* ICYMI: Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushes increased funding to fight racial disparities in homelessness. Tribune…

- Pritzker used the release of a report on Black homelessness in Illinois to press the case for his proposal to increase funding on efforts to address the issue in next year’s budget by $50 million.
- The report found that Black people are about eight times as likely as white people to experience homelessness in Illinois.
- Pritzker said that $35 million from the increased funding would go toward rental assistance, $13 million would be for pilot programs to reach at-risk populations and work on racial disparities in homelessness and $2 million would be earmarked for legal aid for those facing court-ordered eviction.

* Related stories…

∙ WGN: Pritzker, UIC discuss report focused on Black homelessness in Illinois
∙ Sun-Times: Pritzker announces new action plan to combat homelessness and address racial disparity
∙ Capitol News Illinois: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations

Subscribers know more.

* Ugh…

* Paul Colgan has passed…

Paul Stephen Colgan, 72, a former resident of Wyoming, IL passed away unexpectedly at his home in Oak Park, IL on Monday, April 15, 2024. […]

Paul’s expansive knowledge and keen insight on public policy allowed for a successful transition from reporter to the legislative staff of the Illinois General Assembly. In this role, Paul was instrumental in crafting extensive legislation that served the people of Illinois. It was also during his time in Springfield that he earned a master’s degree in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois-Springfield.

His passion for politics was equal to his vigor for the fight in political campaigns. Paul worked in professional staff roles on dozens of campaigns at the local and state levels ranging from Governor to Mayor of the City of Chicago. His “get it done” attitude was infectious, and transformational in every campaign he staffed.

Paul became a consultant and lobbyist representing the interests of clients in real estate, building code, technology, finance, energy, and agriculture industries at the local, state, and national levels. […]

Being involved with energy and environmental-related issues for more than 25 years, Paul was most recently a Senior Strategist with Strategia Consulting in Chicago and was heading up the Clean Energy Coalition—a group recently formed to protect all Illinoisans’ consumer rights and the environment. […]

Paul was regarded for his ability to reason and analyze situations from multiple angles. For him, an ideal outcome for all those involved was more important than “being right”. He took pride that his democrat friends thought he was republican, and his republican friends thought he was democrat.

It’s the final day of Governor Pritzker’s statewide tour to amplify the Healthcare Protection Act. The Governor will give remarks at Lurie Children’s Hospital at 10 am. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s top picks ***

* WTTW | Coal Byproduct, Other Pollution Sources at Waukegan and Michigan City Power Plants Face Strict Regulations Under New EPA Rules: The EPA came out with four new regulations Thursday, including a sweeping regulation to sharply limit greenhouse gas pollution at coal-burning plants. Those facilities must cut 90% of emissions by 2039 or shut down. The regulations also take aim at mercury emissions, wastewater treatment and the coal ash byproduct amassed at current and former power plants across the country — including NRG’s offline generating station in Waukegan and NIPSCO’s slated-for-closure generating station in Michigan City. Both of those plants, situated alongside Lake Michigan, have been a flashpoint for environmental activists.

* Illinois Times | Attorney trio in trouble: A Springfield lawyer was asked to resign from her city job this month after allegations of unethical behavior came to light from her time working for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. At the heart of the controversy is Salena Young and the two men with whom she lives; both also worked with her as assistant attorneys general. One of the men, Thomas Ewick, was her supervisor while she worked at the Office of the Illinois Attorney General and the other, Jason Young, is her husband.

* Daily Herald | How’s cashless bail going? Here’s what the data says: According to the latest data — which spans from the end of cash bail on Sept. 18, 2023, through April 13 — 30,012 defendants have been granted pretrial release in Cook County, while 1,970 have been detained. Of those released, 26,930 of them — about 90% — have appeared in court as required, including 88% of felony defendants. That’s an improvement from three years ago, when about 80.4% of those charged with felonies and released on bond attended their scheduled court hearings, according to a report from the Civic Federation.

* Illinois Times | Man arrested by FBI owns property with an Illinois state trooper: A 60-year-old man charged in federal court with operating six “houses of prostitution” in Springfield wants to transfer his ownership interest in an office building to an Illinois state trooper who jointly owns the building. Gregory L. Fraase of Springfield asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen McNaught for permission to transfer his interest in a vacant two-level building at 2040 Timberbrooke Drive to Nathan Shanks.

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | Illinois Republicans grapple with mail voting amid mixed signals from Trump. ‘We have to adapt’: While rallying his political troops last summer in Springfield heading into the primary campaign season, Illinois Republican Party chairman Don Tracy highlighted some of his top priorities to help the party regain a foothold in the Democratic-dominated state. “We’ve got to embrace early voting and voting by mail,” Tracy said at the Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee & County Chairmen’s Association breakfast in August. “Democrats have won too many close elections on the strength of their vote-by-mail programs.”

* Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association | IDCCA Statement of Kari Lake in Illinois: In advance of election denier and failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake visiting St. Charles, Illinois on Sunday, April 28, 2024 to raise money for her run for U.S. Senate in Arizona, Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association President and Kane Co. Democratic Party Chair Mark Guethle released the following statement: “Kari Lake is a far-right, disinformation spreading, election denier. In addition to Kari Lake, her event is hosted by conspiracy theorists who discuss things like a global world order and share misinformation about vaccines. Sunday’s event is a who’s-who of individuals who don’t represent the values of Kane County or Illinois, and I hope their event is as unsuccessful as Kari Lake’s past legal escapades and her candidacy for office.”

* Chalkbeat | Illinois’ children and toddlers are experiencing more delays in getting early intervention services: About a year after Desi Evans’ son Christopher was born, she noticed he wasn’t making sounds or babbling like other young children. After the mother from Barrington, Illinois – a town west of Chicago — raised her concerns to her pediatrician at Christopher’s one-year check-up, the doctor recommended having him evaluated for a state program designed to help students with disabilities or developmental delays. […] But, even though Christopher was found to have a speech delay and approved by the state to receive speech, developmental, and occupational therapies, he was not able to receive service until three months before he turned 3, when children are no longer eligible for Early Intervention.

* WCIA | ‘He inspired us’: Family, friends honor Sen. Scott Bennett with highway dedication: People who knew Bennett said he traveled on I-74 frequently. They said it was a trip that showed his dedication to the wide and diverse district he represented. “They were like trying to decide where they would do it,” said Bennett’s wife Stacy. “There was no other option really, because he did this drive so much and just truly loved it.”

* WICS | ISP warning public of phone scam: Over the past two days, ISP has received several phone calls from individuals reporting a person claiming to be an ISP investigator telling them their identity has been stolen. ISP says this is a scam. ISP special agents will not make cold calls requesting personal or financial information, or ask you to confirm personal or financial information.

*** Chicago ***

* Illinois Answers | Johnson Administration Faces Credibility Crunch Over a Key Plank of $1.25B Bond Plan: But wary financial analysts, TIF experts and even some alderpeople have warned that the city will get access to those recurring revenues only if city officials let the districts expire on schedule — which would be a sharp departure from the city’s past practice. An Illinois Answers Project analysis of TIF districts shows that between 2019 and 2023, city leaders approved extensions for 26 districts, most for 12 years, while allowing 22 districts to expire.

* Sun-Times | Facing budget criticism, CPS officials say changes are ‘milestone’ to be celebrated: Christel Williams-Hayes, a senior Chicago Teachers Union official and former school paraprofessional, said the union sees some good aspects of the new budgeting system. But she’s concerned about the impact on paraprofessionals, who aren’t among a few positions — assistant principals and counselors — that will now be guaranteed at every school.

* Tribune | Ex-Ald. Edward Burke resigns from Union League Club, scene of key meeting in corruption case: Burke, who joined the Union League Club on West Jackson Boulevard in the mid-1970s and was one of its most high-profile members, officially had his resignation accepted by the club’s admissions committee on Tuesday, according to a member who requested anonymity. Jeffrey Gray, the club’s director of public affairs, said Wednesday he could not confirm or deny whether Burke had resigned.

* Tribune | Dexter Reed shot 13 times by Chicago police officers, autopsy finds: Dexter Reed was shot 13 times by Chicago police officers during a fatal March traffic stop that left one of the officers shot in the wrist, authorities found. The Cook County medical examiner’s office released Reed’s autopsy and toxicological reports Thursday, five weeks after he was fatally shot in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said four officers fired a total of 96 shots during the 41 seconds of gunfire.

* People’s Fabric | Cop Who Fired 50 Times at Dexter Reed Among Youngest Tactical Officers in the City: In response to a FOIA request for tactical team requirements, CPD sent a recent 15th District solicitation for applications. It lists a minimum requirement of three years with the department. Exceptions are made for prior police or military experience, which [officer Thomas Spanos] does not appear to have. […] According to our analysis of CPD attendance records, the average age of a tactical team member, excluding lieutenants and sergeants, is 35.6, with an average of 8.4 years with the department.

* Sun-Times | Four Corner Hustler chief’s conviction threatened by revelation from feds: The feds now say a former prosecutor on the case, Peter Salib, made a more specific — and previously undisclosed — promise as Booker prepared to testify before a grand jury in September 2017: That Salib would recommend a 25-year prison sentence for Booker. Prosecutors only disclosed that information to U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin and defense attorneys in a letter late last week. During a hearing in the case Wednesday morning, Durkin told the feds to file the letter on the public court docket, and they did so later in the day.

* Tribune | Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testifies he suppressed a story about alleged Rahm Emanuel affair: The ex-publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid testified during former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial Thursday that in the run-up to Rahm Emanuel’s first run for Chicago mayor, the publisher helped quash a story about an alleged affair Emanuel had. David Pecker, who has had a long relationship with Emanuel and has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to his political campaigns over the years, testified he paid $20,000 for a story about an alleged Emanuel affair before Emanuel’s Chicago mayoral campaign kicked off in 2010, according to testimony reported by Politico.

* Block Club | Iconic South Side Blues Bar Lee’s Unleaded Reopens After Long Hiatus: John Primer, fresh off a 2024 Grammy nomination for his album “Teardrops for Magic Slim,” rings in the newest era of Lee’s Unleaded this weekend with his band, the Real Deal. It’s the first show at Lee’s since it closed in 2015. Primer’s band will hit the stage 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Lee’s, 7401 S. South Chicago Ave. in Greater Grand Crossing.

* Sports Handle | DraftKings Approved For Full Mobile License In Illinois, Retail License At Wrigley: Shifting from the gridiron to the diamond, a day after the NFL’s Bears formally unveiled plans for a multibillion-dollar stadium project on the downtown Chicago lakefront, the IGB voted unanimously to grant Northside Crown Gaming, a DraftKings subsidiary, a four-year master sports wagering license to offer retail betting at its sportsbook outside the city’s oldest professional sporting venue, Wrigley Field.

*** The Bears ***
* WBEZ | Mayor Brandon Johnson defends his progressive credentials after supporting the Bears’ new stadium: The Bears’ pitch would deliver on his progressive agenda, the mayor said, by creating 43,000 construction jobs for the region, bringing in millions in anticipated economic impact and adding green space and amenities that all of Chicago could enjoy. “I’m proud to be a union member,” Johnson told NBC Sports. “But I’m also very proud of the fact that we have an organization and we have a leadership with Kevin Warren, who listened to my platform: public benefit, public use. Let’s make sure we do something that’s special that generations to come can benefit from.”

* Sun-Times | Bears President Kevin Warren: ‘I’m not going to think negatively’ about stadium obstacles: What happens if the city and state can come up with only the $325 million for basic infrastructure improvements to open the new stadium — but not the additional $510 million needed for the second phase of work, which includes deconstructing Soldier Field to create new green space? […] On Thursday, Bears President Kevin Warren was asked about that worst-case scenario during a somewhat contentious meeting with the Sun-Times Editorial Board.

* Daily Herald | ‘A different philosophy’: Bears’ original goal to own stadium shifts with latest public-private plans: But, [Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes] added, if the club’s initial goal of owning and controlling their own product is paramount, “then Arlington Heights provides everything they’re looking for. Except the lakefront.” In a round of media interviews Thursday, the Northwest suburban mayor was touting a Bears stadium at Arlington Park as a plan B if Warren’s pitch to legislators for lakefront stadium subsidies falls through. Hayes believes the sprawling former racetrack site provides a “much more exciting opportunity for revenue growth,” and better transportation access than the latest city plans presented by the Bears.

* Crain’s | Bears angling for huge cut of cash-flow pie at new stadium — including concerts: During an interview with the Crain’s editorial board [yesterday], Bears executives said key pieces to the deal the team is trying to land with city and state officials are either being negotiated or haven’t been broached, including the terms of the Bears’ revenue sharing and lease agreement with the park district. “In all transparency, we have not reached that point of saying ‘what is the proper amount of rent and what is the (revenue share) split, how many events are there, who gets what?’ We have not reached that point,” Bears president Kevin Warren acknowledged during a virtual interview with the Crain’s editorial board.

* Daily Herald | Bears making right moves for their roster, not for their stadium dreams: Now, in a span of 30 hours, the Bears announced plans to build a new lakefront stadium that will include a price tag of over $4 billion and then will draft the much hyped quarterback Caleb Williams. It’s easy to be skeptical when it comes to this team based on history. But I can tell you they are operating differently in both processes and gone are the days of doing business of a ma and pop shop.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Tribune | Cook County Democrats to choose Karen Yarbrough’s replacement : Seventeen interested applicants sent their credentials to the party by the Wednesday deadline, including several County Board members, a sitting state senator and the current clerk of Evanston. Yarbrough’s passing came too late for Democratic voters to choose from a slate of candidates — as they did for Mayor Brandon Johnson’s replacement on the Cook County Board in the March primary. Instead, the party will choose both an interim clerk who will serve through December and a candidate to be placed on the November ballot.

* Fox Chicago | Suburban teachers call for change amid allegations of toxic work, learning environment: The Hinsdale High School Teachers Association claims the school board’s dysfunction caused an unprecedented amount of administrative turnover. The group said the board made decisions about what students would learn in math, science and social studies without consulting the teachers. […] The Hinsdale High School Teachers Association is asking for a new board president and a reorganization of the school board.

*** National ***
* AP | These people were charged with interfering in the 2020 election. Some are still in politics today: Several of those charged or accused of involvement in election interference across the states are still involved in Republican politics today — including the lawyer overseeing “election integrity” for the Republican National Committee. And Trump, who faces federal charges in Washington and state charges in Georgia for his efforts to overturn Biden’s win, frequently still claims the 2020 election was stolen, a falsehood echoed by many of his supporters.

* LA Times | How treatment of miscarriages is upending the abortion debate: A seven-figure April ad buy in battleground states by President Biden’s reelection campaign highlights the story of a happily married pregnant Texas woman named Amanda Zurawski. “At 18 weeks, Amanda’s water broke and she had a miscarriage,” the ad reads, with white lettering against a black background. “Because Donald Trump killed Roe v Wade, Amanda was denied standard medical care to prevent an infection, an abortion.” The 60-second ad concludes “Donald Trump did this,” after showing Zurawski and her husband, Josh, looking through a box of items that they had bought in anticipation of the birth of their first child, including a baby book and the outfit they planned to dress her in to bring her home from the hospital.

* NYT | This May Be Our Last Chance to Halt Bird Flu in Humans, and We Are Blowing It: The outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza among U.S. dairy cows, first reported on March 25, has now spread to at least 33 herds in eight states. On Wednesday, genetic evidence of the virus turned up in commercially available milk. Federal authorities say the milk supply is safe, but this latest development raises troubling questions about how widespread the outbreak really is. So far, there is only one confirmed human case. Rick Bright, an expert on the H5N1 virus who served on President Biden’s coronavirus advisory board, told me this is the crucial moment. “There’s a fine line between one person and 10 people with H5N1,” he said. “By the time we’ve detected 10, it’s probably too late” to contain.