* ICYMI: Eileen O’Neill Burke wins state’s attorney race. Sun-Times…

- With 99% of the vote counted, O’Neill Burke had 50.15% compared to 49.85% for Harris.
- O’Neill Burke led by a margin of just 1,556 votes.
-Up to 53,011 mail city ballots could still arrive for tabulation, but nowhere near that many are expected to arrive by Tuesday with valid postmarks, when counting officially ends.

* Related stories…

∙ Daily Gist: Why this vote count felt like a slog
∙ Crain’s: Burke wins state’s attorney race
∙ Daily Herald: Former Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke wins Cook County state’s attorney Democratic primary

* Isabel’s top picks…

* State Week | The Illinois Prisoner Review Board under scrutiny: The murder of an 11-year old boy and stabbing of his mother brought focus on the state’s Prisoner Review Board this week. The crime happened just a day after the suspect was let out of prison. He had reportedly threatened the woman previously. In the aftermath, there has been more focus on how the case was handled. A PRB member resigned along with the board chairman. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who makes appointments to the board, said the case wasn’t given “the careful consideration that victims of domestic violence deserve.”

* Sun-Times | Pritzker reappoints Tate-Nadeau to handle emergencies, but senators concerned over payroll scandal: Tate-Nadeau, appointed by Pritzker in 2019 to lead the state agency that oversees disasters and crises such as the pandemic and the influx of migrants, came under fire last year after the Sun-Times reported an executive assistant accounted for $240,761.30 in billings — double the salary of her boss between February and August 2023. Her total billings to the state emergency agency in other contracting roles through August 2023 topped $1.03 million.

* Rockford Register Star | Officials release names of victims, other details from mass stabbing in Rockford: The suspect in a killing spree that claimed the lives of four people and left at least seven people injured told police that he became paranoid after smoking marijuana that may have been laced with another drug. […] The spree of violence included five crime scenes, some in Rockford and some in Winnebago County. Soto is initially charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and home invasion. He will face a detention hearing this afternoon.

Governor Pritzker will be at mHUB Chicago for a Bloch Tech Hub event at 9:30 am. Click here to watch.

* Here’s the rest…

* Tribune | After federal cuts, Illinois rape crisis centers ask state for help: ‘It’s essential that services be there’: Across Illinois, scores of direct service providers like Lubel who work at the state’s 31 rape crisis centers are struggling under the weight of crushing workloads, stagnant wages and unsteady job security. Those pressures have intensified in recent months, advocates say, after a key source of federal funding was essentially slashed in half, a loss of around $9.5 million.

* Capitol News Illinois | Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day: A panel of federal appellate judges on Thursday seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law. Bost’s late 2022 lawsuit was filed with help from a conservative group that assisted former President Donald Trump’s efforts to block the counting of mail-in ballots after Election Day 2020.

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds: This year’s survey found more than 90 percent of schools responding reported having a “serious” or “very serious” teacher shortage problem. That percentage has changed very little in the last several years, although the question has been asked in slightly different ways in earlier surveys. In 2021, for example, 88 percent of those responding said they had a “problem” with teacher shortages, a percentage that was unchanged from 2019.

* Capitol Cast | IARSS Executive Director Gary Tipsord discusses the 2024 Teacher Shortage Survey: CNI Broadcast Director Jennifer Fuller talks with IARSS Executive Director Gary Tipsord. This week, the organization released its annual teacher shortage survey, showing a large number of school officials are challenged when finding teachers and support staff to fill vacancies.

* Tribune | DCFS, under a new leader and following years of criticism, seeks a new wave of workers: Permitin was among a couple hundred people who attended the employment expo at the Rusu-McCartin Boys & Girls Club to check out opportunities from DCFS and other government agencies, including the Illinois State Police, Chicago Fire Department and U.S. Postal Service. The hiring event comes at a significant time for DCFS, which has been regularly criticized from government watchdogs to elected officials. In the last five years, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been a regular target of that criticism as the agency he oversees was accused of poorly handling some of its investigations and failing to get troubled youths into the right places quickly.

* Capitol News Illinois | State spends $73 million to protect Illinois’ only undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline: Illinois Beach State Park in Zion on the state’s northern border contains about 10 percent of Illinois’ Lake Michigan shoreline, with 6.5 miles. But the undeveloped shoreline can erode up to 100 feet per year, according to the state’s Capital Development Board, which is partially overseeing the stabilization project.

* WTTW | Cook County Courts Have Seen ‘Mostly Smooth’ Transition After Elimination of Cash Bail, New Report Finds: According to the report, judges have granted detention in 59% of the 2,732 cases in which the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has requested a pretrial hold. […] But in observing actual court proceedings, the report authors found that the pretrial release processes in Cook County “have not changed drastically” from what they were prior to the Pretrial Fairness Act.

* WAND | State law enforcement board asks for funding to implement SAFE-T Act training, add more instructors: ILETSB leaders told a Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday that the board has already hired 15 people to help with operations and implementation of the SAFE-T Act. Although, the agency anticipates they will need 23 more people hired over the next year. Executive Director Keith Calloway told lawmakers the board approved a 640 hour basic law enforcement curriculum and a 320 hour correctional course to allow for more scenario-based training for officers.

* Tribune | Illinois House proposal could pave way for video gambling in Chicago: In addition to helping address the city’s revenue needs, the Illinois House measure also aims to address racial disparities within the state’s video gambling industry by finding a way for Chicago businesses to swap the legally murky sweepstakes machines that can be found at bars, gas stations and even laundromats around Chicago for state-licensed — and taxed — betting devices.

* Center Square | Vaping industry insider blames big tobacco for new e-cig legislation in Illinois: The legislation in Illinois House Bill 5069 would establish a Premarket Tobacco Product Application registry of products that may legally be sold in the state. Manufacturers, distributors or sellers of products who want to add them to the registry must attest under penalty of perjury that the products are either authorized for sale by a Food and Drug Administration marketing granted order, or are still undergoing review by the agency.

* Sun-Times | Pritzker eyes bigger piece of Illinois sports betting action after 4 booming years: A hike from 15% to 35% of sportsbook revenue is a slam dunk to generate an extra $200 million for the cash-strapped state, according to the Illinois governor. But major gambling corporations say it will block growth in a market that has ballooned into one of the nation’s biggest.

* WAND | Frerichs hopes Illinois lawmakers allow unused college savings to rollover into retirement plans: Frerichs told reporters in Chicago Tuesday that he is looking out for families who don’t use all of the money in their college savings accounts to roll over funds into a Roth IRA. The Democrat said Congress approved a bill in late 2022 to allow tax and penalty free rollovers from college savings plans to retirement plans. […] Illinois would need a change in state law to allow people to take advantage of this opportunity. Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) and Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock (D-Villa Park) said it is a common sense change that could help parents, grandparents and guardians who open savings accounts for their young families.

* Tribune | Full House Resorts awaits Illinois Supreme Court decision before building its casino in Waukegan: A lawsuit against the City of Waukegan and the Illinois Gaming Board by Forest County Potawatomi Community to halt the board’s proceedings to grant the Waukegan license was dismissed in 2021, just before the license was awarded to Full House. After the Illinois First District Appellate Court reversed the dismissal in August, Full House paused plans to start work on the permanent facility. Alex Stolyar, Full House’s senior vice president and chief development officer, said Wednesday a wait is necessary.

* Chalkbeat | Should Chicago school board members be paid? Some advocates hope state lawmakers say yes: State law currently does not allow school board members to be paid, though they can be reimbursed for expenses related to the job. But a bill filed in the state senate last fall would allow Chicago Board of Education members to be paid.

* Sun-Times | Illinois approves nonbinary state ID documents but gender-neutral option to come: However, the gender-neutral cards cannot be offered until the Illinois Secretary of State’s office updates its driver’s license and ID card issuance system. It’s a process that could take years, according to Dave Druker, a spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office. Druker said Illinois is locked into a six-year contract with IDEMIA, a multinational identity solutions company formerly known as MorphoTrust USA. The state renewed its contract with IDEMIA in 2018 to implement Illinois’ REAL ID program, and the contract doesn’t end until 2024.

* WAND | Black advocates say Illinois colleges, universities should hire more Black vendors for services: State lawmakers know that most universities and colleges across the state are far from reaching the goal of 30% procurement with minority-owned businesses. However, leaders from the University of Illinois System said they have seen great improvement over recent years. “We just finished our high water mark for certified achievement at almost $130 million,” said Aaron Carter, Assistant Vice President of Procurement Services for the University of Illinois System. “As a percentage of addressable spend, that puts us right at about 11%, almost 22% of state appropriations when you look at that.”

* WBBM | Illinois task force studying ‘ranked choice voting’ nears the end of its work: The panel has been discussing the issue and hearing from election experts about the voting method, in which voters rank candidates in the order of their preference. The task force will provide a report with recommendations. It meets next month.

* Daily Southtown | Calumet City leaders spar as Ald Monet Wilson accuses Mayor Thaddeus Jones of disabling her email account: “There is no way that I can vote. I do not know what’s going on. I do not have the same resources,” Wilson yelled, explaining she has not been able to read the packets that are sent to aldermen ahead of meetings because her email is disabled.

* SJ-R | Springfield convenience stores found to be selling unauthorized vaping products: Thousands of unauthorized vaping products are hitting the shelves of convenience stores weekly in Illinois – and all it takes is a walk down to Circle K on South MacArthur Boulevard and Ash Street for Springfield locals to see for themselves that Breeze and Glas vapes, which are unauthorized by the FDA, are slotted next to FDA approved e-cigs.

* Tribune | Glencoe to consider adopting home rule government: Village President Howard Roin believes it is time for a switch. “Being an outlier has not resulted in lower property taxes for our residents,” Roin said. “Every day our residents are spending more money than the residents of other communities because we are not home rule.”

* Tribune | Chaotic federal juice-loan case has links to FBI efforts against Chicago Outfit figures: Cassano is also the president of Games Gone Wild, a company based in Norridge that leases so-called sweepstakes machines to area businesses. Since the machines can be played for free, the machines are not considered gambling devices. But the machines are largely unregulated and have been known to have links to organized crime, a link that federal authorities were investigating around the same time Cassano was indicted in 2021.

* Capitol Briefs | Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance. Illinois Supreme Court agrees to hear case of Jussie Smollett: The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be a false police report alleging that he’d been violently attacked by two men in downtown Chicago.

* Tribune | Many of Chicago’s vacant lots are near transit, posing challenges for neighborhoods and CTA, study says: More than one-third of vacant lots in Chicago are close to “L” stations, a new report shows, creating challenges for neighborhoods and the CTA alike. […] They found the communities that had among the most vacant lots near transit included Englewood and West Englewood, home to the terminus of one branch of the CTA Green Line. Also topping the list were East and West Garfield Park, served by two CTA train lines, and North Lawndale, served by the Pink Line.

* Crain’s | Measles cases around Chicago tick up past 50: Single cases of measles also have been reported in Lake, Will and suburban Cook counties. Each case is related to the Chicago outbreak, the county public health departments have said. […] Of Chicago’s 52 measles cases, CDPH said, 60% are among children younger than 5, 25% are among people aged 18 to 49, 13% are 5 to 17 and one person 50 or older.

* Tribune | Aldermen push for more transparency and tracking of migrants Chicago evicts from shelters: In addition to eviction data, the ordinance also would force the city to share information about conditions at each shelter, including how many residents are staying there with exemptions, how many residents are back in shelters after being evicted and how many grievances residents have filed. Since evictions began on March 17, the city has only shared limited information with the public. On Saturday, March 23, the total number of evictions was added to daily census counts, with additional information about exemptions available upon request.

* WREX | Winnebago County moves forward in response to possible migrant arrivals: Winnebago County’s current emergency response plan follows the guidance of Illinois Emergency Management in the event of asylum seekers in the area it would help them get to Chicago where more resources are established. Some opposing board members felt that the resolution wasn’t necessary as the county already had that emergency plan in place used back in December.

* Sun-Times | Migrants begin moving out of five Chicago Park District shelters: With a recent ebb in the flow of migrants to Chicago from the southern U.S. border, Johnson’s office says it will redirect a total 730 asylum seekers over the next few weeks from five park facilities to other nearby shelters. That’ll open up Brands Park, Gage Park, the Leone Beach Boathouse and Piotrowski Park, in addition to Broadway Armory Park.

* Block Club | Could ShotSpotter Be Kept In Some Wards? Alderpeople To Debate Proposal: Introduced to City Council in February by Ald. David Moore (17th), an amended version of the ordinance would require a City Council vote to stop the use of ShotSpotter in any ward, according to legislation available on the City Clerk Office’s website.

* Tribune | With logjam over police discipline broken, Snelling faces early leadership test: Roger Farias, 39, is one of 28 cops who were recommended for firing by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, or COPA, in the first two months of the year, according to an agency source familiar with the decision but not authorized to speak publicly, and confirmed through other sources. Records obtained by the Tribune show Farias has been the subject of 68 misconduct investigations since the department hired him in 2009.

* WCIA | Illinois abortion rights, anti-abortion advocates rally as Supreme Court hears oral arguments in abortion pill case: “We’re remaining optimistic and hopefully we will have and continue to have the ability to use mifepristone,” Patience Roundtree, the director of organizing and advocacy for Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said. The high court heard oral arguments Tuesday in a case involving mifepristone, one of two drugs used in a medication abortion.

* NBC Chicago | Family Dollar to close locations across Illinois as approximately 1,000 stores expected to shutter in coming years: Dollar Tree, the parent company of Family Dollar and Dollar Tree-branded stores, announced it will close approximately 1,000 stores across the U.S. […] In addition to the Family Dollar stores, 30 Dollar Tree stores, including locations in Illinois, will close during the first stage of closings and over the next few years.

* Tribune | Richard Phelan, former Cook County Board president who protected access to abortion, dies at 86: Using his executive power as Cook County board president from 1990 to 1994, Phelan reinstated access to abortion at the county hospital amid protests and litigation, reversing his predecessor’s steps to ban the medical practice. Phelan, a devout Catholic, plowed forward with his reproductive health campaign, despite loud criticism from the Catholic Church.

* The Telegraph | Some Illinois schools canceling classes for eclipse: Jacksonville School District 117 will have a School Improvement Day on April 8, with the hope students will use the time to experience the solar eclipse, the likes of which won’t be visible again in the contiguous United States until Aug. 23, 2044.

* The Wrap | After Jeremy Allen White Dining Snub, Illinois Governor Wants to Treat ‘The Bear’ Cast to Dinner at Chicago Steakhouse: As White told Jimmy Kimmel on a recent appearance, the show has been so wildly popular, he assumed he had an in at every Chicago restaurant. “Sometimes we get a little too confident,” the actor admitted. “Like in Chicago, I feel like we’re good anywhere. It should be fine.” But when he and Edebiri dropped by Gibson’s without a reservation during filming of the show’s second season, the staff was unimpressed. […] Pritzker said when he heard the story, “I immediately called up his manager and the show’s producer and I said, ‘I want to invite all the cast. We’re going to host them at Gibson’s.’ Because, let’s face it, they’re kind of hometown favorites.”

* AP | AT&T notifies users of data breach and resets millions of passcodes: The telecommunications giant said Saturday that a dataset found on the “dark web” contains information such as Social Security numbers for about 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and 65.4 million former account holders. The company said it has already reset the passcodes of current users and will be communicating with account holders whose sensitive personal information was compromised.

* News-Gazette | Illinois’ worst governor? That’s saying a lot: Incumbent Gov. Len Small, a Republican, had three years earlier been indicted on embezzlement charges while state treasurer. He was found not guilty by a jury that deliberated 90 minutes — likely because the jurors had been paid off. At least eight of them ended up on the state payroll. Small, cleared but not clean, ran again in 1924. The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Daily News and Belleville News-Democrat, all Republican newspapers, lined up against him. The Tribune called him “the worst governor the state ever had.” One hundred years later and numerous bad Illinois governors since, that may still be true.

* Tribune | Autonomous tractors plow path to the future at Caterpillar’s secluded Peoria Proving Ground: Caterpillar, which began experimenting with autonomous construction equipment nearly a decade ago, is one of several major companies developing it, along with Doosan in South Korea and Volvo Autonomous Solutions, which unveiled its new Swedish testing site in November. The potentially transformative technology is still in the early stages of commercialization.