* The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, which is backing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton for US Senate, has released a new poll from Public Policy Polling…

With just two weeks to go, the latest PPP poll among Democratic primary voters in Illinois finds that Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton has pulled into the lead in the race for U.S. Senate. Stratton leads with 33%, followed by Krishnamoorthi at 30% and Congresswoman Robin Kelly at 11%.

Over our last three polls since early February, her vote share has steadily increased from 23%, to 27%, and now 33%–a 10-point gain in the last four weeks. Just one week ago, Stratton trailed Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, 27% to 29% and now she leads him 33% to 30%.

The favorability rating for Krishnamoorthi has dropped from 51 favorable/15 unfavorable, to 47/24, to now 41/30 across our three polls over the last four weeks. He’s gone from a +36 net favorability rating to +9, indicating that voters are holding increasingly negative opinions about Krishnamoorthi in the closing weeks of the race. On the other hand, Stratton continues to have a strong favorable rating at 40/16 holding steady from last week (43/15).

Public Policy Polling surveyed 557 likely Democratic primary voters from March 2-3, 2026. The margin of error is +/- 4.2%. 63% of the interviews for the survey were conducted by text message and 37% by telephone.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Crain’s | Illinois AG joins pushback from states, nurses against federal student loan change: Since the Department of Education’s more restrictive student loan rules were first suggested in November, politicians, nursing educators and health care organizations have railed against a plan they call counter-productive as the nation faces a demographic cliff that threatens to leave the health care workforce decimated. Yesterday’s letter from 25 state governors and attorneys general, including Illinois AG Kwame Raoul, the coalition says the department ignored Congress’ clear intent “by turning an illustrative list of degrees into a hard limit, leaving out nurses, physician assistants and other essential health professionals.”

* WAND | IL bill could close gaps in protection for domestic violence survivors: Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) said Illinois should ensure emergency orders of protection remain in effect until the final order of protection has been served. This comes as many survivors are harassed and threatened under the current system where emergency orders are no longer in effect after a judge grants a plenary order. “This bill would mean protection for victims of abuse remains fully enforceable and protects survivors from dangerous loopholes and paperwork timing,” Stadelman said. “The intent is clear — Domestic violence victims deserve protection all the way through the process.”

* BND | IL officials introduce bills to end daylight saving time change — which happens soon: Bills relating to daylight saving time often circulate the Illinois legislature. One example is House Bill 1400, which would establish permanent daylight saving time in the state, if allowed by Congress. H.B. 1400 was filed in January 2025 and its last action was an assignment to the State Government Administration Committee Feb. 24, 2026. Some efforts against clock-changing take a different approach, however, such as Senate Bill 2926, which aims to exempt the state from required daylight saving time. S.B. 2926 was filed Jan. 27 and has been referred to the assignments committee.

* Center Square | Lobbyist: Passenger rail planning bill has no fiscal impact this year: Speaking on behalf of the High Speed Rail Alliance, lobbyist Dan Johnson said the bill does not call for funding or have any immediate effect on the state budget. “There’s incredible demand for travel. We’re just underinvesting in our passenger trains, but there’s no fiscal impact this year,” Johnson said.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | What’s Next For Austin’s Mars Candy Factory? Neighbors Weigh Development Proposals: Community members have spoken out against the developer’s plan for nearly 500 new housing units on the former factory site — with a local group going as far as to present its own plans for the 20-acre property. Residents in the Galewood Montclare Community Organization hosted a meeting last week to discuss their proposal for a “campus-style redevelopment” of the candy factory. The group’s plans include a library, grocery store, restaurants, workforce development center, indoor youth recreation center and a museum dedicated to the Mars factory. The neighborhood group’s plan does not include housing, which is the biggest contention the group has with developer McCaffery’s proposal.

* WTTW | Key City Panel Rejects Push to Punish Parents If Their Kids Violate Curfew, Other Laws: The City Council’s Public Safety Committee rejected the measure crafted by Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) after a brief debate about whether the city should seek to jail people whose teens “violate curfew, engage in drag racing, flipping of cars, intoxication or use of paintball guns.” With the support of Alds. Marty Quinn (13th Ward), Matt O’Shea (19th Ward) and Silvana Tabares (23rd Ward), Lopez first introduced the measure in October 2023, only to have it languish without a hearing or vote for more than two and a half years.

* Tribune | Drew Dalman, the Pro Bowl Chicago Bears center, reportedly is retiring at age 27: Dalman has played five seasons in the NFL, including one with the Bears. He signed a three-year, $42 million free-agent contract with the team last March. He started at center in all 17 regular-season games and both playoff games and earned his first Pro Bowl selection. He was the only Bears player to play every offensive snap in the 2026 season.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* ABC Chicago | Medical debt forgiveness program extended for Cook County residents: “There’s no application, no paperwork and no tax consequences,” Preckwinkle said. “Residents simply receive a letter in the mail informing them that their debt has been canceled.” Health officials say they’ve seen what this relief means for families and the quiet crisis sweeping across the state and nation.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Yorkville council OKs contracts with engineering firm, acoustical consultant for proposed data center projects: Yorkville has become a sort of hub for data center projects, in part due to the area’s proximity to a ComEd substation. Several projects at varying stages of approval are under consideration in Yorkville, forming what may one day be a sort of corridor of data center campuses in the northeast quadrant of Eldamain Road and Route 34. But with these proposed developments has come significant resident opposition, with concerns ranging from residents’ health to noise to energy usage and costs.

* CBS Chicago | Aurora, Illinois wants to hear more from residents about data center development: Because of the interest in Aurora, the city set a 180-day pause on any new data center developments. The pause expires Tuesday, March 24. New regulations for data centers include updates on zoning standards, and a requirement that developers submit a sound study, water consumption report, and energy usage report.

* Crain’s | Oak Brook retail center sold for $44M: The sale price is slightly higher than the $41.1 million MetLife paid for the property, known as Overlook at Oakbrook, when it was newly built in 2023, according to DuPage County property records. Tenant rents at Overlook have room to grow, and the property benefits from its proximity to Oakbrook Center, the state’s second-largest mall, said JLL Managing Director Michael Nieder. “The property’s location directly across from Oakbrook Center, combined with below-market rents from leases signed during the pandemic and strong demographics, created significant investor interest,” Nieder said in a statement.

*** Downstate ***

* STLPR | East St. Louis had the fewest homicides in 45 years in 2025, Illinois State Police say: In recent history, East St. Louis recorded as many as 36 homicides in 2019. The continued drop in murders reaffirms to state and local police that their efforts are working, said ISP Director Brendan Kelly. “I would not have guessed that we would have been able to achieve that in this past year — or in any year,” said Kelly, who served as the St. Clair County state’s attorney from 2010 to 2019. “It is encouraging, but it is a result of a long period of hard work.”

* WCIA | Decatur prepping to transform more ‘unsafe properties’: Council member David Horn said that in 2024, Decatur demolished 150 properties, but that number fell to 30 last year. He said the city is getting back on track with Monday’s approvals, and he’s excited to see the properties not just taken down but reused for something better. “Ultimately, after we get public feedback on that plan, we will be able to come together and have a community-wide plan for what we want to see the City of Decatur look like over these next four years,” Horn said. “And demolition is one component, but it’s not the only component.”

*** National ***

* WaPo | ICE training was slashed, records show, corroborating whistleblower claims: The documents also offer new insight into how and when the training program was reduced. The vast majority of the cuts occurred in August, the records show, as the Trump administration pushed ICE to double the number of officers in the field by the end of 2025. The initial cuts eliminated more than 100 hours dedicated to hands-on instruction and practice scenarios, including half the 56 hours once spent on firearms training, the records show. Fitness training time was almost entirely cut. Also eliminated were dozens of hours of classroom learning on such topics as case processing and deportation officers’ legal authority.

* NYT | Big Lenders’ Risky Loans Are Rattling Wall Street: Blue Owl has continued to publicly emphasize that its metrics show only 1 percent of its loans are at risk of default, and that it does not foresee more weakening anytime soon. Craig Packer, Blue Owl’s co-president, said in a statement that its portfolio was “attractive and well-diversified.” Yet the firm’s hand was essentially forced two weeks ago when investors in one of its funds demanded some of their money back. Partly to satisfy those requests, Blue Owl sold $1.4 billion worth of loans, including some to a closely affiliated insurer that Blue Owl did not initially disclose.