* ICYMI: State regulators order Peoples Gas to finish pipeline replacement by 2035. Tribune…

- State regulators Thursday gave Peoples Gas the green light to resume its long-running, multibillion-dollar pipeline replacement program, but with a narrowed focus, accelerated timeline and greater accountability.
- The order directs the utility to retire the remaining 1,000 miles of aging leak-prone cast iron and ductile pipes running under Chicago by 2035.
- A safety monitor will oversee and report on Peoples’ progress annually beginning in 2027, with the threat of civil penalties if the company “fails to comply with the completion deadline.”

* Related stories…

∙ WGN: ICC lifts pause on multibillion-dollar Peoples Gas pipeline project, orders utility to focus on high-risk pipes
∙ ABC Chicago: Controversial Peoples Gas Pipe Replacement Program can move forward with reforms: ICC
∙ WBEZ: State regulators clamp down on Peoples Gas pipeline replacement program

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson criticizes ethics reform recommended by inspector general: Mayor Brandon Johnson Thursday ripped a proposal Chicago’s top independent watchdog recommended as a way to prevent him and future mayors from impeding investigations by her office. […] The legislation matched recommendations Inspector General Deborah Witzburg made in a recent letter to aldermen as she criticized the mayor-controlled Law Department for hindering investigations that “may result in embarrassment or political consequences to City leaders.”

* WBEZ | Transgender teens and their parents speak out after Lurie Children’s pauses surgeries: In the two weeks since Lurie paused surgeries for transgender youth, WBEZ has spoken with 10 patients or their parents about what it means for their lives. They described their disappointment, their loss of hope for one day having a procedure, and their anger that this is coming now, after they already feel threatened and marginalized by hateful rhetoric around the country.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Illinois Department of Human Services lines up leader for consolidated mental health, substance abuse division: David Albert, head of DHS’ Division of Mental Health, will lead the new Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery. Rafael Rivera, interim head of the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery, will be assistant director of the combined department, the IDHS spokesperson said.

* Illinois Times | Don Tracy clears his name: A six-year legal battle recently came to an end with longtime GOP powerbroker Don Tracy claiming victory. In 2019, the Illinois executive inspector general found the Springfield lawyer engaged in a prohibited political activity by making a $1,000 campaign contribution to a legislative candidate while serving as chair of the Illinois Gaming Board. But Tracy said that was nonsense because the contribution made to Republican Seth McMillan, who was challenging then-Sen. Andy Manar, a Democrat, was made not by him but by his wife, Wanda, from their joint checking account.

*** Statewide ***

* NBC Chicago | Not everyone needs a Real ID at May deadline — or possibly ever. Here’s who does: “There has been a lot of confusion and misinformation when it comes to Real IDs. So let me try to clarify. As of May 7, if you have a current valid standard driver’s license, you do not need a real I.D. to legally drive a vehicle,” Giannoulias said in a press conference Thursday. “You do not need a Real ID to show identification. You do not need a Real ID for proof of citizenship. As of May 7, you will need a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID if you are over the age of 18 and intend to fly a commercial airline or visit certain federal facilities. But let me be very clear: you can still fly if you have a valid U.S. passport.”

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | Alderman introduces plan to punish Chicago city employees and officers for having extremist ties: The Chicago Police Department and Mayor Brandon Johnson have faced growing calls to fire police officers with ties to hate and extremist groups. With those concerns in mind, Ald. Matt Martin, 47th Ward and chair of the City Council’s Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight, said the city needs to quickly investigate allegations and cease employment for those actively participating in extremism groups.

* Sun-Times | Andrea Kersten headed COPA, the agency that investigates Chicago police misconduct. Here’s what happened before she quit.: The backstage drama days before she resigned included a threatened no-confidence vote by a city oversight panel that could have led to Kersten being fired as chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.

* Sun-Times | Amid heated debate, city agency endorses ‘framework’ to change zoning on Broadway: Called a “land use framework,” the proposal recommends that the city replace a quilt of zoning rules for property along Broadway mostly with a category that critics said could allow for the densest development outside of downtown. The proposal sets “clear expectations” for growth, said Katharyn Hurd of the city’s Department of Planning and Development. But it doesn’t authorize any project or zoning change, matters that would require City Council approval.

* Sun-Times | Everything Cubs, White Sox fans need to know about spring-training TV, radio broadcasts: How great was it to see a Major League Baseball game Thursday on TV? MLB Network’s broadcast of the Cubs-Dodgers spring-training game warmed my heart amid the bitter cold outside. It didn’t matter that it was SportsNet LA’s broadcasters and not Marquee Sports Network’s crew. It could’ve been a Marlins-Rays game, for all I cared. It was baseball.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WTTW | City of Aurora Staff Aided Development of Privately Owned Tourism App at No Cost to App’s Owner, a Mayoral Ally: For the last several months, the city of Aurora has been proudly promoting a new mobile app aimed at drawing more visitors to its downtown attractions. […] But it’s not Aurora that owns the app — it was developed by a company whose owner’s firms have received multiple lucrative contracts and incentives from the city, and who has supported the campaign funds of Irvin and his allies.

* Sun-Times | In Cicero’s primary, longtime Town President Larry Dominick faces a stiff challenge from Esteban Rodriguez: Dominick — who has served as town president since May 2005 and last ran uncontested in 2021 — has focused his policies largely on public safety. Rodriguez stepped down in January as executive director of Corazón Community Services, a Cicero-based nonprofit.

* Daily Southtown | Will County judge to decide if one of four candidates removed by clerk should be reinstated: Burt Odelson, an attorney for Joliet Township supervisor candidate Cesar Guerrero, said Guerrero has paid back $6,550 in penalties from the Illinois State Board of Elections, and is no longer on the ballot forfeiture list. Odelson said Democratic precinct committee persons have nominated Guerrero to fill the vacancy caused when he was removed from the ballot, but Parker has not accepted that nomination.

* Daily Northwestern | University President Michael Schill provides update after Education Department gives universities two weeks to eliminate race-based programs: In a letter sent to universities late last Friday, the Education Department threatened federal funding if universities fail to comply with guidance against considering race in scholarship or hiring decisions or acknowledging race in “all other aspects of student, academic and campus life” within fourteen days. This update comes after a Jan. 21 executive order entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” which forbids federal funding for organizations that are found to be discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

* Shaw Local | Manteno uses PR firm to answer questions: When the village of Manteno was inundated with calls, questions and information requests several months ago, it turned to a public relations firm for help. It was the beginning of a contentious time for the village back in the fall of 2023, when the proposed Gotion lithium battery plant was seeking a change of zoning from light to heavy industrial at the 333 S. Spruce St. site. The village turned to Jasculca Terman Strategic Communications in Chicago to handle public relations for all the planning and board meetings surrounding the zoning change.

* Daily Herald | What’s in store for Lisle’s French market; food trucks to roll into downtown: Lisle trustees next month will consider a revised agreement with the organizer of the village’s French market that will keep it in town through October 2027. Bensidoun USA, the operator of more sprawling markets in downtown Wheaton and Geneva, has proposed moving Lisle’s to a commuter parking lot along Burlington Avenue to accommodate a larger market for the 2026 season and beyond. The lot could support as many as 36 to 40 vendors.

*** Downstate ***

* BND | Opponents question timing of Belleville city clerk candidate’s decision to run: Why would someone launch a campaign for Belleville city clerk within days of their election as a St. Clair County official? That’s one of the questions being asked by Irma Golliday’s opponents and others in local political circles. Some also wonder why she would delve into Belleville politics after decades of community involvement in East St. Louis. “It doesn’t make any sense,” said Brian Triska, who lost his bid to replace Golliday on the St. Clair County Board of Review in November.

* Freedom From Religion Foundation | FFRF stops staff favoritism toward Christian club in Illinois school district: The Freedom From Religion Foundation has made certain that Geneseo Community Unit School District #228 employees do not help put together a Christian club’s activities in district schools. The state/church watchdog was informed that staff members regularly organized events for Geneseo Middle School’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes club. For instance, on Dec. 4 last year, a teacher sent out an email to parents organizing an end-of-the-year event for the club that took place on Dec. 10.

* WCIA | Danville superintendent is out: What’s coming next?: On Wednesday, the Danville School Board voted to place Geddis on paid administrative leave and have John Hart, assistant superintendent, take over for now. And on Thursday, WCIA dug deeper into the details of the deal… and the steps to finding a replacement. Board member reactions were a bit of a mixed bag. They were nearly split on the type of search firm to hire to find a replacement. But, they were all able to agree on one thing: it was time for a change.

*** National ***

* WTTW | More Americans Identify as LGBTQ+ Than Ever Before, Poll Finds: The proportion of American adults who identify as LGBTQ+ has risen to 9.3% of the population, according to a Gallup Poll released Thursday. The finding represents an increase of more than 1 percentage point from 2023’s estimate. The proportion of the population identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or non-heterosexual has nearly doubled since 2020 and has jumped from 3.5% since 2012, when it was first measured by Gallup, an analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C.

* Fortune | Amid worst U.S. flu season in decades, RFK Jr.–led CDC pulls vaccine campaign: es, seasonal flu shots are still available, and no, it’s not too late to get yours. But you’d be forgiven for being confused, because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has halted one of its educational flu vaccine campaigns. The agency’s Wild to Mild initiative, launched at the start of the 2023–24 flu season, aimed to inform the public that while getting immunized against the flu doesn’t guarantee you won’t catch an influenza virus, it can protect you from severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

* Bloomberg | Bird Flu Kills Dairy Workers’ Cats, Suggesting a Viral Change: Two house cats died after contracting bird flu in the homes of dairy workers, a troubling sign that the virus may be moving between species and becoming more widespread. The cats’ owners lived in separate households in Michigan and developed symptoms of H5N1 last May, according to a report released Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both worked on farms that had cases of bird flu and displayed symptoms before the cats fell ill, but declined testing.