* Capitol News Illinois…

[Don Tracy,] [Juliana Stratton’s] US Senate GOP opponent, is attempting to portray her as “too extreme for Illinois,” highlighting her positions on the minimum wage, immigration and other issues while trying to associate her with progressive groups like the Chicago Teachers Union and politicians like Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

But Stratton said not to expect her to walk back on her primary rhetoric and proposals, saying she wants to bring what she’s deemed the “Illinois Blueprint” to Washington, D.C. She pointed to, for example, Illinois raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour — more than double the national rate. She wants to raise it to $25 an hour. Her primary opponents pitched $17 an hour.

“It would be a raise, but I’m fighting for 25 because if we were going to do 17, it should be today,” Stratton said. “It should be right now.”

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* Illinois Department of Employment Security…

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in February, up +0.1 percentage point from January, and up +0.3 percentage point from the same month, one year ago, based on data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The revised January unemployment rate was 4.9 percent.

Total nonfarm payrolls decreased over-the-month in February, down -17,800 (-0.3%) to 6,137,200. The January monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +18,000 to +6,200. The February payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.

The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll jobs decreases included: Construction (-4,900), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-4,800), and Information (-2,800). The industry sectors with over-the-month jobs increases included: Government (+800) and Other Services (+700).

Compared to a year ago, total nonfarm payroll jobs were down -19,900 jobs. The industry groups with the largest jobs decreases included: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-18,600), Professional and Business Services (-15,700), and Information (-3,700). The industry groups with the largest jobs increases included: Private Education and Health Services (+16,500), Construction (+7,600) and Other Services (+2,100). In February, total nonfarm payrolls were down -0.3 percent over-the-year in Illinois and up +0.1 percent in the nation.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Car insurance premium inequities are driven by age, credit and ZIP code, study finds: The study, conducted by New York-based auditing company O’Neil Risk Consulting & Algorithmic Auditing, backs up Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ push for a bill that he says would rein in car insurance costs that are unfairly discriminatory. The bill, which passed the state House in March and is awaiting a Senate vote, would require the Illinois Department of Insurance to review auto and home insurance rate hikes over 10% and order refunds for customers it determines were overcharged. The state could contest proposed hikes if they are “excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory.”

* WRMJ | Local State Rep. Hammond’s Ovarian Cancer Screening Legislation Passes House: Legislation sponsored by local State Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) to expand the scope of ovarian cancer screenings has passed the Illinois House. House Bill 4203 provides that “surveillance tests for ovarian cancer” means all medically viable methods for the detection and diagnosis of ovarian cancer, including, but not limited to, ultrasounds, MRIs, x-rays, CT scans, and CA-125 blood test screenings.

* CBS Chicago | Video: Rep. Ann Williams weighs on data center hearings in Springfield: The Illinois House has been holding hearings, investigating the way data centers are impacting communities.

* In Game | Illinois Wagering Volume Continues To Be Notably Down: The state’s 10 mobile sportsbooks accepted 20.6 million wagers in February, down 25.2% from last year. The downturn is 30.7% when excluding bet365, which took 1.5 million bets this February and did not launch in Illinois until last March. The per-wager surcharge passed in last year’s budget continues to be an albatross dragging wagering volume down. Proponents can argue the 25-cent or 50-cent tax per bet placed has more than served its purpose; the $83.6 million in tax receipts generated the first eight months of the fiscal year is more than double the $40 million estimated prior to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signing the budget into law last June. FanDuel and DraftKings, the lone digital operators paying the higher 50-cent surcharge, accounted for $7.4 million of the $8.8 million in remits for February.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | City Hall can’t even tally up estimated $8 billion debt backlog, let alone collect it, watchdog finds: But it’s impossible to nail the full tab down to the penny because “no City department has knowledge or management oversight of all debt owed to the City, and the City may therefore be unable even to quantify the total outstanding debt,” Witzburg’s office found. “Owing money to the City disproportionately impacts economically vulnerable residents, who may live in communities where fines and fees are highly concentrated and correlate with higher levels of poverty,” according to the OIG. “Without comprehensive debt management, the City is poorly situated to plan and implement equitable debt collection strategies.”

* Sun-Times | Chicago’s school board election is coming. Here’s what to know and what’s at stake: For the upcoming election on Nov. 3, the city has been divided into 20 subdistricts. Residents will vote for one candidate to represent the area where they live. (You can look up your school board subdistrict here.) But everyone will be able to vote for the school board president, which is a citywide seat. The terms of the newly elected members aren’t all the same because of the board’s transition from being partially elected to fully elected.

* Crain’s | Kirkland & Ellis in the hot seat again a year after its pro-bono deal with Trump: The Chicago-based law firm made the deal in April 2025 in order to stave off an executive order hamstringing its operations and to curtail a federal investigation into its hiring practices. The firm, which is No. 1 on Crain’s list of largest firms, has thrived financially, but its reputation remains at risk as other firms succeed in battling the president while picking up support from the legal community. Democratic lawmakers Rep. Jamie Raskin and Sens. Adam Schiff and Richard Blumenthal singled out Kirkland last month after the firm told them it was doing work without pay for government agencies, without going into specifics. The lawmakers claim such work could violate anti-bribery statutes, federal law, and ethics rules governing attorneys because the services were offered while Kirkland was under threat from the federal government, and are seeking all communications with the Trump administration related to the deal.

* Press release | Small Dollar Donors Power Six-Figure Fundraising Quarter for Byron Sigcho Lopez: The Democratic Socialist running as an Independent to replace Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García in IL-04 finished the campaign’s first fundraising quarter with more than $133,000 raised from more than 1,260 contributions – far outpacing his opponent in contributions from individuals for this quarter. Byron Sigcho Lopez launched his campaign on January 28 for IL-04 – the congressional district with the highest concentration of Latino voters in the United States.

* Tribune | University of Illinois and IBM renew quantum technology partnership at new Chicago headquarters: The second phase of the 10-year, $200 million IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute will shift toward the state’s growing quantum computing infrastructure and make a second home at the Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago, the university’s urban research hub. “It shows the commitment and the optimism that IBM has around quantum computing,” said Rashid Bashir, dean of the Grainger College of Engineering at UIUC. “They are certainly pushing forward really hard on that and collaborating with universities, and they’re committing to supporting the governor’s vision of making Chicago the quantum capital of the world.”

* Sun-Times | Johnson calls Rahm Emanuel’s mayoral record ‘disqualifying’ for a possible presidential contender: “I have very deep concerns about the former mayor of the city of Chicago. What he did in Chicago — from school closures to privatization to austere budgets,” Johnson said during his monthly appearance on WBEZ-FM’s “Ask the Mayor” program before a live audience. “There was a boy who was murdered by a police officer and it was covered up,” Johnson added. “That’s disqualifying for me.” Johnson’s cover-up allegation a was a reference to the 2014 murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by now-convicted former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke.

* Sun-Times | Cash-strapped DePaul closes the curtain on Downtown’s historic Reskin Theatre: While the university won’t officially confirm that it’s shuttering the theater — “No decision has been made about the Merle Reskin Theatre,” a school spokesperson said Thursday — there’s enough writing on the wall to indicate it’s closing. DePaul’s Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences — the Reskin’s theater group that is set to perform “Mirror of Most Value” there next month — will be moved to the university’s Theatre School building in Lincoln Park after the play closes.

* Tribune | Googly eyes and a blue bin: Meet Loop, Chicago’s new recycling mascot: The photo was posted to social media on April 1. Was this an April Fool’s joke? When I reached out to the Department of Streets and Sanitation, I was informed Loop is real. Loop is real! Loop was created by Güd Marketing for a recycling awareness campaign that includes billboards and videos called “Feed the Cart” for Chicago and neighboring municipalities.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | New Lenox police investigate bomb threat against Pope Leo XIV’s brother’s home: Police responded to the bomb threat at 6:29 p.m. Wednesday but determined it was unsubstantiated and said no explosive devices or hazardous materials were present. Specialized units, including the Will County sheriff’s office explosive detection K9, were brought in to assist. No injuries were reported and the nearby residents, asked to evacuate when the threat came in, were allowed to return to their homes.

* Press release | DuPage Democratic Party Chair Re-Elected: Chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage County, Reid McCollum, was re-elected for a two-year term on Wednesday, April 15 along with First Vice Chair, Dianne McGuire and Treasurer, Ilse Messner. McCollum and McGuire were first elected in Nov. 2024; Messner was first elected in April 2024. Chair McCollum has led the DuPage Democrats during a period of unprecedented success for electing Democratic candidates and greatly boosted the party’s profile and fundraising. In the April 2025 township elections, Democratic candidates in DuPage won all 49 contested races.

* Evanston RoundTable | Here is where Evanston’s TIF districts stand, as city officials consider ending some early: But the TIF districts have been under new scrutiny from the current City Council, prompted by some high-profile funding requests that Evanston’s overall property tax burden is a major driver of the city’s growing unaffordability. Just before the council rejected a $400,000 TIF request from restaurant Choice Authentic in January, Councilmembers Parielle Davis (7th Ward) and Matt Rodgers (8th Ward) submitted separate referrals to respectively vote on whether to terminate each of the five existing districts early, and to set an overall policy for deciding when to terminate or extend any given district.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Tilton pulls permit after Comcast contractors hit gas main: WCIA spoke with Mayor Bill Wear on Wednesday, and he said people working for Comcast hit a gas line at the corner of King and Keegan Streets earlier this morning. Wear said this is the final straw, causing him to take drastic action he thinks will keep the village safe. […] Wear said he talked to Comcast management before work started and thought they had an understanding. “We thought they were going to stay at a two-foot level,” Wear said.

* WGLT | Democrat Joshua Crockett announces a run for McLean County Clerk: The county Democratic Party has slated Joshua Crockett to run against incumbent Republican Kathy Michael who is running for a fifth term. Crockett said it’s time for a fresh face in the office and he wants to do innovative things other county clerks do, such as employ universal polling places. […] Crockett works in constituent services for state Sen. Dave Koehler and has served on the Heartland Community College Board of Trustees since 2021.

* WSIL | Bald Knob Cross of Peace Awarded $200,000 Grant for New “Top of the Cross Experience”: The monument’s Board of Directors revealed plans to launch the “Top of the Cross Experience,” which will include the installation of an interior lift designed to carry visitors to an observation deck near the top of the 111-foot structure. The project is backed by a $200,000 matching tourism grant awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The total cost of construction is expected to exceed $500,000, with additional funding still needed to complete the effort.

* BND | There’s a new option to get from the metro-east to Cardinals games — and it costs $10: The St. Clair County Transit District is partnering with Vandalia Bus Lines to offer the Redbird Bus Service, which will be available for all Friday and Saturday home games for the 2026 season, according to an April 7 news release. “Traffic congestion, high parking fees and long-distance walks from the more affordable parking lots are commonly associated with getting to and from sporting events in downtown St. Louis — but, that doesn’t have to be the case,” St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said in the release. “The Redbird Bus service offers a safe and hassle-free means for local residents to get to and from St. Louis Cardinals games. It also serves as a great way to introduce new riders to public transit.”

*** National ***

* Star Tribune | ICE agent charged with two felonies for allegedly pointing his gun at MN motorists during Operation Metro Surge: This is the first criminal charge to be levied against an ICE agent for their actions during Operation Metro Surge. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune this week that while she can’t be certain, it might be the first charge of its kind nationwide. […] While her office continues to pursue evidence from the Trump administration over the shootings of Renee Good, Alex Pretti and Julio Sosa-Celis — along with several other incidents involving the actions of federal agents during the surge — Moriarty said the charging decision in this case was more straightforward because the Minnesota State Patrol was able to conduct a complete investigation of the incident and submit a case file.

* NBC | ‘We are missing data’: NWS weather balloon changes scrutinized as tornados hit Midwest: “NOAA’s weather model performance has not been impacted by any changes to the schedule of our twice-daily radiosonde (weather balloon) launches,” she said in a statement. “NOAA’s Environmental Modeling Center regularly evaluates the performance of the Agency’s weather models and publishes its findings on the EMC’s website. NOAA’s weather model performance shows no evidence of degradation.” […] For decades, the weather service released weather balloons at a clockworklike cadence at more than 100 sites across the country, as well as over the Pacific and the Caribbean. But the Trump administration cut the agency deeply last year through buyouts and by firing probationary workers, leaving some forecasting offices short-staffed and scrambling to fill key roles. As a result, the agency halted balloon launches at some locations and is delaying them elsewhere.

* NPR | NPR receives $113 million in charitable gifts: The philanthropist Connie Ballmer contributed $80 million specifically toward ensuring NPR transforms its technology to meet the needs and serve the interests of public media audiences on whatever platforms or devices they may seek it. […] Another donor, who has elected to remain anonymous, has given NPR $33 million to build and acquire tools and services that will be shared with public media organizations across the nation. The network intends to aid stations in analyzing their audiences, marketing themselves, and raising money, among other things.

* AP | Europe has ‘maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left,’ energy agency head warns: IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol painted a sobering picture of the global repercussions of what he called “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced,” stemming from the pinch-off of oil, gas and other vital supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. “In the past there was a group called ‘Dire Straits.’ It’s a dire strait now, and it is going to have major implications for the global economy. And the longer it goes, the worse it will be for the economic growth and inflation around the world,” he told The Associated Press.