* ICYMI: Subscribers were told about this last Tuesday…

Today, Patrick Sheehan was selected by the 37th Representative District Committee to fill the vacancy of retiring State Representative Tim Ozinga in the Illinois House of Representatives.

“I am honored to be the new Representative for the 37th District and serve the residents of Will and Suburban Cook counties,” said Patrick Sheehan. “I cannot wait to hit the ground running for suburban families by fighting tax hikes, keeping our communities safe, growing our economy and making a more ethical state government.”

With nearly two decades of service as a Police Officer, Patrick Sheehan brings a wealth of experience and dedication to his role as State Representative. Additionally, he has served as a Lockport Alderman and former Park Commissioner, illustrating his longstanding commitment to community engagement and leadership. His involvement in local initiatives, such as his presidency at the Lockport Jr Porters Football & Cheer Program and coaching at the Lockport Soccer Club, further underscores his deep ties to the community. Patrick resides happily with his wife, Susie, and their five children.

“The Illinois House Republicans are happy to welcome Patrick as the third law enforcement officer serving in our caucus,” said House Minority Leader Tony McCombie. “With the public safety challenges our state faces, Patrick’s expertise will enhance the general assembly and help make Illinois a place where families can feel safe and succeed.”

* Isabel’s top picks…

* WBEZ | Illinois moves one step closer to removing ‘forever chemicals’ from state drinking water: If sampling returns levels of PFAS above the new standard, water systems have another two years to implement technology to reduce PFAS. The new guidelines apply to 66,000 public drinking water systems across the country, but the EPA estimates only 6-10% of those public water systems will have to take action to reduce PFAS levels to meet the new requirement. The new drinking water regulations “will change some things” in Illinois, according to Ariel Hampton, of the Illinois Environmental Council. “We will certainly see changes in about three to five years,” Hampton said.

* Tribune | Hundreds gather to remember Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough: ‘Compassionate, determined, undaunted’: Amid stories about her compassion and determination, Yarbrough was eulogized Sunday at a public funeral replete with the tributes bestowed upon an elected public official who championed causes that helped veterans, homeowners, public health and social justice. She was elected in 2018 as the county’s first African American and female clerk. Voters reelected her in 2022. Though the tributes largely focused on Yarbrough as an innovator in Illinois politics who helped open the door for other women, her personal life as a wife, mother and grandmother also were honored.

* Sun-Times | PPP fraud investigation by state watchdog finds $7.2 million in improper loans: Since the coronavirus pandemic began here in early 2020, the Office of Executive Inspector General has found 277 cases of wrongdoing involving PPP loans, which were typically forgiven, meaning they didn’t have to be repaid. The investigators focused on loans of more than $20,000 and found about $7.2 million in improper ones, according to a new report by the office.

The governor will be in Chicago at 10 am to join advocates to uplift medical debt relief legislation and at noon Governor Pritzker will join ComEd in celebrating state’s largest commercial solar installation. Click here to watch.
 
* Here’s the rest…

* WTVO | 4.1M people in Illinois could be eligible to get their criminal records expunged: The expungement process begins with a petition to the court, Marlon Chamberlain, Founder of the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishment said millions are eligible in the state alone. “In Illinois, there’s an estimated 4.1 million people that will be impacted if, if and when we’re able to eliminate these permanent punishments,” said Chamberlain. “And what that would do is that would give people the ability to dream, to become doctors, to become lawyers, to become teachers and elected officials and entrepreneurs and pastors. So it would give people the ability to evolve and not have to worry about the background following them for life.”

* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s ‘pragmatic progressive’ approach being put to the test: With March primaries come and gone, work is underway in earnest on approving a state spending plan for the coming budget year before the General Assembly’s scheduled May 24 adjournment. The proposal Pritzker laid out in February attempted to build on past progressive successes — such as last year’s expansion of state-funded preschool programs — without overpromising and potentially jeopardizing the state’s hard-won credit upgrades, a core accomplishment the governor guards jealously.

* WTAX | Study: Removing sales tax on groceries hurts cities more than it helps families: “I think there is a perception that the grocery tax is very regressive,” said Elizabeth Powers, an associate professor of economics at the U of I and interim associate director of its Institute of Government an Public Affairs.“That it causes very low-income people to pay more than their fair share of taxes.” Those families, Powers says, pay roughly $3600 a year in groceries and thus would save $36 per year. As for cities. Powers says, “It’s estimated that municipalities lost about $360 million; municipalities are perceiving this as a significant hit to their budget.”

* SJ-R | Springfield business owner warns of potential consequences of anti-youth vaping measure: HB 5069, he said, will effectively prohibit him from selling products that make up the majority of the store’s revenue, putting his business and vaping operations throughout the state at-risk of closure. “This isn’t about kids,” Fortin told The State Journal-Register. “This is solely an attempt to hand to take these products off the market and to give big tobacco a monopoly.”

* Nerd Wallet | Rising inflation means Illinois’ required car insurance limits may not be enough protection: Inflation and supply chain problems continue to impact Americans. Auto insurance rates have risen as a result, along with the prices of new and used cars, medical care and even car maintenance. State-required car insurance limits haven’t followed suit, however, and even drivers with higher limits may not be protected. If you’re driving around with only the minimum amount of car insurance required, then you’re probably underinsured.

* Daily Herald | Illinois’ solar industry sees continued growth with help of 2021 climate law: Industry leaders say the explosive growth can be traced back to the state’s massive climate bill, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act or CEJA. The legislative package, passed in September 2021, put Illinois on the climate leaderboard and built upon the state’s previous climate bill, the Future Energy Jobs Act. […] Part of the legislation’s solar success has been due to the long-term funding and goals it put in place, namely reaching 50% renewable energy by 2050, said Amy Heart, the senior vice president of policy for Sunrun.

* Daily Southtown | Lawsuit accuses Dolton official of non-consensual sex with ‘blacked out’ village employee: But, according to the lawsuit, the employee was fired shortly after bringing the accusation against the official to Henyard. And the security guard alleged “within days” of telling Henyard about his interactions with the trustee, he was removed from his role in the mayor’s security detail and was “demoted to patrol duty.”

* WGN | DCHD: First measles case confirmed in DuPage County: DCHD officials said the case does not appear to be linked to new arrival shelters in Chicago and the source of infection is unknown at this time. The person who was diagnosed with measles has received outpatient medical care, and DCHD said they are “working diligently with public health partners to identify and notify individuals who may have been exposed to the virus.”

* Sun-Times | New name for Starved Rock State Park? State officials ‘willing to open discussions’: Leaders at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said this week there are “no immediate plans” to rebrand Starved Rock State Park in La Salle County, but officials are open to discussing a potential name change if Native American groups push for it.

* Tribune | Activists to protest ‘with or without permits’ when DNC arrives in Chicago this summer: “We’ll be marching with or without permits. This DNC is the most important one since 1968, also in Chicago when Vietnam War protesters and the black liberation movement organized mass demonstrations that were violently repressed,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, at a coalition conference Saturday on the Near West Side to organize protest efforts. “The march on the DNC will be the largest mobilization for Palestine in the history of the city.”

* Politico | Democrats descend on Chicago as specter of ‘68 convention looms: Democrats say they have the convention’s logistics under control and are confident Chicago Police and federal officials will be able to manage the protesters who are expected to converge on Chicago for the Aug. 19-22 convention. Protest organizers expect as many as 30,000 demonstrators could come in August.

* Block Club | Cops Who Shot At Dexter Reed Had History Of Traffic Stops Drivers Say Were Unwarranted, New Docs Show: Three of the incidents under investigation happened just in the month before officers killed Reed. On March 6, five of the officers involved in the shootout stopped a person in a different instance, the newly released documents show. The driver who was stopped filed a complaint, saying the officers stopped him and searched his car without justification in the 3800 block of West Jackson Boulevard.

* Crain’s | We now know where Johnson wants to get the extra $70M for migrants: The $70 million will come from the city’s reserve balance. The city must set aside a small percentage of cash to have on hand in case of a catastrophic event. The city also sets aside a reserve to fund up to 30 and 60 days of government services and an additional rainy-day fund that has been boosted in recent budgets.

* Tribune | In a legal oddity, alleged police abuse victim to stand trial again for a double murder even after governor commuted his sentence: The evidence against him is more than three decades old. The case unfolded in the notorious Jon Burge era. Reed, who has for years accused police of beating him into a false confession, was long ago found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Since then his conviction was reversed, then reinstated; then he was ultimately ordered to stand trial anew — without the use of the tainted confession. And amid the muddle of court fights, Gov. J.B. Pritzker commuted Reed’s sentence, meaning he cannot serve one more moment of prison time on the case. After Reed was freed, he was picked up on new charges out of state — so at the end of the trial, he will go back behind bars, but not for the murder.

* Sun-Times | Caffeinated competition: World’s best tasters grind in Chicago at Specialty Coffee Expo: Every aspect of coffee was represented by vendors from around the world on the convention floor — which doubled as battlegrounds on Saturday for some of the world’s most refined palettes and sophisticated pours. The World Coffee Championships — or the “coffee Olympics,” as one organizer put it — have included a variety of java jousts since 2000, including tasting, brewing and latte art.