* Crain’s…

Canadian electric bus and truck maker Lion Electric Co. is unlikely to survive as the Quebec government turned down an opportunity to put money into the firm along with local investors.

“We believed in Lion’s potential, but the recovery plan submitted did not justify the re-injection of significant government sums,” provincial Economy Minister Christine Frechette said in a post on X. “Unfortunately, it’s clear that providing Lion with additional funding would not be a responsible decision.”

The Quebec government had already lost $128 million on investments in Lion and the Canadian government $21.6 million. The company filed for creditor protection in December after it failed to repay some debts and couldn’t find a buyer for the business or its assets. It laid off hundreds of employees and suspended its factory in Joliet that same month.

An investor group involving real estate magnate Vincent Chiara created a plan to try to revive the company, but at a much smaller scale. Under that plan, Lion would focus exclusively on building electric school buses at its plant in Saint-Jerome, Quebec, and stop producing commercial and tractor trucks.

* Patch…

Two years after 600 dignitaries including Governor J.B. Pritzker, both Illinois Senators and members of Congress attended the grand opening ceremony for Joliet’s newly opened Lion Electric bus manufacturing plant near Channahon, the equipment inside the facility is being sold off on May 15 at a public auction, Joliet Patch has learned.

“Public Auction Due to closure of US EV Manufacturing facility – Short Notice!” the Workingman Capital website reads.

…Added By Rich… In case you’re wondering, Lion Electric wasn’t scheduled to receive any state money until early next year, and only if they had 608 full-time jobs by the end of this year and 1,228 jobs by the end of 2028.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Advocates press for continued funding to college test prep support program: Supporters of a state program providing free test preparation to students at public universities and some community colleges said Wednesday the effort has saved students over $8 million in just two months, but needs $10 million in state funding to remain in operation. Illinois launched the program in late February, becoming the first state to offer free comprehensive test preparation for college students and already serving more than 200,000 students statewide. The program, a collaboration between the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and the educational service company Kaplan, allows students free access to more than 40 prep courses including graduate-level admissions exams such as the LSAT for law school, as well as courses in data analytics, cybersecurity and real estate.

* WAND | Juvenile justice: Bill providing nonviolent youth resources to succeed heads to House: This plan could require the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice to provide employment opportunities, educational resources, and parental mentorship training for youth who committed nonviolent crimes. […] Trauma-informed behavioral health services and assistance applying for public health programs would also be offered starting July 1, 2026.

*** Statewide ***

* Tribune | Illinois ranks 20th in the nation for hospital safety, with more hospitals getting A’s and D’s: It’s possible that some Illinois hospitals made changes in hopes of improving patient safety and boosting their grades in order to attract more patients, said Cheryl Larson, president and CEO of the Midwest Business Group on Health, which helps facilitate the Leapfrog hospital survey in Illinois. “That’s the whole point of this, is driving people to the best, safest hospitals in the state of Illinois,” Larson said. Though Illinois improved its ranking overall, the ratings were a mixed bag for individual Illinois hospitals, with more hospitals notching A grades but also more earning D’s than when grades were last released in the fall.

*** Chicago ***

* WTTW | Proposal to Allow CPD to Impose ‘Snap Curfews’ to Stop Teen Gatherings Fails to Advance: After more than five hours of debate, the Chicago City Council’s Public Safety Committee took no action on the plan, backed by Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling but opposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson. Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward), who crafted the measure after two high-profile shootings in Streeterville, a neighborhood popular with tourists and wealthy Chicagoans, will bring the measure back for a vote at 1 p.m. Monday.

* NBC Chicago | Residents protest hotel proposal near Obama Center amid nearly $500 rent hikes: Philon Green was forced to move out of Woodlawn because of skyrocketing rent prices. He wanted to stay at Jackson Park Terrace — down the street from the under-construction Obama Presidential Center — but his landlord raised the rent from about $800 to $1,300. […] Being priced out of the neighborhood was a concern shared at a protest Tuesday morning by other Woodlawn and South Shore residents, who now fear rental prices will rise if a proposed luxury hotel gets city approval.

* WBEZ | Mayor Brandon Johnson took your calls on crime, transportation and housing: Doug in the South Loop asked about traffic safety and the mayor highlighted his plans for bike- and bus-only lanes to move people through the city safely. Johnson also talked about the city recently joining a federal lawsuit that essentially seeks to preserve the jobs of federal employees targeted by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.

* Sun-Times | Deal in the works to loan Columbus statue removed from Arrigo Park to Italian-American group: The tentative settlement between the Chicago Park District and the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans resolves a long-running lawsuit filed by the group after former Mayor Lori Lightfoot removed both Columbus statues from their pedestals after they became targets of vandalism during the civic unrest following the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Both Columbus statues have been in storage ever since in a Park District warehouse on the South Side.

* Block Club | Deborah’s Place Marks 40 Years Of Helping Unhoused Women In Chicago: “I’d love for us to help put ourselves out of business,” said Wilson, CEO of the Chicago nonprofit, which has spent the past four decades working to end homelessness for women. “That’s the dream.” Wilson has seen a lot of other organizations come and go in that time. One of the main reasons Deborah’s Place has not only survived but grown is its culture of adaptability, she said. “As the world changes, we’ve been able to step back and ask, ‘How do we keep our mission and values intact while learning new ways of serving women?’” she said.

* WGN | City of Chicago, Jussie Smollett reach settlement in civil lawsuit, according to federal court documents: The city filed a civil lawsuit against Smollett in April 2019, seeking to recoup about $130,000 — the amount of money spent on overtime for CPD investigators who looked into Smollett’s initial attack claim. According to federal court documents, the parties contacted the courtroom deputy on Wednesday “to advise they have settled, but need more time to finalize documentation.” A status hearing in U.S. District Court was initially set for Wednesday but has been reset to Thursday, May 29.

* Vintage Chicago Tribune | The 40-year saga of State of Illinois Center: May 6 marks 40 years since the State of Illinois Center was dedicated. The pink-and-blue building with stunning atrium and walls made of glass, was championed by Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson as the catalyst for a revitalization of Chicago’s Loop. Thompson also approved its futuristic design and later the structure was renamed for him. The center, designed to house thousands of government workers from dozens of agencies, was initially touted as, “A building for the year 2000.” Not long after the dawn of the new millennium, however, cash-strapped state officials began looking for ways to sell it — or demolish it.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Naperville Sun | DuPage County shares little info on ransomware attack as investigation continues: “Thanks to extensive planning and preparedness efforts, we have been able to ensure the continuity of operations for the residents of DuPage County,” Chief Judge Bonnie Wheaton, Circuit Court Clerk Candice Adams and Sheriff Jim Mendrick said in a joint statement Wednesday in response to questions over where the situation stands. Asked whether any sensitive information was compromised by the attack, county spokesman Evan Shields declined comment, citing an active investigation.

* Daily Southtown | Park Forest water ranks 4th in state contest, but quality comes with high cost: After consistently winning the title for the best drinking water in the south suburbs, the village of Park Forest is celebrating a fourth place ranking across Illinois for its water’s taste, appearance and aroma. Public Works Director Roderick Ysaguirre and chief water plant operator Wendy Schafer, who represented the village at Illinois Watercon in Peoria, said what makes Park Forest’s water special is its independent treatment plant as well as the water itself, which the village retrieves from underground wells.

* Daily Herald | As Schakowsky decision looms, another Democrat announces run for her seat: Chicagoan Justin Ford this week announced he’ll seek the Democratic nomination for the congressional post Schakowsky, of Evanston, has held since 1999. “I think we need not just new faces but a new type of leader,” Ford said in an email Thursday.

* Daily Herald | Celebrity chef Stephanie Izard opening burger spot at Hollywood Casino food halls in Aurora and Joliet: The Boulevard Food & Drink Hall will offer a fresh dining experience at the new casinos, including an all-new burger concept from celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, and Chicago favorites Antique Taco and Pretty Cool Ice Cream, according to a news release. Izard is best known as the first female chef to win Bravo’s reality cooking competition “Top Chef,” taking the title during the show’s fourth season.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | State Police provide updates on Chatham after-school tragedy: While there, Akers submitted blood and urine samples and was then released. Kelly said that testing has since indicated that she was not under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances. […] Kelly said investigators have taken data from Akers’ car. While some evidence indicates Akers may have suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel, Kelly stressed this evidence is not conclusive so far. The cause of the crash is still unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.

* NPR Illinois | Larger driver’s services office to open in Springfield; smaller ones are closing: The former driver’s services facility on Dirksen Parkway will reopen as the Springfield Secretary of State’s Flagship Center. The change also means several other sites in the city will close. Secretary Alexi Giannoulias said it will showcase the efficiencies generated by modernization initiatives. “Our continued effort to modernize the office allows us to not only improve the customer experience, but consolidate operations, which allows us to provide better service to residents,” he said.

*** National ***

* NYT | How Nearly a Century of Happiness Research Led to One Big Finding: Rohrer’s work was published around the same time that other researchers were finding, in high-quality and replicated studies, that even fleeting social interactions could improve happiness. Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder, researchers both then at the University of Chicago, conducted an experiment in which they asked people to interact with strangers on public transit — to try to have a moment of connection — and found that the commuters seemed to get a mood boost from the exercise. Epley and Schroeder’s research and other studies have found that people underestimated both how much they would enjoy the experience and how open the strangers would be to it.

* Politico | RFK Jr.’s politically explosive search for autism’s ‘root cause’: Kennedy’s grim depiction of the most profound cases of autism — many “will never use a toilet unassisted,” he said in April — sparked condemnation from several groups devoted to championing autistic people. They said his remarks perpetuate stigmas associated with a condition that has a broad spectrum of manifestations — and, coupled with his well-known vaccine skepticism, color any attempt by the agency he leads, the Department of Health and Human Services, to conduct further autism research.

* NYT | Trump Administration Cancels $1 Billion in Grants for Student Mental Health: The Trump administration has halted $1 billion for mental health services for children, saying that the programs funded by a bipartisan law aimed at stemming gun violence in schools were no longer in “the best interest of the federal government.” Lawmakers authorized the money in 2022 after a former student opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers and injuring 17 others. The measure, known as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, broke a decades-long impasse between congressional Republicans and Democrats on addressing gun violence by focusing largely on improving mental health support for students.