* The Illinois Freedom Caucus…

🚨Today, the Illinois Freedom Caucus announced that all of its members have filed legal action to challenge the unconstitutional process used by Illinois politicians to force through the state’s $55 billion budget package near midnight. pic.twitter.com/L8SA1sloLs

— Illinois Freedom Caucus 🇺🇸 (@ILFreedomCaucus) June 5, 2025

* FYI…

The odds of this lawsuit succeeding are slim. Why? The Illinois Supreme Court has long adhered to the "enrolled bill doctrine," which grants wide leeway to legislative leaders to determine whether the proper procedures were followed in the passage of a bill. https://t.co/7FPvMInxHp pic.twitter.com/M0guHSeIOL

— Brenden Moore (@brendenmoore13) June 5, 2025

Click here for the lawsuit.

…Added by Rich… The lawsuit itself is kind of a mess. They list the wrong amendments on the revenue omnibus and the wrong BIMP amendment. They refer to Senate President Don Harmon as “Tom.” Many of the cases they cite are actually minority opinions which upheld the enrolled bill doctrine.

* Illinois Times…

Four development groups have told Sangamon County officials they may be interested in building a 200- to 300-bed hotel on a county-owned parking lot along South Ninth Street and collaborating with the county to double the size of the BOS Center. […]

A new hotel was suggested by [Conventions, Sports & Leisure] because it said the President Abraham Lincoln Springfield, a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel that offers 310 rooms, and the Wyndham Springfield City Centre Hotel, with 369 rooms, “are considered substandard headquarters hotel properties relative to modern design standards for full-service, convention-quality hotel products.”

The Wyndham site, at 700 E. Adams St. and immediately southwest of the BOS Center, was described by CSL as “the most desirable” site for the new hotel. The existing 30-story structure presumably would be torn down and rebuilt, then connected to the expanded BOS Center through a skybridge.

But Van Meter said county officials haven’t told developers they have any control over the Wyndham, which is closed and whose owner, Al Rajabi of Tower Capital Group, hasn’t communicated with local officials for months.

Moreover, it may be many months before the Wyndham can reopen. The hotel was damaged by internal flooding on March 27 and has been closed since then.

* Daily Herald…

A Northern Illinois University student was charged this week after police searched his dorm room in DeKalb and found more than 20,000 images depicting child sexual abuse on his electronics, many were digitally faked images of former Batavia classmates, authorities said. […]

Michael B. Erickson, 19, a graduate of Batavia High School, was charged with 21 counts of possession, creation and dissemination of child sexual abuse materials. […]

DeKalb County Deputies allege Erickson paid a third-party AI platform to create deepfake images of people he knew by having the AI remove their clothing to make them appear to be nude. Erickson used deepfakes, photographs and video to create the materials, authorities allege in DeKalb County court filings Monday.

On March 3, Erickson told a user on Snapchat that “I charge cheap too 10$ for 10 pics 5$ for 5 and 20$ for 20,” according to court records. In a different conversation March 5, another Snapchat user asked Erickson why he makes the images and Erickson replied “to sell them to boys,” records allege in court filings.

After confusion over whether AI-generated images qualified as child pornography, Governor Pritzker signed a bill into law last year clarifying that Illinois’ statutes do apply to content created by artificial intelligence.

*** Statewide ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Unsettling Accounts: How Illinois is confronting the growing student loan crisis: A recent graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago, Villalpando, 29, took out private loans to pay for college. Unlike federal student loans, private loans typically have higher interest rates and fewer forgiveness programs, making them harder for borrowers to pay off. Then, his fiancé came across the SmartBuy program – an initiative set up by the state to help incentivize residents to purchase a home while paying off their student loan debt, one of the leading factors delaying homeownership among young adults. SmartBuy pays up to $40,000 in student loans and contributes up to $5,000 towards a down payment or closing costs at the time of purchase.

* Axios | Illinois lands in top 5 in Fortune 500 HQs: Illinois ranks in the top 5 when it comes to the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state, according to the magazine’s annual list. U.S. companies are staying put in Illinois even as Republicans claim Gov. Pritzker and the Democrats are taxing them out of town.

* Daily Herald | Weather, disease challenge Illinois’ strawberry growers: Austin Flamm with Flamm Orchards in Union County said their struggles began early when a disease called Neopestalotiopsis infected greenhouses in Canada where the Flamms purchase their plugs. “Of the 100,000 plants for our early variety, we only planted 35,000 of them and of those 35,000, I’d say there was less than 5,000 that survived,” Flamm told FarmWeek, noting a late start to the picking season due to poor stands.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Illinois rental assistance program sees funding cut for 2026 budget in another blow to state, city housing programs: Dalton is one of 7,129 renters who has received assistance this fiscal year from the state program. The state housing authority’s goal was to assist 8,900 households through the new program but will likely see closer to 8,000 households supported, said Illinois Housing Development Authority Executive Director Kristin Faust in an interview with the Tribune. The state agency administers the rental assistance program. Faust said the 8,900 number was based on an authority projection.

* Capitol News Illinois | ISP backs bill expanding its mission to investigate internet crimes against children: While Illinois State Police has long investigated child sex crimes, a new measure would explicitly name addressing internet crimes against children as a core mission of its criminal division. House Bill 2586, also called Alicia’s Law, would add to the current 13 missions of the Illinois State Police Department of Criminal Investigations. It passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly unanimously in late May.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Former aldermanic candidate wins $1.4M in defamation suit over campaign mailers: Ebony Lucas, a real estate attorney who lost in the first round of the aldermanic elections in the ward that includes Hyde Park, filed suit in December 2023 over what she described as a “coordinated smear campaign” alleging she had a series of unpaid liens and fines related to her business and violations of the city’s landlord tenant ordinance. Preckwinkle’s organization paid for three mailers alleging Lucas was a “bad landlord,” who “can’t manage her own business” and “doesn’t care about doing the right thing.”

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Waiting To Learn: How Bilingual Education In Chicago Falls Short: And every day, students — like one Ecuadorian fourth grader who struggled to read and write in English — were left without the support guaranteed to them in state law. “He shouldn’t have had to suffer for almost three years before he was able to receive the type of help that he needs,” said Sylvelia Pittman, a 20-year teacher at Nash who advocated for more bilingual resources in the new Chicago Teachers Union contract.

* Tribune | Aldermen call for hearing into Chicago police response to ICE demonstration: Twelve of the 14 aldermen in the caucus signed a letter condemning the high-profile showdown at 2245 S. Michigan Ave. The council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights — which Latino Caucus Chair Ald. Andre Vasquez leads — will hold a hearing “to examine the extent of ICE’s misconduct and determine whether the Chicago Police Department played any role in (Wednesday’s) actions,” according to the letter. In a Wednesday evening statement, the Police Department denied that officers aided the federal agents.

* Sun-Times | CBS producer Deb Boulac set to make more history with Fever-Sky broadcast: Deb Boulac is an award-winning, groundbreaking TV producer. So it’s fitting that she’ll lead a historic broadcast Saturday when CBS airs the Fever-Sky game at the United Center — the first regular-season game in WNBA history to air on broadcast TV in prime time.

* Sun-Times | Chicago Sports Network expected to air on Comcast cable Friday: Chicago Sports Network is expected to launch on Comcast cable Friday on Xfinity’s Ultimate tier, the Sun-Times has learned, finally putting the new home of the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks on the area’s dominant cable operator. Network officials declined to comment. NBC 5 Chicago was the first to report the deal.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Crain’s | Former Ascension hospitals’ new owner to senators: We’re saving hospitals no one else would: Durbin and Duckworth’s May letter to Prime asked for justifications for eliminating pediatric services at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, the loss of a Level II trauma designation at Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, and shrinking of obstetrics and maternal care at St. Mary Hospital in Kankakee. The senators urged the company to reconsider those cuts and requested a response by June 10. This week’s letter from Prime laid out details of shrinking demand for the services cut at the three hospitals and said, “We cannot, in good conscience, maintain services that lack sufficient volume to support clinical excellence.”

* Press release | Gov. Pritzker Cuts Ribbon at Jel Sert Company’s Expanded Manufacturing Facility: Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Jel Sert Company joined local leaders to cut the ribbon on the company’s West Chicago expansion project. The company invested over $10 million to construct a new manufacturing operation that will enhance production of its popular powdered stick packs and ensure it can meet growing consumer demand. The expansion project will create more than 100 new manufacturing and packing operations jobs while retaining nearly 1,000 existing jobs.

* Daily Herald | Residents ask Mount Prospect to fly Pride flag, but village sticks to flag policy: Mayor Paul Hoefert, however, said the village’s policy is to fly only the American flag, the state of Illinois flag, and the Village of Mount Prospect flag at village hall. “We don’t fly any other flags, not even the (POW/MIA) flag,” Hoefert said. “Our feeling, based on legal advice, is that once you allow any other flag on that flagpole, you’re open to any request that comes. It makes total sense to me, and it makes total sense of the board.”

* Trains | Illinois man sentenced to more than four years in prison in Amtrak bribery case: An Illinois employee of an Indiana masonry firm has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for his role in a federal bribery case over Amtrak’s renovation of its 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Donald Seefeldt, 65, of Wilmette, Ill., was also sentenced to a year of probation, 59 hours of community service, and a $50,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the eastern district of Pennsylvania announced.

* CBS Chicago | Mosquitoes in 2 Illinois counties test positive for West Nile virus: The DuPage County and McHenry County health departments confirmed that mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile virus for the first time this year. The mosquitoes tested in McHenry County for the virus were found in Lake in the Hills. DuPage County health officials tested mosquitoes from Roselle, Medinah, Clarendon Hills, and Burr Ridge in May.

*** Downstate ***

* WSIL | Southern Illinois Back to School expo canceled; donations sought for 2026 event: The Franklin-Williamson Positive Youth Development Action Team (FW-PYD) announced the cancellation of the 2025 Southern Illinois Back to School Expo. Funding challenges led to this difficult decision. The organization said this decision will, unfortunately, be inconvenient and challenging for families in Southern Illinois for the upcoming 2025 - 2026 school year. However, they are actively seeking new opportunities to hold the event in 2026.

* PJ Star | ‘Our efforts paid off’: Peoria Ag Lab to remain open, could see growth, congressman says: The National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research – known as the Peoria Ag Lab – will remain open and may even see growth, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen. A June 4 news release said the proposal for the administration’s Agricultural Research Service budget for fiscal year 2026 included “potential growth for the NCAUR with research expansion.” Congress must still make final funding decisions.

* WCIA | University of Illinois names computer scientist, Wisconsin provost as new Chancellor: In a news release, System President Tim Killeen said Charles Lee Isbell Jr. will be the 11th Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He comes to Illinois from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he served as a computer scientist and provost. “It’s the honor of a lifetime to be appointed to the role of chancellor and I’m deeply grateful to President Killeen and the Board of Trustees,” Isbell said. “I’m energized by this chance to serve the citizens of Illinois and advance the mission of learning, discovery, engagement and economic development.”

* NPR Illinois | Springfield mayor announces chief of staff is leaving: Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher announced a change Wednesday in her leadership team. Mike Disco, who has been Chief of Staff since Buscher took office, is leaving the position. No reason was given. Disco came to the position from the private sector. “I want to thank Mike Disco for his service and contributions to the City of Springfield,” said Mayor Buscher. “I appreciate his efforts on behalf of our residents and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

* WSIL | Black Vultures on the Rise: Southern Illinois Farmers Battle Aggressive New Predator:Unlike their red-headed cousins, the turkey vultures, which only feed on carcasses, black vultures are bold, territorial, and known to attack living animals, especially newborn livestock or weakened mothers during birth. Farmer’s have seen attacks on baby calves, lambs, and even piglets. Once uncommon in Illinois, black vultures are now migrating farther north, with officials noting a marked increase in sightings and damage reports over the past few years.

*** National ***

* NYT | The Age Issue: More of Congress Is 70-Plus Than Ever Before: When the current Congress was convened in January, there were nearly 120 members who were 70 or older — 86 in the House, including nonvoting delegates, and 33 in the Senate. This number, which is unmatched in modern history, included 14 octogenarians in the House, five in the Senate, and 91-year-old Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa.

* WaPo | Supreme Court sides with woman claiming anti-straight job discrimination: The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a straight woman who claimed she faced bias in the workplace after she was passed over for positions that went to gay colleagues. The decision will make it easier for people who are White, male or not gay to prove bias claims. The justices unanimously struck down a standard, used in nearly half of the nation’s federal circuits, that required members of groups that historically have not faced discrimination to meet a higher bar to prove workplace bias than members of minority groups.