* Subscribers know more. ICYMI: Pritzker and Illinois Dems say the state is being shorted $1.9B by Trump. Crain’s…

- Gov. JB Pritzker and most of the state’s congressional delegation sent a letter to Russell Vought, the new director of the Office of Management and Budget, demanding answers about federal funds owed to more than a dozen state agencies.
- Vought ordered federal funds to be paused, but judges stopped the order from being implemented, and OMB rescinded the order.
- “Despite the OMB’s recision of the memo, we have continued to receive reports from agencies and organizations, detailing their inability to access funds,” the letter says.
- Impacted agencies include those overseeing education, transportation, healthcare, and economic development.

* Related stories…

∙ Capitol News Illinois: Pritzker positions himself at forefront of Trump opposition by invoking Nazis’ rise to power
∙ CNN: Illinois Gov. Pritzker warns against authoritarianism

* Governor Pritzker is in Chicago to announce new medical debt relief for working families at 10 am. Click here to watch.

* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois banned life sentences for young offenders—but not for those already behind bars: Illinois is one of 28 states that has banned juvenile life sentences without the possibility of parole. In just over half of these states, the law applies retroactively. Illinois is not one of them.Sen. Rachel Ventura, a Democrat from Joliet, introduced a bill in the previous legislative session that would have made the ban on life without parole retroactive, but it failed. Republican Sen. Seth Lewis, of Bartlett, co-sponsored the measure. Though he declined an interview, a spokesperson said he “still agrees with the concept” but believes the bill’s language needs revisions. The spokesperson did not specify what changes he had in mind.

* STLPR | Federal cuts to Missouri and Illinois national forests have unclear impact: Sources at the Mark Twain National Forest in southern Missouri and the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois confirm there have been positions eliminated but did not provide information on the number or job duties of those employees. They referred all questions to the main office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service. […] “To be clear, none of these individuals were operational firefighters. Released employees were probationary in status, many of whom were compensated by temporary IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) funding,” the statement said.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press Release | Rep. Rita Named Illinois Park Districts Legislator of the Year: Rep. Rita sponsored a new law last year, in Senate Bill 2849, to give local governments such as park districts and forest preserves the power to control the flying of drones over their public spaces. The law was aimed at helping control potentially intrusive drone activity over softball and baseball games, swim meetings, trail hiking and other recreational activities. “Since joining the General Assembly in 2003, Representative Rita has been a champion of park and recreation agencies throughout Illinois,” IAPD President and CEO Peter Murphy said in remarks at the IAPD awards luncheon. “Throughout the years, Representative Rita has consistently demonstrated strong support for his local park districts through his unwavering dedication to community parks and recreational spaces.”

* WBEZ | The pros and cons of banning cell phones in Illinois schools: The goal of the proposed cell phone ban is to improve student performance and social skills and fight cyberbullying. But it would also limit parents’ access to their kids. Reset checks in with an education reporter for more on the proposal and hears from an expert on the impact of screens on kids.

*** Statewide ***

* WTTW | Dozens of Illinois Communities Vote to Reinstate Grocery Tax, Many More Expected to Follow: Municipalities are now asking the state to give them more taxing authority, including for all municipalities’ elected officials to be able to enact a local sales tax on motor fuel to fund road and infrastructure improvements. Currently only non-home rule municipalities within Cook County or that have populations over 100,000 have the ability to pass an ordinance to locally tax gasoline at the pump, up to 3 cents a gallon (House Bill 1283).

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | CTU leaders file motion to quash subpoena for their texts, depositions: The subpoenas are part of an ongoing lawsuit between Martinez and the Board of Education over arguments that board members obstructed the chief executive officer’s job duties. The legal dispute and the top CTU officials’ desire not to turn over information comes at a time of intense financial uncertainty for the fourth-largest school district in the nation — now facing several unsettled, high-stakes budget costs that led to the conflict between Martinez, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the teachers union that played a pivotal role in electing him.

* Crain’s | Johnson pushing CPS to cover disputed $175M pension payment: Johnson won City Council approval of a 2024 budget amendment and 2025 budget that both relied on CPS covering the $175 million pension payment made to the Municipal Employees’ Annuity & Benefit Fund of Chicago on behalf of non-teacher employees at the school district. The city is statutorily required to make the payment on the district’s behalf, but former Mayor Lori Lightfoot began forcing the bill onto CPS’ books as it began its transition to an elected school board. Johnson opposed the move at the time as a member of the Chicago Teachers Union, but now wants to see it through as mayor.

* Sun-Times | Rep. LaHood calls Trump policies a ‘priority’ as he opens search for new top federal prosecutor: Nearly two years after ex-U.S. Attorney John Lausch left office, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood formally opened the search for Chicago’s next top federal prosecutor, insisting that person’s priority must be to ensure “the policies and priorities of the Trump Administration” are implemented here. “The importance of selecting a strong U.S. attorney who will understand the importance of implementing and enforcing our immigration laws, fight to stop rampant and rising criminal activity in Chicago, support our brave men and women in law enforcement, and prevent public corruption is now more critical than ever,” LaHood’s office said in a statement Tuesday.

* WBEZ | Musicians David Byrne, Tom Morello to create new works for Goodman Theatre’s centennial season: The Talking Heads’ David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar are the creative team behind “Theater of The Mind,” which comes to the Goodman in the coming season (opening date to be announced). Directed by Andrew Scoville, it’s described as a “theatrical experience you’ll see, feel, taste and hear. Inspired by both historical and current neuroscience research, the show takes you on an intimate and immersive journey inside how we see and create our worlds.” Audiences will be guided through a series of rooms to participate in “thought-provoking neuroscience experiences.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | More jurors seated for Highland Park suspect’s trial, as judge issues warning to media : According to Rossetti, a media outlet published a detailed description of a potential juror that included information on that individual’s employment, job location and spouse’s employment. The court previously had told possible jurors - referred to in court by numbers, not names - that personal information that could identify them would not be published. Publishing such information puts a juror’s ability to be fair and impartial at risk, said Rossetti. It also could have a chilling effect on jurors answering questions honestly, she said.

* WBEZ | Palestinian American mother testifies during murder trial: ‘My son screaming, screaming, screaming’: Shaheen testified that she told Czuba she was Muslim and from Jerusalem when she moved into his property in 2021, and that he expressed no issue at the time with her religion or nationality. That changed, she said, after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. A few days later, Shaheen said she saw Czuba in one of the home’s common areas, and he told her; “Your people are killing Jewish [people] and babies in Israel. Muslims are not welcome here, not in my home.”

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Plans moving forward for estimated $8 million Oberheim Park in Monticello: Plans for Monticello’s Oberheim Park are moving forward. City Council members approved five acres from the Allerton Public Library to be transferred to the city for the project off of Old Route 47. Terry Summers, the city administrator, said design engineers estimate it’ll cost about $8 million. The money would come from the reserve and general funds.

* BND | Under Trump, trans discrimination lawsuit against metro-east pig farm may be dismissed: President Donald Trump’s policies on transgender issues have prompted a federal agency to ask the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois to dismiss its civil lawsuit against a rural New Athens pig farm accused of discriminating against a transgender employee. Court documents show that the employee admitted during questioning that she had provided the farm, Sis-Bro Inc., with a fake Social Security number and was working illegally in the United States.

* AP | Apple shareholders reject proposal to scrap company’s diversity programs: After a brief presentation about the anti-DEI proposal, Apple announced shareholders had rejected it. In a regulatory filing submitted Tuesday evening, Apple disclosed that 97% of the ballots cast were votes against the measure. The outcome vindicated Apple management’s decision to stand behind its diversity commitment even though Trump asked the U.S. Department of Justice to look into whether these types of programs have discriminated against some employees whose race or gender aren’t aligned with the initiative’s goals.