* ICYMI: Trump administration cuts may end federal scrutiny of Illinois school where special ed kids often got arrested. ProPublica…

- It’s been about eight months since the U.S. Department of Education directed Garrison to change the way it responded to the behavior of students with disabilities.

- But the department’s Office for Civil Rights regional office in Chicago, which was responsible for Illinois and five other states, was one of seven abolished by President Donald Trump’s administration in March.

- The district was to report its progress in making changes to the OCR by last December, which it appears to have done, according to documents ProPublica obtained through a public records request.

- But the records show the OCR has not communicated with the district since then and it’s not clear what will come of the work at Four Rivers.

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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 | Chicago’s Venezuelan migrants face uncertainty after Supreme Court allows Trump to strip protected status: When Ana Gil heard the news that the Supreme Court Monday allowed the Trump administration to strip legal protections for thousands of recent Venezuelan migrants, she cried. The move means 350,000 Venezuelans in the United States, including some of the estimated 50,000 who arrived in Chicago over the last several years, could be deported. How or where? That is unknown, Gil said. She is co-founder of the Venezuelan Alliance in Chicago. Over the last decade, Gil has worked with other immigration advocates to provide resources and legal advice for migrants who have arrived here from Venezuela.

* SJ-R | Bill with stricter enforcements for hiring police officers heads to Gov. Pritzker’s desk: “This one hits me very differently,” Turner said then of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot by a former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy on July 6, 2024, inside her home after placing a 911 call. Turner added she would do “everything within (my) power to ensure that Sonya receives the justice that she deserves.”

* Daily Herald | Underwood to run for House again rather than U.S. Senate: Underwood has been actively fundraising for the seat and ended March with about $1.1 million in her campaign account, according to her latest finance report. In her statement Monday, Underwood said she intends to help “a new generation of changemakers” get elected and flip the U.S. House blue. She serves as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s recruitment co-chair.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | In the fight for youth transgender health care, Illinois remains at the forefront: A judge has temporarily blocked the order banning the use of federal funds on gender-affirming care, and Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a chief sponsor of Illinois’ shield law, said the Trump directive has not impacted access to care in Illinois. “I think that’s the most important thing people need to know: His signature on that paper changed nothing (in) regard to access to care in Illinois today or tomorrow,” she said.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Rare Chicago dust storm reignites debates over the role of agriculture, experts say: Farm fields that are regularly tilled and left bare, without plant roots to hold soil in place, tend to be at greater risk of that topsoil being swept away by high winds or rain. Other methods don’t disturb the soil as much, making it less susceptible to erosion: One-pass tillage uses tractors with a special tool that turns over the soil once, and strip-tilling turns over just the row of soil where seeds are planted, leaving the rest of the field undisturbed and covered by residue from the previous crop. “It (isn’t) just the practices, it (is) that perfect storm. But the practices fit within the storm,” said Richard Lyons, who runs a 300-acre family farm in Harvel, about 40 miles south of Springfield. He strip-tills his corn but doesn’t till his soybean fields at all.

* Crain’s | Johnson vowed last year to ‘cut the tape’ for developers. Here’s how it’s going: The city has completed 48 of the 107 items identified in the early stages of the initiative, according to a progress tracker. That has sped up how long large projects spend going through the Plan Commission process and made it easier for smaller projects without opposition to receive special permits from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Environmental reviews on city-owned lots without known environmental issues are no longer required. Developers can add minor issues that previously needed to be separately approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals to their applications for a zoning change in the City Council’s Zoning Committee, skipping an unnecessary step and lowering consultant and application fees.

* Block Club | Trump Administration Says It Is Investigating Mayor Johnson Over What It Calls Race-Based Hiring: In a statement Monday, mayoral spokesperson Cassio Mendoza acknowledged being aware of the letter issued by the Justice Department but said the office was still awaiting official receipt of the letter. Mendoza said that the Mayor’s Office’s corporation counsel would review the letter when that happens. “Mayor Johnson is proud to have the most diverse administration in the history of our city,” Mendoza said. “Our administration reflects the diversity and values of Chicago. Unfortunately, the current federal administration does not reflect either.”

* Block Club Chicago | Pullman’s Landmark Greenstone Church In Disrepair, Awaits City Funding To Repair Bell Tower: Greenstone pastor Luther Mason is hopeful the city will greenlight the funds for the rebuild in June, but he’s not ready to celebrate just yet. This will be the second time in five years the city has attempted to finance repairs for the 143-year-old church at 11211 S. St. Lawrence Ave. “It’s critical; it’s real critical,” Mason said. “To get that money and to get this project started before cold weather, Lord willing, that means a lot. Because then we can go into the winter … knowing that, come spring, there will be a new facade on” the bell tower.

* CWB | Old Town bar sues concealed carry holder whose gun fired, putting liquor license in jeopardy: An Old Town bar is suing a concealed carry holder, saying they spent tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees to protect their liquor license after he unintentionally fired his gun inside the establishment. […] Despite signs warning that guns are prohibited within The VIG, the bar claims a man named Michael Davis had a pistol in his pocket and it fired, injuring another patron when the bullet ricocheted off the floor. Davis consumed alcohol during his time at the bar, did not have the gun’s safety on, and failed to secure the weapon properly, the lawsuit alleges.

* Tribune | Lydia Cash peels back the layers of her own life to share rich, evocative Americana-inspired rock music: “I grew up knowing that I’m related to Johnny Cash, but it actually took me a really long time to realize the impact this man had,” Cash said about the famed country musician, her distant relative. “I grew up thinking that he was a cousin who picked up a guitar sometimes. I didn’t understand the weight of that until high school.” Yet despite the family connection, music performance was not modeled to Cash during her childhood. Having grown up in a conservative home in a small town outside of Birmingham, Alabama, writing and performance were things she discovered on her own.[…] In 2013, Cash moved to Chicago to pursue music and visual art. “It opened up my entire world,” she said about the city. “It’s honestly the best decision I’ve ever made, moving here.” Yet music didn’t always come naturally. Cash focused on visual art, her other talent, becoming a full-time painter by 2016.

* Sun-Times | Beyoncé’s Chicago concerts had the BeyHive swarming shops like Alcala’s Western Wear: “We were never expecting all the people, all the fans,” Richard Alcala said. “They’re very loyal, and they all want to be dressed from head to toe.” Loyal may be an understatement. Some shoppers, in search of the perfect bolo tie, were visiting the store from as far as Australia just for the concert. And they were willing to spend hundreds of dollars to dress the part.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Arlington Heights mayor: Bears stadium not done deal: “When and if the Bears do make an announcement that they are coming to Arlington Heights with certainty, there’ll be a process that is going to begin, and there’ll be an enormous amount of opportunity for every resident and business owner to become educated and participate in all the dialogue that’s going to happen,” Mayor Jim Tinaglia said during a village board meeting Monday night. “And this entire board — believe me when I tell you we’ll all have something to say.”

* Sun-Times | Arlington Heights has the ball in Bears stadium sweepstakes, but it’s still far from goal line: A ton of things need to happen before the Bears’ quest for a new stadium reaches the end zone in Arlington Heights and, until it does, there’s at least a glimmer of hope for Chicago, according to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s chief negotiator. Senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee openly acknowledged that, for the foreseeable future, Arlington Heights has the ball and Chicago isn’t even on the field playing defense. Johnson isn’t on the sidelines either. He’s more like a spectator watching from the stands.

* Chicagoland Journal | Eric S. France Launches Candidacy for Illinois Second Congressional District: Eric S. France Launches Candidacy for Illinois Second Congressional District (Lynwood, IL) Native Chicago resident and Businessman/Entrepreneur Eric France will officially launch his candidacy for the Illinois Second Congressional District seat on May 31, 2025. He is the first Democratic candidate to declare his bid for the seat. France, who grew up on the south side of Chicago (Hyde Park/South Shore), is a resident of Lynwood, Illinois. He heads up The France Group, a management consulting firm founded by his father. France has organizational and political DNA running through his veins. He is the son of the late Chicago political powerhouse Dr. Erwin A. France, who served multiple Chicago Mayors and government, dating back to the 1960’s. Dr. France spent nearly 20 years as a public servant before entering into private enterprise.

* Daily Southtown | Napoleon Harris sworn in as Thornton Township supervisor, replaces Tiffany Henyard: Four months after the basement of Thornton Township Hall erupted into a brawl that included the township’s supervisor, hundreds of people packed the same space Monday in celebration of new leadership. The swearing in of new township officials marked the end of Tiffany Henyard’s short, tumultuous period of leadership in the south suburbs. Jason House in Dolton and State Sen. Napoleon Harris in Thornton Township have taken the reins from the former mayor and township supervisor, with both having campaigned on a clean slate for their communities.

* Crain’s | Lawsuit claims neighbor ‘terrorized’ users of a Glen Ellyn short-term rental: The latest battleground over short-term rentals is Glen Ellyn, where a judge has temporarily prevented village officials from banning Airbnb-style offerings in the wake of a lawsuit alleging the ban violates constitutional rights of short-term rental property owners. The ban, passed in April and scheduled to take effect in July, has brought to light alleged “terrorism” from the neighbor of one short-term rental, a five-bedroom house on Arboretum Road that rents for upwards of $1,100 a night.

* Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan Township offering emergency assistance when needed; ‘I was so grateful to them’: Now, Jones said Shields Township pays Waukegan Township a monthly fee to provide emergency services to residents from the neighboring township. The program expanded to the general assistance efforts in March. “We know the needs of our community members extend past any invisible boundary lines,” he said. “We are fortunate that Shields Township was willing to collaborate with us to make it possible to extend our resources to all of our neighbors south of 18th Street.”

* Daily Herald | Yes, again: Long Grove’s covered bridge hit by box truck: Long Grove’s historic covered bridge was hit by a truck Monday, adding yet another to the bridge’s many accidents. The driver today was behind the wheel of a box truck, according to a video of the accident from the Facebook page of a nearby business, Chatter Box of Long Grove. This one follows the two that occurred just in April of this year. The Long Grove Covered Bridge Accident Tracker marks it as the 66th time the bridge has been hit since it reopened post-restoration in 2020.

*** Downstate ***

* WIFR | Goldie B. Floberg Center in Rockford calls on Pritzker to reconsider 2026 budget cuts: In February, Pritzker announced his budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, which includes $20 million towards a 50-cent hourly wage increase for DSPs. But some local legislators say the increase comes with a price. “It’s really no different than if I gave you 50 cents, but then at the same time, I pulled a dollar out of your wallet, how would you feel about that?” questions John Pingo, the president of Goldie B. Floberg Center.

* BND | Is Sauget air pollution harming people? CDC suggests a deeper EPA probe: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has completed an investigation into whether air pollution in Sauget is harming people, with a particular focus on the emissions from a hazardous waste incinerator there. An estimated 878 people live within a 1-mile radius of the 35-acre Veolia North America-Trade Waste Incineration facility. The closest residential areas are about half a mile southeast of the facility in Cahokia Heights.

* WGLT | Illinois program to increase faculty diversity in higher education is in doubt: Illinois State University has had between four and 11 DFI fellows in each of the last four years. Stacey Wiggins got a Ph.D. in social work from ISU with DFI help and is now part of the faculty. Would she have been able to complete a master’s degree and earn a doctorate without it? “Oh, no! [laughs] Now, miracles happen, and I am a believer that maybe another resource may have come, but I am grateful for this one,” said Wiggins.

* WGLT | McLean County to observe Ride of Silence honoring victims of bicycle traffic incidents: According to Illinois Department of Transportation data provided by the McLean County Wheelers, the state totaled nearly 3,000 crashes involving bicycles in 2023, with 41 resulting in fatalities. Across the U.S., nearly 1,000 bicyclists were killed and 130,000 injured on the roadways that year.

*** National ***

* WSJ | The Stark Math on the GOP Tax Plan: It Doesn’t Cut the Deficit: In designing a partisan plan that increases budget deficits, Republicans are mindful about what happens if their bill falls apart. The alternate path to preventing a tax increase on most households would require a bipartisan coalition with Democratic votes. That could further increase deficits. Democrats favor extending most tax cuts but would push to let tax cuts expire for top earners. They would, however, reject Republican spending cuts and seek extensions of expanded tax credits for purchasing health insurance.

* Fierce Healthcare | Hospitals cheer judge’s 340B rebate ruling but still await HHS’ final say: The 340B program was enacted by Congress over 30 years ago to help subsidize safety-net care providers by manufacturer discounts on most drugs administered in the outpatient setting by covered entities. More than 60,000 total covered entities were participating as of February 2025 with federal and proprietary data from 2023 suggesting that the roughly $66.3 billion in discounted outpatient drugs purchased through the program would have hit $124.1 billion wholesale, according to a recent investigative report from Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D., R-La.

* AP | There’s an American pope, and he’s just like us. At least, we really, really want him to be: Why are we so focused on making sure the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church is also a regular guy from the Midwest? Some of it is pride, you betcha. But another answer lies in Americans’ peculiar and complex relationship with fame and power that goes way back to the founding of the nation itself.