovation-related federal grant opportunities.

* AG Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with 12 attorneys general, today called for nationwide restrictions on the use of sulfoxaflor, a chemical pesticide that is extremely toxic to bees and other pollinators. The coalition, comprised of some of the nation’s leading agricultural producers, depend on pollinators to sustain their crops and natural ecosystems.

In a letter to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Raoul and the coalition warned that the unrestricted use of sulfoxaflor could have devastating effects on pollinators, ultimately harming the economy and endangering the nation’s food security. Raoul urged the EPA to adopt reasonable restrictions on sulfoxaflor’s use and support further research into the pesticide’s potential impacts on human health and the environment.

“We must do what we can to protect pollinators, which are critical to Illinois agriculture,” Raoul said. “I am urging the EPA to ensure restrictions on the use of sulfoxaflor are in place to keep Illinois crops and natural ecosystems healthy.”

The EPA previously faced lawsuits challenging its attempts to lift needed restrictions on sulfoxaflor and allow the pesticide’s use in controversial ways — without consulting the public or considering the pesticide’s effects on endangered species. In December 2022, the lawsuits were successful, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ordered the EPA to immediately correct various legal violations. As a result, in February 2023, the EPA published a notice seeking public comment on the use of sulfoxaflor.

Raoul and the coalition’s letter provides important state input in response to that notice. It asserts that the represented states together produce 37% of the nation’s crops and play a key role in American food security and resilience. Illinois and the coalition states are the leading national producers of a wide variety of crops, such as pumpkins, apples, almonds, lettuce, hops, beets, tomatoes, coffee and oranges. The states also have extraordinary natural resources and ecosystems, and are home to a variety of threatened and endangered species and critical habitats. All of this relies on pollination by insects such as bees.

To prevent harm to these necessary pollinators, Raoul urges the EPA to:

• Restrict the use of sulfoxaflor when crops are blooming and pollinators are present.
• Reimpose a required buffer zone between sprayed sulfoxaflor and blooming
vegetation.
• Encourage field owner collaboration to ensure sulfoxaflor is not applied before or during a period when managed pollinators are nearby.
• Support further research into sulfoxaflor’s impacts on the environment and on humans; remain vigilant about its potential harms.

In issuing the letter to the EPA, Attorney General Raoul joined the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

* Happy spring!…

@OzzieGuillen and @ChuckGarfien share their bold predictions for the 2023 #WhiteSox Pedro Grifol manager of the Year 2023. Let’s put action on it @BlackOutShowCHI https://t.co/i2blStYine

— Guillens Baseball (@GuillensWorld) March 28, 2023

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Sun-Times | Highland Park shooting survivor — in Nashville when another massacre unfolded — rips lack of action on guns: Ashbey Beasley, who was at the Highland Park July 4th parade shooting, went viral after addressing the media in the wake of a shooting that killed three students and three adults at a Nashville elementary school.

* Daily Herald | ‘A positive sign’: Community colleges see continued enrollment growth: For the first time since 2010, community colleges saw an average 7.2% increase in spring enrollments, according to a recent report from the Illinois Community College Board. In the fall, the ICCB reported an average year-over-year increase of 1.5% in student enrollment.

* Chicago Tribune | Evanston Police Department looks to restrict abortion investigations: The Evanston Police Department is looking to provide enhanced reproductive health protections by vowing to restrict outside agencies from investigating reproductive health issues within EPD’s jurisdiction, Commander Ryan Glew told City Council on March 27.

* SJ-R | Senate Democrats push bill calling for $35 monthly cap for insulin: While nearly identical to the House version, Murphy said her bill differs from Guzzardi’s since it creates a prescription insurance program administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health. This program, already administered in Utah, would permit individuals to purchase insulin at a discounted rate.

* Capitol News Illinois | Advocates urge regulators to reject natural gas rate increases: “I need the ICC to say no. Don’t raise these prices. Our paychecks are not going up, but our bills are,” Carroll said. “We can’t afford it. The reality of it is we can’t afford it. I have my granddaughters at home and when they go to bed, they have to put on their onesies with socks just so I can manage. Is that fair to them? No. But I can’t do anything about it. I can’t afford it.”

* Daily Herald | Why tax expert, former state rep says Arlington grandstand’s days could be numbered: Ed Sullivan, a former Republican state representative from Mundelein and former Fremont Township assessor, said it only makes financial sense that the Bears would tear down the six-story grandstand, as the NFL franchise seeks a massive property tax break from state legislators.

* Insha Rahman | Bail reform is the solution we need to bring about safety and justice: Why does support for bail reform remain high despite the relentless attacks? It’s not because people do not care about safety. Crime is a top concern for many Illinoisans. That’s true across the country, as both fear of crime and fearmongering about crime have increased in recent years, the Pew Research Center reported in October. Support remains strong because people know that we urgently need change. And they know that the Pretrial Fairness Act and other bail reform measures across the country align with common sense on what makes communities safe and brings more justice to a system that has for too long failed to deliver on it.

* Press release | Lawyers and Legal Workers for Brandon Johnson: We, the undersigned members of Chicago’s civil rights, labor, employment, and progressive legal community are proud to endorse Brandon Johnson for Mayor of Chicago. We have dedicated our lives to making Chicago a more just and equitable City. Brandon Johnson is the only candidate in this race with both the experience and the platforms that will move this entire city and particularly its Black, brown, and under-resourced communities, closer to the promise of justice for all.

* Crain’s | What the candidates told us about the real estate transfer tax: Vallas said he believes the solution lies in “streamlining the system” to facilitate development of large numbers of housing units not only for homeless people, but also for victims of domestic violence who often get returned to the homes where their abuse took place, and for people returning from incarceration.

* Daily Herald | Most — but not all — District 64 candidates supported COVID-19 orders for masking and more: Some parents and community members implored board members to end masking rules and other policies aimed to stop the spread of the disease in schools. In September 2021, two parents who were forced to pull their three children from school because the kids hadn’t quarantined after a trip abroad sued the district.

* Crain’s | NASCAR Chicago adds Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois as founding partner: Like McDonald’s, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois will have “official presenting, marketing and promotional rights” as well as branding all over the race’s footprint, according to a press release.

* Sun-Times | CTA worker accused of beating, tossing man down stairs of subway station who later died: Emmett Richardson, 39, is facing felony charges of aggravated battery in Saturday’s attack. The 54-year-old male victim has not been identified.

* Bloomberg | U.S. risks another baby formula crisis, ex-FDA official tells Congress: The industry has been under scrutiny since Abbott Laboratories, the biggest maker of infant formula for the US market, withdrew products including bestselling Similac last year after reports of illness and deaths among a few babies who had consumed it. The recall left parents across the country scrambling to find supplies and forced the US to expand its sources of the products.

* Daily Herald | Amazon truck strikes Long Grove bridge, marking 45th crash since 2020: The cover of the 116-year-old bridge was reinforced with a steel structure in 2020 so it can take a beating without requiring expensive repairs. The last time it was struck was about a month ago.

* Crain’s | Chicago home price growth tops national rate for the first time in years: The region’s new, better-than-average status is partly the result of West Coast real estate markets turning negative and pulling down the national figure. Nevertheless, it’s clear evidence the Chicago-area housing market remained more resilient than those in many other big cities, if only because it didn’t fizz into bubble territory along with them during the housing boom of the early 2020s.

* Tribune | Lollapalooza has daily lineup, with tickets on sale Wednesday: Billie Eilish headlines opening night Thursday, with Karol G. Then Kendrick Lamar and The 1975 are the big acts for Friday. ODESZA and the return of Tomorrow X Together are Saturday, and Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lana Del Ray close out the festival Sunday.

* WIFR | Illinois unclaimed property to be auctioned online: More than 500 unclaimed property items will be available to the highest bidder Monday, April 3 through Friday, April 7 through the Illinois State Treasurer’s office. Items considered for auction are surrendered to the office after remaining untouched and unclaimed for several years.