[Now-former Deputy Director of the Tourism Office, Daniel Thomas] began at DCEO in July 2023 after being the owner and Chief Executive Officer of TimeZoneOne, a communications agency and DCEO vendor. The OEIG’s investigation showed that when Mr. Thomas was hired, he did not reveal to DCEO he was still being paid by TimeZoneOne and DCEO made only a cursory inquiry about his previous ownership of the company. The OEIG’s investigation determined, in part, that after his hire at DCEO Mr. Thomas violated conflict of interest policies by participating in contractual decisions involving TimeZoneOne’s business with the state while he continued to be paid by TimeZoneOne.
The investigation revealed that when Mr. Thomas started working at DCEO, he continued to receive approximately $117,000 in earnout payments from his 2020 sale of TimeZoneOne, and was actively involved in negotiations of the earnout amount, expressing in an email to the new owner of TimeZoneOne, that he continued to be a “true champion” of TimeZoneOne. Meanwhile, TimeZoneOne’s billing for subcontracted work for the state increased by over $600,000 during the fiscal year after Mr. Thomas began working at DCEO. For instance, in that fiscal year, he was involved in the decision to award TimeZoneOne a project under a subcontract, to produce 30 additional videos over the 15 videos it was contracted to produce in the previous year. In addition, the state’s payments to TimeZoneOne under its contract directly with DCEO increased by about $1 million in the fiscal year after Mr. Thomas began working for DCEO.
In addition to the increase in state funds going to TimeZoneOne, the OEIG also found that DCEO paid significant amounts of money to TimeZoneOne for years without supporting documentation or reconciliation of the expenses. […]
Furthermore, the investigation revealed that TimeZoneOne regularly paid for travel expenses incurred by Mr. Thomas as part of his state duties, as well as travel expenses for at least one other DCEO employee, even though this was not specified in TimeZoneOne’s contract. At least some of the expenses raised red flags under the State travel rules, such as business or first class flights and alcoholic beverages, and there was no advance written approval for the payments by the Executive Director of the Executive Ethics Commission, as required by Executive Order 15-09.
The OEIG determined that DCEO committed mismanagement by placing Mr. Thomas in charge of the Tourism Office, despite knowing about his prior relationship with TimeZoneOne, but not taking reasonable steps to determine if there was an actual or perceived conflict, as well, allowing contractual payments to be made with state funds without ensuring reconciliations were performed to support such payments In addition, it was clear to DCEO management that TimeZoneOne was paying for at least some of Mr. Thomas’s and his subordinates’ travel, yet no action was taken to ensure such payments were appropriate and that the travel rules were followed.
As a result of the investigation, Mr. Thomas was discharged and another DCEO employee’s contract was terminated. In addition, DCEO is conducting an audit of TimeZoneOne’s billings and reconciliations, and is implementing new or updated policies and procedures for conflicts of interest, vendor billing, and travel expenses. The Office of the Governor also directed the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget to develop training for agency fiscal offices relating to necessary documentation and reconciliation for vendor payments.
Illinois residents on both sides of the political aisle strongly support increasing state funding for public colleges and universities, according to a new study released Monday by the nonpartisan research group Public Agenda. […]
The results are based on a survey of 2,062 Illinois adults aged 18 or older conducted in January.
The poll found that roughly half of Illinois residents don’t have any college credentials. Many respondents said they wanted to pursue a degree after high school but couldn’t afford to, or thought that their best option was to enter the workforce straight after high school. Almost 3 in 4 of those surveyed who don’t have a degree said that not earning one has negatively impacted their lives, with many citing limited career opportunities. Black and Latino residents reported more often than white residents that they don’t think they can afford to earn a degree.
Illinois lawmakers passed more than 600 bills ahead of their self-imposed deadline to move legislation out of the House or Senate and into the other chamber. There are always exceptions, but the deadline stands for most bills.
Altogether 378 House bills were moved to the Senate and 203 Senate bills advanced to the House. It represents only about 9% of the nearly 6,700 bill that were filed this session. […]
Senate bills that passed:
Senate Bill 32, sponsored by state Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Deerfield, would make households with one or more veteran and/or service member eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits if gross household income is at or below 200% of the poverty line. It would be subject to federal approval. […]
Senate Bill 93, sponsored by Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago, would ban food additives such as red dye 3 and brominated vegetable oil from being used in food products produced and sold in Illinois. The federal Food and Drug Administration earlier this year banned red dye for use in food and ingested drugs.
*** Statehouse News ***
* CBS Chicago | Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias awards $1.3 million to school libraries: The grants, which are awarded each spring, support school library services for students from kindergarten through 12th grade, and include library books, e-books, audiobooks, periodicals, technology, programs and multilingual materials. Districts receive 88 cents per student through a state-determined formula based on enrollment at each school that has a qualified library. Chicago Public schools received more than $78,000 for libraries through his year’ grant. Other major recipients include Elgin School District U-46 which received more than $26,000; Rockford Public School District 205 which received over $21,000; Plainfield CCSD 202 which received just over $20,000.
* Keith Whyte | Illinois could set a new gold standard for responsible gambling: As Illinois legislators debate legalizing iGaming, problem gambling concerns remain at the forefront. Opponents of online gambling, often traditional gambling companies motivated by competitive concerns, raise some understandable fears about potential increases in problem gambling. However, they should also acknowledge that account-based online wagering is driving a revolution in responsible gambling. […] With over 20 years of experience tackling gambling addiction and advising policymakers, I know a legal, regulated market is far safer than offshore platforms. Illinois should embrace the potential for setting a new gold standard in consumer protection and responsible gaming through a regulated, taxed market.
*** Statewide ***
* WSIL | Illinois State Police operations recover 243 stolen cars, arrests dozens across the state: The ISP received a $10 million grant for the first fiscal year and an additional $677,000 grant in June 2024 from the Illinois Secretary of State Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council. From January to March 2025, ISP operations led to the recovery of 243 stolen or hijacked vehicles, 16 stolen vehicle arrests, and 18 hijacked vehicle arrests. They used a K9 officer 16 times and there were 39 air operations which targeted stolen or hijacked vehicles. They also seized seven firearms during these operations as well.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | The Tri-State, Route 53, the Kennedy, oh my — What to expect on this year’s road construction menu: As the Illinois Department of Transportation wraps up a seismic, three-year Kennedy redo, the agency is pivoting to an ambitious Route 53 fix. “This year, in addition to our smaller maintenance and improvement projects in the northwest suburbs, we are rehabilitating 9 miles along Illinois 53 from I-90 to Lake Cook Road,” IDOT District 1 Bureau Chief of Construction Jonathan Schumacher said.
* Daily Herald | Niece of man killed by Carol Stream police gets pretrial diversion for threat: Dajanae Barnes, 23, of Carol Stream admitted April 17 to one count of threatening a public official, according to DuPage County court records. Under the terms of her plea deal, Barnes will enter a pretrial diversion program. If she completes it successfully by April 16, 2026, she will be allowed to withdraw her plea and prosecutors will dismiss the charge. […] During a detention hearing after her arrest, prosecutors told a judge Barnes said “I’ll blow this building up, watch when I get out. So take me to jail for saying that too.”
* Evanston Now | NU to fund research paused by feds: In a statement, administrators wrote that the university has still not received a formal notice of the reported funding pause totaling $790 million, including “a significant portion of our federal research funding.” But on Thursday, administrators wrote that the university, “after consultation with the Board of Trustees, will fund research that is subject to stop-work orders or the federal funding freeze.”
* Tribune | Construction of new Chicago Sky training facility in Bedford Park delayed into 2026 to accommodate expansion: The $38 million facility originally was expected to be completed in October 2025. The building is being constructed in partnership with the village of Bedford Park as part of the second phase of development at the Wintrust Sports Complex, which also will add two turf fields, a hotel, a gas station and two restaurants this year. After altering the original construction plans to expand the facility, the Sky and the village now anticipate that completion will be delayed several months. Despite the additions, the Sky told the Tribune they expect the facility to be available for training camp in April 2026.
* Tribune | Niles Township High School District 219 cuts seven administrators in restructuring plan: Niles Township High School District 219’s Board of Education voted 4-1 at its April 7 meeting to cut seven administrator positions and create four assistant principal positions. The move followed Superintendent Tom Moore’s earlier announcement that the district has a greater percentage of administrators per student than surrounding districts, and a desire to be more efficient with taxpayer dollars.
*** Chicago ***
* Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson cracks the door open to city layoffs, service cuts: With a $1.12 billion budget shortfall and $3 billion more in federal funds on the chopping block, Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday cracked the door open to the prospect of layoffs and service cuts that he has previously ruled out. “We will have to deal with the realities of the billions of dollars that are being threatened by the federal government. That’s a different scenario than we were under before,” Johnson said as he signed an executive order establishing a working group to advise him on ways to confront the city’s fiscal challenges.
* Crain’s | Johnson creates budget working group to search for efficiencies and revenue: Hoping to get ahead of what’s anticipated to be an arduous 2026 budget cycle, Mayor Brandon Johnson is creating a working group to put forward plans to cut spending and raise revenue that have thus far not had political support during his nearly two years in office. It’s unlikely the group will identify solutions that are not already known or haven’t been put forward previously, but a set of policy ideas supported by a broad coalition, if they materialize, could lead to better buy-in from a City Council that has made life difficult for the first term mayor.
* Crain’s | Congress calls on DePaul president to testify in antisemitism probe: Manuel will be joined by leaders from California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo) and Haverford College as part of the the Republican-led committee’s probe of allegations of antisemitism on college campuses. In a letter sent to the Chicago college today, committee chairman Tim Walberg, a Republican congressman from Michigan, wrote: “Tragically, Committee oversight shows that antisemitism persists on college campuses, specifically at DePaul University.”
* WTTW | Tonight You Can Look for the Lyrids, the Year’s First Meteor Shower. Here’s How to View in Chicago: The Lyrids will be active through Friday, but tonight is peak viewing, starting around midnight. Under dark skies, the best time to catch the meteors would be 3 a.m. to 4 a.m., but the moon will be rising and obscuring the dimmer Lyrids. So experts recommend either finding an object — such as a tree — to block the moon, keep the moon at your back, or head out while the moon is low on the horizon.
*** Downstate ***
* BND | Environmental group and metro-east coal plant agree to dismiss federal lawsuit : A lawsuit that alleged a metro-east coal plant operated without proper state documentation has been dismissed after the company and the environmental group reached an agreement this week. […] The Sierra Club staff said that no coal plant is above the law. “We are looking forward to now participating in that process to make sure the permit reflects the most stringent requirements to protect Illinois and Missouri citizens from pollution from this plant,” said Megan Wachspress, a staff attorney with the Illinois Sierra Club.
* WSIU | SIU pioneers mental health response program for emergency calls: Thanks to a new grant-funded program, responders with specialized skills in mental health are available to assist when needed in emergency calls at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, de-escalating situations, improving outcomes and helping students stay in school, officials said. SIU’s Department of Public Safety, Counseling and Psychological Services and others have developed a collaborative response team, funded by an Illinois Board of Higher Education Mental Health Early Action on Campus Competitive Grant of $290,000.
* NPR Illinois | Springfield’s mayor announces a series of community meetings: Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher and her administration have announced a series of what are being called “departmental open houses” where residents can speak with City staff and ask questions. “This initiative is part of a broader push to increase transparency, provide consistent access to resources, and gain a deeper understanding of agency operations while learning about the community’s needs,” an announcement said. “These events will not only create direct, face-to-face communication but will also serve as a foundation for an ongoing community needs assessment to help guide future policies, services, and investments.”
*** National ***
* WTTW | Walgreens Agrees to Pay $300M to Settle Opioid Lawsuit Claims: As part of a settlement with the U.S. government, Walgreens, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the country, has agreed to pay at least $300 million to settle claims it illegally filled millions of invalid opioid prescriptions. […] According to the feds, the settlement amount will jump another $50 million in the event Walgreens is sold, merged or transferred prior to 2032.
* AP | 60,000 Americans to lose their rental assistance and risk eviction unless Congress acts: But the program, Emergency Housing Vouchers, is running out of money — and quickly. Funding is expected to be used up by the end of next year, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and obtained by The Associated Press. That would leave tens of thousands across the country scrambling to pay their rent.
* The Atlantic | The scramble to save rural health care from DOGE: The reason wasn’t only because so many patients relied on Medicaid, which was currently being targeted by the Trump administration for $880 billion in cuts. Cahaba’s clinics also depended upon an array of more obscure federal grants of the sort that President Donald Trump’s adviser Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency had been summarily deleting before fully understanding the lives that would be upended in the real world. In the gray language of the federal bureaucracy, the funding that mattered most was from the Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education Program—THCGME—and it was the reason the clinic in Perry County and others in some of the poorest corners of rural America had any doctors at all.
The Illinois High School Association [last] week said it would keep in place its policy to allow transgender athletes to compete in high school sports competitions despite an executive order from President Donald Trump because the order may conflict with state law.
In a Tuesday letter, the IHSA’s board president and executive director said the Illinois Human Rights Act “requires that transgender athletes be permitted to participate in events and programs aligning with the gender with which they identify.”
“Compliance with the Executive Order could place the IHSA out of compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act and vice versa,” IHSA Board President Dan Tulley and Executive Director Craig Anderson wrote in response to a March letter from 40 Republican lawmakers demanding to know how the IHSA was going to “amend policy to comply with federal directives.” […]
The IHSA clarified that its transgender policy only applied to state series competition with which it sponsors. Member schools determine the participation of transgender students during the regular season.
* HGOP Leader Tony McCombie…
Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie issued the following statement today in response to the Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) April 15 response to the House Republican Caucus, nearly a month after receiving a formal letter requesting clarity and action on federal protections for women and girls in sports:
“The IHSA has once again chosen deflection over direction, and ambiguity over action. Their response is not just late—it’s weak. Saying, ‘It’s not our problem,’ doesn’t serve the students of this state. It’s not leadership—it’s a cop-out.
“This is not about politics but student safety and delaying clarity on this issue only prolongs the problem. If state law contradicts federal law, then the path forward is to work in good faith to resolve that conflict—not hide from it and risk losing federal dollars.”
“The House Republican Caucus stands united. We call on the IHSA, the Attorney General, the Governor, and all state officials to engage with federal authorities and bring clarity to this issue before a student gets hurt—because one incident is one too many.”
I asked over the weekend what particular federal statute the state law is contradicting. Still waiting.
Rep. Blaine Wilhour, who led the initiative to send the first letter to IHSA over the issue, told Fox News Digital he is calling on Illinois school districts and school boards to pass local resolutions banning trans athletes from girls sports. […]
Wilhour condemned Gov. JB Pritzker and the Democratic majority in the state’s legislature for the state’s laws that enable trans inclusion in girls sports. Wilhour added that he is calling on the Trump administration to intervene and potentially cut funding in response. […]
“[The Trump administration is] going to have to engage here, and the leverage that they’ve got is federal funding. We take millions in federal funding from the government every year. And we don’t really savor the situation where that would be withheld. … But I’ll take my chances with doing the right thing. … Banning boys from participating in girls sports is the right thing to do, so we need to do the tough things to make it happen.”
Republican State Representative Amy Elik from Alton was one of the signers of the letter to the IHSA. […]
Alton High School athletic director Chris Kusnerick said that in his six years at AHS, the issue has not come up.
“We’ve have not, to my knowledge, had any requests,” Kusnerick said. “I don’t know if there have been any at any school in our conference.”
Kusnerick indicated that the Alton School District does not have a specific policy on transgender participation and that any cases would be taken up and handled by the district’s board of education.
* You’d never know it to look at the breathless coverage, but the numbers are infinitesimally small…
Out of more than 320,000 high school athletes across the state, only three students assigned male at birth were approved in the past year to compete in girls’ sports, while two were approved the previous year.
Just three people and yet Wilhour wants all public schools in the state to lose their federal funding.
* Subscribers were briefed on the trial this morning. Last week, Sen. Emil Jones III testified in his own defense. The Tribune…
“Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to be a state senator like my father and I decided to run,” Jones told the jury, leaving out that his father orchestrated a time-honored Illinois political maneuver to make it happen, retiring abruptly after winning the primary and pitching his son as his replacement to favorable Democratic committeemen. […]
Jones provided the jury a sort of nuts-and-bolts description of how the state legislature operates and how bills move through committees to the floor for a vote. He testified about his work on committees, including the Transportation Committee, which was helmed by Sandoval until September 2019, when the FBI raided Sandoval’s offices and the investigation became publicly known. […]
Earlier Tuesday, the jury heard Jones as he told FBI agents who knocked on his door in September 2019 that he never felt “comfortable” talking to his longtime colleague, Sandoval, particularly about a red-light camera company executive who wanted to be his “friend.”
“Because he’s an intimidating guy, you know?” Jones said about Sandoval on the morning of Sept. 24, 2019, the day the FBI raided Sandoval’s offices in Springfield along with more than a dozen other locations. “And you hear rumors about him … that he’s just shady.”
Amid his defense, Jones accused the late Illinois State Senator Martin Sandoval of blocking his efforts to conduct a statewide study on red light cameras. Jones says he wanted to strengthen the law regarding ‘no turn on red.’ Referring to the late senator at the time, Jones said, ‘He won’t let my bill see the light of day.’
Jones said former Safe Speed executive Omar Maani reminded him of a used car salesman, but the late Sandoval told him he would need Safe Speed’s support if he wanted his bill passed.
In reference to the FBI recordings, Jones says Maani asked him about any future fundraisers. In a June 2019 dinner, Maani brought up fundraisers again and asked Jones how much he could contribute to his campaign.
In the audio transcript, Jones replies, “I don’t give folks numbers,” but later adds, “You can raise me $5,000. That’d be good.”
On the stand, Jones emphasized, “I didn’t say…give me $5,000; I said if you can raise me $5,000.”
The South Side Democrat testified that he’d realized Maani had been “trying to buy me off.” And in a July 2019 text message, Jones made a crack: “LMAO Omar trying to make sure I don’t file my red light camera bill anymore. He thinks steak 48 will do it.”
But a federal prosecutor seized on that exchange in court Thursday. She forced Jones to admit, under oath, that he didn’t contact his ethics officer, he “didn’t call the FBI,” and that he knew from his training that he needed to report an attempted bribe to the Illinois State Police.
Instead, Jones admitted that he “set up” his 23-year-old ex-intern to be hired by Maani, who also promised to raise $5,000 for Jones’ campaign while pressuring the senator to change a bill in Springfield.
“You understand a campaign contribution could be part of a bribe, correct?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Ardam asked during her cross-examination of Jones.
“Yes,” Jones told her.
* More on Jones’ testimony from Capitol News Illinois’ Hannah Meisel…
Deciding to testify in his own defense was a risky move, as it opened Jones up to grueling cross-examination from prosecutors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Ardam on Thursday attempted over and over to impeach the senator’s prior testimony, pointing out inconsistencies between the previously played secret recordings and what Jones told the jury. […]
Ardam also pointed out that Jones’ contention earlier in his testimony that Sandoval was arrested on Sept. 24, 2019, wasn’t true; in fact, federal agents had executed search warrants on his home and offices. He began cooperating and later pleaded guilty to bribery and tax fraud charges. […]
But Ardam had some mixups of her own. To catch Jones in a lie over his claim Wednesday that he’d never had one of his bills die on the Senate floor, the prosecutor pointed out that in 2019, roughly 30 bills that Jones had introduced died at the end of session. As Jones attempted to tell her, that’s different than the rare and fairly embarrassing scenario in which a senator allows for a bill to be called for a vote only to see it fail to garner the minimum number of votes for passage.
Ardam also spent time suggesting that Jones benefitted from nepotism as his father, Emil Jones Jr., had been a longtime legislator and served as president of the Illinois Senate from 2003 until 2009.
“You were elected in 2008?” Ardam asked, after reminding the jury of Jones’ testimony that “ever since I was a child,” he’d wanted to be a state senator like his father.
“Yes,” Jones said.
“You didn’t tell the jury how that happened, did you?” Ardam said, before falsely asserting that Jones was appointed to his father’s seat when the elder Jones announced his retirement in August 2008.
* Closing arguments are underway at the Dirksen US Courthouse. Tribune…
Prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood their initial argument and rebuttal will total over two hours, while Jones’ attorneys said they likely have at least two hours of argument as well. Given the judge also has to instruct the jury, they likely will not get the case until late in the day at the earliest.
* Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Ardam is up first. Sun-Times Federal Courts reporter Jon Seidel is in the courtroom…
* More on Jones’ testimony from last Thursday. Tribune…
Jones said that in early 2020, the feds asked him and his then-attorney to come in and give a proffer-protected statement, which is a often prelude to cooperation and means he could not be charged based on anything he said.
Jones said a prosecutor gave “almost like a little PowerPoint presentation” for him and “did all the talking.” The prosecutor told him “we believe you solicited, asked for a bribe, acted corruptly,” Jones said.
They gave him a few days to think about it, Jones testified, adding that he left the meeting “devastated and confused.” […]
In September 2021, Jones said, his new attorney had a relationship with the U.S. attorney’s office and was able to get a sit-down where they listened to the full recordings for the first time. “I felt the government was misleading me when they had me in their office in February,” Jones testified.
* Jones denied he told the feds he made a deal with Maani. The Tribune’s Jason Meisner…
About half an hour into closing arguments that capped the nine-day trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Ardam asked jurors how Jones allegedly changed his views on red-light camera legislation over the course of the summer of 2019. Jones had been handling it for years by the time he met red-light camera executive Omar Maani, Ardam said.
How do we go from “I can’t give you that commitment” to “I got, you, I got you?” she said.
Ardam argued that it was the promised donation and a minimum-wage job for intern Chris Katz, negotiated over steak dinners and workshopped to avoid state reporting requirements, that made him pledge to “protect” Maani’s red-light camera company, SafeSpeed LLC, in the General Assembly and limit a proposed red-light camera study.
“Legislation and legislators should not be up for sale, for any price. That is a crime….That is why the defendant lied to the FBI when they came knocking at his door,” Ardam told the jury.
A group of partners have left the firm founded by long-established politico Gery Chico to start their own practice.
As a smaller office, the new firm, called Leach King Klinger Law, or LKK Law, will be able to offer better client service, said Tim King, one of the founding partners.
“We are a tighter group,” King told Crain’s in an interview. “We are hands-on, and it is kind of a changing of the guard.”
* From the actual press release…
Attorneys Jon Leach, Tim King and Bill Klinger announce the launch of Leach | King | Klinger Law LLC (LKK Law), a full-service law firm providing legal, lobbying and business advisory services in Chicago and across the nation. LKK Law brings decades of collective experience from top law firms and executive roles in local government agencies. The firm’s key areas of practice include governmental and regulatory issues, aviation law, litigation, employment law, whistleblower and false claims act cases, real estate and land use and business advisory services.
Leach, King and Klinger are former Partners at Chico & Nunes PC, the boutique firm owned by perennial political candidate and former Mayor Richard M. Daley and Ald. Ed Burke protégé Gery Chico.
In Illinois, solar installers often face “complex and cumbersome” permitting requirements that can add months — and hundreds of dollars in cost — to the simplest residential roof project, according to a new report from environmentalists and consumer advocates.
In some places, installers reported having to submit applications in person, rather than via email or an online portal.
One installer complained about having to place six calls just to obtain a permit that had already been approved; others said they navigate needlessly complex and drawn-out review processes or face “wacky” formatting requirements.
Among the results: The state is viewed as “a very good market because of all the incentives, but an absolute nightmare to operate in,” an Illinois solar installer was quoted as saying. Aurora, Elmhurst and Joliet were among the places where installers reported problems.
Formerly Southpoint Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, the newly renamed facility is a case in point illustrating the ongoing short staffing crisis in Illinois nursing homes. Landmark’s numerous inspection reports demonstrate the impact of its record of providing only 60% of the care hours that residents need. In the last three years, Landmark accrued an astounding $745,000 in fines for failing to provide adequate care.
State Representative Justin Slaughter, co-sponsor of HB2507, spoke outside the facility on the need for public dollars to be properly invested in improving resident care. “It’s important that we protect our nursing home workers. That’s why I’m on the front lines pushing and advocating for a bill that protects our staffing levels as well as the quality of care.”
Landmark CNA Sharletta Jeffrey described the challenges of working short staffed. “I work in the dementia unit…some of our residents will get up and just wander off…I can’t always watch them closely. It’s just not possible when you’re taking care of so many people.”
It’s past time to end chronic understaffing for nursing home patients. Support HB2507 to ensure public funding goes to care and not to profit because Care Can’t Wait.
Illinois doesn’t allow children under 10 to be held in detention facilities. But last year, there were about a dozen admissions of children under 12 and more than 60 of children who were 12 years old, according to data from the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission.
Cases like those are the subject of a bill that was passed in the state Senate last week that, if approved by the House and signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, would essentially ban the detention of kids 12 and under, with some exceptions for 12-year-olds accused of certain violent crimes. […]
Advocates argue detention can add to trauma for children who in many cases have already experienced problems before they ever get into trouble with law enforcement, adding to risk factors that may lead them to act out again. […]
The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association opposes the change and its executive director, Jim Kaitschuk, questioned whether there are sufficient alternatives available to what is essentially jail for 10- or 11-year-olds accused of violent crimes.
“Who’s gonna take them?” Kaitschuk asked, pointing as an example to the difficulty the state’s Department of Children and Family Services has in finding placements for hundreds of children in its care. “That’s the rub, right out of the gate.”
A bill that would tighten homeschooling regulations in Illinois missed a key deadline on Friday. But its sponsor, Rep. Terra Costa Howard, said it’s still alive — and she’s working on changes recommended by fellow lawmakers to get it passed.
“We recognize that there’s some more changes that need to be made and so we want to be respectful of the process,” Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, told Capitol News Illinois. “I want to pass a bill that we can be proud of. And even though I’m proud of the bill now, I want to be able to take into consideration some of the other suggestions that have been made.” […]
The bill missed a procedural deadline on Friday for non-budget bills to clear their chamber of origin. But lawmakers can request an extension, which Costa Howard has done. […]
Costa Howard says changes to the bill have already been made to address concerns, and that she’s working on more. The amendment that passed a House committee on Wednesday, April 9, provided more specific details for the declaration form, ensured that an online version would be available, and clarified that a truancy investigation would be required to compel families to turn over homeschooling portfolios.
Almost immediately after President Donald Trump was elected to a second term in November, Illinois Democrats began stressing the need to provide legislative protections against potential action by the White House on issues such as immigration and abortion. […]
With six weeks left in the spring legislative session, lawmakers have a range of measures before them that backers say are necessary to protect Illinois’ progressive policies. […]
One initiative Pritzker supported was filed with the General Assembly earlier this year amid concerns that Trump could take federal action to roll back abortion rights protections, even though Trump indicated that issue should be left up to the states.
The legislation would provide more protections under Illinois’ 2023 shield law that prevents health care workers from facing disciplinary action by the state if, for instance, they provide abortion care to someone from another state that has more stringent abortion restrictions.
In a fiery debate after 6 p.m. on the statehouse floor as a legislative deadline loomed, a decade-long fight between Chicago Heights and Ford Heights came to a head last week as two Democratic lawmakers argued until proposed legislation was pulled from debate.
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, who represents Chicago Heights as is former mayor there, would have allowed the state comptroller to collect debts between local governments if the entities reached an agreement or filed a court order. It would have created a pathway to resolve close to $2 million in unpaid water bills Ford Heights owes Chicago Heights, its water supplier.
Chicago Heights has attempted to collect the money for about a decade, including suing Ford Heights.
But state Rep. Thaddeus Jones worried state intervention could further hike the water bills for the Ford Heights, which already has some of the highest water bills in the south suburbs, after Chicago Heights threatened to turn off the water in 2018.
“This bill does not allow me to represent a poor community that can barely pay their water bills,” said Jones, who is also mayor of Calumet City.
With many county public defender offices pushed to the limits throughout Illinois, state lawmakers are moving forward on legislation to create a statewide public defender office.
Many public defender offices in Illinois, especially in rural areas, are in desperate need of resources to provide adequate defense services. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1963 on Gideon v. Wainright that anyone accused of a crime has a right to a defense attorney, setting the basis for public defenders that judges often assign to defendants to represent a person for free. […]
Legislation in front of the General Assembly would create the “Office of State Public Defender” which would primarily be responsible for providing public defender offices around the state with more resources. House Bill 3363 passed the House last week on a 72-41 vote. It now heads to the Senate where President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, has tried to pass similar legislation in recent years. […]
If lawmakers approve the bill, the office may provide public defense services — but not for several years. Over the first few years, the office’s primary responsibility would be to assess the needs of public defenders in Illinois and collect data about their workloads.
“We are really lacking any type of data gathering across public defender offices in the state of Illinois because we just have never had the resources to really even count the number of cases that we have,” Pollock said.
Independent pharmacy owners have long complained that PBMs are part of massive conglomerates that have led to higher out-of-pocket costs for patients. They say PBMs steer patients to pharmacies in which they have a financial interest, don’t reimburse pharmacies enough for medications and don’t adequately pass along rebates they get from drugmakers. […]
After years of outcry, Gov. JB Pritzker has thrown his support behind efforts to require PBMs to change how they do business in Illinois. Pritzker has called for legislation that would prevent PBMs from directing patients to pharmacies where they have a financial interest, bar them from pocketing certain savings on medications and require them to open their books to state regulators, among other changes. […]
Despite Pritzker making the issue a top priority for the spring legislative session, his allies in Springfield have yet to introduce a formal proposal. Closed-door negotiations are ongoing, but key Democratic lawmakers said the involvement of the governor’s office should make the difference in getting a measure passed before the General Assembly’s scheduled May 31 adjournment.
“I expect we will pass the bill, I just don’t know exactly when,” Pritzker told the Tribune in a brief interview last week. Lawmakers and the governor remained tight-lipped, however, about whether whatever legislation emerges from those discussions would achieve all the goals Pritzker outlined earlier this year.
“The world is is going away from fossil fuels and going towards electric,” cautions State Rep. Dave Vella (D-Rockford). “Unless we want to burn a whole bunch of fossil fuels, we go to nuclear because solar and wind’s just not enough.”
In Springfield, Vella sponsors HB3603, a house bill changing the limitations on constructing nuclear power reactors. While Governor J.B. Pritzker lifted a 30-year moratorium on reactors 2 years ago, the lift didn’t impact larger units.
Vella’s bill would allow any “advanced nuclear reactor” to be built. A similar bill moves through the Illinois Senate, where State Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) and State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley) sponsor SB1527.
Syverson explains nuclear power is “common sense.” The lawmaker points to “brownouts,” or power drops, in Texas and California – where renewable energy makes up more of the states’ electrical supplies v. a “consistency” in nuclear.
“That’s going to help us keep and attract good paying manufacturing jobs that are high energy users,” argues Syverson.
Both bills have failed to advance in committee. However, SB1527’s deadline has been extended to May 9.
* Sen. Rachel Ventura…
Following the Senate passage of Senate Bill 42, State Senator Rachel Ventura made clarifying remarks on the bill, explaining its intent and background.
The legislation makes clear that the smell of raw or burnt cannabis alone cannot justify a search of a vehicle, driver, or passenger. The goal is to ensure consistent law enforcement practices in situations involving cannabis. While the odor may still be noted, it cannot be the sole reason for a stop or search.
“I want to ensure there is no misunderstanding about the core intent of this bill — to clarify existing statute and address ambiguities in the law that currently create challenges for law enforcement,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “Dispensary workers and Illinoisans who legally use cannabis should not be penalized and targeted on smell alone. If a driver is exhibiting erratic behavior in addition to the scent of cannabis, then law enforcement may conduct a search. This bill not only protects people’s Fourth Amendment rights from unreasonable search and seizure, but also addresses due process.”
Senate Bill 42 removes the requirement for odor-proof cannabis packaging, while maintaining the mandate that cannabis must be stored in a secure, sealed, or resealable child-resistant container. The bill also prohibits law enforcement from stopping, detaining, or searching a vehicle solely based on the smell of cannabis if the driver or passengers are 21 or older. However, it does not instruct officers to disregard the odor entirely.
The Illinois Supreme Court recently ruled on two separate cases contradictory to each other on whether the scent of cannabis is a probable cause. The Court held in People v. Redmond that the odor of burnt cannabis alone is insufficient to provide probable cause for police officers to perform a warrantless search of a vehicle. In People v. Molina, the Court ruled that the odor of raw cannabis alone gave police probable cause to search a vehicle because the statute mandates odorless packaging.
The bill makes these clarifications for law enforcement:
· Officers can still consider odor during a stop, but odor alone can no longer justify search – other factors must be present to establish probable cause
· Should law enforcement have reasonable suspicion based on the driver’s or passenger’s behavior and speech, a sobriety test would be conducted before probable cause is determined
· The measure still allows odor to be considered as a part of the totality of circumstances, but odor alone cannot justify a vehicle search
· Cannabis still must be inaccessible to those in the vehicle […]
Senate Bill 42 passed the Senate last week and awaits action in the House.
Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford is again pushing to protect school kids at the forefront of his agenda.
Ford said he is all in on a measure proposed by Democratic State Sen. Karina Villa that would ban police from issuing any tickets or citations to students for breaking school rules like truancy. Senate Bill 1519 would also require officers to receive extra training to become a school resource officer, including how to deal with students with disabilities.
“I’m going to pick it up,” Ford told The Center Square. “I had one, but I’m going to advance the one that passed the Senate and we’ll do that when we go back in two weeks. We know that anytime young people have to deal with law enforcement as minors, as young people, it’s a pipeline to the criminal justice system.” […]
With SB 1519 passing out of the Senate Education Committee by an 8-2 vote, Ford said he is reminded of a resolution he recently proposed honoring Amara Harris “for her courage and perseverance to defend truth and fight for justice.”
Following an Illinois Supreme Court decision that weakened protections for journalists, State Senator Steve Stadelman successfully passed a measure out of the Senate that protects the rights of Illinois residents and the press to freely express their view in the media.
“Protecting the right to share opinions – whether it’s an individual or a news outlet – is essential to democracy,” said Stadelman (D-Rockford). “Free speech, especially in the media, ensures transparency and accountability, which is why we needed to pass this legislation.”
Senate Bill 1181 builds on existing law to ensure the Citizens Participation Act protects individuals and the press from lawsuits intended to silence or intimidate them, regardless of the motive behind the lawsuit. A Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) is a legal tactic used to silence or intimidate critics by burdening them with costly and time-consuming litigation, often targeting individuals or organizations who speak out on issues of public interest.
The Supreme Court ruled the state’s anti-SLAPP law did not protect media outlets or journalists. Stadelman’s legislation clarifies news organizations should be shielded from retaliatory lawsuits.
“The media shouldn’t have to face these lawsuits for simply doing their job,” said Stadelman. “This measure helps us ensure we are protecting freedom of the press.”
Senate Bill 1181 passed the Senate April 10.
* Rep. Patrick Sheehan…
State Representative Patrick Sheehan is excited to announce that HB1842, his bill to improve how municipalities handle code violations, has passed the Illinois House. This legislation updates the rules for administrative hearings, making the process clearer, faster, and more balanced for everyone involved.
“This bill is about empowering communities and building trust,” said Rep. Sheehan. “By simplifying the process for addressing code violations and ensuring fairness every step of the way, we’re helping municipalities focus on what matters most—serving their residents and improving their neighborhoods.”
Key provisions in HB1842 include:
- Giving hearing officers clear authority to handle code violations.
- Requiring hearing officers to complete formal training to ensure fair and consistent rulings.
- Setting reasonable limits on fines and penalties to protect individual rights.
HB1842 also introduces new safeguards to ensure hearings are conducted transparently and fairly. By streamlining enforcement, municipalities will be able to tackle violations faster all while maintaining trust in the system.
HB1842 will now move on to consideration in the Senate.
A bill led by Senate Republicans that would require schools to expel students if they’ve sexually assaulted another student is blocked from moving in the Illinois Senate.
The proposal originally came from a sexual assault case that happened in a school in Taylorville. […]
The plan received bipartisan support, but the proposal was never sent to a committee by Democratic leadership. […]
[Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield)] also said there is still a chance this plan could be passed later this year. For now, the bill stays in assignments, where it will most likely stay and die until session restarts next year.
The Illinois General Assembly has six weeks left in its session, and soil and water conservation advocates are following several topics of discussion very closely.
This includes Senate Bill 2387, which could be a permanent fix to funding for local offices, according to Eliot Clay, state executive director of the Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
“What this bill would do is assess what we’re calling an AG impact fee on every acre of agricultural land that is taken out of production in Illinois. The fee would be $275 an acre,” Clay said. “After that fee is collected, it would be put into a fund underneath the Department of AG that would be earmarked specifically for operations for soil and water conservation districts moving forward.”
A bill under consideration in the Illinois House may make it difficult for school districts to contract for supplemental bus drivers.
SB1799 has already cleared the Senate.
Under the new bill, if there is a chronic shortage of drivers and emergency supplemental bus services is required for more than 90 days, a contract would require union approval.
School officials fear it could mean no bus service for special education students.
The Palatine Elementary School District, for instance, claimed there are days when up to 20% of their regular bus drivers call in sick, despite recent pay hikes, bonuses, and benefits.
Illinois House members last week unanimously passed a major change to rules on behind-the-wheel road tests for older drivers but the bill still lingers in the Senate.
The legislation raises the age for mandatory driving tests from 79 to 87 and also would allow family members to report unsafe drivers.
Previous reform attempts have withered in Springfield but Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who led the initiative, said he’s cautiously optimistic this time. […]
Giannoulias said he didn’t want to speak too soon, “but I feel we’re in a good place.” […]
State Sen. Ram Villivalam, who sponsored the Senate bill, said he was excited the legislation cleared the House. “I look forward to continuing to work with the secretary of state, AARP and a bipartisan group of colleagues to break down barriers for our seniors and ensure the safety of our residents,” the Chicago Democrat said Friday.
* Rep. Lisa Davis…
On Thursday, state Rep. Lisa Davis, D-Chicago, passed a measure through the House that will improve outcomes for all mothers and babies in the state of Illinois by providing doctors, doulas and other maternal healthcare providers with implicit bias training.
“Our healthcare professionals should listen to patients and do their best to assist them, but oftentimes patients, especially those from certain backgrounds, have serious needs ignored from a place of unconscious bias,” said Davis. “This bill raises the bar for our healthcare workforce and will produce better results for families and communities everywhere.”
Davis’ House Bill 2517 will direct the department that healthcare professionals report to develop and implement a directive that will ensure all maternal healthcare professionals receive training on implicit bias. The bill is intended to address longstanding disparities and outcomes for mothers of marginalized racial groups. For example, there is the Black Maternal Health Crisis. Black mothers are at a higher risk of death, stillbirth and other serious complications during pregnancy when compared to their white counterparts.
House Bill 2517 passed the House with bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
As an attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, now state Sen. Darby Hills, R-Barrington Hills, spent a lot of her time involved with cases dealing with children.
So, within six weeks of replacing former state Sen. Damn McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods, after he resigned in February, she introduced her first bill that would toughen laws against people committing sex crimes against children.
“Protecting children is my passion and my purpose,” Hills said. “A person who records or livestreams a minor for a sexually material purpose will be placed on the (sexual offender) registry.” […]
With her first bill moving from the Criminal Law Committee to the Senate floor earlier this month, Hills said she is adding co-sponsors — she has 12 so far, seven Republicans and five Democrats — and trying to get enough votes to pass it.
* I asked Mark Denzler with the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association to send me his thoughts on what he thinks the state needs to do on the economic development front…
One of only five states with a Gross Domestic Product surpassing $1 trillion a year, Illinois is an economic powerhouse fueled by innovative manufacturers, abundant agricultural resources, a wide array of energy producers, vibrant financial and insurance sectors, dynamic tourism and hospitality, and a strong retail sector. Illinois has numerous advantages that make it attractive for businesses to locate and grow here, including our central location, strong transportation infrastructure, robust higher education system and skilled workforce.
These attributes, and others, helped secure 664 business expansions and relocations last year. This marks tremendous progress from where we were a few short years ago, when our state struggled to pay its bills and had what could only be described as anemic economic development tools.
This didn’t happen by accident. It took the full force of the Governor’s office, working in conjunction with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Intersect Illinois, the General Assembly and businesses groups throughout the state to identify problems and chart solutions. Working together, we’ve established historic incentives to attract a quantum campus, electric vehicle production, reshore microchip manufacturing, foster energy and agricultural innovation. We’ve invested in programs to train employees, implement apprenticeship programs and fill open positions.
Despite these important gains, data shows we are still falling short on several key economic benchmarks. Illinois was the last state to fully recover employment in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and we continue to lag in GDP growth, wages and job creation. These are warning signs that trouble lies ahead unless we take decisive action. Luckily, recent history proves that we can accomplish great things by working collaboratively.
Key areas of opportunity include:
1. Energy: Eliminate the moratorium on new nuclear construction, extend the life of gas plants, invest in transmission infrastructure and encouraging new technology like battery storage. Illinois needs safe, reliable and abundant energy to support emerging industries and technology including quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, data centers, and AI.
2. Education: Create a modern and skilled workforce by continuing to invest in K-12 education, higher education, and Career & Technical Education. Students should be allowed to waive the foreign language course requirements in favor of enrolling in CTE classes. We need to encourage education innovation, such as creating community college classrooms inside businesses.
3. Affordability: Assist families who face challenges finding affordable housing and day care. Creating incentives to build affordable housing and streamline day care permitting so businesses can operate and provide free, onsite day care for their employees.
4. Permitting and Regulatory Reform: Site selectors and businesses often ask how long it will take to put a shovel in the ground. Illinois streamlined many laws during the pandemic such as the One Day in Seven Rest Act, daycare licensing, and truck delivery times only to revert back to burdensome systems. Double down on the successful vetted sites program.
5. Tax Modernization: Create a tax system reflective of today’s society that reduces the crushing burden of property taxes that stunts growth and negatively impacts homeowners. Economists note that the best tax systems are broad-based with low rates.
6. Small Business Relief: For decades, policy makers exempted small businesses from most state mandates, but that is no longer the case. Small businesses that are the backbone of our economy now face costly and cumbersome mandates.
7. Invest in Existing Companies: While attracting new companies is important, we must ensure existing employers stay and grow in Illinois. Revise state incentives to include CapX incentives for small and mid-sized companies who are investing annually in their facilities. Grow technical assistance programs and build supply chains to encourage growth. Programs offered by IMEC, MxD, 1871, P33, Current, and others provide a key strategic advantage for Illinois.
8. Grow Trade: Foster international trade for manufacturers, farmers, and businesses. Illinois is the 4th largest exporting state and 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the United States.
9. Modernize O’Hare Airport: Stop delays and limit cost overruns while creating a modern regional transportation system.
Illinois is now open for business when the doors were previously closed. It’s time to build on our success and double down to make sure that we not only lead the Midwest, but the nation, in economic development and job growth.
Monday, Apr 21, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Ironworkers are essential to Illinois’ clean energy future, bringing unmatched skill and precision to energy storage construction. With major investments in renewable energy from Governor Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly, expertly trained union ironworkers are driving progress—one weld and rebar tie at a time.
On battery storage sites across the state, ironworkers are responsible for installing the structural backbone of these critical facilities. They lay and tie rebar with the highest level of craftsmanship to reinforce foundations capable of supporting massive battery systems. Their precise welding ensures the strength and stability of steel frameworks that protect and support advanced energy storage infrastructure.
These aren’t just construction tasks—they’re high-skill, high-impact jobs performed by union professionals trained to meet the demands of cutting-edge energy projects. As Illinois expands its energy storage capacity to meet the goals of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), ironworkers are not only building physical structures—they’re laying the groundwork for a more sustainable and resilient energy grid.
By prioritizing union labor in renewable energy projects, Illinois is investing in both quality and equity. Our clean energy future is stronger, safer, and more secure thanks to the expert work of union ironworkers who are building it from the ground up.
A former Republican nominee for Illinois attorney general, downstate lawyer Thomas DeVore, should have his law license suspended for 60 days for a series of infractions, including having a sexual relationship with a client whom he represented in challenging Gov. JB Pritzker’s COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, a legal disciplinary hearing board has recommended.
DeVore, who became well-known for spearheading legal fights over pandemic mandates before his unsuccessful 2022 run for attorney general, began dating a married Springfield salon owner shortly after sending letters challenging the pandemic mandates to government agencies on her behalf in May 2020, according to an Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission hearing board report issued Monday.
The two began a sexual relationship sometime that June, though the exact date was disputed in testimony before the board at a December 2024 hearing.
DeVore argued the sexual relationship with Riley Craig began after his initial work for Craig ended and before his work representing her in other legal matters began. But the hearing board found evidence showing “an unbroken continuation of his attorney-client relationship,” including DeVore preparing pleadings in Craig’s divorce case filed by a law firm associate.
The Administrator charged Respondent with violating Rules 1.7(a)(2), 1.8(a), 1.8(j), 3.1, 3.4(c), 4.2, 4.4(a), and 8.4(d) by engaging in a conflict of interest and sexual relationship with a current client, entering into a prohibited business transaction with that client, copying the client on an email disparaging her, bringing frivolous chancery and order of protection proceedings against the client with no substantial purpose other than to embarrass, burden, or delay her, knowingly disobeying the automatic stay in the client’s bankruptcy case, emailing the client twice about her bankruptcy despite knowing she was represented by another attorney in that matter, and being sanctioned by the bankruptcy court for his conduct. The Hearing Board found that Respondent engaged in all of the alleged misconduct except the Rule 3.4 charges and some of the Rule 3.1 and Rule 4.4(a) charges. The Hearing Board recommended a 60-day suspension based on the proven Rule violations, substantial mitigating factors, and absence of aggravating factors.
Monday, Apr 21, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Findings of a recent economic study were clear — the retail sector is a cornerstone of the state’s economy and crucial to our everyday lives. Retail in Illinois directly contributes more than $112 billion in economic investment annually – more than 10 percent of the state’s total Gross Domestic Product.
Retailers like the Boyer family in Quincy enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.
* ICYMI: Illinois could see cuts to services for disabled residents. Our Quad Cities…
- Direct support professionals warn that Gov. Pritzker’s budget proposal would cut over 900,000 hours of care for people with developmental disabilities, leading to reduced services and job losses.
- While the state says the change is about efficiency and includes a 50-cent hourly pay increase, advocates argue that the reduction in hours would have a more significant negative impact.
- The Illinois Department of Human Services says a system exists to fairly distribute the remaining hours.
* WTTW | Segregation, Restraints and Mace: Lawsuit Alleges Mental Illness Met With Punishment in Illinois Prisons: After making an attempt on his life while incarcerated, Irving Madden alleges that an officer transporting him to the hospital joked that he “didn’t do it right.” […] Madden’s allegations are part of a class action lawsuit filed Wednesday claiming the Illinois Department of Corrections has systematically failed to provide adequate mental health treatment to those incarcerated. Uptown People’s Law Center and Equip for Equality filed suit against IDOC Director Latoya Hughes on behalf of the nearly 13,000 people with mental illness in the state’s prisons — approximately 44% of the population.
* Capitol News Illinois | Jones testifies that FBI asked him to wear a wire on hospital CEO, other lawmakers: The senator took the witness stand for a third day Thursday in his trial over alleged bribes he agreed to take from a red-light camera entrepreneur-turned-FBI witness in exchange for limiting legislation he had proposed that worried the red-light camera industry — and lying to agents about it. Not too long into questioning from his own attorney, Jones’ testimony was halted for more than an hour after he named Tim Egan, the CEO of Chicago’s Roseland Hospital in Jones’ South Side District, as someone the feds wanted him to help investigate.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Subscribers know more. Crain’s | Transit agencies launch ad blitz asking riders for backup in Springfield: The Regional Transportation Authority rolled out its Save Transit Now campaign yesterday with ads on radio, television and social media platforms, as well as billboards and signs on trains, buses and transit shelters. Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Pace — which provide rail and bus service in the city and suburbs — face a funding shortfall or “transit cliff” of $771 million a year when federal pandemic-relief funding dries up next year.
* AG Kwame Raoul | Law firms’ capitulation to Trump harms Illinoisans: The capitulation to these unlawful threats inflicts harm on Illinoisans, our judicial system and the rule of law. A just and well-functioning judicial system depends on the willingness of lawyers to take on difficult cases or unpopular clients without retribution by their government. Without that representation, courts will be denied a full presentation of all arguments necessary to resolve a case in an informed and independent manner.
* WBEZ | New medical license pathway for international doctors could alleviate Illinois shortage: Before moving to Chicago from Russia, Dr. Filipp Prikolab had a thriving medical practice. […] He is one of thousands of Illinoisans with an international medical degree. And despite receiving similar training as students at American medical schools and residency programs, the pathway to becoming a licensed doctor for Prikolab and his peers is difficult and can take years. But that’s all changing thanks to a law that went into effect this year in Illinois to make it easier for people like Prikolab to get their state medical license.
* Jim Dey | Ammons on the injured but functional list: Two area Illinois House members — Democrats Carol Ammons of Urbana and Sue Scherer of Decatur — are on the disabled list. Ammons, an Urbana Democrat, is using a wheelchair and crutches to get around because she suffered a torn meniscus, according to office spokesman Grant Chassy. Medical experts say that, like many knee injuries, a meniscus tear is a painful, debilitating and common injury often associated with athletics. The meniscus is described as “a piece of cartilage in your knee that cushions and stabilizes the joint, acting as a shock absorber to protect the bones from wear and tear.”
* NPR Illinois | Former Illinois Ag Director Chuck Hartke has died: A longtime lawmaker and former Illinois Department of Agriculture Director has died. Charles “Chuck” Hartke died Sunday at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. He was 80. A farmer, Hartke was the Agriculture Director from 2003 to 2008. The Department issued a statement Monday that said “his leadership, vision, and commitment to the ag community left a lasting mark on our state.” While at the helm of the agency, Illinois created a statewide veterinary emergency response team to identify and contain animal disease outbreaks. He was also able to increase corporate sponsorship at the Illinois State Fair.
*** Statewide ***
* IDES | Illinois Payroll Jobs Climb to Record High: The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that nonfarm payrolls increased +14,800 (+0.2%) over-the-month to a record high of 6,172,300 in March. The previous record was set in December 2024, with 6,161,000 jobs. Additionally, the February monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report of -6,500 to +900. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.8 percent in March, while the revised unemployment rate was 4.8 percent, unchanged from the preliminary February unemployment rate. The March payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.
* PJ Star | Film and TV productions have spent over $650M in Illinois over the past year. Here’s why: Film and TV producers have spent over $650 million in Illinois over the past year, thanks to a tax credit shepherded by a Peoria-based state representative. Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, who serves as the assistant majority leader in the Illinois House, said in a news release Friday that the recently expanded Film Production Tax Credit helped provide $653 million in film production expenditures and $351 million in estimated wages to the state last year. Gordon-Booth praised the work done by House Democrats in preserving the tax credit and providing front-facing jobs and money to Illinois.
* Chalkbeat Chicago | Glitch with ACT prevented 11,000 Illinois students from finishing the test: The students who could not finish the test on April 8, the first day of testing, have to retake the exam within the testing window, which ends May 2. The testing window between April 8 and May 2 is to ensure students fulfill the state’s graduation and accountability requirements. The hiccup made for a rocky start to the state’s shift back to the ACT as the test required to graduate from high school. Illinois used the ACT for 15 years before switching to the College Board’s SAT in 2016. The problem delayed the start of the exam for thousands of other students. But state education officials and the company that administers the ACT said there have been no issues with testing since April 8.
* Capitol News Illinois | Social Security rescinding its plan to end phone-based filing called a win for Illinois seniors: In Illinois, about 2.3 million people receive some form of Social Security benefits. More than 40% of Illinois residents age 65 or older rely on Social Security for at least half of their income, while around 20% rely on it for at least 90% of their income, according to AARP. The SSA was planning to end phone-based claims as an anti-fraud measure, saying the move would strengthen fraud prevention by forcing individuals to go online or visit local field offices to prove their identities and file for benefits.
* Frank Manzo IV | Project Labor Agreements deliver on policymakers’ promises to taxpayers and workers: With tariffs, market volatility, and mass government layoffs dominating headlines lately, much of our national economic discourse has centered around whether public policies and investments are maximizing value for taxpayers and opportunities for American workers. Here in Illinois, tens of billions of dollars have been invested over recent years to repair and modernize the roads, bridges, buildings, parks, and critical infrastructure that we rely on. These investments offer a great opportunity to assess whether specific policies are delivering.
* Eye On Illinois | How was voter turnout in your local elections?: Perhaps races in your community weren’t decided by fewer people than attend high school football games. Maybe a margin of 122 makes you think “my one vote still wouldn’t have mattered.” But trust these officials understand very well how few citizens actually participate. They’ve conducted public meetings without a single interested spectator or speaker. They know the likely low turnout percentages. As such, they realize they’re directly accountable to the people who do show up, initiate communication and reliably vote. They know those few active citizens can mobilize others to action. Think not in terms of threat or intimidation, but influence and electoral consequence.
*** Chicago ***
* The Triibe | Pritzker, Johnson applaud Peacekeepers violence prevention program as crime drops in Chicago: On Thursday, Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson applauded a new Northwestern University study that found the Peacekeepers Program led to a 41% reduction in victimizations within violence “hotspots” in 2023 to 2024 compared to the previous two-year period. Peacekeeper community areas saw a 31% decrease in shooting victimizations from 2023 to 2024 compared to the previous two-year period, according to the study. Additionally, the study also found that 68% of the conflict mediations conducted by Peacekeepers were “successfully resolved.”
* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson reports bigger fundraising numbers, but so do potential opponents: Mayor Brandon Johnson reported raising nearly $300,000 in the first three months of the year, a sizable chunk of which came from gambling interests that want Chicago to legalize sweepstakes machines, as well as some longtime friends and political allies. The mayor’s political haul means he has about $1.16 million in the bank at the near-halfway point of his first term in office, which is about how much ex-Mayor Lori Lightfoot had at the same juncture, state campaign records show. While Johnson’s fundraising appeared relatively healthy, so too were the efforts of other Chicago politicians, including some potentially eyeing a bid to take on Johnson for mayor in 2027.
* WBEZ | Chicago’s robbery surge is over: From September 2021 to June 2024, almost every month saw a year-over-year robbery increase, a WBEZ analysis of city data has found. Robberies peaked at 1,213 in August 2023. In July of last year, however, the numbers started to plummet. Every month since then has had a double-digit drop in robberies from the previous year. The first three months of 2025 had the fewest robberies of any quarter in decades.
* Block Club Chicago | Bowen HS Science Program Gets $10K From PsiQuantum, A South Works Campus Tenant: The $10,000 donation will purchase virtual reality equipment, robotics, rockets, drones and other technology to “enable hands-on learning” in Bowen’s engineering, math and science classes, PsiQuantum executive Mo Green said. […] PsiQuantum’s donation is about four times the average annual budget for Bowen’s science department, allowing teachers to “go outside the parameters of the budgets they’re normally used to [and] plan something phenomenal for the kids,” principal Priscilla Horton said.
* Block Club | City Sues Englewood Junkyard Property Owner, Mechanic Living On Lots: City officials are “seeking maximum penalties and an injunction” against Paul Cawley, Achadboy Properties, Jerry Bell and Melvin Woods for the vacant lots harboring cars at 7150-52 S. Normal Blvd., a spokesperson for the city’s Law Department said in an email Monday. […] The city’s lawsuit comes days after Block Club Chicago published an investigation on the illegal junkyard in Englewood, highlighting the city’s failure to clear the lots of cars, bikes and boats after nearly a decade of neighbors complaining and Cawley blowing off city fines.
* WBEZ | Chicago street festivals sound alarm on rising costs, including security: The coalition called “Save Our Street Fests,” which went public with its concerns Friday, also includes nonprofit street festivals such as Wicker Park Fest, Northalsted Market Days, Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest and several others. The group says that the cost of producing a street festival in Chicago has “skyrocketed,” from fees for security, entertainment, staffing and insurance to expenses for portable restrooms. At the same time, donations from the public at festival gates have dropped dramatically. Pamela Maass, executive director of the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, said there’s often confusion over how the events are funded and why street festivals ask for a donation at the entrance, while downtown city-run events, like Blues Fest, do not.
* WTTW | Chicago Park District CEO Carlos Ramirez-Rosa on Riot Fest, Homeless Encampments and Top Priorities: On Riot Fest: “For the first time ever, we’re going to do a pre-event walk-through with community advocates. The Park District always does a walk-through with the festival organizers. We’re going to invite the community along so we can have greater accountability, so we can make sure that the event is keeping the park up to the same level that they found it at. The Park District previously created a 10% give-back policy where 10% of the money generated from an event would go back into the local park.”
* Sun-Times | WGN interested in airing Chicago Sports Network broadcasts, confident a deal can work: The sides would have to sort out a lot of details, such as how many games would be included and who would sell advertising for them. Though WGN isn’t positioned to pay a substantial rights fee — the teams would have to treat it as a marketing expense — it could deliver the teams their largest TV audience since they launched CHSN in October.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Tribune | With Cook County Jail’s population again on the rise, officials weigh the reasons: In an internal report obtained by the Tribune via a public records request, the Cook County sheriff’s office found that the average daily jail population has risen by about 12% in recent months, reaching its highest level in eight months at the end of March. The report also found sharp increases in detention for some charge types for which State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has implemented policy changes. […] Sheriff Tom Dart, in an interview with the Tribune, made clear that he supports policies that keep high-risk defendants incarcerated, but said he is concerned about how long inmates remain in jail as court cases move sluggishly through the system.
* Tribune | Bankruptcies at suburban senior homes collectively cost residents millions of dollars in entrance fees: A recent bankruptcy filing by a network of senior living facilities in Illinois and Indiana highlights the financial risk posed to residents who pay large entry fees to continuing care retirement communities, but get limited government protections, senior advocates say. In February, a Lutheran not-for-profit that operates several long-term care facilities — including Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, seeking to continue operations while shedding debt. The latest bankruptcy follows a Chapter 11 filing in 2023 by Schaumburg’s Friendship Village, now called Encore Village. The Oaks at Bartlett also filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and 2019, went into receivership in 2024 and was sold.
* NBC Chicago | Longtime Skokie mayor who fought antisemitism retires, cites Trump worries: After more than 40 years of public service, Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen is packing up his office and embarking on a new adventure: retirement. In an interview with NBC Chicago, he shared the highs and lows of his career, including his work to combat antisemitism and promote tolerance. […] Another tense time came the following year when the Klu Klux Klan came to Skokie. Nowadays, a big challenge has been combating the surge in antisemitism following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. “It’s hard to describe the pain that Jewish people feel. I think for many of us, it was very unexpected,” Van Dusen said.
* Sun-Times | Senate contenders share face time with Cook County Democrats ahead of Durbin decision: Krishnamoorthi spent about 45 minutes shaking hands during a lunchtime break. After a bit of scurrying from reporters, the congressman chose his words carefully. Both Krishnamoorthi and Stratton are widely seen as potential Senate candidates should Durbin decide to retire. But with that decision still not public, the two tried to pay respect to the veteran senator while making sure to schmooze with high-profile Democrats.
* Daily Herald | Lisle trustee candidates separated by single vote, while Queen Bee school board race ends in a tie: The race for the fourth and final available school board seat in Queen Bee Elementary District 16 has ended in a tie, according to results that are technically still unofficial. Merima Biacan and William Staunton each received 895 votes. Marjorie Fierro, the top-vote getter, finished with 1,044. “For most of the people, the race was done on the first or the second of April. For me, it’s still not done,” Biacan said, adding that “it was kind of nerve-wracking to live through this.”
* Daily Herald | Should Cook County dissolve its four suburban mosquito abatement districts?: Some Cook County Board members are requesting closer scrutiny of the mosquito districts following an investigation by the county’s inspector general that resulted in calls for members of the appointed oversight board at one district to resign. “It would seem best to me to consolidate them,” said 12th District County Board Commissioner Bridget Degnen. “I think it’s more a patchwork now and having it consolidated under the county would provide a streamlined approach with consistent services throughout all of Cook County.”
* Tribune | Will County Board approves solar projects near Monee, Peotone: The Will County Board voted Thursday to approve two new solar projects for the south suburbs. The board voted 13 to 9 to approve TurningPoint Energy’s request to build a 3.4-megawatt commercial solar energy facility on about 35 vacant acres near the northeast corner of La Grange Road and West Monee-Manhattan Road in Monee. TurningPoint has been granted special use permits for eight projects in Will County near Crete, Monee, Peotone and Joliet, county documents said.
* Sun-Times | Former Glenwood cemetery worker charged with stealing $100K in funeral fees: Latrecia Marshall-Parris, 48, handled funeral plans and assisted with headstone payments, which often were made in cash, at Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens in south suburban Glenwood, the Cook County sheriff’s office and court documents said. She took cash from families but deposited lesser amounts into the cemetery’s accounts and pocketed the difference, the sheriff’s office alleges. Marshall-Parris is accused of stealing more than $114,200 from 49 payments made between April 2022 and August 2023.
* Sun-Times | Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library launched in Lake County to inspire young readers: The Imagination Library isn’t a brick-and-mortar project but a collaborative. Each month, a high-quality, age-appropriate book is mailed to children’s homes at no cost to participating families. The books are meant to foster early learning skills, help close literacy gaps and promote educational equity, supporters say.
*** Downstate ***
* BND | As he prepares for final meeting, O’Fallon mayor reflects on decades of service: As he looks back on what the city has achieved in eight years, he thanked the city staff and council for working together on growth and concern for tax dollars. “Our staff is second to none. Our council may disagree, but they come together, by and large, to get things done for the residents,” he said.
* WGLT | 2 public forums scheduled on shelter village plan in Bloomington: The City of Bloomington has announced two forums have been scheduled to collect public input on a proposed cabin village to serve the unhoused. An official with Bloomington-based Home Sweet Home Ministries said in February the agency wants to build a 50-bed non-congregant village near Main Street and Oakland Avenue south of downtown to help address the overflow of unhoused residents who are unable to stay in either of Bloomington’s homeless shelters.
* WGLT | McLean County working to become fully ADA compliant online: The McLean County Board heard an update on the effort during its meeting on Thursday, led by Craig Nelson, the county’s chief information officer, and digital media director Dan Leary. The ADA does not specifically address online accessibility, but the Department of Justice published a rule in 2024 setting technical requirements for accessibility on state and local government websites and social media. Earlier this year, the DOJ published a resource document with more information to explain how to maintain compliance that can help avoid lawsuits.
* CBS Chicago | 4 killed when small plane hits powerlines and crashes in central Illinois: The crash occurred at around 10:15 a.m. local time on County Line Road in Trilla, Illinois, about three miles south of Mattoon in Coles County, according to Illinois State Police and the Coles County Sheriff’s Office. Trilla is about 200 miles south of Chicago. The National Transportation Safety Board said a Cessna 180 single-engine plane struck powerlines and crashed into a field.
* PJ Star | How a robot does the heavy lifting marking athletic fields across the Peoria area: There is an artist named Tank whose canvas is a growing number of athletic fields in the Peoria area, painting with machine-like precision. That’s fitting, because it’s a robot. Turf Tank is a programmable robot on four wheels that looks like a tiny tank. Loaded with a reservoir of paint, and guided by computer, it works unsupervised, painting the lines on soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse and other athletic fields.
*** National ***
* AP | Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming, humble style, dies at 88: Bells tolled in church towers across Rome after the announcement, which was read out by Cardinal Kevin Farrell from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” said Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, who takes charge after a pontiff’s death.
* CNN | DHL to suspend global shipments of over $800 to US consumers: DHL blamed the halt on new US customs rules which require formal entry processing on all shipments worth over $800. The minimum had been $2,500 until a change on April 5. DHL said business-to-business shipments would not be suspended but could face delays. Shipments under $800 to either businesses or consumers were not affected by the changes.
* Bloomberg | How Did This Suburb Figure Out Mass Transit?: Brampton, Ontario, is a large industrial suburb of Toronto, indistinguishable from many across North America. Six-lane-wide arterial roads lined with strip malls course through residential developments full of detached single-family homes with garages. The city is also home to many factories and distribution centers — massive warehouses with blank walls surrounded by parking lots. Yet, with a population of about 700,000, Brampton has 226,500 bus riders on an average weekday. Compare that to Orange County, California, with 3.2 million people and 112,000 daily bus riders. Orange County has a similar suburban built form, and its population density in core areas like Santa Ana is higher than that of Brampton. Comparison with other areas is just as stark: Columbus, Ohio, with about 900,000 residents, has only 34,100 bus riders per day; the Pace bus network, serving 5.7 million residents of suburban Chicago, averages 56,900 riders per day.
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