* ICYMI: Gov. JB Pritzker’s multiunit housing plans for Illinois stall in Springfield’s spring session. Tribune…

- Faced with concerns about usurping local control of zoning issues related to housing, the governor’s office and its allies this weekend punted on the plans, which were among the governor’s most ambitious policy proposals this year, after they couldn’t round up the necessary support among lawmakers.
- Throughout the session, Pritzker’s proposals faced scrutiny from cities and towns whose leaders were deeply concerned about the idea of four- or six-flat buildings going up on quiet cul-de-sacs or accessory dwelling units in backyards statewide, as well as the broader prospect of giving up any local control on zoning.
- Despite the housing package being presented in a year when Democrats have sought to prove they’re the party of affordability ahead of the November midterm elections, Pritzker indicated he didn’t see its failure as a political liability. The plan showed voters his priorities, he suggested, even if they couldn’t be enacted.

* Related stories…

• Crain’s: Pritzker’s homebuilding reform package fizzles amid fear it would usurp local control
• Evanston Now: Lawmakers punt on housing
• NBC Chicago: Illinois lawmakers pass budget but punt on Bears stadium, BUILD Act

* Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* CNI: Schools to get funding increase, but less than some had urged: Illinois lawmakers passed a budget Monday morning that includes a full $350 million increase in Evidence-Based Funding for public schools, money earmarked specifically for the neediest school districts in the state. That includes a restoration of the $47 million for property tax relief grants called for in the formula that lawmakers passed in 2017 — a program that lawmakers paused in this year’s budget and that Gov. JB Pritzker had recommended not funding again in the upcoming fiscal year.

* Sun-Times | New transit law takes effect as CTA, Metra, Pace enter new era: The retirement of the Regional Transportation Authority began Monday as its board was granted new powers by the landmark Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act, which took effect. The first act of the board — which will retain the RTA name until Sept. 1 when NITA board members are seated — was to buoy CTA, Metra and Pace with a quarter-percent sales tax increase. The RTA sales tax hike, which takes effect Aug. 1, increases public transit funding by $200 million this year and more than $500 million next year. It applies to the six-county area around Chicago.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Business Insider | A data center opponent was arrested after police said he threatened a local official: The Dixon Police Department said on Thursday that Delander was charged with two felonies, intimidation and stalking, after it received information about his communication with the former lawmaker. The department alleged that Delander “knowingly and willfully communicated threats and engaged in a course of conduct that caused concern for the safety of Demmer and his family.”In an interview with Business Insider, Delander said he started organizing a protest on Facebook on Wednesday that would take place near Demmer’s house, using an address he found on the internet. He also said he sent an email to the former representative asking him to recuse himself from his position, along with the wording “if you know what’s good for you and your family.” Business Insider did not review the email.

* Sun-Times | Illinois lawmakers delay credit card swipe fee law: “For the second year in a row, Illinois lawmakers chose to protect the bottom line of big banks, credit card companies and payment processors over ensuring meaningful financial relief for consumers, neighborhood retailers, restaurants and bars,” Rob Karr, CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, said in a statement. “At a time when lawmakers claim to be focused on improving affordability and supporting community businesses, this action stands in sharp contrast to their words,” Karr said.

* Tribune | How the Chicago Bears’ stadium deal collapsed in Springfield — an echo of the 1988 White Sox drama: Based on interviews with negotiators, participants cited a factionalized Bears’ leadership structure that was naive to the political game and found itself undercutting any political progress as it sought to leverage more public funding support. Additionally, the late arrival of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in early May to Springfield created a distraction from negotiating a stadium deal for the Bears in Arlington Heights as Johnson insisted that the city’s previously rejected 2024 lakefront plan, south of the Soldier Field home that the Bears have used since 1971, be reintroduced to the talks.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Housing program to give eligible Chicagoans up to $70,000 toward down payment: The program will launch June 8, and it’s expected to aid between 300 to 400 buyers, depending on the size of each grant awarded. […] The $21 million program is funded by Johnson’s $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond that was approved by the City Council in 2024. Durham said it’s a one-time funding effort for HomeGrown, but the city may revisit the program if it proves successful.

* WTTW | CPD Officer Who Punched Teen in 2019 Incident Won’t Be Fired: Records: While Bryant committed misconduct during the incident, his actions were “not so egregious as to warrant separation,” Snelling told the head of the agency tasked with investigating police misconduct better known as COPA in an April 8, 2024, letter. While COPA leaders could have asked the Chicago Police Board to resolve the dispute over whether Bryant should be terminated or suspended for 25 days, Chief Administrator LaKenya White agreed to accept Snelling’s recommendation of discipline and close the probe on May 13, records show.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | After being rejected in Naperville, company could build data center in Hoffman Estates: Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod announced at his state of the village address in February 2025 that Florida-based Karis Critical had bought the property at Higgins Road and Route 59 with an interest in developing the village’s third data center campus. Now doing business as H.E. Holdings LLC, the property owner is currently only asking for a rezoning from the vacant site’s commercial mixed-use and traditional neighborhood classifications to manufacturing.

* Crain’s | West Suburban remains in current CEO’s hands after ruling in legal fight over closed hospital: Patlola is the owner of the properties on which the Oak Park hospital and Weiss Memorial sit. As Prasad’s business partner, he also owns 40% of Resilience Healthcare, while Prasad owns the controlling 60%. Patlola is also seeking another healthcare entity to buy the Resilience business and permanently take over operations of one or both of hospitals. He has spoken with Insight Health, the management company that stepped in to buy Mercy Hospital in Bronzeville for $1 when it faced closure by Trinity Health in 2021. In the emergency ruling, Stanton said Patlola, and his property company Ramco, failed to meet the burden of proof on several claims it laid out against Resilience.

* Daily Herald | Police investigating unauthorized financial activity in Des Plaines School District 62: Des Plaines police and a fraud team from the district’s bank is investigating. The investigation is in the “very early stages,“ police Cmdr. Matt Bowler said. The school board met in a closed-door session Friday night to discuss the issue. The board took no action in open session after that discussion, a district spokeswoman said.

* Daily Herald | ‘Clearly a fumble’: Arlington Heights mayor calls out state lawmakers over lack of Bears deal: “Although we recognize that these discussions are complex and involve many stakeholders, this is clearly a fumble for the state of Illinois,” Tinaglia said in a written statement released by the village. “My commitment to the residents and businesses of Arlington Heights is unwavering, and we will continue to represent the interests of our community as future opportunities and next steps are considered.” In a follow-up interview, Tinaglia said, “The ball is squarely in the Bears’ hands” for what comes next.

* Crain’s | Hawthorne Race Course property marketed as industrial redevelopment play: Hilco and Province are seeking a so-called going-concern buyer to revive the gambling operation, leveraging the track’s gaming and racing entitlements and the rights tied to a potential new casino development. While the horse-racing industry statewide has been dying for years, Hawthorne could provide a path for an investor looking to bet on the future of Illinois’ already massive gambling sector. But Hawthorne’s sprawling property may have more eager suitors from the commercial property sector. The site near Interstate 55 — one of the most sought-after corridors for years among warehouse developers — is “one of the largest infill development parcels remaining anywhere in the Chicagoland area,” Hilco said in a statement. The property is zoned today for heavy industrial uses.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Bloomington residents put questions on data centers, grocery tax, international weapons to Nov. vote: A group of more than 100 City of Bloomington Township residents unanimously expressed their desire for a moratorium on large-scale data centers Monday night, and voted overwhelmingly to ask that Bloomington’s 1% grocery tax be repealed. The pair of issues — along with a measure to ban the transfer of weapons to a “dictatorship, apartheid state, or major violator of human rights” — were agenda items at a special township meeting.

* WGLT | Normal council votes to ban sale or distribution of kratom: The ordinance, which was unanimously approved, will take effect July 15, giving retailers lead-in time. Violators will be subject to a fine of between $100 and $750 per day. The ordinance also allows the city manager to suspend or revoke a violator’s business license. The measure does not make possession of the substance against the law, a distinction noted by council member Karyn Smith.