* Tribune…

A recent pledge by President Donald Trump to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp comes as his administration continues to withhold federal funding for a key Illinois project designed to stop the spread into Lake Michigan.

Illinois officials say they welcome the president’s public support but are urging immediate action. State leaders, including Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, are calling on the federal government to release funding to begin the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a critical barrier system near Joliet aimed at preventing carp migration.

“Illinois has always done our part, and it is past time President Trump does his,” Pritzker said in a March 13 statement. […]

Pritzker argued in his statement that Trump’s recent comments “distort the truth,” noting that the U.S. Department of the Interior froze more than $13.6 million in funds for three other carp mitigation projects in addition to the Brandon Road project in December 2025.

* Gov. JB Pritzker…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), and Illinois film industry leaders announced that film production expenditures in Illinois reached a record-breaking high of $703 million in 2025, supporting an estimated 18,000 in industry hires. This represents a 25 percent increase in film expenditures since before the pandemic in 2019. ​

“For nearly 120 years, Illinois has helped shape the film and television industry — from the early days of Charlie Chaplin to today’s hit productions like Chicago Fire, The Bear, and The Chi,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “By investing in our workforce, expanding our film tax credit, and building world-class production infrastructure, Illinois is creating good union jobs and attracting major productions from across the industry. With more than $700 million in film production in 2025, the message is clear: Illinois is a top destination to make movies and television.”

“Illinois’ film and television industry is creating real opportunity for workers, businesses, and communities across our state,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “From skilled union crews to small businesses that support production, this growth reflects the strength of our workforce and the impact of continued investment in Illinois’ creative economy. As more productions choose Illinois, we’re proud to see our communities benefit from the jobs and economic activity the film industry brings.” […]

According to an independent analysis, the State’s tax credit has resulted in a $6.81 return on investment for every dollar spent on the incentive, resulting in over $4.5 billion in economic activity between FY17 and FY24. Notably, 94% of this growth has been attributed to the impact of Gov. Pritzker’s enhanced tax credits and investments. ​

*** Statewide ***

* Daily Herald | ‘People are fed up’: Stratton talks about Trump strategy, impact of two women of color in the Senate: Asked about how she would separate herself from Pritzker, Stratton said the governor is a friend and has “been one of my biggest cheerleaders for the last nine years.” “What would be the reason for separating myself from (Pritzker)?” she asked. “Together we’ve raised the minimum wage, made Illinois an island for reproductive freedom, created thousands of good-paying jobs. That’s progress. That’s what people want to see.”

* NBC Chicago | Don Tracy says he’s ready for Senate election battle vs. Juliana Stratton: He insists however that he knows how to raise money to shrink that fundraising gap, and that he believes he can appeal to moderate voters in a race to flip Illinois’ U.S. Senate seat to the GOP column. “I’d be foolish if I didn’t,” he said of being concerned about Stratton’s financial advantage. “But as state chairman, I learned how to raise money. I’ve been doing that for 20 years for a lot of Republican candidates, and there are a lot of good Republicans with resources in Chicago and Illinois.”

* Crain’s | Biss urges super-PAC reform after AIPAC blitz against him: In an interview with Crain’s, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who won the Democratic primary for Congress in the North Side/north suburban 9th District by about 4 percentage points over progressive Kat Abughazaleh, bitterly attacked as “disgraceful” the spending by groups affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “This organization has a very specific, hard-line view that is out of touch with the people of this district,” Biss said. Yet, voters had “a hard time” figuring out who was behind millions of dollars in negative TV ads “because they did all they could to hide their involvement.”

* Crain’s | Life after Durbin: A fresh power vacuum will erode Illinois’ clout in D.C.: The reshuffling creates a void for a state that has enjoyed a rare, quarter-century run of power in Washington — spanning the House under former Speaker Dennis Hastert, the Senate under Democratic Whip Durbin, and the White House during Barack Obama’s presidency. “It’s a huge loss for Illinois in terms of being able to get things done,” says Mark Denzler, CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, a trade group that lobbies in both Washington and the Statehouse. “We’re losing well over 100 years combined experience in a system where seniority matters.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* AP | Gov. JB Pritzker criticizes AIPAC after pro-Israel group spent heavily in Illinois primary: A supporter of Israel, Pritzker has also rejected the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has called for two-state solution with “safe havens” needed both for Jews in Israel and Palestinians in Gaza. “I do not know why the United States has walked away from that, except, of course, that Donald Trump doesn’t seem to understand how to create Middle East peace and instead wants to go to war, as he has now done in Iran, simply following Netanyahu into that war,” Pritzker said.

*** Chicago ***

* WTTW | COPA Gets Power to Probe Chicago Police Conduct During Immigration Raids: The agency charged with probing police misconduct now has the authority to investigate whether Chicago police officers and leaders have violated city law by helping federal immigration agents. After a brief debate, the Chicago City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to explicitly grant the the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, known as COPA, the authority to investigate whether Chicago Police Department officers helped federal agents carry out deportations.

* Block Club | Proposed ComEd Substation In Lincoln Park Has Neighbors Concerned About Size, Safety: Company officials said the project is still in its early stages, with details like noise levels, electromagnetic field impacts and the facility’s exact footprint still being developed. Neighbors at a community meeting with ComEd last week said those unknowns are exactly what worries them, citing concerns about safety, effects on property values and general aesthetic issues that come with living next to a massive substation.

* Sun-Times | Cook County housing authority adds 3 board members; 1 seat still vacant: Last week, the Cook County Board approved the addition of certified public accountant Bruce Schiff, real estate development consultant William Little and retired government employee Zenobia Johnson-Black. “Collectively, we are gaining decades of valuable institutional knowledge and professional expertise that will help strengthen our governance and guide the agency’s continued progress,” Wendy Walker Williams, Cook County Housing Authority Board chair, said in a news release. “We extend a special thank-you to our outgoing board members … for their commitment to public service and their willingness to support the residents and communities HACC serves.”

* Crain’s | Chicago’s neighborhood restaurants are evolving — painfully, for some: “We’ve had to trim our payroll almost in half just to be able to stay afloat,” said Israel Sanchez, owner of Cesar’s Killer Margarita’s in Lakeview. “Everyone else is in the same boat. Everyone is fighting for customers.” Last year’s was the worst fourth quarter ever for the 24-year-old restaurant, with revenue down 26% year-over-year. The trend continued into 2026. National Margarita Day — usually a boon for Cesar’s — brought in half as much revenue as last year, Sanchez said.

* CBS Chicago | Metra fare collection technology pilot program starts in April: The program starts April 6, and will require riders to launch their Ventra ticket or show their paper ticket before boarding select trains at downtown stations, the agency said. The goal is to test how fast, durable and functional new handheld scanning devices are. Riders will be stopped at the platform entrance and asked to show their Ventra or paper ticket.

* The Guardian | ‘Whenever there’s a cop murder, there’s shenanigans’: how a PlayStation helped free a man convicted of murdering an off-duty police officer: “A local game shop owner fixes it in less than an hour for $35,” Bisby says. “So either the FBI and the RCFL are massively incompetent, or they didn’t want to see what was on there.” (The RCFL declined to comment for this story.) Blagg and Bisby now had the cellphone maps showing Villa and his co-defendants weren’t near each other the day of the crime, nor had they spoken. They had prosecutors failing to disclose evidence. They had the PlayStation messages. One of those factors alone could be grounds to grant Villa a new trial, if not an outright exoneration.

* Block Club | The Hideout Sold To New Owner Who Pledges To ‘Continue The Legacy’: Teri O’Brien, a former Hideout intern and employee, has purchased the bar and venue, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave., from longtime owners Tim and Katie Tuten and Mike and Jim Hinchsliff. The Tutens and Hinchsliffs have run the Hideout since 1996. Under their stewardship, the venue became known for hosting concerts by early-career artists and established musicians alike, plus community events such as political panels, book talks and regular Soup & Bread fundraisers.

* Tribune | ‘Just feels like you’re on fire’: How Cubs and White Sox players adjust to record-breaking heat in Arizona: By 3 p.m. on Wednesday, it hit 101 degrees during the Cubs’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Most Cubs players wore long sleeves for added protection from the sun. Players who normally would be standing against the railing to watch the game instead sought refuge on the bench under the cover of the dugout. Wednesday’s game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch was called after eight innings due to the heat.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | ‘Broadview Six’ ICE protesters can see White House communications about their case — if they exist: But Assistant U.S. Attorney William Hogan said he didn’t expect to find anything related to the case against the so-called “Broadview Six.” Hogan made the comment while speaking to U.S. District Judge April Perry about recent defense motions in the case. “To my knowledge — I’m not saying that I know for sure — but my understanding is there is no such communication,” Hogan said. “Certainly, [there] was none before the indictment.”

* Daily Southtown | Former Dolton administrator Keith Freeman pleads guilty to bankruptcy fraud, filing false tax return: Freeman, who worked under Tiffany Henyard when she was Dolton mayor and Thornton Township supervisor, entered the guilty pleas Monday, almost two years after he was first charged with bankruptcy fraud. The agreement states Freeman received $254,700 in federal government pandemic funds after entering false information on three applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans between June 2020 and February 2021. The applications were submitted on behalf of companies he was associated with, including Colab Leaders and Heirs 2 Heaven.

* Daily Herald | DuPage clerk’s election loss won’t end legal fight with county board: Deacon Garcia and Kladis-Schiappa both say they would end the legal battle with the county board if they are elected. However, Kaczmarek will continue to serve as county clerk until the end of November. In the meantime, she says she intends to pursue an appeal she filed earlier this year.

* Tribune | Hawthorne to re-open for horse racing this spring, officials say, while operators say they are owed money: The plan to resume operations came despite a request from harness racing operators for the board to revoke the track’s thoroughbred license following the board’s suspension of harness racing earlier this year. Illinois Harness Horse Racing Association Executive Director Tony Somone told the board Wednesday that his members are owed some $2.5 million in frozen or unpaid funds that are required by law. “Illinois Harness Horsemen have been frozen out of their bank accounts with Hawthorne Racecourse for months because of financial failure at the racetrack,” the horsemen’s association said in a statement last week. “Horsemen have been unable to pay for basic living expenses like medical care, mortgages, and food.”

* Evanston Roundtable | Chicago Stars drop request to play at Ryan Field: “After thoughtful consideration with Northwestern University and their desire to open the new Ryan Field in a phased approach out of consideration for its neighbors, at this time we will not be proceeding with our application for a unique use permit to play in Ryan Field,” a statement from the Stars said. The women’s professional soccer team had wanted to use Ryan Field as a temporary home starting in 2027, which would have required a special zoning approval. The Most Livable City Association (MLCA) mounted an effort against that, contending that the games “would wreak havoc on Evanston and nearby Wilmette.”

* Naperville Sun | Subdivision may be built on site of rejected Naperville data center: Initial feedback from the city’s Transportation, Engineering and Development department was that it would better combine the residential development with the “office and research nature” of the I-88 corridor. Adding an apartment complex near the roadway would serve as a transition between the townhomes and offices in the area, staff said in comments.

* Tribune | New Hollywood Casino resort in Aurora plans to open June 24: “We are now months away from opening another premium entertainment destination in the greater Chicago region,” Jay Snowden, CEO and president of PENN Entertainment, said in a news release. Additional details about the new Aurora casino’s planned grand opening are still to come, the company’s news release said. The new land-based casino and resort in Aurora is expected to have 1,200 gaming positions, around 220 hotel rooms, a retail sportsbook, an outdoor entertainment area, a full-service spa, a roughly 12,000-square-foot event center with meeting areas and a number of bars and restaurants.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Oswego OKs $750 fee on drivers who flee or attempt to elude police: The Oswego Police Department has seen a rise in the number of drivers who flee or attempt to elude police officers since 2020, Oswego Police Chief Jason Bastin has said. “Staff researched the residency of violators, as requested by the board. There have been 26 violators in the last five years. Only three of the violators were Oswego residents,” Bastin said in a report to trustees.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | State Farm to close Corporate HQ and Illinois Operations Center and consolidate Bloomington employees at Corporate South: It’s a major shift for Bloomington-Normal’s largest employer, with around 13,000 local workers, and one that could significantly impact local government taxing bodies and the commercial real estate market. In its statement Thursday, State Farm did not disclose plans for what it will do with those two properties once they’ve moved employees out. “While we don’t know yet what will happen to the Illinois Operations Center or Corporate Headquarters, we will eventually pass back savings to our customers by reducing costs associated with unoccupied space,” State Farm CEO Jon Farney said. “We simply have too much office space in Bloomington – about double what we need.”

* BND | Cahokia schools’ contract fight intensifies as union raises new allegations: A press conference held by the Cahokia Federation of Teachers in which its leaders accused the district of new “financial and oversight failures” and “demonstrably false statements” was interrupted by an email from the superintendent himself. “Clearly, at this point, everyone can see that these contract negotiations are no longer about the union employees you are charged with representing or our students’ best interests, but about your personal and political agendas,” Superintendent Curtis McCall Jr. wrote in a statement sent to district employees.

* WCIA | Mahomet, Fisher communities react to library referendums not passing in unofficial primary results: Mahomet is where unofficial results show more people are currently saying “no” to creating a larger children’s section and teen space at the public library. The director said they have many programs for young people, but not always enough room. Now, he said the board of directors are looking ahead — brainstorming ways the expansion could possibly still happen in the future. He said they have expanded before and will do it again.

* 25News Now | Peoria County voters decide state adopts fair, achievable signature requirements for independents, new-party candidates: An advisory question on the ballot asked if Illinois should lower the bar for independent and third-party candidates. Currently, those candidates often have to collect up to 20 times more signatures than Republicans or Democrats to get running. […] The ballot measure passed, with 83% of voters supporting the new requirement.

* WCIA | PBL School District addresses arrest of former teacher: Newly obtained charging documents, along with a letter from the Paxton-Buckley-Loda School District, reveal more about the crimes former teacher Paul Meuser is accused of and how the district acted as the allegations became known. The charging documents list three counts against Meuser: two of attempted criminal sexual assault and one of grooming. The attempted sexual assault charges describe Meuser as holding a “position of trust, authority or supervision” over a child known to him, who was unable to give knowing consent to sexual activity.

* WCIA | U of I bracketologist delivers March Madness bracket tips: Every year, Sheldon Jacobson and other computer science professors at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign put together BracketOdds: a website finding trends in March Madness results since 2012. “We take into account the performance of the seeds over the last 40 tournaments,” Jacobson said. “Because seeds in fact have similar patterns from season to season, tournament to tournament.”

* WSIL | Snake Road closes for seasonal wildlife migration: Forest Service Road 3-45, better known as “Snake Road,” is closed to vehicle traffic through May 15 for the biannual migration of snakes and amphibians. Officials say the road remains open to foot traffic, giving visitors a chance to observe the migration up close.

*** National ***

* The Verge | Prediction markets are trying to lure journalists with partnership deals: The deal involved producing two stories a week based on data from prediction markets — in Ellis’ case, that could be things like who might win this season of Survivor or which couples will end up together at the conclusion of Love Is Blind. Ellis said the proposed payment was in the “mid to upper hundreds [of dollars] per post,” with potential for more money if the article hit certain metrics like click-throughs. Ellis declined to name the specific exchange the offer came from.

* WGLT | Rivian deal with Uber will put up to 50,000 self-driving R2s on the streets: Uber customers will be able to book a ride in a self-driving Rivian R2 as soon as 2028, when the first robotaxis hit the road in San Francisco and Miami, the companies said. The program would reach 25 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe by 2031. “We couldn’t be more excited about this partnership with Uber — it will help accelerate our path to level 4 autonomy to create one of the safest and most convenient autonomous platforms in the world,” RJ Scaringe, founder and CEO of Rivian, said in a statement. “The scale of Rivian’s growing data flywheel coupled with RAP1, our state of the art in-house inference platform, and our multi-modal perception platform make us incredibly excited for the rapid advancement of Rivian autonomy over the next couple of years.”