* ICYMI: CTA President Dorval Carter to step down. Tribune…

- Carter will step down at the end of this month, according to the release, before taking over as CEO of St. Anthony’s Hospital.
- Carter’s retirement comes as a debate brews in Springfield about whether to combine the CTA with Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority, and how to fund local transit amid a looming $771 million budget gap once federal COVID-19 relief funding runs out.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson’s spokesperson said Carter’s interim replacement will be announced at the next CTA board hearing, which is scheduled for Wednesday.

* Related stories…

∙ Crain’s: CTA chief Dorval Carter is stepping down
∙ Streetsblog Chicago: Ald. Vasquez, CTAction, and ATA’s Amy Rynell weigh in on the long-demanded departure of Dorval Carter
∙ WGN: CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. to retire from agency to become hospital CEO

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Block Club | City’s Year-Old Food Scrap Dropoff Program Diverted Nearly 250 Tons Of Waste From Landfills: The Department of Streets and Sanitation sent more than 723,000 tons of residential trash to landfills between January and November of last year, including more than 173,000 tons of food waste. That’s more than 555 pounds per household. But more than 6,000 Chicagoans have signed up for the city’s Food Scrap Drop-off program since its launch in October 2023, composting more than 295 tons of food scraps through the end of November 2024, the city reported.

* WJBD | State Representative Charlie Meier announces he has prostate cancer: Meier says there is a stigma around prostate cancer among men, but says it doesn’t have to be that way. His message to this: put down your pride and stay up to date on your regular health tests. If you are over the age of 50, you have a higher risk of prostate cancer and should be routinely checked, even if you do not show any of the symptoms. Meier say early detection for all cancers is important.

* WGN | Illinois House speaker urges Mayor Johnson to reveal Springfield wish list: To enact his progressive agenda, Mayor Brandon Johnson is looking to Springfield for an assist, but powerful Speaker of the Illinois House Emanuel “Chris” Welch warns that money is tight. “The mayor of Chicago and mayors all across this state will have to come to us with realistic expectations. They can expect to hear us say ‘no’ from time to time,” the Democrat told WGN during a Monday sit-down interview. “We’re entering into this budget season with a $3.1 billion projected deficit, that’s billion with a ‘B.’

*** Statehouse News ***

* WCIA | Advocates excited new Illinois law will help non-English speakers in court: Non-English speakers in Illinois will have access to free translators during their administrative hearings starting July 1. Thanks to a law signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker, all administrative hearing notices must include a section in multiple languages that the recipient can request interpretive assistance for the hearing. These administrative hearings include family disputes, non-moving traffic violations, unlicensed businesses and more.

* ABC Chicago | IL Speaker Welch downplays suggestion Chicago mayor does not have good relationship with state: Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch has a warning for Mayor Brandon Johnson: getting help from Springfield this year could be an uphill battle. ABC7 Chicago political reporter Craig Wall talked one-on-one with the speaker about what the state’s financial crisis could mean for Chicago.

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*** Statewide ***

* AG Kwame Raoul | Assaults on DEI must be met with reaffirming commitments to equity in the workplace : As ideologically driven organizations continue to pressure companies to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs, I stand with my fellow like-minded attorneys general to remind corporate leaders of their previous commitments to prioritize diversity in the workplace and the value these policies add to companies’ cultures and financial bottom lines. The assault on diversity, equity and inclusion policies have even leached into our law enforcement agencies. Following the horrific New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, instead of uniting our country, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., issued a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray attempting — without merit — to tie the act of terrorism to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

* Tribune | Illinois Congressional Democrats plot ways to blunt policies after Trump takes office: “Trump has not been kind in his descriptions of Chicago,” said U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who represents parts of Chicago and many northern suburbs. “There’s definitely going to be a lot of pushback (from Illinois officials), and it’ll be obvious what Trump is doing: He wants to punish certain blue states.” Still, Illinois Democrats figure they have an avenue for some success in the latest Trump era.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson testing ShotSpotter replacements as alderman tries for his own pilot: As Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration conducts pilot testing on first-responder technologies to replace the ShotSpotter system he discontinued, one skeptical alderman wants to move ahead on a technology tryout he set up himself. Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, announced his plans Monday to test a technology that helps police identify and respond to gunshots with tools like acoustic detectors, infrared cameras and even drones. The pilot program would cover half a square mile in the Back of the Yards neighborhood and cost the city nothing, but it can start only with Johnson’s approval, Lopez said.

* WBEZ | CTU, CPS views on large fund balance key in contract talks: The $1.1 billion fund balance is a massive improvement from negative balances almost a decade ago. But although CTU believes, “They have a sufficient amount of reserves,” officials at CPS say, “There is no mythical pot of gold.”

* Zena Naiditch | Stacy Davis Gates’ comments reinforce harmful prejudices about students with disabilities: I was appalled to hear Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates’ recent remarks comparing Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to a special education student who cannot be suspended. This statement is deeply offensive and perpetuates damaging stereotypes about students with disabilities who are disproportionately suspended and excluded from school. Students with disabilities are legally entitled to, and rely on, individualized education programs (IEPs) to make progress in the classroom educationally and emotionally. Every individual deserves respect, dignity and the opportunity to succeed. Comments such those made by Davis Gates undermine these values and reinforce harmful prejudices about students with disabilities.

* Tribune | Bally’s resumes demolition at Freedom Center as city lowers revenue projections, looks to permanent casino to meet goals: Halted for nearly a month in the wake of a river spill, demolition at the future site of the permanent Bally’s Chicago Casino complex resumed Friday after the city approved a new plan for razing the last vestiges of the Freedom Center. Disappointing results from the first full year at the temporary Medinah Temple facility may make supplanting the former Chicago Tribune printing plant with the planned $1.7 billion gambling palace an even higher priority for both Bally’s and the city, which has reduced its casino tax revenue projection for 2025.

* SBJ | McDonald’s ends NASCAR’s Chicago street race founding sponsorship: NASCAR sought around $2M annually over three years for founding partner positions, including ad time with NBC Sports, SBJ previously reported, but the terms it eventually struck with McDonald’s were unclear. McDonald’s assets included promotional rights; branding in a dedicated section of the 2.2-mile circuit around Grant Park and signage at other parts of the track, fan entrances, concert stages and wayfinding placards; and ad inventory on NBC, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM Radio broadcasts, and NASCAR’s digital platforms. SBJ could not establish why McDonald’s chose to conclude the relationship, but it remains a major sponsor of 23XI Racing in NASCAR.

* Block Club | Cops Rescue Coyote From Humboldt Park Aldi In Viral Video: A video of the incident shared widely on social media shows two officers standing in a refrigerated section of the store with a broom and dustpan as they move inventory to try to secure the animal. One of the officers then reaches into the refrigerator and grabs the coyote’s tail. The officer pulls on it until the animal is fully removed, but it is then seen immediately leaping back into the refrigerated section, according to the video.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Mount Prospect chamber’s suit against management firm pits mayoral hopefuls of neighboring towns: The suit seeks to block the firm’s access to a $50,000 grant the chamber obtained last year from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, as well as other damages and legal costs. The litigation pits Trisha Chokshi, the Mount Prospect chamber board chair and a candidate for Mount Prospect mayor, against Arlington Heights mayoral hopeful Jon Ridler, the founder and CEO of the management company.

* Daily Herald | Gurnee native reached for the moon. Now he’ll be steering spacecraft to lunar landing: As a high school student, studying physics in a classroom wasn’t enough for Curtis Szajkovics. So, he and fellow science aficionados designed a giant catapult that won international recognition. On Wednesday, the Gurnee native will aim higher when he serves as a flight controller with NASA contractor Firefly Aerospace, helping to guide a spacecraft to a moon landing.

*** Downstate ***

* WIFR | Former Illinois 67th District Rep. Chuck Jefferson remembered by community, lawmakers: The 79-year-old Jefferson served in the Illinois legislature from April 2001 to July 2014 and acted as Assistant Majority Leader. […] “He was a trailblazer,” said current 67th District Rep. Maurice West. “Little did I know, that…18, 19 years later I was going to follow in his footsteps.”

* WAND | Sangamon County passes vote to have referendum to eliminate County Recorder on ballot: County Board Member Tony DelGiorno proposed a resolution that would add a question to the ballot for the Consolidated election on April 1, 2025, that would eliminate the office of Recorder of Sangamon County, closing officially on April 1, 2026. DelGiorno’s amendment was shot down in favor of Tom Madonia Jr.’s amendment, which moved the question to a later ballot and included contracting a consulting service to evaluate merging tactics.

* WCBU | A stampede of artsy bison heralds Peoria County’s 200th birthday: Edward Barry, vice president of the Peoria Historical Society, said the county’s borders looked very different when it was founded in 1825. “Peoria was the size of the Netherlands, clocking in at over 16,000 square miles,” Barry said at a kickoff event Monday at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. “Including the present day counties of Putnam, Knox, Henry, Tazewell, Mason, Logan, McLean, Woodford, and Marshall”