* ICYMI: Illinois joins 18 other states suing to block President Trump’s election order, saying it violates the Constitution. WHO…

- Democratic officials in 19 states, including Illinois, filed a lawsuit Thursday against President Donald Trump’s attempt to reshape elections across the U.S., calling it an unconstitutional invasion of states’ clear authority to run their own elections.
- The lawsuit is the fourth against the executive order issued just a week ago.
- It seeks to block key aspects of it, including new requirements that people provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote and a demand that all mail ballots be received by Election Day.

* Related stories…

∙ AP: States sue to block Trump’s election order, saying it violates the Constitution
∙ WaPo: Democratic attorneys general sue to block Trump’s voting restrictions
∙ Click here to read the lawsuit.

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

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* ABC | Concerned for service members, governor seeks security assurances from Joint Chiefs: Pritzker said he was reaching out as he’s “lost faith” in the ability of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, one of the key members of the Signal incident, to “maintain the integrity of our national defense operations.” […] “Currently, over 1,700 Illinois National Guard members are deployed on federal active-duty service by directive of the President, so I cannot stand by silent as their lives are put at risk,” he added

* Tribune | In a big-money era, University of Illinois shrugs off rules on athletes’ NIL deals: But not one of those endorsements — which are allowed now that student-athletes can profit from their personal brands — was reported to the university, as state law requires. In fact, the entire Illini team reported just $9,100 in name, image and likeness deals during the 2023-24 season, according to records obtained by the Tribune and ProPublica. By comparison, the average earnings reported for a male basketball player in the Big Ten and the three other biggest college conferences were more than $145,000 during that school year, according to data that institutions voluntarily provided to the NCAA.

*** Statewide ***

* WBEZ | Families turn to Illinois Attorney General to help bring back surgeries for transgender youth: Dozens of families and medical students are calling for Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to prompt two major hospitals in Chicago to resume transgender surgeries for young people. About two months ago, Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, which are near downtown Chicago, stopped providing gender care surgeries for people younger than 19 after an executive order from Republican President Donald Trump threatened to cut federal funding, among other potential actions.

* Press Release | AFP-Illinois Ad Campaign and Grassroots Push to Extend Trump Tax Cuts: oday, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is launching a seven-figure ad and grassroots campaign highlighting what will be a Tax Day nightmare next year for working families across Illinois if Congress fails to renew the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). This critical legislation has provided essential tax relief to families and small businesses nationwide and is overwhelmingly supported by hardworking Americans.

*** Downstate ***

* KWQC | Man evades deputies during firearm removal search: A man has eluded Jo Daviess County deputies who were attempting to remove guns from the house after a restraining order search warrant was issued. Deputies then investigated the domestic-related order to remove firearms from the residence of 53-year-old Enrique O. Silva of Galena. […] A deputy attempted to make contact, but Silva ran. Silva is thought to have entered the home, but the deputy did not, because it is assumed firearms were in the home.

* WCIA | ‘It shaped me’; Black leaders in Urbana talk resilience, motivation to push the city forward: DeShawn Williams is the new Mayor of Urbana — the first Black man to be elected to the role. He ran unopposed in Champaign County’s general election and now joins a growing list of influential African American leaders throughout the city, including Fire Chief Demond Dade and Police Chief Larry Boone. It’s the first time in Urbana’s history all three positions are held by Black men.

* BND | St. Clair County cities get $30M in grant for recovery from 2022 flooding: Five cities in St. Clair County will get a share of a $30 million in federal grants to help in disaster recovery efforts from flooding in July 2022, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Springfield) announced Thursday. This aid is separate from the $89.5 million St. Clair County received in January for disaster recovery from flooding in July 2024.

* BND | East St. Louis schools could lose $19 million in federal funds clawback: The East St. Louis school district stands to lose more than $19 million as the U.S. Department of Education claws back unspent federal pandemic-relief funding. The district is counting on that funding to finish major heating, ventilation and air conditioning projects to improve indoor air quality — a critical component of reducing the risk of airborne illnesses like COVID-19 — in all 10 of its schools, said Sydney Stigge-Kaufman, the district’s executive director of communications.

* WAND | NWS confirms 5 tornadoes touched down during Wednesday’s storms: The tornadoes ranged from EF-0 to EF-2, with the strongest winds reaching speeds up to 135 mph. NWS reported an EF-0 touched down just west of Cissna Park, three EF-1 tornadoes, one in Lincoln, one southeast of Loda, another in Montrose, Effingham Co., and an EF-2 reported near Vandalia Lake in Fayette Co.

* WCIA | Central IL counties cleaning up after multiple tornadoes touch down: Some people in Central Illinois had a lot to clean up on Thursday after Wednesdays severe weather. At least five tornadoes touched down, including in Cumberland County. A few people in the area saw damage on their properties and both trees and power lines came down. It’s the second time in the past few weeks that a town in the county was hit by a tornado.

* WAND | Chatham voters pass tax levy for necessary repairs to public library: The Chatham Area Public Library will have access to more funding thanks to a recently-passed tax levy. In the consolidated election, voters passed a referendum with 55% of the vote for a tax levy to benefit the public library. Library Director Amy Byers said the library staff are grateful that the community supported their efforts to repair the facility.

* WCIA | Tango music festival returns to Champaign-Urbana: The CU Tango Music Festival will take place April 3-6 throughout Champaign-Urbana. Program organizers said new this year, they’ll have performances and a collaboration with 40 North 88 West’s Boneyard Arts Festival and Krannert Uncorked at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

* PJ Star | Bob Dylan’s biggest fan might be from Peoria. He’s about to reach an amazing milestone: As Jaeger anticipates his 200th Dylan concert, he reflects on the joy of shared experiences with fellow fans and the enduring power of music to connect people. Walk into any local record shop, and you’re bound to find a few Bob Dylan records. But in the basement of Matthew Jaeger’s East Peoria home lies a collection to rival them all: hundreds of albums packed into shelves, spanning from his favorite artist’s earliest years to the most recent work — albums you could find anywhere and Dylan’s most coveted rarities.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Progressive Caucus leaders turn up the volume on their beef with Johnson: Disappointed with the response to their concern that Mayor Brandon Johnson was seeking to oust them from his City Council leadership team, three leaders of the Progressive Caucus are amplifying their criticism of the Fifth Floor. Progressive Caucus co-chairs Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, and Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th, and caucus secretary Ald. Matt Marin, 47th, sent a letter to Johnson yesterday seeking assurance that he was not planning to strip them of the committees they chair after word got back to them that some in the mayor’s office had allegedly discussed the plan.

* Crain’s | Biggest Chicago law firms silent in face of Trump attacks: The biggest law firms in Chicago will not talk about how they would respond if confronted with an executive order from President Donald Trump targeting their operations. Crain’s reached out to 19 of the 20 firms on its list of the largest law firms in the area to seek comment on the recent string of executive orders, and none were willing to discuss the issue. The executive orders targeting the firms have splintered the legal community, with some fighting and others coming to terms with the administration.

* Sun-Times | ‘Where is the Glock?’ Gun turned over to Chicago police wound up in the hands of a teenager, records show: The lost weapon’s journey mirrored an earlier event in which a gun turned in by a Cook County judge disappeared from another buyback in Chicago — only to resurface at a fatal police shooting in Cicero, as the Better Government Association and Chicago Sun-Times reported in 2017. After that report, the city launched an investigation that lasted more than five years. But investigators decided it would be “difficult and unwise” to question everyone involved in the buyback. So they didn’t interview anyone.

* Crain’s | Foxtrot’s rebirth has the backing of a Pritzker: William Pritzker, first cousin once removed of Gov. JB Pritzker, confirmed to Crain’s he is a “significant investor” in Foxtrot. He was coy about his specific share, saying simply, “Your imagination can fill in what that number is, but it’s not like we’re 48%,” emphasizing he is not the majority stakeholder. Paperwork filed with the Illinois Liquor Control Commission lists him as an owner, which indicates his stake is north of 5%, though it’s unclear by how much.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Naperville Sun | Partisan politics in Naperville’s nonpartisan election raises questions over how future races will be run: Although they were running for a nonpartisan position, White, Holzhauer, Syed and Gibson deciding to join forces and securing Underwood and Foster’s endorsements sent a clear message about where they stood, they said. “A lot of this comes down to where your values align,” White said, “and with our congressional representatives, there was synergy as far as alignment on values there.”

* Tribune | Will County judge dismisses GOP lawsuit; veto of attempt to stop 143rd widening to stand: A Will County judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed last year by 10 Will County Board Republicans against County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant over a road widening project in Homer Glen, ending the litigation. The 10 County Board members sued Bertino-Tarrant after she initially signed a resolution that stopped an expansion of 143rd Street to five lanes as planned. Bertino-Tarrant later said she realized her mistake and vetoed the resolution, prompting the lawsuit filed April 18, 2024.

* Patch | ‘A New Day’ And Dodge: Orland Park’s Pick For Mayor Basks In Win:
Reflecting on the race and looking forward to next steps, Dodge on Wednesday said he’d known what he was getting himself into running against Pekau—but maybe, not quite the extent of it. “A lot of the things that were said were literally distortions and outright lies,” Dodge said Wednesday. “When you run for a position like this, against a person like Keith Pekau, you know you are going to be attacked. You assume it will be distorted and unfair, but you don’t know the exact nature of what will be said.”

* Tribune | After contentious Aurora election, time will heal – and answer lots of questions: We can all concur it was a brutal, negative mayoral campaign in Aurora – and we’re glad it’s over. Of course, not everyone agrees on who should have won. But a victor has been declared and it’s time now that we all stop, inhale deeply, and then focus on repairing the damage that can come when emotions and negative ads – and yes, lots of outside money – complicate the issues most important to a community.

* Daily Herald | ‘What’s not to like about a healthy lake?’: Pilot monitoring program launched in Lake County: The initiative by Lake County Lake Lovers involves providing state-of-the-art monitoring equipment and expertise to gather data on lake health twice a month through October. Key water quality indicators such as the concentration of phosphorous, dissolved oxygen, algae growth and others will be measured and compared over time on each lake in a collaboration between trained citizen scientists and more than two dozen lake volunteers.

*** National ***

* NYT | Kennedy Guts Teams That Share Health Information With the Public: Some of those employees were press officers, but many worked behind the scenes — on social media, newsletters, information campaigns and personal outreach — to translate complicated scientific studies into accessible guidance and to ensure that the recommendations and cutting-edge research produced in the department’s dozens of offices reached the people who needed them.

* AP | Federal judge says she will temporarily block billions in health funding cuts to states: A federal judge will temporarily block President Donald Trump’s administration from cutting billions in federal dollars that support COVID-19 initiatives and public health projects throughout the country. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy, appointed by Trump in 2019 but first nominated by former President Barack Obama, in Rhode Island said Thursday that she plans to grant the court order sought by 23 states and the District of Columbia. “They make a case, a strong case, for the fact that they will succeed on the merits, so I’m going to grant the temporary restraining order,” said McElroy, who plans to issue a written ruling later.

* The Guardian | Oregon abandoned its radical drug law. Then came the mass arrests: In September, Oregon lawmakers enacted legislation turning low-level drug possession into a more serious crime punishable by up to 180 days in jail. The resulting crackdown has led to thousands of arrests statewide in recent months. People targeted in cities such as Medford, and overworked public defenders tasked with representing them, say the drug enforcement has been chaotic and at times brutal.

* AP | Demand for the viral ‘torpedo’ bats has sent a Pennsylvania factory into overdrive: Victus isn’t the only company producing the bulgy bats, but they were among the first to list them for sale online after the Yankees made them the talk of the sports world. The torpedo bat took the league by storm in only 24 hours, and days later, the calls and orders, and test drives — from big leaguers to rec leaguers — are humming inside the company’s base, in a northwest suburb of Philadelphia. “The amount of steam that it’s caught, this quickly, that’s certainly surprising,” Smith said. “If the Yankees hitting nine home runs in a game doesn’t happen, this doesn’t happen.”