* ICYMI: Judge blocks law that would have banned newly slated candidates from ballot. Capitol News Illinois…

- Sangamon County Judge Gail Noll’s order will allow slated candidates to appear on the November ballot.
-“The General Assembly could make the revisions effective for the next election, rather than in the midst of the current election,” Noll wrote.
- Neither the attorney general’s office nor attorneys for House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch immediately responded to a request for comment as to whether they would appeal the ruling.

* You can watch the Governor’s fireside chat here…

Gov. Pritzker participates in fireside chat at Social Innovation Summit https://t.co/bHknIhuC4s

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) June 5, 2024

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights trustee tapped for 53rd District House seat: A panel of Northwest suburban Democratic leaders picked Arlington Heights village Trustee Nicolle Grasse as the new state representative for the 53rd District. Grasse will fill the vacancy created when Mark Walker left the post last month to fill the seat in the 27th District Senate left vacant when Ann Gillespie accepted Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s appointment as head of the Illinois Department of Insurance.

* WGLT | Orders of protection are plentiful in McLean County — compliance less so: Sergio Ponce, senior court advocate with the program, said there are certain riskier times for women trying to break ties with their abusers because abuse is a lot about control. […] Using orders of protection as a tool requires calling police when there are violations for it to work. Ponce pointed out some remedies in the order of protection are not enforceable by police.

* Shaw Local | Former Illinois Republican campaign aide makes first court appearance in obscenity case: On Wednesday, Timothy Pawula, 32, of Chicago, made his first court appearance with his defense attorney, Doug DeBoer, before Judge Ken Zelazo at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet. State records list Pawula as the treasurer for Ozinga for Illinois, the candidate election committee for former Republican state Rep. Tim Ozinga of Mokena. […] “I’ve never seen a criminal charge filed in this manner,” DeBoer said to Zelazo regarding the bill of particulars.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Budget balancing act? Pritzker signs $53.1 billion spending plan, dismisses Democratic discord: The signing of the spending plan in the West Loop’s State of Illinois building featured no fanfare — unlike Pritzker’s last two budgets, in which he stood flanked by cheering rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers. But Pritzker swept away the notion that the low-key event was due to any intraparty feuds, saying he is backed by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, who stood alongside him, in addition to House Speaker Pro Tempore Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, state Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.

* Tribune | Democrats declare ‘Illinois is on the right track’ as Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs $53.1 billion budget: Pritzker has yet to sign a revenue package that includes roughly $750 million in tax hikes necessary to balance the budget, but said Wednesday he plans to do so without making any changes. While the budget passed comfortably in the House by a 65-45 vote and more convincingly in the Senate by a vote of 38-21, negotiations in the Democratic-controlled chambers stretched into overtime and seven Democrats in the House and two in the Senate joined Republicans in voting no.

* SJ-R | Pritzker signs $53.1B budget, touts investments in education, economic development: That measure includes increases on the sports wagering and video gaming taxes, which will net the state an additional $235 million in revenues, in addition to an extended cap on corporate net operating losses to prevent what would have been a $526 million loss for the state.

* Fox 2 Now | Illinois legislators approve law against landfill’s airborne waste: The bills require landfills in Madison, St. Clair, and similar-sized counties to have facilities on site to clean mud from truck wheels and undercarriages before they leave the landfill after dumping their trash. Truck drivers must also secure tarps over the tops of their loads to prevent flying trash. Tarp violations can bring $150 fines and additional $150 fine per violation beyond a fourth offense in a single year.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Alderman Pushes For 8 PM Downtown Curfew For Minors After Teens Attack Couple In Streeterville: Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) is pushing for a stricter Downtown curfew for minors after two teens attacked a couple in Streeterville last week. The attack happened around 9:15 p.m. Friday in the 400 block of East Grand Avenue, police said. A woman, whose age was not given, and a 40-year-old man were on the street when a group approached them. […] After the woman described the attack in an anonymous interview this week with FOX32, Hopkins announced in his newsletter he is working to establish an 8 p.m. curfew law for all unaccompanied minors in the Central Business District.

* Block Club | South, West Side Youth Groups Get $600,000 From City To Boost Kids’ Programs: More than 60 community organizations will get grants averaging about $10,000 each in an effort to get more kids involved in activities like gardening, summer camps and trades programs.

* Crain’s | Downtown rents moderating as new apartments hit the market: So far this year, 2,400 new apartment units have become available downtown, with a total of 3,600 projected to be delivered in 2024 as developers complete projects that were financed before the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes, according to the Chicago office of Integra Realty Resources. That’s a jump from about 2,900 units brought to market in 2023 and 1,500 in 2022.

* Tribune | White Sox bullpen can’t hold late leads in consecutive losses to Cubs in City Series sweep: ‘It sucks’: The White Sox had what appeared to be comfortable leads Tuesday and Wednesday in the City Series against the Cubs. Both advantages disappeared, as the Sox continued their spiral with crushing defeats. And in the process, they tied a single-season franchise record with their 13th consecutive loss. They reached that dubious distinction Wednesday, falling 7-6 in front of 40,073 at Wrigley Field.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* NBC Chicago | Dolton disorder spreads as records show mayor used village funds for personal makeup artist: An itemized payroll sheet for the township sent to NBC Chicago from May of last year lists Brandon Momon as an administrative assistant, but when we reached out to him, he told us he’s Henyard’s make-up artist. “It is just once again a long series of things done incorrectly – or possibly illegally,” said Chris Gonzalez, a Thornton Township trustee.

* Crain’s | What will become of Aon’s massive Lincolnshire office complex?: San Diego, Calif.-based Realty Income has hired brokerage CBRE to seek a buyer for the 4 Overlook Point office complex in the northern suburb, according to a marketing flyer. The site in the heart of the 330-acre Lincolnshire Corporate Center campus is a longtime office of insurance giant Aon, whose lease for the entire 818,686-square-foot office complex on the property is due to expire at the end of this year.

* Daily Herald | Suburban World War II veterans mark D-Day anniversary in Normandy: Today, three World War II veterans from the suburbs are there once more to mark the 80th anniversary of what Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the “Great Crusade.” Dick Rung, 99, of Carol Stream, Jack Kinyon, 101, of Bartlett, and Edward “Bud” Berthold, 104, of Fox River Grove, made the trip with other veterans through the Best Defense Foundation. The California-based nonprofit provides opportunities for World War II veterans to return to their battlefields for closure, camaraderie and remembrance.

* Crain’s | We now know how much Oberweis Dairy sold for — and its new owner’s plans: The price tag for Oberweis Dairy, which was recently sold through a bankruptcy auction, was $21.25 million. The investment arm of Winnetka-based private-equity firm Hoffmann Family of Cos. won the bidding on May 29, but the price was not immediately made public in court documents.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | More details shared in train vs. semi crash in Southern Illinois: Amtrak officials have shared more details regarding a train-vs.-semi crash on Wednesday in Southern Illinois. An Amtrak train was traveling from Chicago to Carbondale, making several stops at stations across Central Illinois. The train was just north of its final destination, when at 2:30 p.m., it collided with a semi that was obstructing the tracks. […] Amtrak officials said the train was able to continue its journey to Carbondale after a nearly 3-hour delay.

* SJ-R | ‘A happy return:’ New music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra has ties to state: In Chicago, Fukumura was the assistant conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Chicago Philharmonic, while directing two youth orchestras at the Merit School of Music. He also conducted the Northwestern Medical Orchestra, made up of students, faculty, residents, researchers and staff members in the Northwestern medical community. […] A native of Tokyo who grew up in Boston and started his musical studies on the violin at age 3, Fukumura is acclaimed for his dynamic stage presence and musical finesse.

*** National ***

* Reuters | D-Day anniversary 2024: World leaders, veterans, commemorate Normandy landings: “I want to pay my respects to those who didn’t make it. May they rest in peace,” veteran Joe Mines said, in words read by actor Martin Freeman. “I was 19 when I landed, but I was still a boy…and I didn’t have any idea of war and killing.” “I tried to forget D-Day but I can’t,” Royal Navy veteran Ron Hendrey said in words read by actor Douglas Booth. “I’ve lived 80 years since that day, my friends have remained under the earth.”