* Capitol News Illinois…

Scott’s Law, also known as the Move Over Law, requires that all vehicles move over, if possible, or slow down when passing a stopped or disabled emergency vehicle with its flashing lights on. It was passed in 2001. Since 2019, state police have been involved in 140 crashes caused by drivers violating the Move Over Law.

In 2024, there were more crashes than in the past five years — 27 in all — including a fatal collision that killed Trooper Clay Carns, an 11-year veteran and father of two. Carns died Dec. 23, 2024, after he was struck while clearing debris from the highway after a crash on Interstate 55 near Channahon. […]

The Move Over Law protections were further expanded this year. Beginning on Jan. 1, drivers must change lanes, reduce speed, or stop when approaching or passing any emergency vehicle, including police, sheriff, ambulances and maintenance vehicles, with the flashing lights activated. Drivers are also required to yield the right-of-way to any authorized vehicle or pedestrian actually engaged in work on a highway or a construction zone.

ISP is also employing technology to reduce Scott’s Law crashes. Late last year, the agency announced a partnership with HAAS Alert — a company that provides safety alerts to drivers, notifying them of ISP activity in the road ahead and urging them to slow down and move over. HAAS provides real-time GPS-based traffic information in Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, RAM and Volkswagen vehicles.

* Chicago Reader…

Since his release in 2007, Quinn has had to register with a police database. The most recent iteration is called the Illinois Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth database. It requires Illinois residents like Quinn who’ve been convicted of violent crimes, including those involving gun violence, to regularly check in with police or risk reincarceration. Depending on the crime, some people have to register for ten years following their release or—like in Quinn’s case—the rest of their lives.

Illinois is one of at least five states that publicly posts the names, photos, and addresses of people who are convicted of violent crimes. In Illinois, the list includes first-degree murder or other violent crimes, mostly when they’re committed against people under age 18. In a statement to the Trace, the Illinois State Police (ISP) said that the registry enhances their work by providing a list of past offenders to investigate in incidents with no obvious suspects. Quinn, however, is working with advocates from the Chicago Torture Justice Center on a campaign that seeks to abolish what they call the “murder registry,” arguing that it creates additional barriers in the already challenging reentry process and ultimately fuels crime rather than deters it. […]

“It’s perpetual punishment for people who have completed their time, and are trying to find work, trying to find housing, and who are worried about their own safety,” said Naji Ublies, a case manager at the Chicago Torture Justice Center. Ublies is helping lead the campaign to end the list. In recent months, he’s held more informational sessions for participants and worked to garner political support from lawmakers in Springfield. “Where’s the harm reduction? If you’re trying to bring people back into society, you have to reduce the harm that they’re going to be faced with.”

Former police commander Patty Casey, who oversaw the registry within the Chicago Police Department before retiring in 2021, agreed that the current system isn’t working as well as it could. Casey suggested that police add more registration sites to speed up processing times and raise public awareness about the registries. Currently, the Chicago Police Department doesn’t notify community members when someone on the registry moves into their neighborhood, which Casey says can undermine its public safety benefits. She also recommended that the Illinois Department of Corrections adopt a case-by-case approach for determining who should be on the registry and for how long.

* IPM Newsroom…

The maker of Ram trucks and Jeeps announced Thursday that it will temporarily lay off 900 workers at five U.S. facilities. The decision by Stellantis comes after President Donald Trump’s tariffs were announced this week.

According to a company spokesperson, the layoffs will not affect the Belvidere assembly plant. It’s scheduled to re-open in 2027 to build a mid-size pickup truck.

However, as a result of pausing production at several of Stellantis’ Canadian and Mexican plants, there will be temporary layoffs at the Warren Stamping and Sterling Stamping plants (Michigan) as well as the Indiana Transmission Plant, Kokomo Transmission Plant and Kokomo Casting Plant (Indiana).

*** Statehouse News ***

Former Illinois Senator Greg Zito passed away this week. The family has asked for donations in his name to Children’s research towards Type 1 diabetes.

*** Statewide ***

* WGN | Illinois public health director on administration plan to cancel over $400M in pandemic-era grants: Dr. Sameer Vohra, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, joins Lisa Dent to discuss the funding that Illinois public health is expecting to lose from President Trump’s freezing COVID-19-related funds for state and local public health departments.

* Press release | Illinois Chamber provides statement on Reciprocal Tariffs: The Illinois Chamber remains focused on working with our trade partners, legislators and elected leaders to guide our state’s economic growth, with a laser-like focus on policies that are pro-growth, pro-business, and pro-Illinois. We believe that it is essential to focus on your core business and drive growth within it. The same is true for our state and our country. As the situation has developed with tariffs, we acknowledge that unfair trading practices and trade barriers exist, and we would prefer to see the focus placed on negotiating free trade agreements. This approach drives growth. With the many concerns about the potential recessionary impact and economic effects on businesses of all sizes, our position remains unchanged: Tariffs, especially reciprocal tariffs, are not the answer.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Minal Desai projected to win Skokie clerk race: Skokie voters appeared to decide on Election Day, Tuesday, April 1, that the village’s current appointed clerk, a former Skokie Park District commissioner and polyglot, will continue to serve the village for the next four years. Minal Desai, who was appointed clerk by Mayor George Van Dusen last April, declared victory in the three-way race for Skokie clerk. Desai won a little over 48% of the vote, James Johnson won 31% of the vote and Naema Abraham won 20% of the vote, in unofficial results reported by the Cook County Clerk’s office.

* Daily Southtown | Jim Dodge, incoming Orland Park mayor lays out short-term priorities, mending relations with police: Dodge said morale among police officers is low and recruiting officers has been a problem. “I want to sit down with the folks in the department and work to address their concerns,” he said. Chapter 159 of the Metropolitan Alliance of Police, in its January endorsement of Dodge, said the village’s administration “imperils the independent, effective, and professional law enforcement service Orland Park’s citizens have earned and deserve.”

* Block Club | Prescribed Burns Were Banned 3 Decades Ago. Now, Cook County Is A Leader In Urban Burning: Twelve different crews were conducting prescribed burns at various locations across Cook County that Tuesday. The Forest Preserves of Cook County burns an average of 7,738 acres every year, making it one of the largest urban prescribed burn programs in the country. The practice has even grown in recent years — 30 years after the entire program was nearly snuffed out.

* Daily Herald | Service, workforce cuts possible after voters spurn Kane’s $51 million sales tax request: The sales tax hike — which would have added 75 cents to a $100 purchase of nonfood and other items — was to bring in more than $51 million in revenue to support public safety programs, officials said. Instead, voters flatly rejected the ballot measure, with 52,437 against it and 17,421 for it, according to the unofficial results.

* Sun-Times | Addison man’s colonoscopy bill topped $10,000 because some insurance isn’t bound by Affordable Care Act rules: Six months later, Winard was still working on starting his business, so he signed up for another short-term policy, this one with a different insurer, for about $500 a month. […] Winard’s bill totaled $10,723.19, including $1,436 for the anesthesia and $1,039 for the recovery room. After an insurance discount, his plan paid $817.47. Winard was left owing $7,226.71.

* Daily Southtown | Blue Island voters back limiting gaming cafes, split on making Western a two-way street: The referendum to limit gaming cafes received 76% support, according to unofficial results. The referendum to ask the state to convert Western Avenue to a two-way street was nearly split, with 49.3% in favor and 50.6% against, unofficial results show. Out of more than 12,300 registered voters in the city, only 906 cast ballots this election, according to the Cook County clerk’s office. Mayor Fred Bilotto, elected in 2021, and his Party for Blue Island slate ran uncontested.

* WGN | Coach Chris Collins is staying at Northwestern: ‘I’m excited to get to work and see what we can do’: Chris Collins, head basketball coach at Northwestern, joins John Williams and Dave Eanet to talk about reaching an agreement to remain the head coach through 2030. Coach says he is excited to build something special in Evanston and keep pushing the program forward.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson landed a teachers union deal. Was it worth it?: One City Council opponent, downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins, had a succinct answer when asked what the negotiations cost Johnson and the CTU: “Their reputations.” Asked to justify the chaos that got him here, Johnson rattled off contract highlights such as smaller class sizes and higher veteran teacher pay. “I mean, I could keep going. I’m saying all of it is worth it when we are investing in our public accommodations,” the mayor said. “I believe that if the members of this union decide to codify the agreement, it’s going to be an incredible win for the people of Chicago.”

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson responds to Trump threat to revoke CPS funding over DEI: ‘We’re gonna sue’: “We’re gonna sue,” Johnson told reporters at an unrelated public housing event. “We’re not going to be intimidated by these threats. It’s just that simple. So whatever it is that this tyrant is trying to do to this city, we’re going to fight back.” On Thursday, the Education Department issued a notice demanding states and school districts sign a certification against DEI policies or else risk Title I funding. Chicago Public Schools receives $1.3 billion in federal funding. Over $400 million are grants under Title I, which targets students who fall below achievement standards.

* Tribune | For this year’s Record Store Day, our definitive guide to Chicago record stores: You can tell a lot about a city by its record stores. Like independent bookshops and craft breweries, they function as safe spaces to connect with the community, get a pulse on cultural happenings and gather with friends. The best shops have a distinct flavor and relaxed feel. They invite you to discover the familiar and unknown, and get lost for hours in music. Steered by fanatics who possess specific expertise, the most rewarding brick-and-mortar stores give you the unexpected thrill that occurs when you chance upon a record you’ve sought for years. No online experience comes close.

* Daily Southtown | New museum in Pullman to recognize role of Black women in labor movement: Now a new effort is afoot to recognize an oft overlooked element of that effort. Randolph’s success at organizing a union that would represent thousands of workers all over the United States rested squarely upon the efforts of women such as Rosina Corrothers Tucker. Tucker was the wife of a Pullman porter and became an early advocate for the union that pushed for better pay, better working conditions and a grievance process. She also became a labor organizer for other labor groups and a crusader for civil rights.

* Windy City Times | Lisa Isadora Cruz reflects on decades of giving back to Chicago’s trans community: Born and raised in the projects in Puerto Rico, Cruz came to the U.S. after years of struggling under anti-trans laws and public sentiments. Now in her late 60s, she’s had a lifetime of serving the LGBTQ+ community through roles connecting people with physical and financial resources and being a model for having a full life with HIV, which she has been living with since the ‘80s.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Dan Brady says Bloomington faces a pending financial storm as he assumes mayor role: Dan Brady says the city faces several big challenges as he prepares to take the mayor’s office next month: public safety, water problems and what he calls a pending storm — the city’s financial crunch. After the city kept its property tax levy flat for the second consecutive year, Brady said the city will need to explore department reorganization and other steps to cut costs. “What can we do with early outs, early retirement programs? What can we do about holding off capital purchases for the city, equipment, etc.? What’s a want and what’s truly a need and then [what are] the priorities?” Brady said in an interview on WGLT during Morning Edition.

* WGLT | As a strike looms, ISU’s lab school workers await decision on their own union recognition: Educators in ISU’s K-12 lab schools [Metcalf and University High] are trying to get recognition for their first union, called the Lab School Education Association [LSEA]. They petitioned for that recognition last summer and recently won a favorable decision from an administrative law judge with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. A full board decision is expected soon, after which the new union could begin negotiating its first contract with ISU.

*** National ***

* Car Scoops | How Much Of Your Car Is Really Made In The USA?: Take the Lincoln Nautilus, for example. Only 5% of this car is made in the US, with 87% coming from China. On the other hand, the Kia EV6 is 80% American-made, while the Honda Ridgeline and Acura MDX are 70 percent American-made.

* The Guardian | RFK Jr says 20% of Doge’s health agency job cuts were mistakes: Around a fifth of the 10,000 jobs cut from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were done in error and will need to be corrected, the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has admitted. Mass layoffs from the health department began this week amid a push by Donald Trump’s administration to shrink the size of the federal government workforce. Union representatives were told around 10,000 people were to lose their jobs ahead of further reductions that could see the department’s 82,000-strong workforce slashed by nearly a quarter.