* We informed subscribers about this earlier this month. ICYMI: What Illinois faces if congressional Republicans slash Medicaid. Crain’s…

- One proposal floated by House Republicans would put an estimated 800,000 Illinoisans at immediate risk of losing benefits. This is a population that receives insurance under the Affordable Care Act’s 2014 Medicaid expansion, which largely covers single adults without children.
- A reduction in the funding level would be bad enough, but Illinois is among 12 states with a trigger law that would automatically end coverage or require other changes if the federal match drops below 90%.
- 862,774 Illinois residents could lose their health care coverage.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Subscribers were told about this last week. Daily Herald | The governor wants to put pause on fuel tax shift. What would that mean?: It was just one line item in Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget proposal Wednesday, pausing the final shift of the state’s motor fuel sales taxes to the road fund. But for drivers, road builders and lovers of convoluted Illinois legislative history, it means a lot. Since July 1, 2021, the state has incrementally transferred motor fuel sales taxes from its general fund to the road fund. The change was part of 2019 legislation enabling the Build Illinois capital program.

* Tribune | The hidden world of Chicago ICE arrests: In a system where people can be detained with little public information available, rosters for out-of-state jails that hold many Chicago-area detainees offer one of the only glimpses of people taken into custody amid the heightened fear and uncertainty of the past several weeks. Though they do not represent a complete picture, the jail logs, obtained by the Tribune via public records requests, present a rare, if narrow, window into a byzantine and opaque immigration system, where people can be detained and not go before a judge for weeks, or even months. In contrast, in Illinois’ criminal justice system, arrestees must go before a judge within 48 hours and police must make arrest reports with identifying information available within 72 hours.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Illinois Eagle | State rep calls for equity in funding for HIV in Black community: State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) highlighted the disparity in health outcomes for Black Illinois residents. “We cannot afford inaction while Black communities face disproportionately high rates of HIV/AIDS illness and limited access to life-saving resources,” she said at press conference with the Black Leadership Advocacy Coalition for Healthcare Equity (BLACHE) for Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

* BND | Metro-east state rep settles lawsuit over blocked Facebook comments: Illinois State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, has settled a lawsuit alleging he violated the First Amendment free speech rights of four constituents by blocking their “critical” comments on his Facebook page. […] The settlement agreement calls for Meier to reinstate Poettker’s access to his Facebook page and to reinstate comments from Moore, Williams and

* Daily Herald | Milena McConchie, wife of recently resigned state senator Dan McConchie, dies at 51: Dan McConchie posted news of his loss and the life he had shared with her on Facebook Saturday. “Unfortunately, the health troubles that plagued her since Chernobyl were not to be outrun,” he wrote. “She passed away from heart failure due to the cancer, the radiation, and the chemotherapy treatments that we now know cause the heart muscle to harden. Fortunately, she is now free of those troubles and is finally in a place where there is no sickness and there is no death with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | Illinois expanded tax credits for some workers and families but the money isn’t being claimed, experts say: Illinois expanded its earned income tax credit in 2024, giving low- to moderate-income workers a bigger break on their 2023 state income tax filing. But many taxpayers who receive the federal EITC are unaware that the state program exists. Workers who qualify for the federal EITC generally qualify for the Illinois EITC, since the requirements are similar. And some of those filers could see an increase this tax season by also taking advantage of the state’s first-ever Child Tax Credit, which offers relief to parents struggling with rising living costs. Parents with children under 12 who qualify for the Illinois EITC are eligible to claim the CTC.

* Tribune | ‘Whole different level.’ The Illinois-Indiana political divide widens amid Trump 2.0, from immigration to DEI to LGBTQ rights: “What Donald Trump tried to do in the last 24 hours was illegal,” Pritzker said during a press conference that day. “Let’s be clear: This is a demonstration of cruelty against people who depend on us.” Yet just over the border in Indiana, the top state official praised the austerity measure, which was designed to root out progressive agendas, promote efficiency and end “wokeness” through federal spending nationwide.

*** Chicago ***

* Kam Buckner | A city charter is the reform Chicago actually needs, not recall powers : Chicago is the largest city in America without a city charter. No governing document, no foundational rules that define how power is distributed, how decisions are made and what rights the people have in relation to their government. That’s like buying a complex piece of Ikea furniture and tossing the instructions, only to realize years later that you screwed everything in backward and now it barely holds together. Instead of a charter, we rely on a patchwork of century-old state laws, home rule authority and political traditions so entrenched you’d think they were carved into stone tablets. This system works, until it doesn’t.

* Tribune | City touts mission to target employee ties to hate groups; community demands police be the priority: Representatives with the mayor’s office told a roomful of residents and community groups at the West Side gathering that Johnson’s working group would produce recommendations and policies to deal with city employees linked to hate groups. The group was assembled eight months after the city’s Office of the Inspector General recommended in a report last year that the mayor convene a task force.

* The Athletic | Bears boost ticket prices as if they just had playoff season, not a 5-12 disaster: If you go through past numbers to look for context, the 10 percent jump for the 2025 season shouldn’t be a shock. The Bears have been known to raise prices after playoff seasons. Wait, what’s that? The Bears didn’t make the playoffs last year? They went 5-12, lost 10 in a row, fired their coach and offensive coordinator during the season and were the laughingstocks of the NFL from Halloween to New Year’s?

* Crain’s | Chicago billionaire Justin Ishbia to boost stake in White Sox: The deal will allow Ishbia, managing partner of Chicago investment firm Shore Capital Partners, to take control of the team at some point by buying the shares of longtime owner Jerry Reinsdorf and other partners, the Athletic contends, citing unnamed people familiar with the arrangement.

* Sun-Times | Just because Justin Ishbia wants to buy the White Sox doesn’t mean Jerry Reinsdorf is selling: I don’t blame them a bit for getting their hopes up. The Athletic reported that Ishbia, a financier worth $5.1 billion, wants to increase his minority stake in the Sox now that he’s given up his pursuit of buying the Twins. There’s a large segment of the fan base that would want anybody besides Reinsdorf, including a disinterred Stalin, owning the team. But the idea of someone as wealthy as Ishbia stepping in, well, it was enough to make Sox fans swoon on social media the past few days. To be rid of Reinsdorf, who cut the Sox’ payroll after losing a modern-era record 121 games in 2024, and gain a multibillionaire who has a home in Winnetka? Exchange Evergreen Park for Winnetka, and that’s a dream your standard Sox fan has about once a week.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Metra paid a law firm over $1.5M for an internal investigation that it won’t release, raising transparency questions: The investigation stemmed from anonymous complaints made to Metra about the agency’s Police Department, and bills from the attorneys hint at the scope of the work: McGuireWoods undertook analysis related to an “investigation of potential disparate treatment.” Also included among 130 pages of attorneys bills was reference to “EEO” incidents and complaints, according to documents obtained by the Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request. Still, Metra’s failure to publicize information about the outcome of the investigation — and the agency’s decision to rely on an outside law firm to investigate its Police Department in the first place — raises questions about Metra’s motives, government transparency advocates said.

* Evanston Round Table | Candidates go on ‘speed dates’ with voters: Nearly everyone running for a city office or school board seat in the April 1 consolidated elections was present with a desk, a trifold poster board and any snacks, flyers or other campaign materials they could fit at their station. A steady stream of potential voters arrived over the three-hour event to talk directly to the candidates lined up around the room, with the din of conversation interrupted every 10 minutes by the sound of a tambourine — an encouragement for attendees to wrap up their chats and move on to someone new.

* Daily Herald | Aurora primary Tuesday to narrow the field for mayoral election: Five people are seeking spots on the ballot, including incumbent Mayor Richard Irvin, Alderman-at-Large John Laesch, Alderman Ted Mesiacos, former alderman Judd Lofchie, and Karina Garcia. Jazmine Garcia’s name is still on the primary ballot, but she announced on Tuesday that she had dropped out of the race.

* Tribune | ‘We saw evil that day.’ Highland Park mass shooting survivors hope for justice, resolution as trial begins Monday: More than two years after that horrific holiday, the suspect’s trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection Monday at the Lake County Courthouse. Alleged gunman Robert Crimo III faces more than 100 charges, including 21 counts of first-degree murder — three for each person who lost their life while attending the parade. If convicted of first-degree murder, he could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

* Sun-Times | Trial set to start Monday for Plainfield landlord charged with killing 6-year-old Palestinian American boy: Joseph Czuba is charged with stabbing his tenant, Hanan Shaheen, and her 6-year-old son, Wadee Al Fayoumi, killing the boy, in an alleged hate crime that drew national attention. His trial is set to begin Monday at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.

*** Downstate ***

* BND | Metro-east teachers fear closing the Department of Education will harm students: According to the Illinois State Board of Education, about 12% of Illinois school districts’ revenues for fiscal year 2023 came from the federal government. Most school funding comes from the state and local taxes. But what that relatively small percentage of funding does is extremely important, said educators at a round table discussion hosted by the Illinois Federation of Teachers and U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski on Monday. The federal government directs money to schools to serve low-income students through Title I funding and to support programs for students with disabilities under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

* WICS | Lincoln residents hopeful for redevelopment of former developmental center site: Community members in Lincoln are expressing optimism about the potential redevelopment of the former Lincoln Developmental Center site, which has been closed since 2002. The closure, ordered by then-Governor George Ryan, left many residents concerned about the future of the site and the jobs lost as a result. […] The timeline for demolition or rehabilitation of the site remains uncertain, as it is contingent on decisions by the Illinois General Assembly.

* Tom Kacich | 100 years after merger first floated, Champaign, Urbana happy to be separately together: Former Champaign Mayor Dan McCollum, who said he supported the 1953 merger question as a high school student, recalled that he suggested another merger effort sometime after becoming mayor in 1987. “I approached Jeff Markland (then the mayor of Urbana) about getting the two cities together,” McCollum recalled. “He said that historically it hadn’t been supported by his town, so he couldn’t support it. That was the end of that.”

* WCIA | Therapy dogs drop by Danville library to help kids learn to read: “Fear of pets is one thing, but if we can get away from some of the other children and adults, some children don’t want to try and read in front of adults because they’re afraid of making mistakes,” retired librarian Mary Easterday said. “And when they read to a dog, the dog doesn’t care. The dog loves them. The dog sits there and listens and loves them.” She said the library plans to continue bringing dogs in to mingle with kids — and is also considering doing the same thing at Oakwood Elementary School.

*** National ***

* NYT | Microsoft Says It Has Created a New State of Matter to Power Quantum Computers: On Wednesday, Microsoft’s scientists said they had built what is known as a “topological qubit” based on this new phase of physical existence, which could be harnessed to solve mathematical, scientific and technological problems. With the development, Microsoft is raising the stakes in what is set to be the next big technological contest, beyond today’s race over artificial intelligence. Scientists have chased the dream of a quantum computer — a machine that could exploit the strange and exceedingly powerful behavior of subatomic particles or very cold objects — since the 1980s.

* WaPo | Weight-loss drugs aren’t just slimming waists. They’re shifting the economy: Ozempic, and its GLP-1 cousins Mounjaro, Wegovy and Zepbound, may not be the lightbulb, jet airplane or internet, but their impact is expected to be so significant that Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, predicts that if 60 million people take the medications by 2028, GDP would be boosted by 1 percent — or several trillion dollars. Hatzius’s analysis was based primarily on the idea that healthier people mean a healthier workforce and, in turn, lower health-care costs. But there’s a lot more to it.

* Tribune | Democratic governors balance whether to fight or pacify after Donald Trump threatens one of their own: President Donald Trump’s real-time confrontation with Maine’s governor over transgender athletes captured the conundrum many Democratic governors are facing in the Republican’s second term. Gov. Janet Mills’ vow that she would see Trump in court over his threat to withhold money from the state if it didn’t comply with his executive order delighted Democrats who want more strident pushback. But the dust-up that played out in the open Friday as Trump hosted governors at the White House ticked off a president known to retaliate against people he considers enemies.