* ICYMI: Jury empaneled in bribery trial of state Sen. Emil Jones III. Tribune…

The jury of five men and seven women, as well as two alternates, was finalized shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday following the questioning of 45 potential jurors and for-cause and peremptory strikes from both sides.

Among the panel of regular jurors: a man who works to clean up hazardous waste sites and is an avid fly fisherman; an accounting clerk from the west suburbs who says he dislikes red-light cameras; a woman who is dean of students for small private college; and a man whose sister-in-law is an Illinois deputy governor.

Most of the jurors selected said they’d never heard of Jones, though a few said they believed they knew his name or had seen a brief account of his case on the news.

U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood told the jurors to return to the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday for opening statements in the case.

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* Gov. Pritzker will be at the Howlett Building’s Hall of Flags at 9 am to deliver remarks on Agriculture Day. At noon the governor will deliver remarks at Illinois Makers Madness Luncheon. Click here to watch.

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

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Illinois Senate President Don Harmon improperly accepted $4 million in campaign cash, election authorities say: Illinois Democratic Senate President Don Harmon improperly accepted $4 million more in political contributions than allowed under campaign donation laws he championed years ago, according to the State Board of Elections. In a certified letter sent to Harmon last month following a Chicago Tribune inquiry about Harmon’s fundraising, state election officials said his campaign committee accepted numerous donations within nine months after the March 2024 primary that far exceeded state contribution caps designed to curtail big-money influence in Illinois politics. A spokesman for the Oak Park Democrat confirmed Harmon’s main political campaign fund received the board’s letter but gave little other immediate reaction.

* The Triibe | SAFE-T Act advocates sound the alarm on Cook County State’s Attorney’s new electronic monitoring policy: According to Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts co-executive director Naomi Johnson, the move shows that O’Neill Burke supports a more punitive approach to prosecution. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office did not respond to The TRiiBE’s request for comment. […] “From my perspective, [this directive] undermines the discretionary decision-making power of judges, which is really at the center of the whole [Pretrial Fairness] Act,” Johnson said. “Judges should be making decisions based on the facts of a case, and that power is not held by state’s attorneys.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Amid global tariff war, Pritzker vows to be ‘stable’ trading partner with United Kingdom: “Look, there are a lot of uncertainties at the moment, a lot of instability. There’s no doubt,” Pritzker said. “But this is a stable state. This is a state that thrives on certainty and allows our businesses to do well. And so we look forward to maintaining that status.” Pritzker was responding to questions from reporters in his Statehouse office after signing a “memorandum of understanding,” or MOU, regarding trade between Illinois and the United Kingdom. MOUs are nonbinding agreements that outline how the parties intend to work together.

* WTVO | Pritzker signs Illinois trade agreement with the United Kingdom: “Now more than ever, it’s essential that states like in Illinois build and maintain healthy relationships with major trade partners—and for years, the United Kingdom has met Illinois with equal enthusiasm and desire for increased cooperation and partnership,” said Pritzker. “Signing this MOU is the next step in growing our strong trade relationship that will benefit both Illinois and the UK, and I look forward to seeing how this agreement will spur additional opportunities across sectors.”

* WICS | Nurses speak out over nursing home staffing shortage: Representative Lakesia Collins said despite state funding into nursing homes, nurses haven’t seen that money go towards better staff ratios. “So they have money to union bus, they have money to say no, we don’t wanna be held accountable. They have money to stop any type of lawsuits on them…This industry will not change unless the state of Illinois stop them from doing this type of abuse to our loved ones. We have to do something,” Rep. Collins said.

* Pantagraph | NASCAR Xfinity Series champ Justin Allgaier honored at Illinois Capitol: Allgaier, a native of Riverton in Sangamon County, clinched his first Xfinity Series title in November following a dramatic comeback victory at Phoenix Raceway in which he rebounded from a lap down in a backup car. Now, with the passage of House and Senate resolutions, the one-year anniversary of the race, Nov. 9, 2025, will be known as Justin Allgaier Day in Illinois.

*** Statewide ***

* SJ-R | Allergy season is getting longer in Illinois. Here’s why: People may have a runny nose for longer in the spring in Illinois than they once did, thanks to a longer growing season. Most of the U.S., too, faces a longer growing season, a recent study found, that looked at temperatures in various cities from 1970 through 2024.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | City Council targets predatory towing companies that still ‘run rampant’ in Chicago: Four years after the city implemented a licensing system for tow truck operators, Ald. Gilbert Villegas wants to allow police to impound tow companies that troll for crash scenes and hold vehicles hostage.

* Block Club | An Illegal Junkyard Has Operated In Englewood For A Decade. Why Hasn’t The City Cleaned It Up?: For years, families have been forced to live next to the collection of mangled vehicles and junk. The Hamilton Park Cultural Center — an institution that hosts community meetings, music festivals and summer programs for children fighting for environmental justice — is right across the street. Neighbors have demanded that city officials shut down the unlicensed junkyard and clean up the lots for at least a decade. In response, local aldermen have said they reported code violations at the properties. The city has cited and fined the last known owners while vowing to “hold them accountable.”

* Crain’s | Who’s up and who’s down as the city’s aviation team reshuffles O’Hare gates: United Airlines is poised to get more gates at O’Hare International Airport and its main rival would get fewer of them as part of a proposed re-allocation of space that’s underway at the airfield. Chicago-based United, which has been growing rapidly at O’Hare, recently sought six more gates from the city under a new “fly it or lose it” provision in the lease agreement between the airlines and the city.

* Bloomberg | In Chicago, a Former Steel Mill Looks to Make a Quantum Leap: But building these devices in the physical world has proved to be a formidable engineering challenge. The largest quantum computer, an IBM processor in the New York City suburb of Yorktown Heights has 1,121 qubits. PsiQuantum aims to build a machine with 1 million qubits. Located in southeast section of the site, PsiQuantum’s anchor facility will be something like a new typology adapting a pre-desktop model of information processing: computing as a service, with a big, costly processor located in specific place that can do tasks impossible for smaller devices.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Cook County Board to consider $1,000 payments to help homeowners pay property taxes: Cook County is considering offering one-time payments of $1,000 to residents who have had the biggest hikes in their property tax bills. The county has budgeted $15 million for the program this year, which would benefit about 13,600 people. The county estimates around 112,000 households are eligible. Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer, a North Side Democrat, is spearheading the effort.

* Shaw Local | DeKalb shelter helps survivors of sexual violence Take Back the Night: A DeKalb-based agency on Monday gave voice to survivors of domestic violence with a message for people to reflect upon as they embark on Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April: “Together We Act, United We Change”. Safe Passage Inc., DeKalb County’s only shelter for those experiencing domestic violence, hosted its annual Take Back the Night March and Speak Out event. Safe Passage also provides counseling, legal advocacy and other services for survivors.

* Daily Herald | Lake Zurich leaders hope sale of key lakefront property will spark redevelopment: After more than 20 years of potential and proposals that haven’t materialized, Lake Zurich officials are hoping a prime property downtown finally will be developed and boost ongoing revitalization efforts. Rather than field pitches at informal courtesy reviews for 10 consolidated open parcels facing the namesake lake and a promenade, officials Monday agreed to sell what is known as Block A for $1.05 million to a builder/developer who approached them with an offer.

* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights examines response to larger-than-expected protest: An estimated 2,000 demonstrators attended the local “Hands Off!” protest of President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk Saturday afternoon in downtown Arlington Heights. The event started with a smaller rally at North School Park then grew as people marched down Arlington Heights Road to a second gathering spot at Northwest Highway.

* Daily Herald | Barrington close to decision on $17 million incentive agreement for ‘Golden Triangle’ development: Village staff presented the draft of a “pay-as-you-go” tax increment financing deal worth $17 million before the village board Monday. Trustees are expected to continue the discussion Monday and could reach a final vote April 28. Developer Joe Taylor III said he is ready to start construction the day after the vote. Compasspoint plans to redevelop the former site of the Market Center building and a Volvo dealership at 200-300 N. Hough St. The $90 million project includes a four-story building, the Mylo, with 125 residential units and approximately 12,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space — Taylor said he is negotiating a high-end restaurant lease for 6,000 square feet.

* Sun-Times | Trump administration freezes $790 million for Northwestern University: report: The Trump administration has reportedly frozen $790 million in funding for Northwestern University amid civil rights investigations, two administration officials told the New York Times. The newspaper also reported that more than $1 billion earmarked for Cornell University in New York was frozen. In a statement, Northwestern spokesman Jon Yates said the school was “informed by members of the media that the federal government plans to freeze a significant portion of our federal funding. The university has not received any official notification from the federal government.”

* Sun-Times | Football players OK settlement of lawsuits against Northwestern University: The former Northwestern players have agreed to settle lawsuits against the school that allege hazing and abusive behavior. A school spokesperson said the agreement ‘‘will fully resolve the student plaintiffs’ claims’’ against the school and former football coach Pat Fitzgerald.

*** Downstate ***

* IPM | University of Illinois confirms some international students’ visas have been revoked: U of I spokesperson Robin Kaler confirmed Tuesday that multiple foreign students on campus have had their visas revoked. “We are working directly with affected students to help them connect with appropriate resources and understand their options,” she said in a statement sent via email. Kaler declined to share the number of students who were impacted or the federal government’s reasons for changing their status.

* WCIA | US Secret Service honors Shelbyville police for preventing $250K scam : On Feb. 24, the Shelbyville Police Department received a call from someone whose relative was communicating with a person claiming to be an online payment service. The scammer told the victim that they could turn her $250,000 into gold at a store in Springfield. After investigating, the Shelbyville Police Department learned the victim filled out bank paperwork to transfer the money the next morning. Along with the help of the Secret Service, the Shelbyville Police Department stopped the transfer, saving the victim’s money.

* WGLT | McLean County’s only rape crisis center nears completion on expansion: While federal funding has had its woes in the past several months, a two-year fundraising campaign to expand YWCA Stepping Stones — McLean County’s only rape crisis center — has reached its goal and renovation is nearly completed. The nonprofit raised $100,000 more than initially anticipated, for a total of $1.5 million, and YWCA McLean County CEO and President Liz German said every penny is going into the expansion. Throughout the fundraising campaign, German said an unexpected benefit has been raising awareness of the rape crisis center’s work.

* WGLT | McLean County judge declines to reduce 10-year prison sentence for contempt: A McLean County judge said a decade in prison is an “appropriate, albeit lengthy” punishment for a Chicago man charged with contempt for delaying a murder trial last year. Alexander Gayles failed to appear last April in response to a subpoena. Prosecutors say he was a material witness in the 2024 trial of Malcolm Johnson and Kevon Moon for their role in killing Jaleel Johnson in 2020. Gayles was later arrested in Wisconsin and compelled to testify.

* PJ Star | Why Washington adjusted a city ordinance to allow more gaming machines: The council discussed the request at a Committee of the Whole meeting in March, with councilmembers Brett Adams, Jamie Smith and Michael McIntyre expressing support for the businesses’ growth. Adams said gaming terminals can boost small bar and restaurant establishments by offering more entertainment options, particularly after the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “These are businesses, including these two, that are doing things the right way for the right reasons, so because of that, I think it’s an integral part of a small business like this, their business plan,” Adams said. “So I think they’re very much needed.”

* Pantagraph | Conservative activist Charlie Kirk draws mixed crowd of more than 700 at Illinois State University: Hundreds of Illinois State University students greeted conservative political activist Charlie Kirk when he appeared on campus this week to debate topics ranging from population decline in blue states to cannabis legalization to global conflicts. The Q&A portion of the event began somewhat controversially as a protestor dressed in a goat mask and a red robe took to the microphone. The stunt was met with profanities from the crowd and Kirk saying he wouldn’t answer questions from a “Satanist.” However, most students whose viewpoints opposed Kirk’s asked their questions without issue.

* BND | $33M coworking space opens in Alton, a milestone in AltonWorks’ downtown revival: The Wedge Innovation Center, a 55,000 square-foot research lab, think tank and workspace, will drive innovation and spur future economic growth in town, said J. Scot Heathman, The Wedge’s CEO. “We see this really as a catalyst not only for Alton, but really to kind of use it as an engine for all of southwestern Illinois and across the bi-state into Missouri,” Heathman said.

* WICS | Old State Capitol set to reopen after extensive restoration: The historic building, which has been closed since January 2023, underwent significant upgrades, including roof repairs, the addition of new walkways, elevator enhancements, and the replacement of heating and plumbing systems. An official reopening date has yet to be announced.

*** National ***

* Reuters | Sharp US bond selloff revives flashbacks of COVID-era ‘dash-for-cash’: Investors and analysts said the move was reminiscent of the dash-for-cash at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, when the market seized up as fears about the coronavirus grew, prompting the U.S. central bank to buy $1.6 trillion of government bonds. Similar to that episode, at play on Monday was also a reduction of the so-called basis trade, a popular hedge fund arbitrage trading strategy between cash and futures Treasury positions whose unwinding likely exacerbated the 2020 crash, investors and analysts said.