* ICYMI: State lawmakers brace for possible federal cuts to Medicaid. Capitol News Illinois…

Health care advocates, hospital officials and people who rely on Medicaid for their medical coverage warned state lawmakers Wednesday of consequences that could result from proposed cuts in federal Medicaid funding.

“This is it. This is absolutely it. This is the line,” said Carrie Chapman, senior director of litigation and advocacy at Legal Council for Health Justice, a Chicago-based advocacy group. “Medicaid stays or goes as the program that we’ve know it right now.”[…]

Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, who serves on the committee, said Wednesday that the decision about future federal Medicaid funding is in the hands of the Republican-controlled Congress. He urged GOP members of the General Assembly to use their influence to persuade the three Illinois Republicans in the U.S. House to vote against cutting Medicaid funding. […]

Republicans on the panel argued that the subject of federal budget negotiations was beyond the scope of the state legislative committee’s purview and suggested Wednesday’s hearing was more about partisan politics than solving the state’s budget issues.

* Related stories…

∙ Center Square: With funding cuts to Medicaid possible, Illinois Dems discuss impacts
∙ WQAD: Illinois lawmakers brace for possible federal cuts to Medicaid

* At 11 am Governor Pritzker will be in Champaign to amplify his proposal to ban cell phones in school classrooms. Click here to watch.
* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* WCBU | State climatologist highlights concerns over NWS, NOAA cuts: Trent Ford, the Illinois State Climatologist based at the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute, says the cuts will have wide-ranging detrimental effects, limiting the ability to inform the public about threats from severe and high-impact weather. “Whether you’re a farmer, whether you are a backyard gardener or water manager, no matter who it is, we’re all touched by the National Weather Service,” Ford said in an interview with WCBU. “That’s just obvious by living any year in the central Illinois area and going through warnings and advisory periods of extreme weather.

* Sun-Times | Illinois sees drops in opioid and drug overdose deaths for the first time since 2018: According to an Illinois Department of Public Health report, Illinois recorded an 8.3% decrease in overall drug overdose deaths in 2023, exceeding a nationwide decline of 4%. Opioid overdose deaths dropped 9.7%, compared to 3% nationally. In total, 3,502 people died from an overdose in Illinois in 2023, which is 317 fewer than in 2022, data show. The state believes increased naloxone distribution throughout the state, community outreach through harm reduction organizations and drug overdose prevention programs, the availability of fentanyl test strips and improved access to treatment and medication-assisted recovery have contributed to the decrease in deaths.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WTTW | Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on the Trump Administration, Birthright Citizenship and DEI: In the six weeks since President Donald Trump has returned to the White House, nearly 100 legal challenges have been filed against the administration’s executive orders, according to the digital law and policy journal Just Security. Illinois has joined in on the conversations that range from the federal funding freeze to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined WTTW News’ “Chicago Tonight” to talk about how his office’s priorities have shifted under a new era of American leadership.

* Capitol News Illinois | Legislative revenue estimate more than $700M lower than Pritzker’s proposed budget: Lawmakers’ projections for revenues in the coming year aren’t as high as Gov. JB Pritzker’s, raising questions about how much money will be available during this year’s budget negotiations. The General Assembly’s bipartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability released a new fiscal year 2026 revenue projection Tuesday that is $737 million short of the proposal Pritzker introduced last month. “At this point with all the uncertainty that’s been talked about, it’s best to have more of a cautious approach,” COGFA Revenue Manager Eric Noggle said at the commission’s meeting Tuesday.

* Capitol City Now | Over 100 students from SkillsUSA are connecting with legislators about career and technical education: Eric Hill, Executive Director of SkillsUSA and Emma Belsly student historian with the organization talk with Joey McLaughlin on the WTAX Morning NewsWatch about career and technical education and the message they are sending to legislators while they are here for their lobby day at the Illinois State Capitol.

* 25News Now | Empowered women rally for change in the 2nd annual Tradeswomen Take Over Springfield: The rally, part of Tradeswomen Take Over Springfield, highlighted ongoing efforts to increase the number of women in the construction and building trades. The Illinois AFL-CIO has set a goal of raising the percentage of women in these jobs to 20% over the next five years. Representative Lisa Hernández (D - Cicero) introduced a House resolution calling for equal access to construction jobs by addressing barriers such as childcare, training opportunities, and workforce diversity. A resolution does not have legislative power,

*** Statewide ***

* NPR | Illinois schools are still trying to solve persistent chronic absence problems: The percentage of Illinois students who are “chronically absent” — meaning they miss more than 10% of the school year — skyrocketed during the early pandemic. It’s fallen a bit since, but rates are still far higher than pre-COVID. Sonia Navarro is asking students where they’re supposed to be, while walking down the hallway at Constance Lane Elementary School in Rockford. It’s her job to make sure kids are getting to class. It’s her first year as an attendance specialist. This year, for the first time, every Rockford school has one.

* Reuters | With Trump’s tariffs, Illinois farmers worry about losing corn sales to Mexico: Farmers around Jacksonville, a city of about 17,000 people, benefit more than most from Mexican demand. They live near a grain facility that loads corn onto railcars before it travels more than 1,000 miles to livestock producers south of the border. The farmers drive from up to 60 miles away to make sales to the facility owned by privately held crop handler Bartlett, which growers said often pays higher prices for their harvests than other buyers do. […] “We need their markets and I hope that they need us, but it’s a competitive world,” said Marty Marr, 70, who farms with his sons and plans to plant corn on about 2,000 acres near Jacksonville this spring.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson defends Chicago’s sanctuary laws in GOP-led congressional hearing: During the marathon GOP-led hearing, Johnson delivered a forceful endorsement of Chicago’s long history as a haven for immigrants while against a backdrop of heavy political theater over one of the country’s most divisive issues. Seated in the middle of a five-person witness panel with the Democratic leaders from three other major U.S. cities, Johnson touted Chicago’s downward trend in crime in his opening statement. He went on to argue throughout the six-hour session that the city’s long-standing policy blocking local police from assisting in federal immigration enforcement in fact makes communities safer.

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago school board to vote on tweaking budget as costs of labor negotiations and pensions loom: Chicago Public Schools is proposing a budget amendment to the school board that would increase the district’s operating budget by $139 million to address looming expenses for the district — but could open the door to other solutions, such as budget cuts or “other entities” taking on debt for CPS. The increase to the current $9.9 billion spending plan represents a historically large influx of cash from the City of Chicago, which declared a surplus from Tax Increment Financing, or TIFs, which are special taxing districts designed to spur development. The district’s budget already includes $159 million in previously allocated TIF funds.

* Sun-Times | Swatting incidents prompt heavy police response to two high schools: A bomb threat and reports of a person with a gun brought SWAT officers to Jones College Prep in Printer’s Row. A short time later, officers were called to John Hancock College Prep in Clearing. Both threats were deemed not credible. No one was hurt.

* Tribune | Aldermen say Veterans Affairs abruptly puts hold on outreach program: The former service members come from all over the Chicago area every week to get help securing health care, employment, disability pay and other benefits during the support sessions staffed by VA workers, O’Shea said. But Wednesday marked a sudden, unexpected last day for the program, he said. Sweeping cuts to federal agencies made by President Donald Trump’s administration appeared to come home to ward offices across Chicago, as O’Shea and several other members of the City Council told the Tribune they’d been notified by the VA that it was “temporarily” pausing the outreach.

* Bloomberg | Prospect of Walgreens sale creates strange Wall Street alliances: The roughly $12 billion in funding, lined up by Sycamore Partners, foreshadows a new paradigm as it brings together the traditional rivals in a bid that values the international drugstore chain at around $20 billion including debt. Wall Street stalwarts and private credit upstarts have traditionally fought over the financing of LBOs, but the deal for Walgreens is so large it offers plenty of business for banks and direct lenders alike. If it materializes, the buyout would be a boon for bankers starved of new-money M&A — and the lucrative fees that come with it.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights mayoral candidates disagree on urgency of redeveloping Arlington Park: All three candidates — Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Ridler and current village trustees Jim Tinaglia and Tom Schwingbeck — say they want to be part of discussions that could finally lead to the Bears choosing the 326-acre former racetrack property as their new home. But the candidates’ approaches vary.

* Daily Southtown | Political tensions rise at Lockport District 205 Board candidates forum: Recent successes of school board candidates supported by conservative groups paved the way for 2025 candidates expressing hard line views on taxes, COVID-19 era policies and parental involvement in schools. Hayes, who did not attend Tuesday’s forum, was previously endorsed by conservative organization We The Parents Illinois in her unsuccessful bid for the Will County District 92 Board in Homer Glen and Lockport.

* Daily Herald | West Chicago asks judge to enforce $20,000 fine over controversial greenhouse: West Chicago is asking a court to order mayoral candidate Dan Bovey and his wife to pay a $20,000 fine for building a greenhouse in their backyard. The petition, filed Monday in DuPage County Circuit Court, is the latest chapter in the legal battle between the city and the Boveys over the greenhouse, which they started building in 2023.

* Sun-Times | Robert Crimo III signs trial waiver ‘Donald Trump’ after pleading guilty to Highland Park parade shooting: Robert Crimo III signed his trial waiver “Donald Trump” after pleading guilty to the Highland Park parade shooting, but experts say his guilty plea should stand no matter what name he signed. “He can sign Mickey Mouse or Donald Trump,” said Richard Kling, a law professor at Kent College of Law. What matters, Kling said, is that there is a transcript of Crimo orally pleading guilty, which Crimo did Monday.

* Daily Herald | ‘I wish there was more unity’: Mundelein, school districts at odds over Ivanhoe Village megaproject: Not everyone is pleased with the village of Mundelein’s first official actions on the proposal since the Wirtz property was annexed in late 2022. At issue is how much money will be generated for school-related expenses through village-imposed impact fees, and whether the developers should contribute more.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Early voting for April 1 election begins Friday in Kane County, officials say: Early voting for the April 1 general election begins Friday in Kane County, a news release from the Kane County Clerk’s Office said on Wednesday. Kane County Clerk John Cunningham announced that the Clerk’s Office will begin mailing absentee ballots for the April 1 election on March 7 to about 37,500 voters who submitted applications for permanent vote-by-mail ballots, according to the news release.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Firearm revocations are ‘absolutely’ on the honor system, say law enforcement: Following a recent triple murder-suicide in Bloomington, McLean County sheriff Matt Lane attended a meeting of the county board’s justice committee on Wednesday where he and two detectives outlined the process for giving up weapons when a firearm owner identification [FOID] card is revoked. […] It’s worth noting that in either case, this does not mean police seize the weapons or independently confirm they’re out of the hands of subject of the revocation. The process is voluntary, and non-compliance is met with “nudges” in the form of phone reminders.

* 25News Now | Legal opinion on Washington mayor’s potential conflict of interest to stay private: The results of a legal opinion about a potential conflict of interest with Washington Mayor Gary Manier, a proposed amphitheater, and the Hengst Foundation will not be made public. As previously reported, a Washington Community High School alumnus wants to donate $12 million to build a 5,000-seat amphitheater along Route 24. Earlier this year, council members asked for a legal opinion from the city’s legal council about whether Manier should be allowed to vote on amphitheater-related issues because his wife, Lada, is the treasurer for the foundation’s board.

* 25News Now | Washington leaders talk 1% grocery tax as state’s version fizzles out in 2026: If the city were to adopt it, the tax rate shoppers would have to pay would not change. Without it, the city said it would lose $500,000 annually. “I would hate to see us do something where this is, to me, a minimal amount of money, and have to go back and push a home rule sales tax to try to recover,” said Ward 4 Alderman Michael McIntyre.

* WGLT | Normal mayoral candidates weigh in on housing, taxes and fees, and future paths: Normal’s mayoral hopefuls gathered Tuesday night to discuss challenges facing the town at a WGLT forum at Illinois State University. Town council members Kathleen Lorenz and Chemberly Harris shared the stage with incumbent Chris Koos to discuss the housing shortage, tax policy, the Uptown underpass and more. Koos has served as Normal’s mayor for 22 years, and positioned himself accordingly. Discussing his tenure, he touted economic development, infrastructure improvements and job creation.

* WCBU | New DDC leader Waible examines challenges, opportunities for revitalizing downtown Peoria: Chris Waible sees a lot of potential to spark energy in Peoria’s Central Business and Warehouse districts. “I have ambitions, and I hope that we all do in Peoria, to make downtown a great place,” said Waible. “Not just great for Peoria, but great for anywhere in the country, and making an authentic place to Peoria that’s not copying necessarily somewhere else, but it’s making the most of the strengths that we have downtown and turning into a really nice place.”

* WPSD | USPS unveils modernized sorting center in Carbondale: With nearly 60 delivery routes operating from the facility, officials say the upgrades will improve service, enhance worker safety and increase efficiency on an unprecedented scale. “Pretty exciting day, very exciting day,” Mark Inglett, strategic communications manager for USPS, said. Inglett said the Carbondale facility houses nearly 60 rounds. At one time, machines manually sorted three to 500 packages per hour. Inglett said they can handle up to 5,000 per hour with the upgrades.

*** National ***

* WaPo | How 443 federal properties were targeted for sale, then suddenly weren’t: “We anticipate the list will be republished in the near future after we evaluate this initial input and determine how we can make it easier for stakeholders to understand the nuances of the assets listed,” a GSA spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday, adding that the agency had “received an overwhelming amount of interest” since publishing its initial list. The spokesperson did not respond to questions about why the list was modified and then removed, or say whether all 443 properties were still marked for disposal.

* NPR | The history behind an enduring public health falsehood — that vaccines cause autism: The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been a vocal skeptic of vaccination for years. In a Fox News editorial regarding the measles outbreak in West Texas, he did write that vaccines are, quote, “crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease,” but he also stopped short of actually recommending them, writing, the decision to vaccinate is a personal one. Elsewhere, he has repeatedly made the debunked claim that there could be a link between vaccines and autism. That particular myth long predates RFK Jr. The hosts of NPR’s Throughline, Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei, have the history behind one of public health’s most enduring falsehoods.

* The Atlantic | Chatbots Are Cheating on Their Benchmark Tests: [T]here is growing evidence that progress is slowing down and that the LLM-powered chatbot may already be near its peak. This is troubling, given that the promise of advancement has become a political issue; massive amounts of land, power, and money have been earmarked to drive the technology forward. How much is it actually improving? How much better can it get? These are important questions, and they’re nearly impossible to answer because the tests that measure AI progress are not working.

* Forbes | New Data Shows Just How Badly OpenAI And Perplexity Are Screwing Over Publishers: OpenAI, Perplexity, Meta and other AI companies scraped websites 2 million times on average in the fourth quarter of last year, per the report, which analyzed 160 websites including national and local news, consumer tech and shopping blogs over the last three months of 2024. Each page was scraped about seven times on average.