* Subscribers know more. ICYMI: Illinois Senate slows down rush to pass Bears stadium bill. WGN…

- The Illinois Senate’s lead sponsor of the Bears megaproject legislation said Tuesday the upper chamber is in no rush to pass the bill that cleared the House last week. “We’re going to take our time with this,” said Sen. Bill Cunningham.
- Yesterday, Gov. Pritzker again called for a quick resolution on the bill saying the state has to be “competitive. We want to make sure that the Bears see Illinois as the best alternative for them and that they have something that they can make a decision about that’s in front of them.”
- Sen. Cunningham said he’s hopeful the Senate can act before the end of the May 31 spring session.

* Related stories…

• Sun-Times: Chicago Bears or ‘Hammond Hams’? Amid escalating rhetoric, Hoosiers hold out hope for new stadium
• ABC Chicago: Governor JB Pritzker says he wants Bears stadium deal done ‘as fast as possible’
• Tribune: Gov. JB Pritzker says Chicago Bears stadium bill ‘within the framework’ of deal the team would accept

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* At 10:30 am, Gov. JB Pritzker will announce a new business deal and innovative workforce development initiative during National Apprenticeship week. Click here to watch.

* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker pushes Illinois watchdog to speed up investigation into Rep. Harry Benton: At an unrelated event on Tuesday, Pritzker said he “would like the LIG to work faster” in the Benton case. “This thing has been going on for months now. We should already have had some kind of report to the leadership, and there should already have been some action,” the governor said. “That should happen truly soon … so that we know how, I think the voters want to know how to proceed. I think that the legislature wants to know how to proceed. And obviously, you know, someone who’s been accused, you know, deserves due process, but I think this is taking longer than anybody expected.”

* Sun-Times | Cuts to SNAP food assistance starting this week worry grocers, local vendors: “When we talk about what has happened because of the decrease in SNAP benefits, we also understand that there’s a ripple effect that will happen, not just to the big [stores] but to the little guy,” Winston said on Monday. “The little guy is the one who’s fighting for community. The little guy is the one who stays here no matter what the margins are.” Illinois officials have estimated that about 150,000 individuals will lose benefits starting in May, unless they successfully apply for an exemption or show proof of volunteering or working 80 hours per month. The expanded work rules, which now include 55- to 64-year-olds along with parents whose youngest child is 14 years or older, went into effect in February and stem from President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax bill that passed last year.

* Tribune | Illinois farmers hope Supreme Court protects state safeguards in Roundup cancer case: In Illinois — the nation’s leading soybean producer and a top corn producer — glyphosate is heavily used to boost crop yields. But critics say widespread reliance comes with health and environmental risks, as long-term exposure has been linked to cancer and other chronic diseases. “All of the stuff I sprayed, a lot of it’s carcinogenic, and I probably breathed some of that in,” Wilken said. “It was a risk I took. But as an organic farmer now, I wish that I would have gotten wise to this earlier.” […] Illinois joined 18 states defending consumers’ ability to file lawsuits in state courts against pesticide manufacturers for not including warning labels on products. Fifteen other states, including Iowa and Missouri, filed a brief emphasizing the importance of preserving access to affordable glyphosate.

*** Statehouse News ***

* NBC | Video: Comey indictment shows Trump is ‘weaponizing’ DOJ against his ‘political enemies’: Gov. Pritzker: Governor JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) joins Meet the Press NOW to react to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. Pritzker also discusses the recently formed commission in Illinois to investigate last year’s federal immigration crackdown in Chicago.

* WTTW | Illinois Lawmakers Discuss Budget, Policy Before End of Spring Session: State Reps. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) and Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) joined “Chicago Tonight” to discuss ongoing budget and policy negotiations. […] McCombie: “To be a ‘maintenance budget’ it would be a flat budget, and this had $728 million in proposed increases. … You can’t keep doing this every year as you’re the governor and not expect increased spending.” Buckner: “I’ve heard many of my colleagues say this is a ballooning budget, but the truth is a balloon floats away when it has no anchor. … (This budget is) anchored in schools, anchored in healthcare, anchored in pensions, public safety, human services.”

* TIME | JB Pritzker May Be Running for More Than Governor: As she prepared to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, MK Pritzker, the governor’s wife, considered what she thought of her husband’s running for a third term. Her shoulders sank. “‘Oh jeez.’ That was my response,” she says. “If the national landscape was a little bit different, maybe he wouldn’t have run, but he’s in a strong position to continue the fight.” Those close to Pritzker say his decision on whether to run for President will hinge on conversations with his wife and two college-age children. The governor insists he is undecided. There’s “not some plan of what’s going to happen in the future,” he says.

*** Chicago ***

* ABC Chicago | Chicago Mayor Johnson answers wide range of questions as part of ABC7 town hall: The mayor expressed disappointment that the Illinois House declined to take up the so-called millionaires tax that Johnson had supported. “I’m going to continue to work with the speaker of the House. I’m glad that I have his support and many members of the General Assembly to ensure that whether it’s a millionaires tax, whether it’s, you know, a digital ad tax, whether it’s a progressive income tax, we cannot continue to balance budgets off the backs of working people,” Johnson said.

* WGN | What court transcript shows about hearing that released alleged cop killer in previous case: The judge noted prosecutors’ objections to releasing Talley on electronic monitoring and their concern that the community’s safety couldn’t be guaranteed if he was released. A prosecutor told the judge the charges Talley was facing in that case were detainable under the Pre-Trial Fairness Act. “The mere fact that he has four pending cases is egregious in and of itself, and it may in certain instances shock the conscious,” Lyke said during the hearing, while also noting Talley has been in trouble with the law since he was roughly 12 years old.

* Sun-Times | White Sox loving Munetaka Murakami’s home-run bonanza, but they’re striving for balance on offense: But to stay close in the bunched-up American League Central, the Sox likely will need to diversify an offense that has generated more than half its runs via the long ball early in the season, according to Baseball Prospectus. The Sox have 38 homers (tied for seventh in the majors) and 126 runs scored (19th). Manager Will Venable said the Sox are proving that when they’re executing, they can score however they need to. In modern baseball, that includes a healthy dose of dingers.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | BEDS Plus withdraws proposal for apartments for chronically homeless people in Alsip: Opposition for the proposal expressed during a public hearing last month at the Alsip-Merrionette Park Library led the southwest suburban nonprofit focused on housing and supporting chronically homeless people to reconsider its plans to purchase and construct two 3-story apartment buildings at 12147 S. Cicero Ave, BEDS Plus Executive Director Tina Rounds said. “What’s the point of a public process if you don’t listen to people?” Rounds said Tuesday. While Rounds said she thinks the organization adequately addressed concerns raised about how the supportive housing facility would operate, she said she wanted to incorporate residents’ feedback on parking and housing density. She said zoning plans included fewer than two parking spaces per unit, as chronically homeless people often don’t own their own vehicles.

* Sun-Times | Ex-Park City police officer charged with assaulting woman during traffic stops: The department was notified of the allegations in late January that he “had acted unprofessionally and possibly engaged in criminal conduct while on duty on more than one occasion” over several weeks with a woman during traffic stops, according to the statement. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board waived him from training to be reactivated as an officer in September.

* Daily Herald | Judson University faces backlash over ‘Democracy Award’ to sanctioned Bosnian leader: On Thursday, the private Baptist university in Elgin plans to give Milorad Dodik its first “Leadership and Standing Up for Democracy Award” during a World Leaders Forum event. But Jedna BiH Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based organization of expatriates dedicated to preserving the unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is asking Judson to rescind the award and cancel the event. The group says Dodik was charged with violating a law that prohibits denying the July 1995 Srebrenica genocide, in which about 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed when a United Nations-designated safe zone was overtaken by Bosnian Serbs during a civil war.

* Daily Herald | ‘Still loyal to you, Elgin High:’ Chicago mayor named to school’s Hall of Fame: “The last time a principal talked so long about me, I was about to get suspended,” he joked after EHS Principal Avelira Rodriguez-Gonzalez introduced him. Rodriguez-Gonzalez said it was important for today’s students, especially those of color, to know that one of them grew up to become a significant leader. It will inspire them, she said. “His journey from student to public servant and leader of one of the nation’s great cities is a testament to perseverance, purpose, and the power of public education. It shows that the path from Elgin High School can lead anywhere, even to the highest levels of leadership,” she said.

* Daily Herald | Story of resilience continues with annual return of piping plover to Waukegan: Last year, Pepper and his mate, Blaze, who winters about 750 miles away near Wilmington, North Carolina, arrived separately May 6 within a few feet of their 2025 nesting spot. Semel, Carolyn Lueck, president of the Lake County Audubon Society, and volunteers with Sharing Our Shore — Waukegan are on alert with fingers crossed waiting for Blaze. They’re also on the lookout for two male and two female piping plovers nurtured in captivity and released last summer.

* Naperville Sun | Naperville robotics teams compete this week at FIRST World Championship: “The last three to four years have been a real turning point for the team,” said Brian Bellot, coach for the Roaring Robotics, noting that the team has worked on developing a “can-do attitude.” Twenty-seven students from 14 different school districts make up the team. Founded in 1989, FIRST is an international organization that aims to inspire students to develop an interest in technology and engineering and prepare them for a career in those fields. FIRST runs a number of engineering competition leagues, including the FIRST Robotics Competition, which is the program in which both the Huskie Robotics and the Roaring Robotics compete. The FIRST Robotics Competition is one of the largest youth contests of its kind, with the championship bringing together about 600 teams from around the world.

*** Downstate ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Striking Illinois State University staff frustrated over lack of negotiations: A group of striking workers traveled to the Capitol in Springfield Tuesday to call attention to their strike, which has become an issue in the governor’s race. “Without us, I know they’re not getting the quality of cleaning they deserve,” building service worker Sue Perry told reporters at a news conference in Springfield. Little progress has been made in negotiations since January, according to Renee Nestler, AFSCME’s staff representative. That’s when the university put forward its latest offer, which it also says is its final offer.

* WICS | Douglas County to lose only behavioral health provider: “For lots of years we’ve navigated raising operational costs, workforce shortage, its been really difficult to fund our services, fund our staff and hire staff who want to work in rural communities. Reimbursement rates haven’t kept up with the true cost of care,” said Lauren Christina, RISE Behavioral Health Executive Director. […] RISE serves about 350 clients, seeing roughly 35 people a day, ranging from young children to seniors. As the closure approaches, staff are working one-on-one with each client to ensure continuity of care and prevent anyone from falling through the cracks.

* IPM | Springfield FBI starts sweep in Danville, says it is not immigration-related: The arrival of federal agents in Champaign this weekend fueled fears of a major immigration crackdown. The Springfield FBI clarified Monday that there are agents in town, along with federal drug and law enforcement agencies, and that they are not doing immigration enforcement.

* NPR Illinois | Ribbon cutting for SCHEELS Sports Park in Springfield: Spanning over 70 acres with eight outdoor fields and the largest air-supported sports dome in the world, the facility on Springfield’s south side, at Legacy Pointe near Interstate 72, can play host to both local teams and travel clubs. “Over the past six months, we’ve had over 55 different events, hosting over 40,000 athletes from 38 states and two separate countries,” said Brandon Doherty, the general manager of the site. Local colleges, Special Olympics, local recreational clubs and others have also played at the park. Participants have competed in baseball, softball, soccer, gymnastics, archery and more.

* KHQA | Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois’ Quincy office closes it’s doors, moving all of their employees fully remote: The company tells us they’re quote “consolidating their physical footprint” after continuously evaluating their workforce and business operations, and ensuring they’re effective and productive as they meet the challenges of an evolving health care industry.

* WGLT | Illinois State Athletics discontinues men’s tennis, effective immediately: The announcement came after the team’s season ended April 24 at the Summit League Championships. The team finished the 2026 season with a 9-14 record and exited in the semifinals for the third consecutive year. Because the program will end in the spring semester, current student-athletes will have an opportunity to consider the transfer portal, which opens May 4. Five of the eight roster members are seniors.

*** National ***

* Crain’s | Rivian is challenging franchise laws. Here’s what it means for EV direct sales: Electric vehicle makers are escalating their fight to sell directly to U.S. consumers, using ballot threats and new legal strategies to challenge dealer franchise laws. Rivian, saying it believes the public is on its side, won a dealer license in Washington state in March after its threat to fund a ballot initiative sparked a legislative compromise with dealers. It’s also pursuing direct sales in other states’ courts.

* NPR | Supreme Court weighs Trump’s effort to end temporary protected status for Haitians, Syrians: President Trump could move forward with mass deportations of people who have been living legally in the U.S., many of them for more than a decade, if he prevails in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday. At issue is the temporary protected status program, which permits eligible individuals to live and work in the United States if they cannot return to their home countries because of natural disasters, armed conflicts and other “extraordinary or temporary conditions.” Congress enacted the TPS program in 1990 to establish criteria for selecting, processing and registering people fleeing such turmoil.