* Subscribers know more. ICYMI: How chaos at the Education Department impacts Illinois schools. Sun-Times…

- If federal education funding was reduced by Congress or by other means, Illinois and Chicago schools wouldn’t lose the majority of their education revenue. But they would be hurt.

- This school year, for example, federal funding makes up about 16% ($1.3 billion) of the $8.4 billion Chicago Public Schools operating budget.

- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker last week said Trump’s plans to dismantle the Education Department would hurt working families. The greatest impact would be felt by rural schools, students with disabilities and students from low-income families who rely on federal grants to pay for college, he said.

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

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Partisan politics infiltrating non-partisan local Illinois elections: Rule said one of the main goals of Tazewell Republicans this election cycle is defeating Dr. Ashley Fischer, a pediatrician running for the Morton School Board whom Hauter called “too radical for the people and schools of Morton.” Fischer said she’s an anti-bullying advocate, which includes respecting all aspects of students’ identities like race, gender and sexuality.

* Tribune | Illinois farmers, saying they face ‘so many challenges as it is,’ criticize USDA funding freezes: “Farmers face so many challenges as it is, and now they must contend with the uncertainty of whether these contracts with the government will be honored,” said Anna Morrell, co-owner of The Little Farm at Weldon Springs in Clinton and a member of the National Young Farmers Coalition. “We need certainty, and we need certainty so we can continue feeding our communities.” The USDA has said it plans to cut off funds in fiscal year 2025 for a program that provides funds to food banks to purchase food from local farmers, among other funding pauses and program cuts. Some of the programs cut specifically helped newer farmers and farmers from historically disadvantaged groups, or brought food to disadvantaged communities, Morrell said.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press Release | Hoffman and Belt Highlight Release of State Funds in Support of MetroLink Extension to MidAmerica Airport: “Securing $31 million for the MetroLink light rail extension is a significant step forward for our region’s transportation infrastructure,” Belt said. “I’m proud to work alongside Rep. Jay Hoffman in delivering this crucial funding, ensuring that the MetroLink extension will serve as a vital link to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.” Hoffman and Belt have worked together to help secure state investment in the transit project, which is moving forward and expected to be open to riders in summer 2026. The recent $31 million release builds on a previous $98 million commitment under the state’s Rebuild Illinois capital program.

* Sun-Times | Labor pushes transit bill to empower RTA over CTA, Metra, Pace: Some state senators on the Transportation Committee seemed receptive Tuesday to the labor group-written bill that seeks to empower the Regional Transportation Authority over the CTA, Metra and Pace. The bill also seeks to build an RTA police force and a cadre of “transit ambassadors” to help provide information to riders. The reforms would be in exchange for $700 million-plus a year of state money to close an impending transit funding gap when federal COVID-19 grants run out next year.

* Jim Dey | Conflicting revenue picture complicates Illinois’ budget process: But as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and legislators approach the new fiscal year beginning July 1, they’re wrestling with conflicting revenue forecasts. Pritzker claims his budget is marginally balanced, while recent estimates by revenue officials foreshadow one that is at least $700 million in the hole. Meanwhile, a disappointing February report by the Legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting & Accountability shows revenues are “$152 million below” those in February 2024.

*** Statewide ***

* WMAY | Illinois DoA seeking community garden applicants: The Illinois Department of Agriculture has announced it is seeking individuals or families interested in starting their own garden to raise fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers in a community setting. “We are excited to offer space on the Illinois State Fairgrounds to people interested in growing their own food,” said IDOA Director Jerry Costello II. “This is a low-cost solution for those with limited yard space who still want to plant a garden.”

* Sun-Times | Trans people facing gender-affirming care bans flee to Illinois, shield law states: “I don’t want to wait around and watch my life continue to get worse,” Schermerhorn said. “I wasn’t able to have access to health care until I was 18. Now I’m worried it’s going to get taken away. … I don’t get how they can just change what it means to be an adult.” Despite a federal judge temporarily blocking the order March 4 — which could hold enforcement of the order until the case is finished depending on the federal government’s expected appeal — Schermerhorn is still stocking up on her medicines.

* Tribune | A record year for solar in Illinois, and nationwide: ‘Customers want it’: Illinois had a record year for solar growth in 2024 and can now draw enough energy from the sun to power 930,000 homes, according to a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie. Illinois added 2.5 gigawatts of solar capacity last year — nearly doubling the total amount in the state. Only the sun-kissed states of Texas, California and Florida did better.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Documents show crisis of confidence that led to COPA chief’s exit: Persistent complaints and concerns about oversight within COPA, the agency’s workplace culture, the quality of investigations, as well as Kersten’s own public statements and appearances were chief among the reasons highlighted by CCPSA. “If the police accountability system is or is reasonably perceived to be ineffective or unfair, it will erode public confidence in policing and police oversight,” CCPSA President Anthony Driver and Vice President Remel Terry wrote to Kersten on Jan. 28.

* Block Club | Plan To Expand Toxic Dump On South Lakefront Scrapped Thanks To Neighbors’ Fight: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined the activists in opposing the expansion last summer. James Jennings, acting director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, said in January the plans would amount to “open dumping” in violation of state law. Given the state’s opposition, the Army Corps is now abandoning its expansion plans, agency officials said Tuesday. The agency said it will work with the state, city and Illinois International Port District to find “sustainable and feasible alternatives” for storing dredged sediment.

* WBEZ | Road salt is bad for the environment, so why doesn’t Chicago stop using it?: The consensus is this: Road salt is the safest and most cost-effective substance for managing snow and ice. Chicago gets an average of 3 feet of snow a year, with heavy snowfall years maxing out above 80 inches. And while many cities and researchers have proposed alternatives from salt brine to heated streets, Chicago officials said safety is the “top priority.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Shaw Local | Bureau County Board votes no to accept Cook County jail inmates: In the agreement recommended by a 3-1 vote from the Technology, Building and Grounds Committee, Bureau County would house up to 10 inmates at $70 per inmate, per day. There would be no in-person visits and inmates would need to be returned to Cook County at the time of their release. Bureau County Sheriff Jim Reed was not present for Tuesday’s vote. The sheriff had advocated for entering into the agreement, saying it would generate more than $237,000 a year in revenue. He said he would divert those funds to step up patrols in communities without full-time police forces, with the goal of adding two deputies.

* Crain’s | West Suburban appeals to restore residency program: West Suburban Medical Center, which recently lost accreditation to operate residency programs, is now working to appeal the decision made by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Without accreditation, West Suburban would lose its family residency program — the last residency program at the Oak Park hospital. The current class, which has about 30 residents, is set to end June 30.

* Daily Southtown | Midlothian reaches tentative agreement with Local 150 in public works labor dispute: The agreement follows a strike by public works employees that began Feb. 23, after federal mediation sessions failed to secure a new contract. “The tentative agreement has been reviewed and ratified by Local 150 members,” the union wrote in a statement to the Daily Southtown. “The members went on strike to protest the unfair labor practice, to achieve a fair contract and for respect. They achieved all of their objectives.”

*** Downstate ***

* State Fair Update!…

* BND | True or false? We checked facts in campaign literature of Belleville mayoral candidates: Gregory’s claim: Gregory secured a state grant to purchase the former Lindenwood University campus, which was sitting vacant, and transformed it into a criminal justice center. Facts: Lindenwood University closed its Belleville campus in 2020, citing financial and enrollment issues, when Eckert was mayor. The following year, under Gregory, the city bought the property for $3 million. Gov. JB Pritzker announced in 2022 that the city would be reimbursed for the cost through an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant.

* WCIA | Champaign Co. fixes election sample ballots, early voting delayed: Tony Bruno, who’s running for the Champaign School Board, said the sample ballot had the wrong rules to vote for the two-year term positions that are open. He said someone sent him a picture of the voting form from earlier this morning where it said to pick one person when it should’ve said two.

* WIFR | Lawmakers celebrate proposed demolition of Rockford’s ‘eyesore’: Singer Mental Health Center: Singer sits abandoned since former Governor Pat Quinn closed the state facility due to budget cuts in 2012. Thirteen years later, Governor JB Pritzker prepares the center’s epilogue. Pritzker’s proposed $55.2 billion budget includes $300 million for “site readiness” – “repurposing” and demolishing unused state properties like Singer.

*** National ***

* The Atlantic | Colleges Have No Idea How to Comply With Trump’s Orders: The reaction from universities could best be described as “panicked bewilderment,” Peter Lake, a law professor at Stetson University, in Florida, told me. “There’s a sense of, Should we run, hide, or counterattack?” The first challenge was figuring out what changes the department had in mind. Because the letter partly targeted “DEI,” which has no legal definition, university administrations said they weren’t sure what it applied to. Many will likely get rid of the most overt and controversial forms of DEI, such as required diversity statements for faculty, but beyond that lies an immense gray area.