Iowa lawmakers have wrapped up the 2026 legislative session after a marathon weekend at the state Capitol, reaching a long‑awaited agreement on a plan aimed at slowing the growth of property tax rates. […]
The solution, GOP leaders say, is restraining how fast local property tax revenue can grow. Under the new plan, most city and county general levy revenue would be capped at a 2% annual growth rate, with exceptions for certain services. […]
Cities and counties, however, have warned that such caps could lead to cuts in public services, delayed infrastructure projects and reduced economic development efforts. […]
Supporters also emphasize how the cap would operate as property values rise. If valuations increase faster than the allowed revenue growth, tax rates would automatically be reduced to keep collections within the limit. […]
Republican leaders say the Iowa Department of Management estimates the plan could provide more than $4 billion in projected property tax relief over the next six years.
* The Question: Should Illinois consider a plan similar to the Iowa idea of capping city and county levies at 2 percent annual growth? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Both House and Senate lawmakers are back at the Capitol this week, and one of the most politically charged debates on the agenda centers on artificial intelligence regulation.
A looming question: Will the state follow the path set by California and New York, or strike out on its own? […]
In the Senate, negotiations are ongoing around a set of bills that aim to create what insiders are calling a “frontier safety” framework — legislation modeled closely on the approaches already adopted in California and New York. The goal is a regulatory structure that aligns Illinois with other large blue states, potentially creating a de facto national standard. […]
Over in the House, lawmakers are advancing multiple bills simultaneously, with subject matter hearings underway this week. State Reps. Daniel Didech, Maura Hirschauer and Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz are carrying those proposals, which address a range of AI issues, including child safety.
* American Innovators Network Executive Director Jeremy Kudon…
The Illinois General Assembly is currently considering a suite of AI bills that aim to address real concerns around AI safety and consumer protection, but the question isn’t whether to find solutions to these concerns—it’s how to do it without crushing the innovators who drive economic growth. […]
Illinois has a chance to join this sensible path. Aligning with California’s and New York’s models would deliver the same consumer protections without creating unnecessary hurdles. Deviating, however, would turn regulation into a compliance puzzle that only deep-pocketed corporations can solve. […]
As Executive Director of the American Innovators Network, I represent some 30 AI and technology startups — what we call “Little Tech.” These companies aren’t the headline-grabbing giants like Anthropic or Meta; they’re the scrappy innovators building tools that revolutionize healthcare, education, and business. From apps that help kids learn to read to platforms streamlining small-business operations, these companies are the future of American innovation.
But right now, they’re at risk — not from market forces, but from well-intentioned but misguided regulations that could drive them out of Illinois. These “Little Tech” companies rarely have a seat at the policy table, which is why AIN exists — to amplify their voices before it’s too late.
EPIC Counsel Kara Williams testified Monday in support of an Illinois bill that would establish a clear liability framework for chatbot providers.
The bill, H.B. 5044, is based on the liability section of EPIC’s People-First Chatbot Bill. It states that chatbots are products for the purposes of product liability law and establishes that chatbot providers can be held strictly liable for harms their chatbots cause.
“EPIC urges this Committee to advance H.B. 5044 because it is an important step toward accountability for tech companies and justice for people who have suffered severe harm because of these dangerous products,” Williams said in her testimony.
EPIC has supported chatbot bills that include similar provisions in several states and has long advocated for tech accountability.
* HB4557 hasn’t moved in the House yet, but it was heard yesterday in the Judiciary–Civil and Consumer Protection Committee during a subject matter hearing. The synopsis…
Creates the Digital Forgeries in Politics Act. Provides that an individual depicted in a digital forgery who is an Illinois resident and a candidate for office in this State has a cause of action against any person who knowingly distributes, or enters into an agreement with another person to distribute, a digital forgery if: (1) the distribution occurs within 90 days before a regular election; and (2) the distribution is reasonably likely to harm the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate in an election. Sets forth exceptions. Allows a court to issue a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, or permanent injunction ordering the defendant to cease the display or distribution of the digital forgery. Includes additional awards to a prevailing plaintiff.
ACLU of Illinois is opposed to the bill…
The ACLU of Illinois fully recognizes and appreciates the challenges presented by digital forgeries to our democracy and our understanding of shared facts and a shared reality. But the way in which we meet these challenges should not include suppressing constitutionally protected pollical speech. The bill, in its current form, allows a judge to issue a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction ordering the defendant to take down or cease distributing the challenged material – before the presentation of evidence that the material is a “digital forgery.”
The First Amendment rarely allows such preemptive orders against speech because of the risk of suppressing speech that is constitutionally protected. And such injunctions are a powerful weapon in the hands of any candidate who wishes to squelch accurate photos and videos that are unflattering to them simply by claiming they are AI forgeries. The bill would more appropriately protect constitutionally protected speech if it provided for a full adjudication on the merits before restricting access to political speech.
We also are concerned that HB 4557 applies too broadly, subjecting average folks to harsh civil penalties under the bill. A more appropriately tailored bill would apply to the distribution of digital forgeries by the sorts of entities that are regulated under campaign finance laws, such as candidate political committees, political party committees, and political action committees and those acting on their behalf.
And finally, the measure makes no exceptions for satire or parody a potent form of political commentary that is constitutionally exempt from defamation and other speech-based torts.
We continue to communicate with the sponsor and supporters of the bill to express these concerns.
* Press release…
Who: State Representatives Jeff Keicher (Sycamore), Dan Ugaste (Geneva), Jennifer Sanalitro (Hanover Park), and Nicole La Ha (Lemont)
What: As lawmakers consider the megaprojects bill and efforts to provide property tax relief, House Republicans will outline their property tax relief agenda to deliver meaningful assistance to working families across Illinois who need it most.
When: Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Where: Capitol Blueroom
* ACT Now Illinois…
ACT Now Illinois will hold a press conference on Wednesday, May 6 calling out the escalating crisis for Illinois families as proposed state budget cuts threaten to gut critical afterschool and summer programs. Educators and program directors will underscore the real-world impact of Governor Pritzker’s proposal to slash support for Teen REACH, After School Matters and other out-of-school time programming that working parents and kids depend on. They will also lay out the Illinois State Board of Education’s delay in getting already-appropriated funding out the door, cutting grants short by almost 8 months, meaning programs can’t utilize those dollars in a way that meaningfully benefits the communities they serve.
The press conference will also spotlight ACT Now’s ongoing fight against the federal government’s abrupt cancellation of Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grants, which pulled the rug out from under students mid-year and how the Out-of-School Time for All campaign can stop the hemorrhaging.
The message is clear: Illinois families are being left behind, and it’s time for accountability and action.
WHO:
Susan Stanton, Executive Director of ACT Now Illinois
Sen. Graciela Guzmán, Co-sponsor of HB3081
Dr. Lolita Cleveland, Program Manager of Youth Guidance in Chicago
Rebecca Kinsey, Community School Supervisor of Baby Fold in McLean County
Michael Hannan, Program Director from Alternative Schools Network in Chicago
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 6 at 1 p.m.
WHERE:
Blue Room
Illinois State Capitol
Springfield, IL
- HB5362 would appropriate $20 million to the Illinois State Board of Education to fund a grant to ACT Now Illinois to support community schools statewide.
- HB5363 would establish a permanent state grant structure – separate from federal appropriations – issued to ACT Now Illinois through its fiscal sponsor, Metropolitan Family Services, and disbursed to Illinois Community Schools.
- HB3081 would create a statewide OST Advisory Council to strengthen coordination, access and long-term sustainability.
- HB3082 would ensure full state funding for afterschool programming.
A major part of work being done with the Illinois Funeral Directors Association is reviewing bills that come into the Illinois House or Senate to make sure that when they are presented in Springfield the language is correct for not only the funeral service, but the families. President and local funeral home Owner Trevor Davies informs House Bill 4525 has been evolving in legislation:
“House Bill 4525, which is the Human Composting Bill, it is called NOR, Natural Organic Reduction; this is one that did pass the House, but is in the Senate. It is still working on implementation and regulatory details, those are all still evolving. We are just kind of keeping an eye on that and seeing where that goes,” says Davies.
“NOR is something that has been legalized in several states. It is really another form of disposition. We have burial, we have cremation, we have aquamation; you’re placing the body in a vessel and adding organic materials. Those things create a balance of the right environment for natural decomposition. When the process is completed, the family is left to decide what to do with that compost material,” Davies adds.
* More…
*NBC Chicago | New menopause legislation aims to expand coverage, workplace protections in Illinois: If signed into law, the bill would require the Department of Public Health to make educational materials about symptoms and evidence-based treatment options available to the public, and voluntary educational resources available to support clinicians. Fewer than 20% of primary care doctors receive formal training in menopause, according to the nonprofit organization the Menopause Society.
A residential property tax relief provision helped the Chicago Bears’ stadium bill pass the Illinois House last month, but Gov. JB Pritzker’s office says any help for homeowners under the proposal would be “negligible.”
That sends lawmakers back to the drawing board to hammer out so-called megaproject legislation that can keep together a diverse Democratic caucus, and keep the Bears in Illinois.
“We agree in the Senate with the House’s effort to embed property tax relief in the bill, and we are endeavoring to find the best way to do that,” state Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, said Monday en route to Springfield, where lawmakers have until May 31 to reach a consensus. “We want to see if there is a way to make it more significant.” […]
An analysis conducted by Pritzker’s office and shared with legislators found that from a hypothetical $20 million PILOT payment made for a large industrial development, a typical Illinois homeowner would see only $1.29 in relief.
Returns would shrink correspondingly for smaller developments, “resulting in negligible property tax relief for Illinoisans,” the governor’s office concluded.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
At credit unions, the mission‑based philosophy isn’t just a statement; it’s the heart of everything they do.
As Steve Bugg, President/CEO of Great Lakes Credit Union puts it, “[our] Credit Union is really committed and proud of our mission‑based philosophy and people helping people.” That commitment shows up in the programs they offer, the partnerships they build, and the impact they have on the communities they serve.
What truly sets credit unions apart from other financial institutions is the measurable value returned to the community. “When you look at how we set ourselves apart… it’s really what we provide back to the community,” Steve explains. And the numbers tell a powerful story.
Over the past two years, through their foundation, “We’ve kept $40 million in community assets back in that community by helping people with foreclosure intervention and also staying in their home,” he shares.
This is the credit union difference in action: protecting homes, preserving community wealth, and ensuring that people have access to the support they need to stay stable and secure.
Note that Johnson has not been successful so far on his major needs from Springfield — namely, a millionaires tax and nearly $2 billion more in CPS funding. I'm told he'll still be advocating for 'progressive revenue' options. https://t.co/ZW0i7LOEPx
Johnson, along with mayors from Broadview, Fox Lake, Lynwood, Palos Hills, and other leaders representing local municipalities, will be at the state capitol in Springfield on Wednesday, according to the mayor’s office.
The local leaders argue that the loss of money shared with municipalities from the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) would impact essential services they provide their residents. The fund represents a portion of the state’s income tax revenue distributed to local governments.
Mayors across the region said they oppose the proposed reduction of the revenues shared with local governments from 6.47% to 6.28%. That could result in the loss of about $60 million to local governments statewide, according to the mayors.
Chicago specifically would lose around $12.7 million in funding, Johnson’s office said.
* From the governor’s office…
At a time when states are facing fiscal uncertainty driven by the Trump Administration, Governor Pritzker’s FY27 budget holds local governments harmless, maintains the same income tax dollars as last year, and continues record levels of overall support. Since 2019, the Governor has increased revenue sharing with local governments by nearly $1 billion — a 71% increase — and enacted more than $2.5 billion annually in additional ongoing resources through transportation funding, cannabis legalization, video gaming, casino expansion, and other measures. He has also given local municipalities greater authority to adopt local sales taxes without requiring voter referendums and eliminating certain state administrative fees on collections — giving communities greater flexibility and control over their fiscal future.
For fiscal year 2027, the Governor proposes adjusting the diversion percentage of individual income taxes from 6.47 percent to 6.23 percent to hold flat the dollar amount of state income tax diverted to local governments. This change will net the general funds an additional $60 million dollars based on the current fiscal year 2027 individual income tax estimate while sharing the same dollar amount of income taxes with local governments as in fiscal year 2026.
And Page 69-70:
Supporting Illinois’ Local Governments
The operations of local governments are a critical part of the state financial infrastructure. When possible, the State has provided additional funding mechanisms to help local governments, including one-time and permanent revenue supports to minimize the need for local property tax increases or the authorization of financing options to support economic development. Examples of ongoing support, totaling over $2.5 billion annually, enacted since Governor Pritzker took office include:
• An additional $600 million a year in sales and retailers’ occupation taxes (ROT) from the passage of several bills following the Wayfair decision. These changes include the Leveling of the Playing Field for Illinois Retail Act, which ensured compliance with state tax laws on internet sales. Subsequent changes to the Retailers’ Occupation Tax Act ensured that all retailers are subject to ROT and capped the Retailers’ Discount for certain tax returns at $1,000 per month.
• Over $800 million annually in additional motor fuel taxes directed to local governments and transit districts to support needed transportation projects through the passage of Rebuild Illinois.
• Granting $1.5 billion in state transportation bond funds directly to local governments for road and highway project expenditures, saving local governments $110 million annually in debt service costs from not issuing local bonds. An additional $400 million in state transportation aid to local governments in economically distressed communities was included in the fiscal year 2025 final budget.
• Authorization of adult-use cannabis, generating an estimated $100 million in additional revenues for local governments.
• Increased allocations through the Local Government Distributive Fund process totaling $50 million annually from business loophole closures included in PA 102-0016 and PA 104-0006.
• Increased tax rates and positions for video gaming operations expected to generate an additional $80 million a year for local governments.
• Added local revenues from opening new casinos authorized under the Rebuild Illinois plan, including revenues from the Chicago casino licensed in 2023.
• Increasing the percentage of individual income taxes that state government shares with municipalities and counties since 2019.
• Redirecting state sales tax revenue on sales of motor fuel purchases to support local transit districts starting July 1, 2026, under PA 104-0457, the NITA and transit reform bill, estimated to total $788 million in fiscal year 2027.
o This was a component of the $1.5 billion transit funding package outlined in PA 104-0457 to address budgetary shortfalls for regional transit including Chicago transit, Metra commuter and Pace suburban bus services. This transit package shifted certain existing state revenues to support local public transportation systems without a statewide tax increase and provided the framework for local governments to increase locally imposed taxes.
Finally, in the last few years, local governments have seen an increase in the dollar amount of income and sales taxes that state government shares with municipalities, counties, and transit districts due to the removal of the distribution proration that was put into place during the budget impasse. In fiscal year 2027, the income and sales tax revenue the State shares with local governments is expected to total $4 billion. Of this amount, nearly $2.3 billion is estimated to be shared with cities and counties from the State’s income tax collections (via the Local Government Distributive Fund), while $1.7 billion of the State’s sales taxes will be shared with mass transit districts. The income tax revenue sharing equates to a $960 million, or 71.5 percent, increase in annual support since 2019.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
For low-income and uninsured patients—and the nonprofit, safety net hospitals caring for them—rising costs pose significant challenges. Hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are being squeezed by higher costs, which skyrocketed during the pandemic and have not come down since. Among Midwestern hospitals, drug costs climbed 22% between 2022 and 2025, while total expenses grew 10%.
Many of the patients hospitals serve are struggling to make ends meet. They face difficult choices like whether to pay for medication or a utility bill or whether to see a doctor or ignore worrisome symptoms. Hospitals and FQHCs serving low-income communities rely on the federal 340B program to reduce prescription costs for their patients, and to invest in lifesaving services.
Mount Sinai Hospital President Sameer Shah, PharmD, said rising costs lead patients to skip medications, delay refills, stretch pills and delay care. “For safety net hospitals like ours, 340B is really about access,” he said. “It helps keep clinics open, maintain pharmacy access and ensure patients stay on their medications.”
* ICYMI: DOJ seeking Illinois voter data to purge suspected noncitizens, documents suggest. Capitol News Illinois…
- The Trump administration’s lawsuits seeking access to sensitive voter registration data in Illinois and dozens of other states is one part of a broader effort to purge state voter rolls of suspected noncitizens, according to documents filed recently in federal court in Springfield.
- Illinois has refused to hand over an unredacted voter registration list to the DOJ. Instead, it has provided DOJ with electronic copies of partially redacted files that do not include sensitive information.
- Similar suits have already been dismissed in six other states. No court has yet ruled in favor of DOJ’s request for access to the unredacted voter files.
* Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today.
* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Fox Chicago | Marijuana reclassification’s impact on Illinois cannabis businesses: While the biggest changes impact medical marijuana rather than recreational marijuana, experts say increased research could also influence recreational use over time. Companies operating in Illinois say the shift is already making a difference. Verano, with Chicago-area dispensaries like Zen Leaf, say the change allows them to avoid a federal tax rule known as 280E, at least on the medical side of their business. That rule previously prevented cannabis companies from writing off normal business expenses.
* Tribune | Central and southern Illinois residents could face high electricity rates again this summer: In the wake of the MISO capacity auction, Ameren Illinois customers will pay 11 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity supply and distribution costs for the summer months beginning June 1. This rate is lower than last year’s 12.2 cents, which was driven by record supply and distribution costs and a June heat wave. But it remains well above the 4.8 cents seen in 2021.
*** Statewide ***
* Shaw Local | Lawsuit filed in Illinois takes aim at cannabis companies for not warning of mental health risks: A 320-page lawsuit filed Monday takes aim at companies that sell legal marijuana in Illinois and many other states, claiming they have not told customers the possible mental health implications of cannabis use while claiming it has curative effects for other ailments. The suit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois by – among other law firms – those of Pat Kenneally, the Republican former McHenry County state’s attorney, and Jack Franks, a Democratic former Illinois lawmaker and one-term McHenry County Board chairman. Both are now in private practice.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Capitol News Illinois | No ‘April surprise’ in latest revenue report: State revenue growth is on track to meet expectations and there was no “April surprise” from income tax receipts. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability says it is not planning any significant changes to its March revenue projection for the year.
* Crain’s | Springfield gets some breathing room on state budget: Through the first 10 months of the fiscal year, overall general-fund revenue is up 3.8%. That should give lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker some breathing room. Last fall, Pritzker told state agencies to come up with plans to spend 4% less. He proposed a budget of $56 billion for the fiscal year that begins July 1, up about 1.6% from the previous year.
* Center Square | Illinois diversity commission says businesses aren’t cooperating: The problem has dogged the commission for nearly two years. The commission has tried, most often in vain, to acclimate more than 2,000 formerly certified businesses to the new system. But Tracy Sullivan, a consultant who assists businesses with the certification process, said the problem is a combination of difficulty and disillusionment. Getting certified has long been cumbersome, and the software issues have complicated that. “I don’t believe that businesses don’t care about being certified,” Sullivan told The Center Square. “You can only bang your head against the wall so many times before the headache becomes too much.”
* WGN | Political consultant running for governor as independent: Corbett already has a running-mate in Carolyn Schofield, who also ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2022. The duo is already out collecting signatures, “When we’re passing petitions, we get two words in- independent candidate- and they’re grabbing it, trying to sign it. People are desperate for some alternative,” said Corbett. “Republicans have problems, Democrats have problems, and I’ve come to realize there’s really good people in both parties. It’s the system that is broken.”
*** Chicago ***
* Sun-Times | Former Ald. George Cardenas forms exploratory committee to run for mayor, potentially dividing Latino vote: Although he barely gathered enough signatures to survive a petition challenge for the office he now holds, Cardenas said he believes he has the unique mix of experience necessary to tackle Chicago’s vexing problems. “I have business experience. I’m a management consultant. I’m an expert in procurement. I was in the Council for 20 years. I know the bodies. I know what worked… with Mayor [Rahm] Emanuel, what didn’t. I was floor leader for [then-Mayor Lori] Lightfoot. I’ve been there. I have the experience,” Cardenas, 61, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
* Cook County Record | Glock can’t appeal judge’s greenlighting of Chicago’s ‘switches’ suit: Judge:
In the new ruling, Walker also specifically refused to give Glock the same legal path to appeal opened by the Illinois Supreme Court to firearms maker Smith & Wesson, even though the cases center on the same key legal question. Both Glock and Smith & Wesson are facing potentially massive payout demands in lawsuits in which plaintiffs have said they are trying to hold the gun makers liable for the illegal use of their weapons by violent criminals to commit murder and other crimes.
* CBS Chicago | Renters seeking relief as rent spikes across Chicago adds to rising costs: With gas nearing $7 a gallon in some spots and grocery bills steadily increasing, people are closely watching how they spend every dollar. “The rent keeps increasing year to year. It just keeps going up and up and up, and it’s not like you’re getting anything more from it,” said Dustin C. Renters are feeling the pinch and looking for relief. “There’s annual increases of $200 to $300, different spots, you just have to move and find something affordable,” he said.
* Sun-Times | University of Chicago Press workers form union: Out of more than 270 employees at the press, 139 workers are eligible to join the union, which is part of the Chicago News Guild. If all join, it would be the News Guild’s largest unit, according to the Guild. “The university’s financial crisis has tightened spending in several of the press’s departments, slowed hiring and created a sense of uncertainty about the future for many UCP workers,” Adrienne Meyers, senior promotions manager at the press and UCP Workers Guild member, said in an emailed statement. “As of right now, the press has not experienced any layoffs due to the budget, and we hope our union will help protect and secure the stability of our workers.”
* Tribune | Chicago White Sox 1B Munetaka Murakami hits his 14th home run, tied for the MLB lead, in 6-0 win: It was the third time this year the Sox have hit back-to-back home runs, and Murakami has been involved in all three. Murakami, Vargas and Colson Montgomery hit three home runs in a row on April 21 at Arizona. Murakami and Montgomery went back-to-back on April 27 against the Angels at Rate Field. Monday was more of the same from Murakami, who added his first career double in the sixth and a single in the eighth.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Sun-Times | Remaining ‘Broadview Six’ defendants move to disclose grand jury transcripts, drop conspiracy charges: Defense attorneys laid out three possibilities for what the unredacted transcripts could include: The assistant U.S. attorney either “mis-instructed” the grand jury on the law; failed to instruct the grand jury on the law at all; or there were other interactions between the assistant U.S. attorney and the grand jury that are “otherwise improper or prejudicial.”
* Daily Herald | Siren fatigue? Elgin changes weather alert protocol after fielding complaints during storms: Instead of activating sirens multiple times for each NWS warning box, the city is limiting it to single alert as storms move across its 38 square miles. “We’re looking at this manual activation as a temporary situation,” said Fire Chief Robb Cagann. “I don’t think we need to set the alarms off three times when a storm moves across the city.” The most severe thunderstorms, he added, can have greater impact than an EF 0 tornado, which is why sirens are activated in those conditions.
* Tribune | Evanston’s prolific horror novelist Daniel Kraus wins Pulitzer for fiction: The Pulitzer committee described Kraus’s novel as “a breathless novel of World War I, a stylistic tour-de-force that blends such genres as allegory, magical realism and science fiction into a cohesive whole, told in a single sentence,” but it is much more likely to be categorized as horror. Kraus has written and co-written a remarkable 31 books since 2009, including graphic novels and young-adult stories, two “Night of the Living Dead” books, and a pair of novels with del Toro (including “The Shape of Water,” the film version of which won the 2018 Academy Award for best picture). In general, though, Kraus’s books have been mainstays on horror shelves for years.
*** Downstate ***
* WMBD | Tentative agreement reached between ISU and striking workers: Anders Lindall, a spokesperson for AFSCME Council 31, the statewide group that covers all the locals within Illinois, said that after meeting with a federal mediator for several hours on Monday, the agreement was hammered late Monday. Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed. Local 1110 which represents more than 300 buildings, dining and food service workers will meet later to review and possibly vote on the tentative agreement at ratification meetings.
* STLPR | Southern Illinois clinics ‘back to status quo’ for now as court halts abortion pill ban: “Luckily, we did not have to immediately change or cease operations since we did not have telehealth medication abortion visits scheduled on Saturday,” said Caitlin Lloyd, CHOICES communications and outreach lead, in an email. She said officials at the organization, which also operates a clinic in Memphis, are keeping their eyes peeled for new developments from the Supreme Court.
* Illinois Times | Developer pledges $65 million annually to Logan County: About 100 people, almost all of them opposed to Hut 8’s proposed 500-megawatt, $5 billion Logan Prairie Data Center to be built on about 250 acres of farm ground near Latham, attended the meeting in the rotunda of the county courthouse in Lincoln. The board called the meeting to discuss requests from the public to extend a 60-day moratorium on accepting data center applications after the moratorium expired in late April. Many attendees indicated they were upset when the board voted unanimously to postpone consideration of a moratorium extension until the board’s Zoning and Economic Development Committee discusses the matter. The committee will meet on the issue at 6 p.m. May 13 at the Oasis Senior Center, 2810 Woodlawn Road, Lincoln.
* WCIA | Danville Alderwoman expected to announce mayoral campaign: Tricia Teague, an Alderwoman for Ward 4, is expected to make the announcement at Soar Space Business Center, located inside Towne Centre/Riverfront Plaza, at 6 p.m. […] Previously, WCIA reported that Frank McCullough announced plans to run for mayor. McCullough runs Three Kings of Peace with Alderman Ed Butler.
* WGLT | Bloomington-Normal sees gas prices surge 60 cents in one week: The fuel cost tracker Gas Buddy said the average cost of regular unleaded in McLean County is $4.82 per gallon, up from $4.20 last week. Gas Buddy lead analyst Patrick De Haan said the spike in the Great Lakes region is driven by refinery outages in combination with the ongoing war in Iran.
* 25News Now | Sen. Dick Durbin highlights Amtrak successes during visit to Normal: Normal’s Uptown Station is the second busiest Amtrak station in Illinois. with Chicago’s Union Station the busiest. Durbin, who is retiring at the end of his term, also said expanded rail service is critical for the community, especially for students traveling to colleges and universities across central and downstate Illinois.
