* ICYMI: After rocky first year, Chicago’s top federal prosecutor says he isn’t taking orders from Washington. Sun-Times…

- U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said he isn’t done with Operation Midway Blitz. Nor public corruption — he said people should “stay tuned.” And having reached the end of a volatile first year in office, in which President Donald Trump has been accused of weaponizing the Justice Department, Boutros said he has cases to bring “based on facts, law and the equities.”
- In his most extensive commentary to date about Midway Blitz, Boutros acknowledged all did not go according to plan. Especially when it came to working with an “out of town” group of agents.
- Christopher Amon, the special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Chicago, said violent crime prosecutions “were not a priority” for the U.S. attorney’s office before Boutros’ arrival — and now that’s changed.

* Related stories…

• Tribune: Chicago’s US Attorney Andrew Boutros defends handling of Operation Midway Blitz after a year on the job
• WTTW: Chicago’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office Named Lead Partner in New Trade Fraud Task Force

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*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Illinois Times | Sangamon County Board could approve data center 15 days after tabling propsal : The County Board will again have an opportunity to vote on the proposal April 7. It would first need to pass a vote to remove the item from the tabled agenda, which any board member can make a motion for during its next three meetings. During the March County Board meeting, a second motion to table CyrusOne’s data center proposal succeeded 15-13 following an emotional plea from District 7 board member Craig Hall, a Republican who represents Talkington Township, where the data center would be located. “I know these neighbors. I know this land. I know the smell of this land. Our township is doing well,” Hall said following extensive public comments at the March meeting. “I would like to ask this board to listen tonight, and I would like to ask if we could take another vote to table this, please.”

* Shaw Local | Fertilizer prices jump ahead of planting season, squeezing Illinois farmers: Senesac bought anhydrous ammonia earlier this year at $900 a ton, a price already up from $800 a ton in 2025. The price is rising faster now, he said. “If you have not bought early or have not prepaid, I hear anhydrous ammonia right off the truck is about $1,100 a ton,” Senesac said.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Lake & McHenry County Scanner | Former Illinois state rep, District 155 school board member and Crystal Lake resident dies at age 95: A former Illinois state representative and former District 155 school board member, who was a Crystal Lake resident, has died at age 95, with her family remembering her for “standing up to the status quo” and supporting taxpayers. Rosemary Kurtz, 95, of Crystal Lake, died suddenly on Wednesday morning, according to her daughter Donna Kurtz. […] She actively marched in the 1960s and protested the Vietnam War while working with other parents to set up a multi-racial summer camp and helping elect the first female mayor.

* WTTW | Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Her US Senate Campaign, Health Care Funding and Raising Minimum Wage: “What I heard every single day on the campaign trail is that people were frustrated with what was happening in Washington. They felt that there was too much of a sort of ‘go along to get along’ mentality, and what I heard from people when I asked what they were looking for in their next United States senator is, ‘I’m looking for someone who will go to the mat fighting for me, who will stand up and hold this president accountable,’ as we are watching him systematically attempt to dismantle our democracy. So this is the message that has resonated. It broke through with voters, and I’m proud that they heard what I had to say, and they know that I’ll be the fighter for them in Washington.”

*** Chicago ***

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago school board to vote on resolution urging Pritzker to reject public funds for private school: The resolution doesn’t explicitly name the new federal tax-credit program, but it denounces Trump administration efforts “to expand and incentivize voucher or publicly funded scholarships for private schools.” It also criticizes private schools as bodies without enough guardrails or public transparency. […] The board’s resolution argues that “the diversion of public funds for private education weakens not only public schools but other vital public goods and services such as transportation, healthcare and efforts to preserve the environment.”

* WTTW | Heartland to Close All Chicago Shelters for Unaccompanied Children, Lay Off About 337 Employees: The move is due to cuts from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which contracts with Heartland for its “unaccompanied alien children” program. At Heartland, immigrant children who have crossed the U.S. border receive residential and medical care, education and legal services before being connected with permanent homes. “Without this federal funding, it’s kaput,” said Michael Brieschke, chairperson for United Human Service Workers, the union representing the impacted employees.

* Sun-Times | New trial ordered in lawsuit over deadly Chicago police shooting of barber Harith Augustus: A state appellate court panel has ordered a new trial to determine whether a Chicago police officer acted with “utter indifference” when he fatally shot barber Harith Augustus on the South Side nearly eight years ago. The three-judge panel concluded last week that Cook County Judge Bridget Hughes erroneously allowed city lawyers to dismiss two Black potential jurors during the initial trial, which stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Augustus’ family.

* Tribune | NBC 5 hires former Sun-Times film critic Richard Roeper as entertainment reporter: Beginning Friday, Roeper will join NBC 5 as its entertainment and culture reporter, delivering stories and reviews throughout the week on afternoon and evening newscasts. In addition, he will also make regular appearances on the weekday “Chicago Today” program, as well as the station’s digital platforms. “Growing up in south suburban Dolton and having lived in the Chicago area my entire life, I’ve long been a fan and viewer of NBC 5 Chicago,” Roeper said in a news release Monday. “I’m ready to get to work and bring my insights, reviews, and more to NBC 5 Chicago viewers wherever and whenever they watch.”

* Tribune | Former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke lists Southwest Side home for $1.5M: Custom-built by the couple in 2005 on a triangular parcel that backs up to railroad tracks, the gated residence has three full bathrooms, two half bathrooms, an elevator, three bedroom suites, floors with radiant heating on the first floor, a second-floor living room with a gas fireplace and a library wall with a rolling ladder, a kitchen with Sub-Zero appliances, double ovens and two dishwashers, and a second-floor private garden with an outdoor fireplace.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | After mitigation measures, residents say Aurora data center still creating noise issues: The noise coming from those backup generators was so loud that nearby neighbors called it “unlivable” and “horrible.” CyrusOne spent the next several months meeting with residents and Aurora city officials, working with the city to reach a legal agreement aimed at addressing the issues, and putting in place both temporary and permanent fixes. While work is still being done to mitigate other sources of sound, permanent solutions for the generator noise were completed last September. But after another run of the backup generators late last month, some nearby residents say they don’t believe the sound mitigation measures put in place for those generators are having much of an impact.

* ABC Chicago | Secret meeting held to oust West Suburban CEO before hospital’s closure, warnings of dire situation: Documents obtained by the I-Team show a co-owner of the hospital’s operations, former hospital executives, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) chief of staff met on Feb. 11 to discuss the “Operational Recovery & Stabilization Plan” for West Suburban Medical Center. […] The Illinois HFS confirmed the hospital’s landowner approached them, but “West Suburban’s leadership never presented the state with any viable plan to turn around their fiscal and operational issues.”

* Shaw Local | Hyundai provides more details on Joliet manufacturing plans, seeks property tax break: The council will vote Tuesday on a 50% property tax abatement at the former Lion Electric property. The abatement is estimated to be worth $66,000 a year and is tied to a three-year hiring plan at the plant. The former Lion Electric plant is inside the city limits, giving the council jurisdiction over a property tax abatement. The former Caterpillar plant on Channahon Road is located just outside the city.

* Daily Southtown | La Grange proposal for affordable housing task force meets resistance from mayor: Augustine said the proposal would not be taking a position on the issue of affordable housing, “it asks only that we create a task force,” which would be resident-led, with people representing various parts of La Grange. Village President Mark Kuchler was skeptical. He defended the village’s efforts on affordable housing, pointing out that about 13% of La Grange’s housing stock meets the affordable housing threshold and that previous boards “had worked hard to make sure we exceeded that 10%. He said La Grange should be recognized as a leader in the western suburbs in affordable housing, pointing to Uptown Apartments and Mason Point as examples.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Normal council adopts formal code of ethics: Among seven listed pledges in the code, council members agree to handle civic affairs responsibly, to uphold the spirit of the law and U.S. Constitution, and avoid conflicts of interest. The ethics code will be read aloud annually, signed by all members, and publicly displayed.

* WGEM | Amendment to end Quincy Public Library subsidy funding fails at Quincy City Council: There were over a dozen public comments at Monday’s city council meeting with the vast majority regarding the library issue, including former Quincy Mayor Chuck Scholz. “A horrible headline would be, ‘City Cuts Subsidy to Library’, that’s not what these folks are looking for,” the former mayor said to the council. The library had dropped their asking price from the city from over $300,000 last year to $189,000 this year. However, 3rd Ward Alderman Mike Adkins still motioned to amend the budget to give the library no subsidy on top of the 15% portion of the city property tax levy it receives.

*** National ***

* AP | AP says it will offer buyouts as part of pivot away from newspaper-focused history: The news organization is becoming more focused on visual journalism and developing new revenue sources, particularly through companies investing in artificial intelligence, to cope with the economic collapse of many legacy news outlets. Once the lion’s share of AP’s revenue, big newspaper companies now account for 10% of its income. “We’re not a newspaper company and we haven’t been for quite some time,” Julie Pace, executive editor and senior vice president of the AP, said in an interview.

* Forbes | This Billionaire Wants To Save America’s Newspapers. He Thinks He’s Found A Way: As he rolls up more papers, he’s consolidating payroll, sharing services like legal and marketing among titles and sometimes reducing the frequency of the printed product; online he’s pivoting toward paywalls. All local publishers have full P&L responsibility and share in the profits if they hit their numbers. It seems to be working. […] In recent days, the company learned that Lee Enterprises — publishers of newspapers like The Buffalo News, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Richmond Times-Dispatch — is seeking an early exit from a contract due to expire at the end of 2026.

* Financial Times | Jamie Dimon warns private credit losses will be larger than feared: “I do believe that when we have a credit cycle, which will happen one day, losses on all leveraged lending in general will be higher than expected, relative to the environment,” Dimon wrote in his annual letter to shareholders, referring to lending to companies with a high level of debt relative to their earnings. “This is because credit standards have been modestly weakening pretty much across the board,” Dimon, who has led JPMorgan since 2006, wrote in his letter, which is widely read on Wall Street.