* ICYMI: Potawatomi to reclaim tribal land in DeKalb County. Capitol News Illinois…

- More than 175 years after their reservation in Illinois was illegally sold at auction, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is now in line to get their land back.
- Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Friday authorizing the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to hand over to the tribe the ownership title to Shabbona Lake State Park, a 1,500-acre tract in southern DeKalb County that largely overlaps the tribe’s original reservation.
- Although ownership of the land will revert back to the tribe, visitors to the park should not notice any difference.
- Prairie Band Potawatomi officials have said publicly they have no plans to develop the property for a casino or any other commercial use.

* Related stories…

∙ Native News Online: LAND BACK: Illinois Governor Signs Law Allowing Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation to Reclaim its Stolen Land
∙ Sun-Times: Illinois returns nearly 1,500 acres of stolen land to state’s first federally recognized tribe

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

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Conflict between SEIU and CTU escalates with allegations of ‘bullying’: The leader of a local chapter of the Service Employees International Union on Monday issued a fiery internal message to members accusing Chicago Teachers Union leadership of “bullying and dishonesty,” the latest escalation of a conflict between two influential labor organizations that were once close allies. SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer disputed assertions CTU President Stacy Davis Gates made in social media posts over the weekend, delivering her strongest comments yet on the monthslong dispute between the two unions over jobs at Chicago Public Schools.

* Subscribers know more. Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker cites legal, technical issues in veto of warehouse worker protection bill: Gov. JB Pritzker vetoed a bill aimed at providing protections for workers at large warehouses, saying it was passed “hastily” and “without engagement with relevant state agencies or my office and presents both legal and operational issues that undermine its effect.” The bill was passed in early January by the Democratic-controlled Illinois General Assembly in response to reports that warehouse workers are too often pushed beyond their physical limits. In December, Amazon reached a $145,000 settlement with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration over accusations that conditions at an Illinois warehouse left workers exposed to elevated risks of injury.

* Cook County Record | Appeals court: Hospitals can’t sue Illinois to force faster Medicaid claims pay: The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned an earlier ruling from some of its members, now finding Saint Anthony Hospital can’t sue Illinois to force the state government to increase and expedite payment for Medicaid claims. Saint Anthony Hospital has said it intends to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review and overturn the ruling. The new 9-3 ruling came from a so-called en banc panel of the court, including 12 of the court’s judges.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | Pritzker signs proposal clarifying dash camera requirements for Illinois State Police: The legislation clarifies that if a victim or witness of a crime asks a state trooper to turn off their body camera, the officer must tell them that their vehicle’s dash camera will still record video. This law also notes that recordings on dash cameras can be retained in the same manner and time periods as Illinois State Police keep body camera footage.

* Tribune | DCFS attorney fired after working second job with bank on state time, watchdog says: An Illinois Department of Children and Family Services attorney collected a state paycheck while also working at a local bank, at times doing both jobs during regular business hours, in violation of state rules, according to a report from the Office of Executive Inspector General. Deborah Riley was working as a senior regional counsel in Urbana at the time of the investigation, a position that included representing the child protection agency in hearings and evaluating child welfare cases, according to the OEIG report. At the same time, she was on the board of directors at a small bank and training the bank’s new president, the report said.

*** Statewide ***

* Citizens Utility Board | Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition research shows a “painful history” of aggressive gas hikes: And it could get much worse if utilities across the state are allowed to spend at the pace they want. An analysis released by Groundwork Data and the Building Decarbonization Coalition in May 2024 found that if policymakers allow the status quo to continue, delivery charges–what the utilities charge consumer to deliver gas to their homes–could grow by four to five times by 2050. (See page 72 of the report. Also, here’s a summary of the report.)

* WCIA | Illinois Red Cross asks for donations, provides safety tips as ‘Giving Day’ approaches: The Red Cross has helped nearly 30 people in Central Illinois after six different fires damaged or destroyed their homes last week. After fires broke out in Champaign, Paxton, Danville, Paris, Peoria and Kilbourne, the Red Cross provided emergency assistance. This included food, toiletries, and health and mental health services.

* WAND | Local healthcare provider says vaccinations critical to stop measles spread: According to the CDC, there have been 378 confirmed cases of measles in the United States. This is in comparison to 285 in all of 2024. Of the 17 states with cases currently, two border Illinois: Indiana and Kentucky. Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at OSF Healthcare, Dana Deshon, said measles spreads easily because of symptoms take a while to show. “You’re contagious four days before that rash and up to four days after,” said Deshon. “We can have 8 to 10 days of people walking around and not even knowing that they have measles, and then they’re just spreading it all around to those people that are that are at risk. ”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* The Hill | Progressive influencer launches bid to unseat House Democrat: Progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh announced Monday she’s launching a bid to unseat Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) in the northern Chicago suburbs. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are dismantling our country piece by piece, and so many Democrats seem content to just sit back and let ‘em,” Abughazaleh said in a video announcing her candidacy on the social platform X.

* Cook County Board | Jewish lawyer can sue Cook Co. Public Defender for making her take down pic featuring Israeli flag, gun: A Jewish lawyer who works for the Cook County Public Defender’s office will be allowed to continue her lawsuit against the county office for allegedly violating her First Amendment speech rights for disciplining her for putting up a photo in the office of herself from her time serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, in which she is shown holding a gun in front of the Israeli flag, to express her support for Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks in that nation.

* NBC Chicago | Aurora mayoral candidates clash over new casino, Irvin’s alignment with Trump: The $58 million in financial incentives to relocate Hollywood Casino from its location downtown Aurora to a site near the city’s popular outlet mall is one of the top issues Irvin is defending. […] Laesch disagreed with the decision and has been critical of it. “I’m certainly in favor of investing in small local business people who want to give it a go, but the multimillion dollar deals to bring big developers in and outside private capital is not necessary,” Laesch said.

* CBS Chicago | Why did the mayor of Lynwood, Illinois take home triple the pay budgeted for her office?: In 2021, then-Village Trustee Curry ran for village president, or mayor. Well before the election, an ordinance drastically reduced the salary of the next, and then-to-be-determined, mayor of Lynwood. A salary of $85,000 a year dropped to one of $20,000.

* Daily Herald | Sleepy Hollow to elect new village president for first time in 24 years: For the first time in 24 years, Sleepy Hollow residents will elect a new village president. First-term village trustees Courtney Boe and Jennifer McGuire are seeking to lead the bedroom community of just over 3,100 residents. Village President Stephan Pickett, who has served six terms, is not seeking re-election.

* Daily Herald | 42 years after Elgin woman’s disappearance, police make startling discovery in Fox River: Forty-two years after a 23-year-old Elgin woman vanished without a trace, Elgin police and a dive team searched the Fox River on Monday for clues they hoped to find in the frigid, murky water. They made a stunning find: the 1980 Toyota Celica Karen Schepers owned.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Federal workers on edge as Trump plans to shrink government and cut services proceed: In the Chicago area, as of this week nearly 200,000 square feet of leased federal office space had been canceled, including space that houses the Midwest regional headquarters for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on West Jackson Boulevard. A federal lease on a building in northwestern suburban Hoffman Estates that stores documents and artifacts from the administration of former President Barack Obama — essentially serving as Obama’s Presidential Library — was also canceled.

* Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson has days to find $175M as he lacks votes for CPS pension payment to city: Over the weekend, seven of 20 voting board members signed a letter telling Harden that their votes will remain against the pension payment if he calls a special meeting this week to reintroduce the issue. A budget amendment needs two-thirds support, 14 votes, to pass. “We cannot in good conscience make payments toward things for which we have no sustainable means of raising revenue,” the board members wrote in a letter first reported by Chalkbeat Chicago. Still, the mayor’s office said Monday that it would keep working with the board to find a solution and it “continues to expect CPS” to make the pension payment. Johnson has not presented a plan B.

* Block Club | New Bike Lanes? More Street Lights? 25th Ward Neighbors Can Rank Choices With New Survey: Neighbors who want to weigh in on infrastructure improvements to the 25th Ward — including potential upgrades to alleys, sidewalks, lighting, streets or bike lanes — can take part in a survey that runs through April 1. The city allocates about $1.5 million in “menu money” annually to each of the 50 wards. Typically, alderpeople have discretion on how that money is spent, but some City Council members let neighbors decide or influence how that money is used — a process known as participatory budgeting.

*** Downstate ***

* WQAD | Former Carroll County deputy charged in death of Jackson Kradle: A former Carroll County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with homicide in the death of 18-year-old Jackson Kradle. It comes nearly eight months after Kradle’s body was found on a rural highway near Mount Carroll. The Illinois State Police (ISP) announced Monday that 44-year-old Matthew Herpstreith of Savanna has been charged with five counts stemming from the incident, including reckless homicide and multiple obstruction-related charges.

* WGLT | Bloomington mayoral challengers push leadership as a reason for change: The City of Bloomington has seen a number of big projects come to completion or start during Mboka Mwilambwe’s four years as mayor. Still, Mwilambwe’s opponents say the city has lacked strong leadership in key areas during his tenure. Mwilambwe, who served on the city council for a decade before being elected mayor in 2021, faces challenges from former state Rep. Dan Brady and first-term city council member Cody Hendricks.

* 25News Now | Bloomington water troubles spilling into family-owned restaurant: The City of Bloomington continues to experience taste and odor issues with its water quality, which is affecting one local business and its customers. Water is vital for the 35-year-old family-owned restaurant, Garden of Paradise. The family chain is facing customer complaints about the odor and taste of the water. Garden of Paradise Manager Baha Ramahi has worked at the restaurant for 20 years and has not seen anything like this.

* WGLT | Illinois State University faculty file intent to strike notice: Faculty at Illinois State University on Monday said they have filed a notice of Intent to Strike with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. The move starts a 10-day clock that would enable the United Faculty of ISU to strike as early as April 4 if there’s no agreement on a contract. The union announced Friday that its members voted “overwhelmingly” to support a strike authorization.

* WQAD | Federal funding uncertainty impacting Quad Cities nonprofits, new survey finds: Nearly half of Quad City area nonprofits “already experience or anticipate experiencing significant financial impacts due to federal funding changes,” according to a new survey conducted by Wastyn & Associates, a Davenport nonprofit consulting company. The survey, conducted in March, asked 52 nonprofit employees how the current federal grant reductions and uncertain policies are impacting the operations of their organizations. The survey found these factors are placing immense financial and mental pressures on local nonprofits across all sectors.

* WAND | Springfield School Board faces public pushback on possible Project SCOPE closure: The Springfield School Board heard from the public about the plan to cut a before and after school program called Project SCOPE. The district is working on a three-year cost-cutting plan. Parents found out late last week that the paid service for parents of kindergarten through fifth graders will end. Many believe this decision will hurt the community and its children.

* WCIA | Coles Co. Memorial Airport will be adding a new hangar soon: Airport manager Andrew Fearn said Rural King staff members fly in about two to three times a week. Right now, the company has been flying to Decatur because the current hangar near Mattoon doesn’t fit their new jet. But, Fearn said they’ve been doing business with them for several years and getting them back in their city is important. “That’s more business for us. With their promotion of Emerald Acres, we’ve seen an increase in traffic and we’ll see more with their aircraft coming in. They continually have people that sell them products come in and out all the time. It’s great to have them based here,” Fearn said.

* Rockford Register Star | ‘People over politics’: Contest for Rockford’s 8th Ward pits incumbent against consultant: Ald. Karen Hoffman will face a challenge in the April 1 election from political consultant Jason Leviskas who is running as an independent candidate to represent Rockford’s Eighth Ward. Hoffman, 78, a Democrat, who said she lives within walking distance of her childhood home, is running for a third term. […] “I am running to put people over politics in the Eighth Ward and help usher in a higher standard for what people expect out of their alderman,” Leviskas said. “I want to address the high taxes, declining safety in our neighborhoods and the shortage of new investments.”

* WREX | Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office dispatches 40 grass fire calls in the last month: Sheriff Steve Stovall says Stephenson County dispatched 40 grass fire calls in the last month and a half. “40 additional fires in Stephenson County is too many. 30 days that’s more than a call a day that we’re getting, some of those are multiples in a day. So you’ve got guys getting equipment cleaned up and they’re getting back out on the next call because a fire has gotten out of hand in another part of the county,” said Stovall.

* WAND | Old State Capitol State Historic Site renovation ‘95% complete,’ Illinois Capital Development Board says: “This incredible transformation is a big win for both Illinois tourism and the capital city economy,” the board said in a Facebook post. “The blend of historical preservation, modern technology, and safety and accessibility improvements will enhance the visitor experience and ensure the preservation of the Old State Capitol for years to come!”

* WMBD | Tazewell County Animal Control low on supplies, seeks donations: The Tazewell County Animal Control is asking the public for additional supplies ahead of an expected increase in animals coming to its shelter in the spring. With the increase in the number of mouths to feed, they have an increased need for food and litter, a Facebook post from the Tazewell County Animal Control stated.

*** National ***

* Axios | Social Security rushing service cuts at White House request, sources say: hese changes will strain the already struggling Social Security system and could even deprive some people of benefits entirely, according to current and former employees and advocates for retirees. Some of the most vulnerable Americans — including people who are hospitalized, kids in foster homes and those living in remote areas — will face more hurdles applying for disability benefits, according to one advocate who spoke with Axios and was at the meeting.