* ICYMI: 7th Circuit upholds ex-Speaker Madigan’s conviction of bribery, other corruption. Capitol News Illinois…

- A federal appeals court upheld the 10 guilty verdicts that sent former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to prison, finding no errors in the way the jury was instructed or the evidence the government used to prosecute the influential Democrat during his lengthy bribery trial.
- “Madigan insists that this was run-of-the-mill politics,” Judge Michael Scudder, an appointee of President Donald Trump wrote for the panel. “But a jury of twelve Illinois residents saw the evidence differently. So do we.”
- The quick decision, which comes just 16 days after the court heard arguments in the case, means Madigan will have to serve out his 7½-year prison sentence barring a successful petition to the U.S. Supreme Court or a pardon or commutation from the White House.

* Related stories…

• Sun-Times: Federal appeals court upholds ex-Speaker Michael Madigan’s corruption conviction: ‘Not politics as usual’
• Tribune: Appeals court upholds corruption conviction of ex-Speaker Michael Madigan, calls evidence ‘overwhelming’
• WTTW: Appeals Court Upholds Michael Madigan Verdict; House Speaker Will Remain in Prison on Corruption Convictions

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* At 1 pm, Governor Pritzker will deliver remarks at the SCHEELS Sports Park Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Click here to watch.

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

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Pritzker’s accountability panel unveils ‘reckoning’ of feds’ actions during Operation Midway Blitz: The commission — which doesn’t have subpoena or prosecutorial power — has spent months gathering testimony and reviewing body camera footage, bystander videos, law enforcement records, news reports and court filings, said the commission’s vice chair, Patricia Brown Holmes. “We built a record of evidence that you, the public, can now judge for yourselves,” said Holmes, who called the commission’s work a “reckoning.”

* WGLT | Illinois State University sticking to final offer in AFSCME strike negotiations: “We really want to have a settlement and get people back to work for the benefit of our students, our faculty and those workers themselves, and so we’re hopeful that parties can get back to the table,” said ISU vice president of finance and planning Glen Nelson in an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas. Nelson acknowledged there has been no movement between the university and striking workers since the last bargaining session on April 15. In the meeting nearly two weeks ago, the university had not altered its final deal.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | ‘It’s not for her’: DHS dedicated Midway Blitz in her name. Her mother says she would have hated it: “Katie would have hated it, and she would have hated having her name continuing to be used by politicians, publicly and on social media,” Lorence told commissioners. “The Trump administration preyed on her name and used it in a vile way.” Abraham’s father, Joe Abraham, has been supportive of President Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign, appearing beside the president as he promoted his domestic agenda in the White House last June.

* WGLT | Illinois Supreme Court expands temporary licenses to ease legal deserts: The change to Supreme Court Rule 711 allows graduates to retain conditional licenses if they don’t pass the bar on the first try. A temporary 711 license can be issued to law students who have completed at least half the required credits and law grads signed up for the bar exam, enabling them to practice under the supervision of a licensed attorney working in a legal aid organization, clinic or government office.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Aldermen press Johnson administration over new budget consulting contract, revenue projections: City revenues are “tracking very closely to budget” so far this year, Budget Director Annette Guzmán told aldermen. But the news of an as-expected performance did little to win over aldermen still doubtful that the administration will fully implement the policies they passed to balance the city’s budget. And aldermen took particular issue Monday with the revelation that Guzmán’s Office of Budget and Management had entered last month into a two-year, $6.7 million contract with consulting firm Ernst & Young. “I think that there are a lot of unanswered questions,” Ald. Samantha Nugent, 39th, said after the meeting.

* Tribune | ‘May 1 is happening.’ What to know about the CPS and teachers union May Day debate: May 1 is a national day of action, a day for workers to mobilize and gather to advocate for workers’ rights. In the past, rallies and events have been held across Chicago to commemorate the day. This year, a “no work, no school and no shopping” action is being encouraged as a protest to the administration of President Donald Trump while advocating for immigrant and labor rights. Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union have sparred in recent weeks over whether the district will cancel classes on May 1 to participate in the “no work, no school and no shopping” action. Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former CTU organizer, also weighed in, saying “May 1 is happening.” After CEO Macquline King rejected an initial request from the teachers union, an agreement was later reached that allows staff and students to attend rallies.

* Tribune | Here’s how officials want to spend new transit funding this year: The largest single expenditure in the budget amendment is $20 million for Chicago Police Department staffing on the CTA. An additional $10 million is going to canine security guard staffing, for which the CTA contracts privately. Metra, which has its own police department, is getting more police as well, to the tune of $3.8 million.

* CBS Chicago | CTA derailment and disruptions raise infrastructure funding concerns: “There are these significant infrastructure-related issues that come back to not only affect these types of incidents, but also day-to-day travel,” said P.S. Sriraj, director of the Urban Transportation Center at the University of Illinois Chicago. Sriraj said those infrastructure issues need to be addressed. “When you have an asset category that has not been maintained for a number of years, it is going to start falling into disrepair,” he said.

* Sun-Times | White Sox rally past Angels with 7-run 7th, highlighted by Murakami Munetaka’s MLB-leading 12th homer: An announced crowd of 10,193 — and 821 dogs on Dog Day — whittled down to perhaps several hundred after the game, scheduled for 6:40 p.m., was delayed by an inbound storm. But those who stuck around were treated to the Sox’ highest-scoring inning since July 30, when they also scored seven against the Phillies. Trailing 5-1, the Sox sent 10 batters to the plate, two of whom homered back-to-back — Munetaka Murakami, whose towering three-run homer to right field put the Sox up 7-5, and Miguel Vargas. It was the second time this season the Sox hit consecutive homers.

* Block Club | Holiday Club Is Closing May 17 After 25 Years In Uptown: The impending closure prompted dozens of people dressed in black to gather on the corner of Irving Park and Sheridan roads on April 18, where they set up a memorial of sorts with a framed picture of Holiday Club, candles, flowers and beer cans.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Nature | Academics demand apology for scientist investigated for China ties but never charged: After the investigation was closed, Northwestern allegedly “cut her salary for lack of funding of her research during the NIH investigation, raised new requirements she had to meet to restore her funded status, gave her only a limited chance to meet them, and refused to assign back to her a prior grant that had been taken away from her but was still active”. The university informed Wu in May 2024 that it would close her laboratory for good that summer, making it impossible for Wu to apply for future funding. The lawsuit goes on to allege that Northwestern “sent its University Police and City of Chicago Police to evict Dr. Wu from her office by force and placed her in handcuffs”, then took her, “against her will”, to be admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Norman and Ida Stone Institute of Psychiatry in Chicago, less than two months before she ended her life.

* Oak Park Journal | Oak Park police union votes no confidence in police chief: In an interview last week with Wednesday Journal, Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman acknowledged having received the results of a no confidence vote along with a patrol officer membership survey. “It’s not for the village board to be discussing personnel beyond the leadership of our village manager,” she said. “But to speak for myself, service, community safety, those basic services that you depend on from government, always remains of top concern and attention. That’s our job fundamentally as a municipal government, to make sure that we’re serving our community and keeping all residents equally safe and respected. So that in and of itself, just means we support our staff in having a healthy working environment.”

* Evanston Now | Guaranteed income plan expanded: The Evanston City Council voted Monday night to extend the city’s guaranteed income program to offer $500 per month to 102 families over the next six months to spend down the remaining cash in the program. The program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act through COVID-era federal recovery funds, which must be spent by the end of this year.

*** Downstate ***

* Patch | Workers’ Memorial Day Observed Across Illinois with Ceremonies Honoring Fallen Workers: In Springfield, the Illinois AFL-CIO, alongside the Springfield & Central Illinois Trades & Labor Council, will host a morning ceremony at its headquarters to honor fallen workers. Families will gather as flowers are placed in remembrance, and three names will be formally added: Decatur electrician Samuel Ward, Hillsboro coal miner Jessie Edward Smith, and Springfield golf course superintendent Daniel Crumrine.

* WCIA | Coroner IDs Springfield man killed by State Police squad car: A pedestrian has died after an Illinois State Police trooper struck him while driving in Springfield overnight. Around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, an ISP trooper was driving south in the middle lane on South 6th Street, approaching a green light at the intersection with Linton Street, ISP said in a news release. A pedestrian — identified as a 45-year-old Springfield man — was reportedly bent down in the roadway when the trooper hit him.

* WGLT | School psychologists ‘drowning’ as school sales tax hasn’t yet filled a District 87 mental health gap: Schools have received funding distributed by the Regional Office of Education since midway through the fall semester, three months after the tax went into effect across the county in July. Annual revenue for District 87, the Bloomington-based school district, was projected to be in the $6 million range when the district began educating the public on the details of the sales tax before it was voted on in April 2025. “It’s actually right on par with what we were hoping at the high end,” said superintendent David Mouser in an interview for WGLT’s Sound Ideas.

* WQAD | Rock Island alderman’s family business withdraws bid for city catering contract amid conflict concerns: A family business connected to Rock Island Alderman Bill Healy withdrew its bid for a city catering contract just hours before the scheduled city council vote on Monday, April 27 after public questions were raised about possible conflicts of interest. The contract would have provided food service at the Rock Island Fitness and Activity Center, commonly known as RIFAC, including meals tied to the city-run preschool program. […] “My parents own the business. I do not,” Healy said. “I have 0% ownership. My wife has 0% ownership.”

* WICS | Springfield Police Department’s armored vehicle to be replaced: The specialized police vehicle will cost over $400,000, and the request came soon after the city budget had been approved. SPD says they tried to get grant funding for the project but were unsuccessful. Jarod Maddox, commander of criminal investigations, says grants are run by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) handles the applications and disbursement. The Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) would receive the money and make the purchase. Maddox tells me this was how they got their current Lenco BearCat, which is over 20 years ago.

* WGLT | Bloomington council approves $60,000 drone show for July 4 weekend: The City of Bloomington also approved a contract with Gateway Pyrotechnic Solutions for fireworks displays. The $125,000 contract covers Miller Park 4th of July Celebrations from 2026-28. The 2026 display reflects a $5,000 higher price tag than the following two years to extend the show in both time and shell count because of America’s 250th anniversary celebration.

* WCIA | Damage reported in Central Illinois following severe weather: In a post on Facebook, DeLand-Weldon CUSD #57 said the school will be closed on Tuesday due to storm damage. Superintendent Michael Tresnak said the elementary school lost one third of its roof. In Mahomet, a downed power line closed US-150 at County Road 200E (Turkey Farm Road), according to the Illinois State Police.

*** National ***

* Mother Jones | We Are Bombarding America’s Forests With Roundup: This is because, unbeknownst to most people, logging companies and the US Forest Service have been spraying massive amounts of herbicide in clear-cut and fire-ravaged forests of California—and throughout the nation. And not just any herbicide, but glyphosate, a potent and problematic weed killer best known by the brand name Roundup.