* NBC Chicago…

Lawmakers in Springfield will look to come to an agreement on a number of major decisions that could bring several new laws to the state, influencing everything from artificial intelligence to education to property values to a possible new Bears stadium and more.

The legislative session ends on May 31, and while the $56 billion budget proposed by Gov. JB Pritzker is the main decision being tackled, several bills are also on the table. […]

With the Bears considering sites in both Arlington Heights and northwest Indiana, Illinois officials are working to get a deal in place to keep the team in Illinois. […]

In addition to the PILOT bill, the Bears are also seeking legislation that would free up infrastructure funding to rebuild roads and transit corridors around the Arlington Heights site, with some estimates pegging the amount of money the team is seeking at around $850 million. Some suburban mayors have criticized the Bears for not fulfilling an obligation to publish the results of a traffic study on impacts of a stadium on surrounding areas, and that’s been another hiccup in talks over the project.

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* Daily Herald…

Elk Grove Village residents can enter a raffle to get first crack at purchasing a new single-family home, under an unconventional public-private partnership that officials hope may be a model to ease the housing affordability crisis. […]

Prospective homebuyers who currently own or rent in Elk Grove Village — including seniors looking to downsize and young adults who live with their parents — can go to a website, tonnegrove.com, to fill out an interest form ahead of the July 18 raffle. That’s when names will be drawn for first dibs to purchase one of 20 houses within the new Tonne Grove development, which will be constructed on the 2.5-acre former Elk Grove Presbyterian Church property at 600 E. Elk Grove Blvd.

Johnson stylized the event as a kind of “NFL Draft.”

The houses will be “moderately priced,” officials said, at between $466,000 and $508,000.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson pushing sweeping changes to renter laws and landlords bristle: Johnson’s “Protecting Renters Ordinance” hasn’t officially been introduced to the City Council, but it’s certain to be the latest test of his shaky ability to push his progressive agenda through the body. It includes a slew of new programs and regulations set to broadly restructure renting in Chicago. But the major push — it will be the most significant legislation he has tried at City Hall this year — will likely face stiff opposition from landlord-backed groups who argue it hits building owners too hard. “The deck is stacked against renters, the deck is stacked in favor of landlords,” said Chicago Housing Initiative Executive Director Don Washington, who worked with a group of housing advocates that helped craft the ordinance. “It is going to be a fundamental change in how landlords relate to government and how tenants relate to landlords in a marketplace.”

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Amid charter sector turmoil, Chicago school board delays charter school renewals: Superintendent Macquline King and board President Sean Harden, who both usually abstain from weighing in on board debates, took the unusual step of pleading with board members to approve the contracts and continue to work closely with district officials on fine-tuning the oversight process. King noted thousands of largely Black and Latino students would wrap up the school year without certainty about their schools’ future. […] But in tabling the decisions until a June 10 meeting in a 11-to-8 vote, board members signaled they had no intention of denying the renewals but rather just wanted leverage to push for more CPS oversight. The University of Chicago Charter School eventually got a four-year renewal on a technicality.

* Block Club | What 3 Chicago Sisters Asked Pope Leo In A Letter Delivered By Their Englewood Church: Caridad, the oldest, centered her message on Operation Midway Blitz, during which federal agents arrested thousands in the Chicago area and brought acts of violence against protesters, journalists and neighbors. Caridad wrote about living in Rogers Park — a culturally diverse community on the Far North Side targeted by ICE during Midway Blitz — and how she was worried about her father, who is Mexican American, Alexander said. She added how “scary” it was to see federal agents arresting people just because of “how they looked,” with the 9-year-old underlining those words, Alexander said.

* Tribune | CPD reported death of officer slain in hospital shooting to the state days late, records show: Police Department representatives didn’t respond to questions about what accounted for the delay in reporting to state authorities. Illinois Department of Labor spokesperson Paul Cicchini said the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration was conducting a follow-up probe into the circumstances around Bartholomew’s death, but wouldn’t discuss the specific targets of the investigation. The notifications help OSHA determine whether they need to look into the death, Cicchini wrote in an email: “Timely reporting is important to assure that OSHA can gather information as soon as practicable after an incident occurs.”

* Crain’s | Lucky Strike permanently closes Wrigleyville location: The reason for the closure is unclear. A Lucky Strike representative declined to comment. […] The company is publicly traded. During its third quarter, which ended March 29, Lucky Strike Entertainment reported net income of $16.9 million, up from $13.3 million the prior year. Total revenue increased 0.7%.

* Sun-Times | Red Line subway closing for first of four weekends of repairs: Red Line trains will be rerouted to elevated tracks for the whole weekend — the first of four weekend detours needed for maintenance work in the Loop subway, according to the CTA. The detour will last from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday. Red Line trains will be rerouted from the Fullerton to Cermak-Chinatown stations.

* Crain’s | Smyth named best restaurant in North America: Smyth is already the only Chicago restaurant with three Michelin stars. Now, according to one ranking, it’s also the best restaurant in North America. The U.K.-based World’s 50 Best organization released its second annual list of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants, and the West Loop tasting-menu spot landed at the top.

* Sun-Times | Malört aims to set world record for largest-ever group taking shots of the spirit: The event, titled “Bad Decision for Good Cause,” is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Recess on 838 W. Kinzie St on Aug. 30 from 5-9 p.m. It will double as a charity fundraiser for Ravenswood Community Services, a Chicago nonprofit that provides food, housing, and supportive services for those in the city facing homelessness. Tickets cost $12. The admission price includes that one shot of Malört needed to make that world record attempt. CH Distillery of Chicago, the makers of Jeppson’s Malört, said it will match every ticket purchase with a $10 donation to the nonprofit.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Skokie to tax streaming services like Netflix and raise tax on live shows, entertainment: During their May 18 Village Board meeting, Skokie trustees advanced an ordinance that will introduce a 5% tax on digital streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Spotify and Apple Music, among others. The ordinance will also raise the village’s entertainment tax, called the “amusement” tax, from 2% to 5%, and that will apply to admission costs for theater, shows, sports events and other in-person entertainment. The surcharge is slated to fund a fourth ambulance for the village during “high demand, peak hours,” several times a week, Julian Prendi, Skokie’s finance director, said at the May 18 meeting.

* Evanston Now | Environment board backs lakefront ordinance: Evanston’s Environment Board voted to recommend to City Council Thursday night a proposed ordinance that would add more environmental protections and limit sale of public land along the city’s lakefront. A draft Lakefront Protection Ordinance has been in the works for the last several months, with the Environment Board discussing the ordinance at multiple meetings since late last year.

* Pioneer Press | Oak Park’s ‘slow Sunday’ experience deemed among best in country: “I think it’s pretty cool to be among some of those towns that I know about and are that high up,” Wilson White said. “To be included in that bunch, it’s quite an honor that people think highly of Oak Park. I think it’s fabulous.” Over 3,000 people responded to a survey, according to a release from Calgary, seeking information on which towns and neighborhoods are best suited for their ideal version of how to spend their Sunday, whether it’s browsing bookstores, sipping coffee or just walking around the neighborhood.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Normal to consider kratom ban: Kratom is an herbal substance that can produce effects similar to opioids and stimulants. Bloomington banned its sale and possession in January. Town staff say kratom, which is often sold in convenience stores, gas stations and similar retail outlets, carries the potential for serious significant health risks for users and it’s largely unregulated.

* WJBD | Three Democrats to Run for Marion County Board: Three Democrats have now filed petitions to run for Marion County Board. They are Kerry Hodge in District three, former board member Michael Reed in District four, and Patricia Dillow in District 5. The three candidates have been caucused into the position by the Marion County Democratic Party. Marion County Clerk Steve Fox says Monday is the final day for candidates to get caucused onto the November ballot. There were no Democratic county board or county wide candidates on the ballot for the primary election.

* Press release | Illinois State Fair Box Office Opens June 1 with Special Giveaway and Exclusive Ella Langley Tickets: To celebrate opening day, anyone who purchases a ticket through the Box Office on June 1, either in person or by phone, will be entered for a chance to win one free admission ticket and one free parking pass, making admission into the fair free! A total of 66 winners will be selected in honor of the 100th anniversary of Route 66. Additionally, 100 tickets for the highly anticipated Ella Langley concert will be released exclusively through the Box Office and will not be available through Ticketmaster. These tickets can only be purchased in person or over the phone while supplies last. Limit two tickets per person/transaction.

*** National ***

* NYT | Research Funding Slows Again for Universities Targeted by White House: After The Times inquired about the slowdown on Tuesday, the administration began releasing some grant funding on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and released the hold for some of the institutions on Thursday. Nature, a scientific journal, reported on the slowdown on Thursday. It was not clear whether the funding releases were related to the media inquiries.

* NPR | Here’s how we’re coping with high gas prices, according to Costco and Walmart: “A lot of members are increasing their frequency of visiting the gas station to top up in between what would have normally been a gap between getting the tank to empty because of the concern about what might the gas price be tomorrow,” said Gary Millerchip, Costco’s finance chief. At Walmart’s gas stations, in recent weeks, people have begun to fill up with fewer than ten gallons at a time, for the first time since 2022.