* ICYMI: Illinois Democratic lawmakers ask RFK Jr. to stop sharing Medicaid data with Trump deportation officials. Sun-Times…

- Lawmakers in the letter cite a CMS audit announced last month that would increase “federal oversight” of state Medicaid agencies to ensure federal funds were not being used to provide health coverage to those who lack legal status.
- But the Democrats claim CMS “inappropriately and potentially unlawfully” used the audit to obtain personal data and shared it with Homeland Security.
- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office is “closely monitoring this matter and evaluating our options,” according to spokesperson Jamey Dunn-Thomason.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Subscribers know much more. WQRL | Vercellino to challenge incumbent Windhorst for 117th House District: Vercellino, of West Frankfort, became the first Republican elected as County Treasurer since the 1950s and beat a sitting Democrat for the office in 2018. Since then, Vercellino has worked with Democrat and Republican boards alike to get county finances back on track to better position Franklin County for decades to come. Vercellino says he’s a proven leader who’s ready to bring his leadership abilities to a bigger stage. Vercellino says since 2017 he has seen an exponentially growing grassroots base of people willing to step up to help make Illinois a better place to live, work, and grow.

* Illinois Times | The college crisis: When University of Illinois Springfield recently was designated Illinois’ top regional state university, it was a dose of good news on a campus that has seen its enrollment drop by more than 800 students during the last decade. UIS is reviewing programs and pondering whether they continue to serve student needs, Chancellor Janet Gooch told Illinois Times. It’s a situation almost all of the state’s regional institutions find themselves in.

* STL Post Dispatch | Pope Leo XIV among 1 in 4 Illinoisans with unclaimed property: The amount the pope is in line to receive should he make a claim? $8.65, which equals about 7.45 euros. “I am happy to send $8.65 to the world’s most famous White Sox fan,” Frerichs said in a statement. “My office is truly committed to returning everyone’s missing money, no matter how long it takes or what elevated title they have taken.”

*** Statewide ***

* ABC Chicago | Illinois seeking to counter information from RFK Jr’s new vaccine panel doctors call untrustworthy: The head of the Illinois Department of Public Health told the ABC7 I-Team among the conversations underway are how to potentially stand up interstate vaccination programs. Those plans revealed as physicians and others were protesting Wednesday as the new advisory committee on immunization practices at the CDC met for the first time after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members and seated an entirely new board, with some vaccine skeptics like himself, to determine national vaccine policy.

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois’ soil conservation funding stagnates amid recent high-profile dust storms: On May 16, Chicago saw its first major dust storm since the Dust Bowl, which stretched from Texas to New York in the early 1930s and deposited 300 million tons of soil across the nation – 12 million tons of which settled in the Chicago region, according to the Bill of Rights Institute. The storm in May dropped visibility in the city to near zero as wind gusts blew over 60 mph at times, according to the National Weather Service. Taylor said the atmospheric environment that day was more characteristic of the dry environments in the High Plains or Southwest U.S., not the Midwest. As rain began to fall near Bloomington, it quickly evaporated and cooled the atmosphere, creating strong pockets of wind that began to move North. And as winds sped up, the storm began to pick up and move dry and loose soil from fields it passed over, which created the dust storm.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Attorney General Raoul joins lawsuit challenging Trump’s termination of federal grants: Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced this week he has joined another multistate lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to withhold billions of dollars in federal funds that had previously been approved for states and other grantees. The complaint, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, challenges several actions the administration has taken since Trump returned to office Jan. 20 that involved terminating federal grants that had previously been approved by various agencies.

* Tribune | Recent political violence in the United States has local elected officials concerned about the causes: State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-58) said he was “shocked and shaken” when he heard about the shootings, noting he was familiar with Hortman, but had not met her. Morgan mentioned he quickly contacted local law enforcement to see if there were any threats against anyone locally. “Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have had to go down this path and consider our own safety and safety of our colleagues,” Morgan said.

* McHenry County Blog | Pastor Corey Brooks Declines $200,000 in Legislative Pork for Project H.O.O.D.: In his speech endorsing Jim Oberweis to replace Florida Congressman Bryon Donalds Chicago Pastor Corey Brooks stated that his Project H.O.O.D. would not accept government money. […] asked him about the $200,000 that was included in the pork-filled state budget. He remained true to his Florida statement; he said he had turned it down.

*** Chicago ***

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago Public Schools budget for 2025-26 school year delayed: Chicago Public Schools’ budget for the 2025-26 school year, normally released in June, is delayed until at least late July, prompting uncertainty and anxiety for principals and schools — and potentially setting them up for cuts right before the fall. The district’s new fiscal year starts on July 1 and schools received their budgets for the coming school year in May, based on the assumption that the district would have just a $229 million deficit to close. Those school-level budgets were mostly flat, district officials said, though some schools already experienced some cuts.

* Sun-Times | CPS school board to consider green schools pilot program: The proposal would use the cash-strapped district’s limited resources to invest in energy-efficient projects that proponents say could save money in the long run. If approved, the resolution would establish a healthy green schools pilot program at Chicago Public Schools with the goal of investing in at least 12 clean energy projects at neighborhood schools by the end of the 2025-26 school year. Those projects could include rooftop solar, heat pumps or geothermal systems that use stable underground temperatures for heating and cooling buildings.

* Sun-Times | Funeral home gets Chicago’s lucrative $4.4M body removal contract: Current and former Chicago police officers question whether a single funeral home has the capacity to handle the citywide business. Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st), who has served the city as both a police officer and a firefighter, said he doesn’t “know if it’s possible.” […] The new contract includes a penalty for delayed transport of bodies. If the contractor fails to arrive at the scene within 75 minutes of the initial call-out by 911 dispatchers, the fee of $172 per body will be cut in half.

* Block Club | Mosaic House, A New Coworking And Childcare Center, Wants To Help NW Side Moms Build Community: The coworking center is opening July 14 on the border of the Dunning and Montclare neighborhoods. The space, 7129 W. Belmont Ave., will feature structured child care in the back with a spacious work area in the front. Mosaic House plans to host events like resume-building sessions, peer support groups, wellness workshops, panels on motherhood and yoga classes.

* WBEZ | Many Chicagoans likely to wait decades for dangerous lead pipes to be replaced: Now a senior policy advocate for the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council,Perry is part of a coalition that fought for stricter rules to force cities like Chicago to remove their toxic lead pipes faster. Last year, advocates celebrated a big win: The Biden-era U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandated that all water systems across the country begin replacing their lead service lines by 2027. Under the new rule, Chicago would have about 20 years to replace its estimated 412,000 lead service lines, giving the city its most accelerated timeline yet for dealing with the public health crisis. Lead is especially harmful to children with developing brains and can cause a number of serious health conditions in adults. But Chicago is set to fall 30 years behind that timeline, according to the city’s replacement plan, submitted to the Illinois EPA in April and obtained through a public records request. It aims to complete 8,300 replacements annually for 50 years, wrapping up in 2076.

* Sun-Times | Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus mourns loss of member in fatal hit-and-run in Lake View: Siddall joined the chorus in 2018 and “quickly became a vibrant and vital part of our community,” said Kevin Corbett, Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus managing director. “A gifted performer, Brendan lit up the stage in several performances, sharing their talent and energy with joy and authenticity,” Corbett said in a statement. Siddall served as the president of the chorus’ membership council.

* WBEZ | How Chicago drag designers are pushing the boundaries of fashion: “If you want something more eccentric, you might go to Eda Birthing or Mats,” said Chicago drag queen Miss Toto. “If you want pageantry, you’re going to Utica or Joshuan Aponte. It’s like you have the whole spectrum of what you could possibly get in Chicago. In a lot of other cities, you might not be able to even find someone to sew you one thing, but in Chicago you can find someone to sew anything.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Shaw Local | Grocery tax here to stay in DeKalb: – When the state grocery tax lifts on Illinoisans in January, DeKalb purchases will continue to be taxed locally, the DeKalb City Council voted this week. The grocery tax, as passed in a pair of 5-2-1 votes, will take effect locally Jan. 1, the day the state grocery tax expires.

* Sun-Times | Northwestern University undertaking a variety of cost-cutting measures amid financial pressure: On June 10, Northwestern University sent an email to staff and faculty announcing it would implement cost-cutting measures, including a hiring freeze and “decreases in the total number of staff positions.” It also said staff would not get bonuses next year, that the university was switching health insurance companies and there would be changes to the tuition benefits program, which provides employees with financial assistance toward the cost of courses.

* Daily Herald | Skokie attorney joins race for Schakowsky’s congressional seat: Democrat Howard Rosenblum has joined the race in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, which includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties. “This is a campaign to restore the foundations of our democracy,” Rosenblum said in a news release. “I know how important equality under the law and full opportunity through civil rights is. My legal experience fighting back is exactly what we need in Washington right now.”

* Daily Southtown | Oak Lawn $13 million Polaris flood control project to begin this fall: Oak Lawn is moving forward with plans to build a detention basin for stormwater storage in the fields near Polaris Intermediate School after over a year-long delay. Village Board voted Tuesday to approve an agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to split the cost of the estimated $13 million plan to alleviate flooding during major storms. More than 6,600 feet of storm sewers also will be replaced with larger pipes, ranging from 30 inches to 5 feet in diameter.

* Shaw Local | ‘Reeks of a power grab’: Crystal Lake park board’s spate of controversial moves sparks public outcry: Recent actions by the Crystal Lake Park District board, with three newly elected members, have caused tension in the community, with many residents speaking out against a series of swift changes. Dozens of residents attended a park board meeting last week, with the crowd overflowing into two other rooms to view the meeting on TV screens. Some spoke in favor of the recent board actions, but many more criticized how the board speedily passed agenda items such as the removal of the diversity, equity and inclusion policy, claiming the board violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Other issues prompting criticism include the hiring of a previous board member as the new park district attorney for a substantially higher price than the previous attorney and replacing the members of a volunteer lake advisory committee with a lakeside homeowners association.

* Daily Herald | ‘People rely on us’: Don’t fret, household hazardous waste collection to resume in July: “The program is continuing,” said Pete Adrian, recycling coordinator. “There’s no crisis here by any means.” The agency is permitted to hold a certain amount of materials, such as pesticides, motor oil, household cleaners and gasoline but relies on state funding to have them removed for recycling. “There’s a volume of material we have to move out of the facility to make space for the next batch coming in,” Adrian said.

*** Downstate ***

* The Telegraph | Manure trucks block anti-Trump protest at Macoupin County Courthouse: A weekly anti-Donald Trump protest held outside the Macoupin County Courthouse in Carlinville was undeterred Tuesday when protesters showed up to find trucks and trailers containing manure parked where they normally protest. “They have trucks of manure in line of where we usually protest,” protestor Toni Leahy said. “It definitely stinks on the sensory level, not just on the idea of it.” […] Instead, they proceeded to “flip the script” by making impromptu signs, one of which said, “Trump’s policies stink.”

* WCIA | Evidence of former Iroquois Co. Health Admin’s gambling will be allowed in court: Schippert, the former Administrator of the Iroquois County Public Health District, is facing 33 felony counts, including theft of government property, forgery and official misconduct. She previously pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Illinois Attorney General’s Office alleges that between May 31, 2020, and July 15, 2022, Schippert filed fraudulent timesheets, all while time-stamped video footage showed Schippert at various gaming parlors for at least 759 hours — 260 of which were during regular business hours.

* WAND | Parents could owe hundreds in fines for kids who commit crimes under new Tolono ordinance: First-time penalties include a $250 fine. A second offense within 12 months of the first doubles to $500. A third offense within 12 months of the first offense is $750 with each incident following an additional $750.

* WGLT | Deriva Energy proposes 300-megawatt solar farm in eastern McLean County: Deriva said the project represents about $563 million in direct and indirect investments in McLean County in jobs, construction output, tax benefits and earnings. The company estimates the project would generate $65.6 million in property tax revenue over the solar farm’s 40-year lifetime. The bulk of that money would to the Tri-Valley school district in Downs [$45.3 million]. The project is on track to begin construction in mid-2027 and start operation in late 2028.

* WQAD | Karen Kinney retiring as Rock Island County clerk: Rock Island County Clerk Karen Kinney announced she will not seek another term in office after 26 years of service. She said in a statement that she believes that the time has come to allow new leadership to guide her office. “I am deeply grateful for the trust and support of my colleagues, the County Board, and the residents of Rock Island County. Together, we have navigated challenges, celebrated milestones, and worked diligently to serve the public with integrity and dedication,” Kinney said in a press release announcing her decision.

* WCIA | New affordable student housing could be coming to Urbana: A new housing option could be coming to Urbana. It’s designed for students to spend their time on campus while staying somewhere affordable. Holton Bagley, the business owner who is trying to bring it to campus, said it’ll be the first one in Urbana. It’s in an old fraternity house with more than 20 rooms. But before it can open, the city has to give it the green light.

* WCIA | Carle Illinois College of Medicine students, professor helping breast cancer patients with new prostheses: 3D printing and scanning can be used for a variety of reasons. At the University of Illinois, and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, a team of researchers is using it to help breast cancer patients. Dr. Victor Stams, a Carle Health plastic surgeon and professor at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, is working alongside his team of medical students to create custom-fit breast prostheses.

* WCIA | Central Illinois HVAC repair companies swamped with demand: “I would say right now the most important thing we’re seeing is a lack of maintenance from a home ownership perspective,” said general manager Jeff Kenyon. “Maintenance is very important, it’s kind of like changing oil in your car. A lot of dirty filters, a lot of capacitors, just simple breakdowns.” Changing your filters and rinsing your unit’s coils helps maintain airflow in your unit and avoids exhaustion of the unit.

*** National ***

* The Atlantic | Why Do Billionaires Go Crazy?: David Frum is joined by the author and editor Tina Brown for a conversation about the disorienting effects of extreme wealth. They discuss how billionaires often become detached from reality, how philanthropy is used to consolidate image and influence, and how Brown’s personal experience with Donald Trump shaped her understanding of his ego and evolution.

* Philadelphia Inquirer | Two more patients say they faced questions around citizenship at hospitals in Philly and Abington: Both said they wondered why that information was being sought. Both are U.S. citizens, but feared the potential impact on those already wary of seeking treatment because they may be undocumented or have uncertain immigration status. At least five other people in the region responded to earlier Inquirer reporting on the issue by posting on social media that they too had been asked about their citizenship while seeking attention at area hospitals.

* NPR | Former DOGE engineer says federal waste and fraud were ‘relatively nonexistent’: A former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency says that he found that the federal waste, fraud and abuse that his agency was supposed to uncover were “relatively nonexistent” during his short time embedded within the Department of Veterans Affairs. “I personally was pretty surprised, actually, at how efficient the government was,” Sahil Lavingia told NPR’s Juana Summers.