* ICYMI: US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi joins increasingly crowded race to succeed Dick Durbin in Senate. Tribune…

- U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi launched his bid this morning, pitching himself as a “radical common sense progressive” to take on President Donald Trump.
- Krishnamoorthi’s expected announcement follows ones made by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson that they would enter the March 17 Democratic primary.
- Far from a household name to statewide voters, ”Just call me Raja” has long been Krishnamoorthi’s political campaign theme and he is maintaining it for the Senate run.

I’ll have a full coverage roundup for Krishnamoorthi’s announcement later this morning.

* Related stories…

∙ Laura Washington: Three Black women may vie for US Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat. Will they split the vote?
∙ Daily Herald: ‘I’m ready to stand up and fight back’: State Sen. Laura Fine launches bid for Schakowsky’s U.S. House seat
∙ NOTUS: The Already Crowded Illinois Senate Race Gets Another Contender

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

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker to testify before Congress on Illinois’ ‘sanctuary’ immigration policies: Pritzker’s office confirmed Tuesday that the governor would “voluntarily appear” before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on June 12 after its chairman, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, announced in a news release that Pritzker would testify alongside New York’s Kathy Hochul and Minnesota’s Tim Walz.

* Sun-Times | Nicor’s ‘exorbitant’ $309 million rate hike request should be cut in half, watchdogs say: That’s why state regulators should cut the increase roughly in half, experts from the Citizens Utility Board, Illinois Public Interest Research Group and Environmental Defense Fund argued Wednesday. “This company is rolling in profits and they just keep coming to the table asking for more,” CUB spokesman Jim Chilsen said. “This rate hike request is filled with fat and excess, and customers are fed up.”

* Sun-Times | New study suggests insuring immigrants in Illinois gives hospitals a financial lift: That effort has had a domino effect. In a new study, researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of California in Los Angeles found what’s known as bad debt, or debt hospitals fail to recoup, declined on average 15% across Illinois from 2021-23 — and potentially as much as 25% at hospitals in counties with the highest enrollment in the state’s immigrant health plans. For the average hospital, a 15% drop in bad debt is around $1.5 million.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | In response to RFK Jr., Pritzker to sign first in nation executive order protecting autism data: Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday plans to sign an executive order to restrict the mass collection and sharing of autism-related data for Illinois residents, in response to the country’s top health secretary’s rhetoric around the cause of autism. The executive order comes after Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, recently said he would undertake a “massive testing and research effort” to determine the cause of autism, including an investigation into whether any environmental factors are causing the development disorder.

* Capitol News Illinois | New study suggests changes to Illinois’ community college-university pipeline: The report by the Partnership for College Completion says that while 79% of community college students start with the intention of transferring to a university, only 35% of them do. The success rate is even lower for low-income students and students of color, the report states. Only 28% of low-income students transfer, compared to 44% of higher-income students. And while Black and Latino students make up 44% of community college enrollment in Illinois, they make up just 31% of those who transfer to public universities.

* Capitol City Now | Illinois House and Senate meet for 7th annual softball game: State Senator, Steve McClure, said honor was on the line this year as, according to him, the officiating last year was questionable, so he was hoping for a fair shot this year. Unfortunately, his Field of Dreams was not to be. Final in the game – House 9, Senate NOTHING.

*** Statewide ***

* Center Square | Illinois’ meat industry discusses successes, challenges in face of tariffs: During an Illinois House Agriculture and Conservation Committee hearing Tuesday afternoon, Jennifer Tyree with the Illinois Pork Producers Association laid out the strengths in her industry. To the question of prospective tariffs, Tyree said they are a big concern they’re monitoring closely, but Illinois’ pork industry is focused on maintaining their market share. “Closer to 30% of our product is exported,” Tyree said. “At this point we are holding our own. We are just trying very hard to continue to keep that market share because I think what is our biggest concern is if we lose market share, it’s very hard to get it back.”

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson faces pushback from top ally on eve of pivotal affordable housing vote: Finance Committee Chair Pat Dowell said the plan would simply benefit affluent communities and do little to uplift marginalized communities where “affordable rent is the same as market rent.”

* Background is here if you need it…

NEW: The CTA Board is having a special meeting Thursday. It was just scheduled in the last few hours.

This comes amid speculation that Mayor Brandon Johnson will name his COO John Roberson as CTA President — and as transit advocates call for a broader search. Full agenda: pic.twitter.com/YK1U4uHSqJ

— Jake Sheridan (@JakeSheridan_) May 6, 2025

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson defends deal on Columbus statues: Asked about the long celebrated, but now more closely scrutinized Italian explorer’s legacy, Johnson Tuesday talked about the trans-Atlantic slave trade and decimation of Indigenous American people that followed Columbus’ arrival. Still, Columbus left a legacy many are proud of, he added. “Art and culture in particular is something that I don’t believe we should erase,” Johnson said. “And we do have to make sure that our presentation is depicting not just truth, but the best part of our existence, which is our collective humanity.”

* Crain’s | Trump goes off on ‘woke’ Obama Center construction: President Donald Trump went on a tangent to lambast the state of construction for the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park today during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “I mean look, President Obama — and if he wanted help, I’d give him help because I build on time and on budget — he’s building his presidential library in Chicago. It’s a disaster,” Mr. Trump said. “And he said something to the effect, ‘I only want DEI, I only want woke.’ He wants woke people to build it. Well, he got woke people and they have massive cost overruns, the job is stopped. I don’t know, it’s a disaster.”

* President of the Chicago Federation of Labor Bob Reiter’s response…

“While understanding President Trump is thin-skinned and emotionally fragile, I feel it’s necessary to set the record straight on Chicago’s talented and hard working union construction workers. Donald Trump’s wildly inaccurate and offensive rant about the building of the Obama Presidential Center is utterly ridiculous. Chicago’s highly trained, highly skilled union construction workers are building this state-of-the-art facility. The job isn’t shut down and continues on an aggressive schedule despite Donald Trump’s obsession with President Obama. With experienced journeyworkers and new apprentices building this project, you can count on quality and efficient construction.”

* Crain’s | Inside the long-simmering United vs. American grudge match that’s reignited at O’Hare: The dispute between United and American airlines that spilled into federal court last week has roots in a contentious lease agreement signed in 2018 but reflects a deeper rivalry between the two carriers over one of the nation’s biggest and busiest markets for air travel. It’s a history marked by both cooperation and gamesmanship, at times reminiscent of the Hatfields and McCoys—the result of an unusual scenario in which two major airlines have hubs at the same airport.

* Sun-Times | Trump Tower plaza barricades pulled back after months of complaints: Trump Tower building security notified the city Tuesday afternoon that all levels of the plaza and riverwalk were reopened Tuesday morning. A Sun-Times photographer found fences that were moved, now sitting alongside a pathway. The planning department’s investigation found “that the property was not in compliance” with the planned development, which states: “All of the open-to-air components of the River Park/Plaza Improvements … shall be open to the public twenty-four (24) hours a day.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Tinley Park-Park District budget plan seeks to identify how much more state funding needed for land cleanup: The state earmarked $15 million the Park District could use for cleanup of environmental issues including asbestos and mold, as well as demolishing dozens of buildings, both large and small, on the property. District officials said experts working on the remediation are calculating what additional funds will be sought from the state. The $15 million set aside in state money was based on estimates of the cost of the cleanup made more than a decade ago.

* Sun-Times | ‘U-pick’ flower farm fighting Chicago suburb to reopen, as 20,000 tulips wait to be picked: But in May 2024, the village sent a cease-and-desist letter to owner Chris Yamamoto, forcing him to close shop. The village contends the farm violates its zoning codes for businesses on residential property. Yamamoto believes the farm aligns with the village’s values, so for almost a year now, he’s been fighting to reverse the decision. It’s not about the money. He bought all those tulip bulbs direct from Holland out of a passion for flower farming.

* Daily Herald | After 36 years and more than 1,200 meetings, Palatine village clerk retires: “I enjoyed writing minutes that were succinct, that were clear, concise and accurate,” the former Northwestern University English major said. “Don’t waste anybody’s time reading through mumbo jumbo.” The job, however, goes way beyond taking the minutes. As village clerk, Duer was responsible for overseeing elections, including establishing early voting sites, recommending election judges and ensuring proper signage and nonpartisan administration of polling places.

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Times | Major solar development opens in Sangamon County: The farm generates 800 megawatts, which is enough power to supply more than 100,000 homes. Previously, the land was used to grow corn and soybeans. [..] Creating alternative uses for farmland gives more options for landowners but places pressure on tenant farmers, said Bill Bodine, director of business and regulatory affairs for the Illinois Farm Bureau. “For some farmers, it’s a challenge, because they need access to land in order to continue their business, to make a profit, to support their families. Sometimes there can be concerns with conversion of farmland simply because it’s a competing use.”

* PJ Star | Tension, transparency and hope: Why a new mayor could mean ‘a new day’ for Washington: In addition to her swearing in as the city’s first female mayor, four new city council members were sworn in, and three other officials were reelected. […] Stevens moved quickly to carry out city business, starting with designating McIntyre and Moss as signatories. City policy requires two authorized signatures on checks and withdrawals, and while those are typically handled by the mayor and city treasurer, additional signatories are needed in case the treasurer would be absent, Finance Director Joanie Baxter explained.

* WCIA | Champaign Co. workers rallying for better contracts: “We want to be able to buy groceries, keep a roof over our head. We don’t want to have to work two and three jobs at a time to make ends meet,” Cecelia Phillips, the AFSCME local 900 president, said. Phillips works in the Champaign County Circuit Clerk’s Office and organized a rally Tuesday afternoon in hopes it’ll change the minds of local government officials.

* BND | About 300 East St. Louis students may lose after-school programs: East St. Louis School District 189 typically uses federal 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants, which supports programming in high-poverty areas, to fund its after-school programming. Those grants have been running out, and District 189 has been struggling to find alternative funding sources, said Sydney Stigge-Kaufman, the district’s executive director of communications.

* WGLT | Big sewer construction project will disrupt homeless encampment in Normal: Mayor Chris Koos said the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District [BNWRD] will begin a large construction project in the area next month. Koos said it’s a good question where the unhoused people at the encampment will go. “We are looking very hard in cooperation with Home Sweet Home Ministries to see if there is any property in Normal and we frankly can’t find anything,” Koos said on WGLT’s Sound Ideas. He said the municipality might consider buying something for a shelter village like one proposed in downtown Bloomington.

*** National ***

* Reuters | EV makers Rivian, Lucid flag increasing costs as tariffs bite: Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe told Reuters the cost per vehicle was expected to rise by “a couple of thousand dollars” due to tariffs. “Customers are hesitant to make large-dollar purchases, and they’re more price sensitive than they historically have been,” he said, adding Rivian was working on adjusting its supply chain to mitigate tariff costs.