* Crain’s…

Mayor Brandon Johnson is being urged to hold off on naming a permanent leader of the Chicago Transit Authority even as he attempts to gain support to install the city’s chief operating officer, John Roberson, in the post.

A coalition of transit advocates sent Johnson and CTA board chair Lester Barclay a letter on April 18, urging the city to take a step back and conduct a national search to fill the position to lead the $2.1 billion agency. […]

The advocates want a CTA leader with experience running a large transit agency, securing federal funding, managing relationships with advocates and who rides the system he or she presides over, among other qualifications.

The push comes as the mayor’s office and Roberson are seeking to shore up the votes for his nomination, which must be approved by the seven-member CTA board. The mayor controls four appointments to the board, with Gov. JB Pritzker appointing three.

* ABC Chicago…

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is trying to woo Canadian tourists to come visit Illinois this summer.

The move in conjunction with National Travel and Tourism Week. […]

Pritzker is hoping to re-assure Canadians that Illinois and the U.S. welcomes our neighbors to north despite the current political rift between the two nations.

“I don’t blame anyone from Canada whose appetite for visiting the U.S. might have soured-with our current president and the shameful way he’s represented us on the national stage as of late. But as Governor, and self-designated chief marketing officer of Illinois, I want to reassure you that we’re as eager as ever to have you come here,” Governor JB Pritzker [said in a video promo]. “Here in Illinois, we’re ready and eager to prove that Midwest nice is the closest thing to Canadian hospitality you can get south of Windsor. As you head south through our shared Great Lakes, we are ready to welcome you to the middle of everything.”

…Adding… Gov. Pritzker will travel to DC, next month to testify before a Republican-led panel on sanctuary cities…

BREAKING: Sanctuary Governors will TESTIFY on June 12 on how their states’ policies are SHIELDING criminal illegal aliens and jeopardizing Americans’ safety.

📍Kathy Hochul (NY)
📍Tim Walz (MN)
📍JB Pritzker (IL) pic.twitter.com/LMsGqRPhFZ

— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 6, 2025

*** State House News ***

* Jewish Insider | Schakowsky retirement sets up Illinois Democratic primary battle over Mideast policy: In an interview with Jewish Insider on Monday, Fine touted her pro-Israel platform and described herself as a staunch defender of the Jewish state who has long been outspoken against rising antisemitism fueled by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza.

*** Statewide ***

* Tribune | Stressed athletes and coaches wait as deadline nears to solve NCAA’s ‘changing’ roster limits issue: The $2.8 billion settlement, if approved, would benefit thousands of former and current college athletes. It would provide back pay to former athletes for missed name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities. And it would allow current and future athletes — especially elite ones and those who participate in the money-making sports of football and men’s basketball — to benefit from revenue sharing from their universities. But U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken’s approval of the House settlement has been held up by one issue: roster limits.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | ‘State of Black Chicago’ report lays out path to building wealth amid stark racial gaps: “The State of Black Chicago 2025: A Laddered Path to Wealth Building” focuses heavily on a key data point from a report by The New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy. The 2024 findings show that the typical Black family in the Chicago metropolitan area reports a median net worth of $0, compared with $210,000 for a white family.

* WTTW | Chicago-Area Organizations Working on Everything From Youth Mentorship to Homelessness Lose Positions Following AmeriCorps Cuts: “The damage is done, the damage is critical and what they’re gonna find out is that the damages are gonna have more of a cost than their perceived savings,” said A Safe Haven Foundation President Mark Mulroe, whose organization was impacted by AmeriCorps cuts. Five AmeriCorps VISTA members at A Safe Haven Foundation, which provides services to individuals experiencing homelessness in the Chicago area, were told Monday that there was no longer funding for their positions after the nonprofit was informed of grant terminations, according to Mulroe.

* Sun-Times | New book illuminates Wrigley Building. Iconic structure? Yes. Superb? Not so much.: What we get far less of are the critics who lined up over the years to give the Wrigley Building the backhand. Lewis Mumford referred to its “safe mediocrity.” The Wrigley Building is “just what the name implies,” sniffed Frank Lloyd Wright — admittedly not famous for kindness toward other architects — noting it “illustrates the principle that an ugly building by day, if illuminated, will be ugly by night as well.” […] Sharoff brushes away such criticism (and Samuelson dismisses the enduring skybridge mystery in a few chicken-crossing-the-road sentences: It was built in 1931 to get to the other side).

* Chicago Mag | The Sketchy Future of Court Artists: Currently, there are two main sketch artists who freelance for the television news stations and newspapers in town: Lou Chukman and Cheryl “Cookie” Cook. That’s down from the days when every station and newspaper in town had their own courtroom sketch artist on staff. Now a new face, Cliff Questel, has gotten on board what may be a sinking ship. , 62, is a graphic artist by day, but recently has been seen at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse — referred to by its location, “26th and Cal,” by most in the news business — as well as other courthouses in the Chicago area.

* Tribune | Nancy Faust on her Chicago White Sox return after a 15-year absence: ‘I never expected a resurgence like this’: Faust spent 41 seasons — more than 3,000 games — on the South Side, missing only a handful of games due to the birth of her son. She is widely recognized for incorporating popular music into ballpark repertoire and for choosing songs that relate to each player based on their name, number or even their home state. Ever chant “Na-Na Hey-Hey Goodbye” when the opposing team pulls their pitcher? That’s because Faust played it first. […] The White Sox announced Monday that Faust, 78, will return to The Rate — which was known as U.S. Cellular Field the last time she played there almost 15 years ago — with her organ for six home games on select Sundays. Her appearances start on Sunday with Mother’s Day and end on Aug. 10, which happens to be her and husband Joe’s 45th wedding anniversary.

* Block Club | Andersonville’s Midsommarfest Returns In June With Headliners The O’My’s, Sixteen Candles: The free, family-friendly festival is 5-10 p.m. June 13, noon-10 p.m. June 14 and noon-9 p.m. June 15 on Clark Street between Foster Avenue and Gregory Street. It’s expected to host as many as 80,000 people throughout the weekend. This year will be the 59th edition of Midsommarfest, one of Chicago’s oldest and most beloved street festivals, according to the event organizer, the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Aurora Beacon-News | Attrition program, cost-cutting measures debated as Kane County Board grapples with impending budget shortfall: The county is on pace to dip below the required 90-day reserves in 2027 if revenue and spending remains level, county officials have said. One solution was an additional revenue stream, most notably a proposed 0.75% sales tax touted by some as a viable solution to the budget gap. But, in April, voters overwhelmingly shot down the measure.

* Patch | Newly Sworn-In City Council Member Announces Bid For DuPage Board: In an announcement celebrating being sworn in for his second term on the Naperville City Council, council member Ian Holzhauer announced plans to run for a seat on the DuPage County Board. […] “ The number one duty of candidates and elected officials is to be candid with voters. Many have asked about my future intentions. Rather than be cagey, I will be straightforward: I will be running for DuPage County Board in District 5 in the midterm election.”

* Daily Southtown | Jim Dodge sworn in as Orland Park mayor, says it’s ‘a new day’ for the village: Sworn in Monday as Orland Park’s mayor, Jim Dodge said it’s “a new day” in the village and pledged he and other new elected officials are “going to do everything to make sure we listen” to residents. Dodge won election in April 1, defeating Keith Pekau, who was seeking a third term. Sworn in with Dodge were Village Clerk Mary Ryan Norwell and trustees John Lawler, Dina M. Lawrence and Joanna M. Liotine Leafblad.

* Daily Herald | The ‘perfect fit’: Former Buffalo Grove deputy hired as Lisle’s police chief: It didn’t take long for new Lisle Mayor Mary Jo Mullen to name a new police chief — one of her first official moves since being sworn into office. Village trustees have confirmed Mullen’s appointment of Michael Rodriguez to the long-vacant post. His hiring comes months after Kevin Licko stepped down as Lisle’s police chief. “We interviewed Mike back in December. I would say all of us really felt that he was the empathetic, mentoring, coaching style of leader that our force really needs right now,” Mullen said Tuesday.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Normal extends deadline for short-term rentals, gets pushback on Illinois Art Station hirings: The moratorium, applying to properties such as Airbnb or VRBO offerings, was to give Normal time to consider and evaluate regulatory alternatives. The council approved a change for it to last until July 1, rather than June 1. That gives extra time for Normal to better assess the situation should any land-use bills become law by the end of the Illinois spring legislative session on May 31.

* WGLT | NPR stations like WGLT wade through uncertainty following executive order: WGLT Assistant Executive Director and Development Director Melissa Libert says it’s unrealistic for added community support to entirely make up for a loss of federal funding. That would be about $175,000 annually if all federal funding was removed. “It would be significant,” Libert said. “What we are worried about is that the attacks just keep coming.”

* KHQA | New funding allows Girl Scouts to expand mental health outreach in rural western Illinois: The funding will support programming aimed at 350 girls across Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike counties. The initiative brings mental health education directly to youth in underserved communities by offering age-appropriate programming focused on self-care, confidence, communication and resiliency.

* WCIA | Douglass Branch Library shows off new makerspace: Manager Thea Green said they received a $50,000 grant from Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to give the community a new space to be in. “Just to bring the community together, to let their creative mind go and make something and take something home that they would enjoy to have in,” Green said.

* WCIA | Shozo Sato, founder of U of I’s Japan House, dies at 91: The organization announced on Tuesday that Shozo Sato passed away at the age of 91. Sato founded Japan House in 1975, about a decade after first coming to Central Illinois from Japan. He arrived in 1964 as a visiting artist-in-residence for the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and the College of Fine and Applied Arts. “He recognized the need for cultural arts education to build cultural bridges and committed the rest of his life to teaching in the United States,” Japan House wrote. “His tenacity and vision for teaching Japanese arts and culture started the original Japan House at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.”

*** National ***

* NBC | Supreme Court allows Trump to implement transgender military ban: The justices granted an emergency request from the Trump administration to lift a nationwide injunction blocking the policy while litigation continues. The court’s brief order noted that the three liberal justices dissented. The decision is a loss for the seven individual transgender service members, led by lead plaintiff Emily Shilling, a Navy commander, who had sued to block it.