* Tribune…

A Homer Glen man who was charged last year with threatening Illinois state Rep. Nicole La Ha pleaded guilty Monday to disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius accepted the plea agreement for Steven Brady, 41, who had submitted messages through La Ha’s public website threatening to harm her and her family.

Brady, who apologized in court for his actions, was sentenced to 12 months court supervision, $800 in court costs and fines and ordered to have no contact with La Ha, her family, home or place of employment. He was also given 30 days in jail, which he has already served. […]

La Ha said she is glad Brady will be held accountable and hopes he gets the help he needs.

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* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a coalition of 22 states secured a federal court order blocking an unlawful attempt by the Trump administration to threaten health care providers who treat youth with gender dysphoria. A federal district court issued a written opinion and judgment, granting the plaintiff states’ summary judgment motion.

“This is another sharp reminder to the Trump administration that Illinois and our partner states will not stop fighting back against the unlawful and cruel targeting of transgender youth and their medical providers,” Raoul said. “The court agreed that Secretary Kennedy lacks power to cast aside medical standards of care recognized by state health care regulators; nor can he limit doctors’ participation in Medicaid and Medicare by proclamation. I will continue to stand with transgender youth and their medical providers and pledge to take all necessary action to stop this administration’s attacks on essential health care for all Illinoisians.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* IPM News | Higher education funding reform stalls in Illinois House: Though the deadline has passed for lawmakers to approve the bill this spring session, supporters and advocates are hoping to revive the proposal during the fall veto session or the 2027 session of the General Assembly. Senate Bill 13 and House Bill 1581 would establish a funding model tied to student and institutional needs while creating new accountability measures for how funds are spent.

* Daily Herald | Citizens Utility Board urges state authority to reject merger of 2 water suppliers: A proposed merger between the parent companies of the state’s two biggest private water utilities — Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois — would not serve the public interest, according to experts at the Citizens Utility Board. The consumer watchdog group recently filed testimony urging the Illinois Commerce Commission to reject such a union over concerns about market consolidation, aggressive acquisitions of municipal systems and shoddy service quality. […] CUB said the companies have a poor track record in Illinois and challenged claims by corporate officials that the deal will allow them “to continue providing superior customer service at affordable rates.”

*** Chicago ***

* The Triibe | New details emerge surrounding 2025 incident that led to a Black man being ‘choked’ by the feds in Chicago: After relaying information to Chicago police, federal agents walked the man over to a CPD vehicle and released him, according to the stop report. (Documents don’t indicate how many agents were involved.) The identity of the officer who filed the report is unknown. Their name and star number were also redacted; however, the officer who wrote the report is part of the 11th District — Harrison. The unidentified beat officer conducted a field interview with the man, who said he was crossing the intersection at Congress and California when he was almost hit by the two vehicles involved in the traffic crash. “He didn’t know that the people jumping out of their vehicles were federal agents, and he started running, at which time he was detained by federal agents,” the stop report reads.

* Crain’s | Fulton Market project lands $102M construction loan, among Chicago’s largest in years: Weldon’s plan for a large two-tower apartment complex between North Ogden Avenue and North Elizabeth Street first emerged as a pivot from an earlier proposal for a 16-story life sciences lab building on the site. Weldon acquired the land from its former owner, developer Mark Goodman, in April 2024, according to Cook County property records. Plans submitted to the City Council indicate the development will include two buildings containing 383 and 341 apartments, respectively. Of the 724 units, 146, or about 20%, will be marketed at affordable rates to comply with the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance, according to Weldon’s website.

* Bloomberg | WGN parent’s merger plans on hold until final court ruling, judge says: In a 52-page ruling, the judge said that allowing WGN-TV’s parent Nexstar to move ahead with its integration of Tegna would hurt DirecTV and the state plaintiffs, reduce competition and result in newsroom layoffs and shutdowns. Nunley said the merger is likely to increase retransmission rates, referring to the fees local broadcasters charge for content from cable companies, which can lead to higher bills for consumers. Nexstar and Tegna closed their $3.5 billion deal March 19 after receiving approval from the US Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission. In the same week, a group of states, including Illinois, and satellite television company DirecTV filed separate suits, alleging the merger will hurt competition for broadcast television in dozens of markets around the country.

* Block Club | How 2 Siblings Are Bringing Chicago’s Koreatown Back To Life: Their father, Johnny Lim — a graphic designer who made logos for businesses, many of which were Korean-owned — built a website in 2004 to highlight those local shops and restaurants. For awhile, that website sat idle. But now, more than two decades later, Dean and Tarah Lim’s efforts to update the site have “grown into something much bigger,” said Dean Lim, who was born in Albany Park before his family moved to the suburbs. The neighborhood was once known as Chicago’s Koreatown, with a stretch of Lawrence Avenue dubbed Seoul Drive.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Brace for backups: What to expect from 2026 road work and where the worst gridlock lurks:
“We’re very excited about this year,” tollway Chief Engineer Manar Nashif said. “We’ve accomplished a lot, but we’re building on the momentum of the last several years. The tollway’s been on quite a run, delivering benefits to our customers. It’s a huge year for construction.” When it’s not spreading asphalt, the tollway will be erecting SmartRoad overhead digital message signs with alerts and travel times on I-294 between Wolf Road and North Avenue.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora Mayor John Laesch shares vision for the future at State of the City address: He linked that vision to his focus on energy, particularly energy-efficiency, which he said was important because of global warming and “an unprecedented, rapid demand for new energy” largely due to data centers. Aurora has the chance to lead by building both energy-efficient housing and a renewable energy grid, according to Laesch. His long-term goal is to make Aurora the green building capital of Illinois and the Midwest. “I believe that we can put Aurora’s people to work with living-wage jobs rebuilding our city with energy-efficient housing and renewable energy,” Laesch said. “We can’t continue to settle for poverty wage jobs. If we want a strong local economy, then we need to make sure that our people can earn a living wage.”

* Sun-Times | How the war in Iran is affecting Chicago colleges, from canceled research to uncertain post-grad plans: In recent weeks, some colleges have evacuated students or staff from the Middle East. Northwestern University, for example, relocated “a small number” of graduate students doing research in the area, a spokesperson said. Northwestern also increased safety measures at its Qatar campus after Iran launched a retaliatory strike on a U.S. air base 16 miles away. That has included shelter-in-place orders, remote work and evacuations, according to the school’s student newspaper, The Daily Northwestern.

* Daily Herald | ‘Very important to this town’: Naperville weighs funding options for India Day: After the group did not receive any funding this year through the Naperville Special Events and Community Arts, or SECA, grant program, Chakka and others urged the city council to reconsider. On Tuesday, council members will discuss potential funding options for India Day, an event that over the years has featured a vibrant parade, food vendors, fireworks and even Bollywood performers.

* Fox 5 Atlanta | Fulton board approves Tiffany Henyard for commissioner race: The Fulton County Registration and Elections Board voted Monday to accept Tiffany Henyard as a candidate for the District 5 commissioner seat. Henyard is running as the only Republican in an area that typically favors Democratic candidates. The challenge centered on a lease Henyard provided for a home in the Chatterton Springs subdivision in South Fulton, which was dated May 1, 2025. Board Chair Sherri Allen noted that Henyard was still serving as a mayor and township supervisor in Illinois during that period, with her term there officially ending May 5, 2025.

*** Downstate ***

* Cook County Record | Downstate sheriff can’t be sued over mishandled child porn: Appeals court: The plaintiffs, whose identities are not disclosed, said the issue dates to 2019 when the Stark County Sheriff’s Office learned of “Blue Breeze,” a Dropbox file containing sexually explicit images of local girls. According to their allegations, Sheriff Steven Sloan assigned the investigation to Gary Bent, a deputy sheriff and Toulon Police Chief. They say Bent then sought help identifying victims from Jason Musselman, an auxiliary Toulon officer who served on the department’s information technology staff and had been the county’s Emergency Services Disaster Agency director. […] Although Musselman was an untrained auxiliary officer, the panel said, finding for the plaintiffs would require recognizing a new right suitable for due process protection and doing so without a showing of a suitable historical inquiry.

* WCIA | Coles Co. Sheriff says mental health services expanded after suicide attempts at jail: Sheriff Kent Martin previously told WCIA that jail staff responded to a series of incidents involving four separate suicide attempts by people housed within the county jail. None of the attempts resulted in a loss of life, Martin said. Now, the sheriff’s office is providing more context and information on the ongoing mental health challenges within the facility. […] Martin said mental health services are available for those in custody. Now, however, access to these services has been expanded, and those impacted by the recent incidents — including the witnesses — have been offered mental health support.

* WAND | Giannoulias, Frerichs call on ISU to settle with striking workers: Giannoulias said trash is piling up and student dining options are limited. “As a statewide elected official representing voters in communities throughout Illinois, I have watched the work stoppage at Illinois State University carefully and with concern. And as an employer myself, I know from experience that - while it may not always be easy - it is always possible to reach an agreement with employees that benefits everyone,” Giannoulias said. “I commend the workers, who deserve justice and their union, which has been seeking compromise. I am troubled by the refusal of ISU administration to negotiate when given another chance. This strike has gone on too long already.”

* Illinois Times | New leadership for Sangamon County Democrats: Diana Carlile, 64, a former Illinois Bell operator and AT&T engineering department employee who retired in 2011, was unanimously elected April 15 in a weighted vote of the local Democratic Party’s precinct committeepersons. Carlile, a former member of the Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, will take over the volunteer role from [Bill Houlihan], 72, a Springfield resident.

* Illinois Times | Sangamon Auditorium to reopen in October with major upgrades: The UIS Performing Arts Center has been closed since June 2025 to make way for a major plumbing replacement throughout the building. It’s not the most glamorous upgrade, but it was essential. Every water and wastewater pipe serving restrooms, sinks, fountains and dressing room showers has been replaced as part of a state-funded project. With most of that work now complete, the finish line is in sight.

* Illinois Times | A welcoming place: Gay rabbi and his family relocate to Springfield: Then came a new presidential administration, and the warm breezes of Charleston turned politically chilly when it came to LGBTQ rights. “Southern politicians, it seemed like, were trying to outdo each other to curry favor with the president, at the expense of me and my family,” Kanter said. “And so, we wanted to come to a part of the country where we didn’t have to worry about that stuff.” Springfield became that place. For about 18 months now, Rabbi Kanter has led Temple B’rith Sholom on Fourth Street, a Reform Jewish congregation since 1858. Kanter said Springfield has made him and his family feel welcome, although he still does a lot of explaining to people who meet him for the first time.