* ICYMI: Ex-federal prosecutors in Chicago taking on Trump’s ‘troubling’ DOJ: ‘We feel compelled to speak and act.’ Sun-Times…

- An email from 14 former prosecutors seeks the support of hundreds of fellow alums following more than a year of Justice Department controversies, including claims that President Donald Trump has used the agency to retaliate against political foes. The signatories include three former Chicago U.S. attorneys: Dan Webb, Scott Lassar and Patrick Fitzgerald.
- “As lawyers who cherish the role DOJ should play in our criminal justice system, we feel compelled to speak and act against the troubling events underway at the Department,” the email states, “and we invite you to participate in those efforts.”
- Their efforts could involve litigation aimed at protecting the “integrity of elections” and a push to ensure federal prosecutors can still be held accountable for misconduct, according to the email.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Shaw Local | ‘Nobody wants to live in data center row’ - Residents speak out after Yorkville approves 540-acre data center: Hour after hour, Yorkville residents spoke before the City Council on March 24 asking members to put a moratorium on approving data centers, all the while saying they knew the city would not go along with their wishes. Few of the residents in attendance said they were surprised when a four-hour meeting concluded with city approval for the annexation, rezoning, and PUD for the 540-acre Project Steel data center, with 16 two-story warehouses. The near unanimous vote came after little discussion by any aldermen.

* AP | Senate approves funding for TSA and most of Homeland Security, but not immigration enforcement: The deal, which the Senate approved unanimously without a roll call, next goes to the House, which is expected to consider it Friday. “We can get at least a lot of the government opened up again and then we’ll go from there,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “Obviously, we’ll still have some work ahead of us.”

* Sun-Times | Chase Meidroth, Munetaka Murakami mash — but Brewers smash White Sox’ Opening Day hopes 14-2: Chase Meidroth sent the White Sox’ good vibes soaring to a new stratosphere Thursday with a 417-foot laser over the left-field wall at American Family Field, slugging the first Opening Day leadoff home run in franchise history — and stoking hope for a big step forward for his rebuilding squad.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Legal Newsline | Mom of boy killed by ex-boyfriend released from prison early drops lawsuit vs IL: According to court documents, Smith told both police and a Cook County judge of Brand’s threats against her. However, on March 12, the IPRB nonetheless released Brand from custody after a hearing. According to court documents, Brand reportedly again lied at the IPRB hearing about going to Smith’s home. And according to court documents, the IPRB reportedly “accepted his version of events,” never following up on Smith’s allegations against him, including declining to ask Smith to testify and tell her account of the events.

* Journal & Topics | Del Mar Steps Down From Local GOP Leadership To Focus On Statewide Bid: In the race to succeed Del Mar as Palatine Township Republican committeeman, David Prichard defeated George Tuhowski III. Prichard earned 3,375 votes (75%) to Tuhowski’s 1,129 votes (25%). Though Prichard was not Del Mar’s preferred candidate, Del Mar said he is working with him to ensure a smooth transition.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Watchdog To Host Hearing With Top Cop On Whether Chicago Police Helped ICE Agents
: The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability will host a special hearing with police Supt. Larry Snelling at 6:30 p.m. April 2 at Kelly High School, 4136 S. California Ave. The meeting will also be available on Zoom. […] Earlier this year, neighbors repeatedly questioned why Snelling was not part of the conversation at another public meeting where they raised concerns over police not doing enough to protect neighbors during last year’s immigration enforcement operations.

* Newsline | Chicago can’t ditch airlines’ suit vs ‘disruptive’ paid sick leave rules: “When one flight attendant calls in sick on short notice, for example, their unavailability plausibly affects the operation of an entire flight crew and flight, not to mention every subsequent connecting flight and the flights of any other employees who need to be rerouted as replacements,” the judge said.

* WBEZ | CPS Board selects Macquline King as permanent CEO, will vote on her contract Monday: The proposed contract would be effective July 1 through June 30, 2029 — meaning she would lead the district well past the transition to a fully elected school board. If approved, King’s salary will start at $380,000, more than former CEO Pedro Martinez was offered. He was paid $340,000 per year on a five-year contract. This brings to the end a protracted search for a new CPS leader that started last year after Martinez was fired.

* Block Club | New City Effort Will Bring Pop-Ups, Other Resources To West Side Retail Strips Hurt By Flooding: The city selected four agencies to administer the program in those neighborhoods, with the groups charged with identifying move-in ready vacant storefronts and hosting five pop-up activations, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office announced. The groups will also provide assistance to small businesses, including help with marketing, operational planning and securing leases, all with a goal to provide stability for entrepreneurs.

* Sun-Times | Johnson devising strategy to tackle pension crisis that includes ‘deferred retirement option’: Cash-strapped Chicago is crafting a plan to chip away at its $35.8 billion pension crisis that is likely to offer city employees the option of buying out a portion of their future pension benefits in exchange for a lump-sum payment upfront. Acting Chief Financial Officer Steve Mahr said Thursday he expects the so-called “D.R.O.P or deferred retirement option” to be one of “roughly a dozen or more ideas” that will “set the city’s agenda” for the next decade.

* WGN | Funeral for fallen Chicago firefighter postponed after widow goes into labor: Services for firefighter/EMT Michael Altman were scheduled to take place on Friday morning, but officials announced on Thursday that they had been postponed after Altman’s wife went into labor. Thursday afternoon, officials announced his wife gave birth to a baby girl named Evelyn Rose.

* Block Club | Mike Pence To Speak At UChicago’s Institute Of Politics In April: Pence, who served during President Donald Trump’s first term, will discuss populism, religion, bipartisan lawmaking and the executive branch in a student-moderated panel. The April 28 event is free and will be open to the public. Registration starts Friday via the Institute of Politics website.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Pioneer Press | West Suburban Medical Center closure leaves patients, workers scrambling: A hospital employee who asked to remain anonymous said workers were told via an email from Manoj Prasad, the owner of West Suburban Medical Center, that the hospital would be closing. Other than that, Prasad has not communicated with staff at the hospital, the employee said. Like McCullough’s doctor, many West Suburban health care providers were busy taking care of appointment disruptions and lining up destination hospitals for their patients before they could consider their own employment status. On Thursday afternoon, some patients were still finding out about the closure.

* Daily Herald | Elgin council gives staff more time to develop inclusivity and diversity ordinance: What started in December as an idea to declare Elgin a “welcoming city” for immigrants and migrants has expanded well beyond that scope. The 20-page ordinance would codify existing policies on local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. Other measures include establishing an immigrant legal defense fund, creating a municipal ID program, addressing language access, and developing an inclusive procurement plan.

* Tribune | Buyer who paid $9.5M for Michael Jordan’s Highland Park mansion has a new plan to convert it into a museum: John Cooper, a Lincolnshire resident, brought a concept for the plan to Highland Park leaders in December, and he now has fleshed it out with specifics involving his business plan, access to the property, parking and economic impact. Calling the 37,700-square-foot mansion Champions Point — for promotional reasons, Cooper doesn’t directly refer to Jordan because of potential trademark or right-of-publicity claims — Cooper told the Tribune he envisions tours of the mansion and its surrounding property as a way for people “to have introspection.”

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Bloomington resumes search for new water sources: The City of Bloomington is engaged in a significant planning effort to find ways to expand its drinking water supply, with water director Brett Lueschen saying the city will likely need more water in the future. “We’ve seen some growth within Bloomington, and we want to make sure that we have a good water supply to be able to plan for the future,” said Lueschen. He said the city will likely issue a “request for qualifications,” or RFQ, to find an outside firm to help.

* The Southern | Saline County Board meets in lobby after courtroom ban: The Saline County Board held its first meeting outside the courtroom Thursday, moving just steps away to the courthouse lobby after a judge barred its use of courtroom space. The board gathered in the lobby for the meeting, marking its first session since the change took effect. The move came after Resident Circuit Judge Jayson M. Clark ordered the board to stop holding meetings in courthouse courtrooms.

* BND | Bullying allegations at metro-east high school spark petition, district response: Mascoutah community members and school district officials addressed allegations of bullying and inadequate intervention circulating on social media at Tuesday night’s school board meeting. The district largely reiterated that it takes bullying seriously and takes action against it, but that student privacy laws prohibit much information from being disclosed. Meanwhile, community members said they still have concerns. Namely, they said they find it troubling that speaking out led to court orders against two students. […] The petition called for action regarding alleged bullying by a specific group of high school students. It said these accused students, who were named in one version of the petition, took place in-person on school grounds and on digital platforms.

* WGLT | Normal announces Route 66 commemorative projects: Projects include a 1950s-themed picnic at One Normal Plaza on June 7, a commemorative logo and a mural at Sprague’s Super Service. “Route 66 is more than just a road or stretch of pavement. For our community, it’s a symbol of progress, connection and hospitality,” said Mayor Chris Koos. A grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will allow the Town of Normal to refurbish Sprague’s Super Service, a historic landmark on Pine Street, with a mural. The mural portrays a night in Normal. The grant was secured by VisitBN and will support enhancements to attractions and visitor experiences throughout McLean County.

* AP | Illinois clamps down on Houston for a 65-55 March Madness win to reach Elite Eight: In the Sweet 16 for a seventh consecutive time, the second-seeded Cougars (30-7) were thrilled to be playing just over two miles from their campus. But their poor shooting gave Houston fans little to cheer about and delighted the orange-clad Illini faithful who made the long trip to Texas. “At the beginning of the game Houston fans were a little louder, but as game was going, (our fans) started being louder in their city,” Mirkovic said. “So it’s just really important for us, I would say just like a wind to our back. They pushed us and thanks for them.”

* WREX | Rockford Vintage Fest returns amid rising demand for vintage finds: As vintage markets started popping up more in cities like Chicago, he realized Rockford was missing something. “The reception was great. The people here in Rockford were just so happy,” Smiley said. “Usually you have to travel to Chicago to go do something like this, so to have it in Rockford, it did great. And I was like, well, I just got to keep doing this here.”

*** National ***

* NPR | A $50 billion fund to help rural hospitals could actually lead to service cuts: That’s because the five-year federal program focuses on new, creative ways to improve access to rural health care, not on directly funding services and renovations. And Montana is one of at least 10 states whose leaders say projects launched under the federal program could lead rural hospitals to cut services so they can continue to afford to offer emergency and other essential care.

* NYT | Sheriff in California Seizes More Ballots, Ignoring State Attorney General: Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, seized 426 boxes of ballot materials on Tuesday, adding to the even larger tranche of 650,000 cast ballots he took last month, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, a Democrat. Mr. Bonta petitioned the court to halt Mr. Bianco’s investigation, which he said has not identified any crimes.

* ABC | Hotel and stadium workers can refuse work if ICE is present, union says as World Cup approaches: UNITE HERE Local 11, the union that represents 32,000 workers in Southern California and Arizona, said that the presence of federal immigration agents creates “unusually dangerous conditions” and under existing collective bargaining agreements, employees have the right to refuse to work. This comes as the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaches. Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium is set to host eight games this summer.