* ICYMI: Department of Justice investigating sexuality and gender teaching in 36 Illinois school districts. Tribune…

- The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division is investigating 36 Illinois school districts to determine whether “sexual orientation and gender ideology” content is present in any Pre-K-12 classrooms, the agency said in a news release Thursday.
- In the Chicagoland area, over 15 districts are listed as under investigation in Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry and Will counties.
- If the school districts are found to have included this type of content in classroom instruction, then the Department of Justice said it would look into whether schools have informed parents of their “right to opt their children out of such instruction.” The department said it would also examine whether girls’ sports teams and access to locker rooms, bathrooms and other “single-sex intimate spaces” are restricted by biological sex.

* Related stories…

• Sun-Times: Noble charter network, suburban school districts face federal probe over LGBTQ-related lessons
• WGLT: Justice Department investigates District 87, Ridgeview and 34 other Illinois school districts over ‘gender ideology’
• Press release: Justice Department Launches Investigations Concerning Gender Ideology in Pre-K-12 Schools in 36 Illinois School Districts

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* Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | SNAP food assistance cutoffs begin Friday in Illinois: As of Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Human Services, the state agency that administers the program, estimated that 120,000 individuals were at risk of losing their benefits starting Friday and rolling out over the next several months. That’s down about 280,000 from what the state originally anticipated would be pushed out of the program as people received exemptions from the work rules.

* Crain’s | The state’s health costs are spiking — with weight-loss drugs in the spotlight: Illinois spent nearly 21% more on healthcare for state employees last year, and University of Illinois researchers suspect GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro could be playing a role in driving up that tab. Spending on employee healthcare was $3.81 billion in the fiscal year ended June 30, compared with $3.16 billion the year before, according to U of I’s Institute of Government & Public Affairs.

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | Costco shoppers deserve cut of retailer’s tariff refund, Illinois lawsuit says: A similar lawsuit against Costco over tariff refunds has been filed in Washington. Other companies, including Lululemon, FedEx, Nintendo and Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica, also face lawsuits from customers. Lululemon, like Costco, is accused of “double recovery” regarding the unlawful tariffs. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in February that the tariffs President Donald Trump imposed under an emergency powers law were unconstitutional, including “reciprocal” tariffs he levied on nearly every other country. The U.S. Court of International Trade later found that companies subjected to tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were entitled to refunds.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Will Pritzker opt in to federal program that covers private and public school costs? These advocates hope so: “At a time when Chicago Public Schools and many other school systems across the state are confronting shrinking student populations and increasing costs, the state of Illinois cannot afford to turn down free money,” said Bobby Sylvester, vice president of The Urban Center, a Chicago-based organization which advocates for what it calls a “common sense agenda.” The press conference was organized by Invest in Education, a national organization formed to support the tax-credit scholarship program, and the Urban Center, which is run by Juan Rangel, the former leader of an organization that distributed private school scholarships through the Illinois tax credit program, which sunsetted in 2023.

* Press release | Illinois Senate GOP and Angel Father Call for Action on Legislation to Allow Illinois Law Enforcement to Keep Illinoisans Safe: Illinois State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) and Angel Father Joe Abraham, joined together to call on the General Assembly to pass SB4196 to allow law enforcement to coordinate with federal immigration officials on non-citizens who have committed crimes in the United States. “Right now, Illinois law limits how local law enforcement can work with federal authorities, creating confusion and dangerous gaps that put public safety at risk,” Rose said. “My bill is straightforward. If there is a valid, enforceable federal warrant, law enforcement should be able to act, communicate, and coordinate. We should trust our officers to do their jobs and give them the tools they need to protect our communities.”

* Hyde Park Herald | Five years in, key parts of Illinois police reform law still not fully implemented: Between one-third and half of police departments surveyed said their use-of-force policies are missing at least one requirement under the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act, the report found. In a separate review of 10 agencies, only one had fully incorporated the law’s standards. The findings come from the “Workgroup to Implement the SAFE-T Act Policing Provisions,” which was convened to assess how well the 2021 law has been carried out across Illinois. The group outlined dozens of recommendations to push the law closer to full implementation across five areas, including use-of-force standards, officer decertification, body-worn cameras, training practices and data reporting requirements.

* WGN | Hammond, Indiana Mayor: Wolf Lake is close to Chicago and ready for the Bears: Hammond, Indiana Mayor Thomas McDermott admits the Bears might be using his city as leverage, but if there’s even a chance the franchise might build a new stadium there, he’s all-in. “I mean, we could be being used if we’re being honest. But what are we supposed to do when you’re being approached by a world-class organization like the Chicago Bears and they’re spending millions of dollars analyzing your city to make it possibly their next home,” McDermott told WGN News.

* Cook County Record | After SCOTUS ruling, IL sidelines Welch’s race-based districting plan: While the decision from the court’s conservative majority did not explicitly strike down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act as unconstitutional, the court declared that explicitly using race as a criteria to draw legislative districts is unconstitutional. Further, the court’s majority declared racial minorities do not have a right under the VRA to elect representatives who are of the same race or a preferred race. Rather, the court declared, black, Latino and other racial minority voters have the same voting rights as anyone else.

* Capitol News Illinois | Peoples Gas customers to see minor credits after settlement with AG’s office: The benefit, if approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission, will average around $50 annually this year and around $40 each in 2027 and 2028, or about $3-4 monthly. Roughly a million natural gas customers in northeastern Illinois are expected to receive the credits. “These bill credits are good news for Peoples Gas customers who have suffered so much financial pain because of the utility’s wasteful spending,” said Sarah Moskowitz, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board, a utility watchdog. “We look forward to continuing the important work ahead to hold Peoples Gas accountable and seek justice for its long-suffering customers.”

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Chicago Abortion Fund sees its busiest first quarter in 40+ year history: In the first three months of this year, the fund answered 5,000 calls, which is around 750 more calls during the same period last year. Due to rising costs, the organization also spent more than twice as much on travel, childcare and groceries for women seeking abortions — $3 million so far this year, compared to $1.37 million in the first three months of 2025.

* ABC Chicago | CPS teachers, students expected to join May Day rally at Union Park, march through downtown Chicago: Kids who attend will be part of the half-day program at PUSH and return to school afterwards. Others, will likely attend the major May Day rally and march, beginning at Union Park and ending at Daley Plaza downtown. That rally begins at 1 p.m. The march starts at 2 p.m. and is expected to go along Washington, Racine, Jackson, Halsted and Washington to Daley Plaza.

* Sun-Times | Bally’s hits Chicago casino construction milestone with fanfare — and big questions: It’s like the end of the beginning,” Kim said after watching the final beam hoisted by crane at 777 W. Chicago Ave., with the tune of Starship’s “We Built This City” blaring to a crowd of hundreds of workers, elected officials and other well-wishers. “To get here, we just had a lot of random delays. Now it just feels real good. A thousand people working on-site — I can’t believe how fast we’re building now. So we feel good that we’ll be open early next year,” Kim said, specifying only the first quarter of 2027.

* WGN | Surprising finds at O’Hare: Monkeys, snails, bird’s nest and more: Chief Agriculture Specialist Cory Everton told WGN-TV on Thursday that most people are unaware of just how catastrophic some prohibited items can be to the country’s crops and livestock. Officers have confiscated about 5,000 pounds of meat per month on average. “We get a lot of folks bringing giant African snails, live. If these get loose in your backyard, you don’t have a backyard anymore. [Thursday] we had someone bring in a bird’s nest covered in bird feces,” Everton said.

* WBEZ | ‘Pure chaos’: Why most Chicagoans used to move at the same time on Moving Day: “Why everyone would want to move on one day in the calendar year is baffling,” said Paul Durica, director of exhibitions at the Chicago History Museum. “And almost every [contemporary account] acknowledges that. It’s like, ‘Why have we adopted this system? It’s not at all efficient. It’s overwhelming. It’s chaotic.’ ”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Federal agents won’t be prosecuted over pepper-spraying protesters in Elgin: Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser announced that decision Thursday, saying that while at least one agent may have committed felony aggravated battery under Illinois law, the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution prevents his prosecution. That agent was captured on video shooting a man in the face with a pepper ball from a short distance away, even as the man complied with orders, Mosser said. The pepper ball then ricocheted off the man’s face and hit a nearby woman in the face.

* WGN | Another South Suburban leader under fire for credit card spending: Like Henyard, Thaddeus Jones holds two taxpayer-funded jobs. He is mayor of Calumet City and a Democratic state lawmaker. In all, the positions paid him more than $225,000 last year, records show. “The credit card is absolutely, positively just extra money,” said Nyota Figgs, Calumet City clerk, who has publicly clashed with Jones. “I mean, he used it as his personal wallet. The city was his personal purse. Period.” […] His spokesman said the trips were business-related. He said the mayor paid back some of the charges.

* ABC Chicago | West suburban woman says armed off-duty cop pulled her from vehicle, didn’t identify self: “I’m at a red light; this Jeep cuts me off. And he gets out of the car with a gun, screaming, ‘get out of the car. Get out of the car and turn it off,’” Pantoja said. “At first I thought I was getting robbed or something cause I didn’t know it was a police officer or anything. All I saw was a gun pointed at me.” She says he told her he was stopping her because she had been involved in a hit-and-run. She says, in fact, her vehicle had spun out on the wet pavement Monday afternoon. But she never hit anything and there was no damage to her vehicle or any property. She says she felt like she was being profiled.

* Daily Herald | Des Plaines set to buy most of former Methodist Camp Ground for $4M, ending legal battle: Des Plaines would purchase most of a historic — but flood-prone — campground for $4 million under a deal before the city council. If approved, the proposed agreement will end a five-year legal battle over the property at 1250 Campground Road. The Chicago District Camp Ground Association, the group that owns the eponymous site, already has approved the settlement.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Bloomington city manager says public exploration of data center issue is only the beginning: “Yes, we have active interest, but there is a lot to figure out and there is a lot of discussion that would need to be had before I think it could even be genuinely considered by the city council,” said Jurgens. During a Sound Ideas interview, Jurgens said he doesn’t think there is any location inside city limits that would be suitable for a large-scale data center, though there may be places outside municipal limits that fall under county government.

* WSIL | Superintendent resigns from CCSD #204 in Pinckneyville following allegations:
Matthew Hickam, Regional Superintendent for ROE 30, stated on Thursday night, the board of education for the Community Consolidated School District #204 has accepted a resignation from Superintendent Jerry Travelstead. This comes after the school board is investigating community allegations and rumors of texts with a student. The board emphasized that Travelstead must be presumed innocent of any misconduct until proven otherwise.

* WGLT | Rivian reaffirms 2026 targets as R2 production weathers Normal tornado: “I’m proud of the way our teams have rallied together to get production back up and running while we repair the damages,” said Claire McDonough, Rivian’s chief financial officer. “Despite the weather impact, our 2026 guidance remains unchanged. We continue to expect full-year deliveries of between 62,000 and 67,000 total vehicles across R1, R2, and our commercial vans.” The new R2 — Rivian’s first mass-market vehicle — was the focal point of Thursday’s first-quarter earnings call. R2 production began last week in Normal. They’ll reach customers later this spring.

* Rockford Register Star | Stellantis plans corporate walk through at Belvidere Assembly Plant: United Auto Worker leaders and Stellantis executives will tour the Belvidere Assembly Plant April 30 as they prepare to discuss a “launch agreement,” UAW Local 1268 President Matt Frantzen said. Frantzen, in an update to UAW 1268 members posted on Facebook, said Stellantis officials reached out to the union to talk about a launch agreement. A meeting was scheduled for May 6. Frantzen said a launch agreement would govern plans for retooling the assembly plant and for launching production.

* WMBD | Trades council organizes food drive for striking ISU workers: AFSCME workers at Illinois State University have been on strike for four weeks now, without receiving a single paycheck. The trades council saw the struggle of the workers to pay for food and decided to organize the food drive to help support them in their time of need. “We recognize that our brothers and sisters at AFSCME are on strike,” said Mike Raikes, president of the Building Trades Council. “We can stand by them physically at the rallies and on the picket lines.”

*** National ***

* 404 Media | City Learns Flock Accessed Cameras in Children’s Gymnastics Room as a Sales Pitch Demo, Renews Contract Anyway: After Hunyar wrote about what he found, Flock has agreed to stop using Dunwoody’s cameras to demonstrate its product. Flock’s FAQ page states that “Flock customers own their data” and “Flock will not share, sell, or access your data.” It also states “nobody from Flock Safety is accessing or monitoring your footage.” Flock also published a blog post that notes “one of the benefits communities value most about Flock technology is the ability for law enforcement to directly access privately owned cameras, if and only if the organization allows them to, for crime-solving and security purposes.”

* AP | Meta raises specter of shutting down service to New Mexico in legal clash over child safety: In a court filing unsealed Thursday, Meta said it was unfeasible for the company to meet a proposed requirement for 99% accuracy in verifying that child users are at least 13 years old, among other demands. “As a practical matter, this requirement effectively requires Meta to shut down its services — for all users in the state — or else comply with impossible obligations,” Meta said in the filing.