* Subscribers know lots more. Crain’s…

Environmental groups say 68% of people surveyed said they support regulation on data centers aimed at minimizing the impact on utility bills, climate and water, based on a recent poll of 800 voters.

The survey comes as state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, and Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, are trying to gain support in the Illinois General Assembly for legislation called the Power Act, which would require data center operators to pay millions to support energy assistance programs, submit to extensive regulations around their water and energy use and fund renewable energy and storage.

“Legislators are hearing from constituents about data centers, concerns over water use and secret back-room deals with Big Tech and over rising utility bills,” says Gabel, House majority leader. “If data centers want to build in Illinois, they need to prove they are not bringing more harm than good. State regulations are needed to raise the bar and force these companies to be good actors in our communities.” […]

The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition says just 21% of the voters surveyed have a positive opinion of data centers.

Click here for the polling memo.

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Illinois is paying the price for 340B medicine markups.

Through the federal 340B program, nonprofit hospitals can buy medicines for pennies, then charge huge markups – even on life-saving medicines. Those markups have become big business for large hospital systems, driving higher costs for Illinois patients, employers and taxpayers.

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* 100 years ago today…

Governor of Illinois Len Small calls the Illinois National Guard to Herrin to confront a new wave of Ku Klux Klan violence. pic.twitter.com/wxEhftYwk7

— 1926 Live (@100YearsAgoLive) April 13, 2026

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Welch backs millionaires tax, but House Democrats split over how much to devote to property tax relief: In an interview with WBEZ, the speaker did not endorse either plan, saying there are “lots of conversations still being had.” But he made his backing of a millionaires tax crystal clear. “I’m a big supporter of the fact that those who can pay more should pay more,” Welch said. “If we can come to some type of consensus on how to get it done and where the money should go, I want to be a part of that.”

* Center Square | Federal data shows Illinois economy grew in fourth quarter: Data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis says Illinois’ gross domestic product grew 1.1% in the fourth quarter of 2025. The only state bordering Illinois to show more growth was Iowa at 1.8%. North Dakota led the nation with 3.8% growth in the fourth quarter.

*** Chicago ***

* NPR | The FAA takes a rare step to head off a traffic jam at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport: “Where we were headed in Chicago, due to the reckless scheduling of our competitor, OK, was going to be gridlock,” Isom said at an investors conference in Washington, D.C., last month. United CEO Scott Kirby laughed off that criticism when he got the same question a few hours later. Kirby pointed the finger at American, where he used to work, and said he’s glad the Department of Transportation is stepping in. “The DOT is going to come in and play dad and force us to share,” Kirby said. “And it’s going to all be fine.”

* Sun-Times | Taxpayers face $9.5M settlement tied to alleged coerced confession by onetime CPD detective: The settlement would go to Carl Reed, a mentally disabled man who spent nearly 19 years in prison for the 2001 fatal stabbing of a North Side neighbor Reed was allegedly coerced by CPD detective Richard Zuley and now-deceased Det. Timothy Thompson into confessing to a murder he claimed he did not commit.

* WTTW | Key City Panel Advances Push to Rid CPD of Officers With Ties to Extremist Groups: There are no public allegations that city workers in any other department other than CPD have documented ties to anti-government or extremist groups. When Martin originally introduced the measure more than a year ago, it applied to all city employees. However, in response to concerns from the Chicago Department of Law that a broad ordinance would be unlikely to withstand a legal challenge, Martin agreed to narrow the scope.

* WTTW | Chicago Spent $58.8M on Police Overtime in 3 Months, 3% Less Than Last Year: Watchdog: That includes $1.3 million earned by officers in January, February and March to patrol what CPD lists as “planned gathering/march/civil unrest,” according to data published by the inspector general. Chicagoans have frequently taken to the streets to protest President Donald Trump and his policies since the start of the year, including the third “No Kings” rally on March 28 that drew thousands downtown. Officers earned an additional $1 million in overtime to police the funeral of civil rights icon the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., according to the data published by Witzburg. Former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton attended the March 6 memorial along with a host of prominent Democrats and thousands of mourners.

* Sun-Times | CPS grads are earning biliteracy seals in record numbers, bringing pride and job benefits for many: Last year, more than 3,500 CPS students earned the seal, a new record. That was much higher than in 2015, the first year awards were presented to graduates, when 91 students received the recognition. The total number of Illinois students who earned the seal last year also hit an all-time high. Educators and experts say that growth is due to a combination of factors, including increased awareness of the program among families, expanded language testing and a rising interest in multilingualism, which can make students more marketable when applying for colleges or jobs.

* Tribune | Chicago-based Slim Jim maker Conagra replacing CEO after 60% stock slide: After years of stock declines, Conagra Brands Inc. named a new chief executive officer as the food company seeks to regain momentum and win back investors. The Chicago-based company, which makes Slim Jim jerky and Birds Eye frozen foods, said Monday that CEO Sean Connolly will step down at the end of next month and be replaced by consumer goods veteran John Brase, on June 1.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Tinley Park proposes budget with no deficit, concerns about oil prices: The village projects spending to increase by $7.3 million and revenue to increase by $11.8 million compared to the previous year. This represents about $82.1 million in expenditures and about $84.3 million in revenue for fiscal year 2027. The 2026 fiscal year ends April 30, and is projected to end with a $2.62 million surplus, said Scott Bordui, interim finance director.

* DePaulia | AI development raises concerns over usage in DePaul courses: A now-deleted post on DePaul’s’s official Instagram account has highlighted a growing discussion over how professors should use AI to create curriculum and in instruction. The post included a caption that said, “At DePaul, AI isn’t something to fear, it’s something to understand, shape and lead with.” The post alsoIt mentioned the DePaul AI Institute and consisted of eight slides describing how it takes about three to six hours for a college professor to make one hour of course lecture material. On one slide, it stated that Joseph Veverka, an adjunct faculty member who teaches marketing in DePaul’s business school, has introduced a way to reduce the prep time.

* Naperville Sun | Naperville police investigating wave of non-credible threats to schools: The most recent threat came around 7:38 p.m. on Thursday, when Naperville police received a phone call from an unknown number threatening violence at Naperville Central High School at 8:00 a.m. the following morning. The telecommunicator tried to gather more information from the caller but was met with hostility and resistance before hanging up, Krakow said. Police immediately notified Naperville Central High School of the threat.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Kane County Board looking to hire new county ethics advisor: The position is open due to the retirement of former judge Grant Wegner, who has served in the role since being appointed in 2012, the news release said. The role will be appointed by Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog, with the approval of the full board, according to the news release. The individual selected would serve out a three-year term.

*** Downstate ***

* Alton Telegraph | Madison County weighs $35 million sale of sewer system to Illinois American: A sale would have to be approved by the full County Board, and it will take several months to reach that point. The tentative offer is $35 million, but it is subject to multiple appraisals and must be approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission, a process that could take more than a year. Rumors of the potential sale have been circulating on social media, with many residents opposed to it because it would almost certainly lead to rate increases.

* Herald-Whig | Moore pleased with new budget process, but knows there’s still work to be done.: Dr. Linda Moore has been a part of a lot of budget discussion, but the City of Quincy’s 2026-27 budget will be the first to have her name on the bottom line as mayor. Before taking on the mantle of mayor in May of 2025, Moore served under two previous administrations as city treasurer. “When I was treasurer and Kyle (Moore) was the mayor, Kyle had me sit in on the budget meetings,” Moore said. “I don’t believe a treasurer has ever done that before then.”

* WCIA | Art festival brings artists around Champaign County together: The Boneyard Arts Festival brings together artists, businesses and organizations from around Champaign County, highlighting local artists’ works from paintings, illustrations, digital art, graphic clothing and more. “I don’t think a lot of people know that we have so many great creative people here,” said artist Jose Vazquez.

*** National ***

* Crain’s | Airlines’ fuel pain won’t fade quickly as Iran conflict drives up costs: Delta Air Lines said when it reported earnings last week that it will spend $2 billion more on jet fuel in the current quarter than a year ago. For now, JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker estimates Delta’s jet-fuel cost of $4.30 a gallon will last throughout the year — a hefty premium over the $2.30 a gallon it paid in 2025. As a result, his profit target for Delta is $3.65 per share, down from $7.05 before war broke out.

* WIRED | The Internet’s Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril: A number of other major journalism organizations have also recently moved to restrict the Wayback Machine from archiving their stories, including The New York Times. According to analysis by the artificial-intelligence-detection startup Originality AI, 23 major news sites are currently blocking ia_archiverbot, the web crawler commonly used by the Internet Archive for the Wayback project. The social platform Reddit is too. Other outlets are limiting the project in different ways: The Guardian does not block the crawler, but it excludes its content from the Internet Archive API and filters out articles from the Wayback Machine interface, which makes it harder for regular people to access archived versions of its articles.

* AP | Iran war has some US water utilities facing a fluoride shortage: The number of water utilities affected so far is small, but the shortage is affecting hundreds of thousands of people. As the conflict continues, “there will likely be additional stressors placed on the supply chain, leading to shortages in additional communities,” Hartnett said. The country’s eighth largest water and wastewater utility, WSSC Water in Maryland, is among those facing a shortage. On April 7, utility officials said they were lowering the level of fluoride in the water to 0.4 milligrams per liter, down from the recommended 0.7 milligrams per liter.