* More on the transit reform package from Crain’s…

The bill does not include revenue options, and it remains unclear if lawmakers will punt consideration of the funding structure until later in the year. Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, is expected to propose his own measure that will address governance of the agencies and put forward a mix of revenue ideas that have been hotly debated in recent weeks. […]

If funding is not approved by May 31, the CTA would need to hold a series of hearings in the fall ahead of approving a 2026 budget that outlines the significant cuts to services that will be implemented if the new revenue is not secured. That would create an even tighter timeline to provide clarity over new funding sources.

“I am calculating the distance between ensuring that there’s funding and how we can continue to grow our system, and we’re going to stick to it and work as hard as we can these next few days to be able to come to a reasonable resolution to ensure that the 300 million riders that we had just last year alone that that number continues to expand,” [Mayor Brandon Johnson said.]

* Daily Herald…

The conflict between Metra and the Union Pacific is deepening over the cost of the commuter railroad using the freight giant’s tracks.

Last week, UP presented Metra with new pricing to access its lines in the Chicago region, effective July 1. […]

Metra responded by asking a federal judge to rule that UP “cannot unilaterally force Metra, its riders and the taxpayers to bear a significant increase in the compensation paid to Union Pacific.” […]

Metra states in an ongoing lawsuit that it was paying UP about $21 million to use the tracks and both sides had agreed it was reasonable to continue that rate.

But now, UP is insisting “on an annual payment of $40.7 million just for use of the tracks,” the lawsuit says. In addition, “Union Pacific is demanding substantial additional rental payments for properties necessary to operate the UP Lines.”

* Even more transit news from the Tribune…

For nearly five years, the Chicago Transit Authority paid a small group of employees to stay home and not work at least two days a week, a state watchdog has found.

The employees in question worked in the agency’s vault operations unit, which is responsible for processing money taken from CTA fareboxes. Those workers were not able to perform any of their assigned duties from home, but were nevertheless assigned to work remotely at least two days a week since the beginning of the pandemic, continuing to do so even after the agency-wide return to office date in May 2022, according to a report from the Office of Executive Inspector General.

A total of 10 employees were paid just under $1.13 million for days they were not working since the start of the pandemic, the OEIG found. The bulk of the payments were made between the onset of the pandemic and the agency’s return-to-office date in May 2022, but the employees were paid $303,932 for remote work between May 2022 and Feb. 1 of this year.

The report, dated Feb. 21, also determined that several CTA managers were aware of the practice of paying workers for remote days during which they could not work but “took no action to reduce or stop such waste.”

* Illinois Answers…

The Child Care Assistance Program, also known as CCAP, is the largest government child care subsidy. It significantly reduces monthly costs for families and it can be an essential source of income for child care businesses, particularly in Cook County.

Yet it doesn’t provide enough relief for many families and providers, an Illinois Answers Project investigation found.

Illinois continues to put limits on CCAP far stricter than federal recommendations. These restrictions exclude up to 130,000 children, who could be eligible under national guidelines, from receiving support, according to the most recent estimates of Illinois’ program.

The state also caps payments for some child care providers at rates that are near the lowest in the nation.

These restrictions, studies show, can impact a family’s ability to provide stability, pursue higher paying jobs and set up their children for lifelong success.

The number of child care providers that participate in CCAP has also plummeted in recent years, the investigation found.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press release | Healthy IL Springfield Presser Urges Gov., Lawmakers to Stand Strong: If Illinois legislators and Gov. J.B. Pritzker impose preemptive state health care cuts now, they will play right into the Trump administration’s hands, warned state legislators and a coalition of health care advocates at a Wednesday news conference. “It’s critical that we come together now and reject this politics of division and fear,” said Enddy Almonord, director of the Healthy Illinois Campaign. “If we falter now in defense of health care for all Illinoisans, the next targets will be state-funded programs for maternal health, children’s health coverage, reproductive choice, HIV/AIDS prevention and more.” Instead, the state should wait to see what cuts are in the final Reconciliation Act that Congress approves, then strategize to counter those cuts, coalition members said.

* Tribune | Lawmakers advance bill aimed at curbing third-party restaurant reservations: A bill heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk is aimed at protecting local restaurants from third-party vendors that buy and resell reservations, which proponents say can lead to costly no-shows and consumer fraud. If the measure is signed into law by Pritzker, Illinois would join states including New York and Florida in attempting to bar third-party reservation services from listing, advertising, promoting or selling reservations without a written agreement with the restaurant.

* WTVO | Illinois bill to allow bachelor’s degrees at community colleges has been revived: “Chicago State is hemorrhaging, and you, as an administration, are handing them Band-Aids, and they need stitches,” said State Rep. Curtis Tarver II (D). “Then you come in and you provide a bill that’s going to be even worse for them. And I’m saying as we sit here, the Black Caucus has an issue with the bill. The sponsors are obviously aware that it’s not a secret.”

* Chadwick Hagan | Rewilding — a not so wild part of Illinois’ conservation strategy: Illinois took a bold step toward redefining conservation. With broad bipartisan support, the Illinois House and Senate recently passed House Bill 2726, marking a turning point: Rewilding — restoring ecosystems through natural processes and minimal human interaction — is no longer fringe. It’s a practical, forward-looking approach to land use rooted in science and shaped by local needs. Once signed into law, HB 2726 will make Illinois the first state to formally define rewilding as part of its conservation strategy. The bill establishes a landowner-friendly program under the state’s Department of Natural Resources, and it complements federal initiatives like the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program but remains clearly state-led.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson fans the flames of his political war against President Trump: “You have a president that is cutting off medicine and food, a president that is working to erase culture. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up. He’s doing it in plain sight,” Johnson told reporters. “You have to fight and resist it with everything that’s in you. … This is a fight that this generation has to show up for.”

* Sun-Times | Ex-CPD officer expected to serve a week in prison after guilty plea in cop husband’s fatal shooting: Under a plea deal accepted Tuesday, Jacqueline Villasenor agreed to a sentence of more than six years. However, with Illinois’ day-for-day sentencing law and credit for the years she spent on electronic monitoring awaiting trial, Jacqueline Villasenor is expected to serve about seven days in the Illinois Department of Corrections, plus a year of supervised release, according to her attorney.

* Crain’s | University of Chicago lands more than $18 million for new institute: The foundation’s gift to UChicago was part of a donation spree totaling $90 million to establish similar institutes at four of the nation’s top research universities, including the University of Michigan, the University of California, Berkeley and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

* Sun-Times | Data breach affects as many as 38,000 University of Chicago Medicine patients: UChicago Medicine was notified of the incident last month by Nationwide Recovery Services Inc., a now former third-party vendor that specializes in recovery management, customer service and collections. Between July 5 and July 11, 2024, someone gained unauthorized access to NRS systems and was able to get information from certain files and folders, UChicago Medicine said in a statement.

* WBEZ | ‘You’re not just representing yourself’: CPS senior on her year on the Chicago School Board: Carchi’s time on the board wasn’t without moments of uncertainty. The last year has been tumultuous, with the entire board resigning in October, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez getting fired and the transition to a partially elected board. Though as a student representative, Carchi didn’t get an official vote, she found ways to insert her voice. […] Carchi, 18, played an active role in that process by “talking to people, asking questions, having lunch with people and discussing things informally, having one-on-one conversations,” Debby Pope, a board member, said.

* CBS Chicago | Viral Leo High School choir video leads to “America’s Got Talent” audition: Audrina Sinclair’s viral video posted after her visit to Leo High School last February caught the attention of producers at “America’s Got Talent.” The Instagram reel has over 2.7 million views and features the Leo High School choir on Chicago’s South Side. […] The local choir flew to Los Angeles for an audition. The school hosted a watch party to cheer on the choir members during their big audition.

* Block Club | South Siders ‘Puzzled,’ Smitten By Concrete Cadillac Housed In Hyde Park Parking Garage: A 1957 Cadillac DeVille, encased in concrete using instructions by artist Wolf Vostell, moved into a University of Chicago garage in 2016. Now, the team of artists, conservators and tradespeople who helped save it are working to finish a book on the sculpture.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | New Hollywood Casino Joliet set to open earlier than expected: Hollywood Casino Joliet, which is leaving its longtime riverboat home, announced Wednesday it is planning to move into its new land-based facility Aug. 11, pending regulatory approval. […] Construction is nearing completion on the new $185 million Hollywood Casino Joliet in the Rock Run Collection, a sprawling 310-acre mixed-use development adjacent to the Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 interchange. The facility will feature expanded gaming, with 1,000 slots, 43 table games, a retail sportsbook, a 10,000-square-foot event center and restaurants.

* Homewood-Flossmor Chronicle | Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller explores run for 2nd District seat: Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller announced Wednesday, May 28, that she is forming an exploratory committee to run for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District in response to requests by supporters. Currently, Miller is serving her second term on the Cook County board, representing the 6th District, which includes Homewood. U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) has announced she is running for U.S. Senate and will not be filing to run again for the 2nd District House seat, which represents Homewood and Flossmoor.

* Daily Herald | Suburban spellers still in the game at Scripps National Spelling Bee: Visharad Sathish of Grayslake, Tyler Kochanski of Fox River Grove, Yahya Mohammed of Hoffman Estates, and Shruthi Ayyagari of Aurora head into the quarterfinals today. “I’m pretty excited and nervous,” 12-year-old Visharad, a seventh-grader at Lake Forest Country Day School, told the Daily Herald before leaving for the competition being held in Maryland. “It is nerve-wracking to compete on stage in front of everyone.”

*** Downstate ***

* WSIL | Rep. Mike Bost attending Veterans Forum in Mt. Vernon: Rep. Bost says he will speak directly to veterans about expanding access to VA care, streamlining benefits, and getting high-quality service. […] This event is not open to the public and requires an RSVP before attending.

* WCIA | Champaign school board to decide on separation agreement with superintendent: Earlier this month, the district passed an RFP – or a request for proposal – to begin the process of hiring a firm to look for their next superintendent. So if the agreement is approved on Thursday, the board will continue that process – but without Boozer in the fold. They will also vote on appointing current District Director of Facilities & Services Daniel Casillas as acting superintendent. The agenda said this would be pending the appointment of an interim superintendent.

* WGLT | Bloomington council approves $36M bond issue for water department improvements: Water department head Ed Andrews said the money will help pay for programs like replacing the city’s lead lines that Bloomington hopes to finish in the next 10 years. About 5,700 lead lines remain in the city by its estimation, mostly in older neighborhoods. The bond issue is estimated to cover water improvements for fiscal year 2025 and 2026, but there are plenty of other projects in the pipeline.

* SJ-R | Two downtown businesses score a spot statewide for showcasing artisanship: Annually the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economy Opportunity, or DCEO, and the office of tourism welcomes a select group of small, locally owned businesses from the different sections of the state to join the program. Ceramics Made by Rosie and Whimsy Tea Company have earned their spot on the list, cemented by their impact in downtown Springfield.

* WNIJ | Pawpaw Planting Event at Northern Illinois University: The project is led by The Little Pawpaw Foundation, founded by pawpaw enthusiast Austin Cliffe, in partnership with NIU’s Office of Campus Sustainability, the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability (NICCS), and organizers of the annual Paw Paw Festival. Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is the largest edible fruit native to North America. Its custard-smooth flesh carries tropical notes of banana, mango, and pineapple, and it is rich in vitamin C, potassium, and essential amino acids. Pawpaws thrive in partial shade and require minimal chemical input, making them ideal for low-maintenance food forests and regional sustainability research.

*** National ***

* The Atlantic | The ‘Man-Eater’ Screwworm Is Coming: s of this month, the parasite has advanced 1,600 miles through eight countries to reach Oaxaca and Veracruz in Mexico, with 700 miles left to go until the Texas border. The U.S. subsequently suspended live-cattle imports from Mexico. After this latest news broke, I spoke with Wayne Cockrell, a Texas rancher who fears the screwworm’s return to Texas is now a matter of when, not if. The anti-screwworm program cannot produce enough sterile flies to stop the parasite’s advance, much less beat it back down to Panama, Cockrell explained. He has followed the outbreak closely as the chair of the cattle-health committee for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, even visiting the sterile-fly factory recently. “There’s a sense of dread on my part now,” he told me.

* The American Prospect | Senate Democrats Have Been Handed a Tool to Stop the Big Beautiful Bill: California has already announced that it will sue to maintain its waiver, charging that the Senate had no authority to overturn it. But the Senate operates largely on precedent, and now that the parliamentarian has been disregarded on this point, virtually any action the executive branch takes could be construed as a rule, and therefore subject to fast-track congressional review. For this reason, Democrats could subject the Senate to time-consuming resolution votes repeatedly, to such a degree that the Senate would not have time to do anything else for the rest of this session of Congress. In other words, Democrats could respond to the waiver vote by paralyzing the Senate, and stopping the giant Trump tax bill from ever reaching the floor.

* CoStar | Nation’s first Stargate data center in West Texas is already in expansion mode: The artificial intelligence industry’s ambitious Stargate Project is already in expansion mode in West Texas as work begins on a second phase of the 875-acre site — a tract bigger than New York City’s Central Park — to bring a total of eight buildings with 1.2 gigawatts of power. AI infrastructure provider Crusoe said the next phase, in addition to the first stage still under construction, is bringing the high-profile data center project to a total of about 4 million square feet at the sprawling campus in Abilene, Texas, a city about 150 miles west of Fort Worth.