* Subscribers were briefed on the mayor’s visit this morning. ICYMI: With big problems and modest requests, Mayor Johnson heads to Springfield hoping to break losing streak. Sun-Times…

- Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to revive a tax on prepaid cellphones and calling cards, extend the $5-a-month 911 surcharge, ratchet up funding for the city’s unified shelter system and improve reimbursement rates for transportation, bilingual education and special education services provided by the Chicago Public Schools.
- “He’s coming down rather late. Time is ticking. You would hope to have these requests earlier in the session,” state Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, said.
- Johnson is expected to meet Wednesday with Pritzker, Harmon and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch.

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

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker dismisses as ‘ridiculous’ GOP accusations he urged violence in New Hampshire speech: Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday rejected accusations from Republicans — including the state party and the White House — that he was inciting violence with a fiery speech in New Hampshire in which he said Republicans shouldn’t “know a moment of peace.” “That’s ridiculous,” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference when asked about the GOP response to his speech. “The peace that I’m talking about is making sure that they know at all times that the American public opposes the policies of congressional Republicans and of the White House.”

* AP | Authorities believe crash through Illinois after-school building that killed 4 wasn’t targeted: Authorities said Tuesday they believe a crash through an Illinois after-school building that killed three kids and one teenager wasn’t targeted. A car traveled through a field, then smashed through a building in a small city of Chatham outside Springfield, Illinois, on Monday afternoon. In an update Tuesday morning, police said two 7-year-olds, an 8-year-old and an 18-year-old were killed. Six more children were taken to hospitals and one remains in critical condition. The Illinois driver, who was not injured, was taken to a hospital for evaluation and police said toxicology reports were pending. Police haven’t said if the driver was arrested or taken into custody.

*** Statewide ***

* Tribune | Information of more than 9,000 people potentially exposed in Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois data breach: The personal information of more than 9,300 people may have been exposed in a recent data breach at health insurer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, according to the company. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois became aware of the problem in February, according to a notice posted on its website. An unauthorized person may have viewed individuals’ personal health information through the insurer’s online portal for members, called Blue Access for Members, between Nov. 8 and March 5, according to the notice. The breach was related to member account registrations, according to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.

* Crain’s | Advocate doctors to drop Blue Cross Illinois HMO plan: “Advocate Physician Partners has informed us that Advocate Physician Partners, including Advocate Medical Group, will be leaving BCBSIL’s HMO Illinois network on July 1, 2025,” BCBSIL said in an emailed statement. “This change does not impact Advocate Health hospitals or other facilities, which will remain in the HMO Illinois network.” “HMO Illinois members can select a new medical group in the Blues plans’s HMOI network by May 31, or they will be assigned to a new medical group effective July 1,” the statement said.

* Sun-Times | Tariffs, funding cuts and migrant raids — how Trump hit Chicago and Illinois in his first 100 days in office: Gov. JB Pritzker has loudly sounded the alarm on the impacts of the Trump administration’s actions, including in late January when he said the administration was “either lying to us or they are critically incompetent” — amid a directive to temporarily freeze federal grants and loans pending a spending analysis aimed at rooting out “wokeness.” Since then, Pritzker has toured the state to highlight Trump cuts to healthcare, child care, infrastructure and Social Security. On Monday, the Democratic governor continued that message at the University of Illinois at Chicago to highlight what he called a “slash and burn” campaign affecting higher education.

* Daily Herald | ‘The drunk driving of our time’: Teens must now watch distracted driving video to get learner’s permit: “Make no mistake, distracted driving is an epidemic in America. It is the drunk driving of our time,” Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said last week while announcing the “One Road. One Focus” public safety campaign. The campaign will include requiring teens watch the video when applying for a learner’s permit, as well as billboards warning about the consequences of taking your eyes off the road and more police patrols.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson hesitant on giving police ‘snap’ teen curfew power: Mayor Brandon Johnson wavered Monday on the idea of giving Chicago police the power to declare “snap” curfews to rein in so-called teen takeovers, days before aldermen are set to consider such a measure. Johnson sidestepped questions about how he will respond to the curfew push led by Ald. Brian Hopkins in the wake of two recent high-profile, large teen gatherings that ended in shootings. The mayor pointed to ongoing negotiations, but did not say what he wants to see enacted.

* Block Club | Violent Crime Down In Chicago, Matching National Trend, City Leaders Say: Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Police Department Supt. Larry Snelling are touting a decline in violent crime this year in Chicago, a shift that comes as cities across the country have seen a reduction in homicides and other crimes since a post-pandemic spike. Flanked by fellow mayors and police chiefs Monday morning at a Chicago meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors that focused on public safety, Johnson and Snelling broadly argued that city and department initiatives — such as a robbery task force introduced last year — have contributed to the city reporting fewer crimes in most categories so far in 2025.

* Sun-Times | West Side flood victims still struggling with mold, damage almost 2 years on: Shaw, 43, said she has been helping people with flood damage since the storm hit July 3, 2023, leading to more than 12,000 reports of flooded basements. First she helped people through the process as part of the West Side Long Term Recovery Group, created after the flooding. Now she volunteers her time to guide seniors through the red tape. “It’s been one headache after another,” Shaw said. […] She said the initial payouts from the FEMA program were not enough, averaging around $3,000 to $4,000. She shared news that FEMA has allocated an additional $426 million for victims of the 2023 and 2024 floods in and around Chicago.

* Tribune | Funeral services to honor fallen Chicago Fire Department Capt. David Meyer scheduled for this morning in Niles: Meyer, 54, served as a captain of Truck 29 and spent most of his roughly three-decade career on the West Side. He is survived by his wife, four children and his parents, according to his obituary, which noted that “his devotion to his family was known to all who met him.” Around 4 a.m. Wednesday, Meyer responded to a garage fire in the 5500 block of West Crystal Street. The fire was extinguished, but Meyer was critically injured when the roof of the garage collapsed on top of him as he was working.

* Block Club | West Loop Neighbors Demand ‘Justice For John’ After Beloved Doorman Shot Dead By CTA Worker: John Flemister was fatally shot outside the UIC CTA station by a worker who didn’t have a concealed carry license, officials said. The worker wasn’t charged with Flemister’s death. “We feel like there’s a one-sided story being told,” one resident said.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Recommended for discipline, Kane County cop who muted his cameras amid car chase, fatal shooting is promoted: Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain has promoted an officer who just two weeks ago was publicly criticized by the area’s top prosecutor for turning off the audio of his squad camera and bodycam during a car chase that ended in the fatal shooting of the suspect by police. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said at an April 11 news conference there would be no charges against the three cops who fired on James Moriarty on May 24, 2023, killing him after a high-speed chase and crash in the far western suburbs.

* WSPY | Elburn trustee Lou Santoyo enters Kane County Sheriff race: Retired Cook County Sheriff’s Police Detective and Elburn Village Trustee Lou Santoyo has officially launched his campaign for Kane County Sheriff. At a campaign kick-off event last week in downtown Aurora, Santoyo said his goal is to restore the trust and honor behind the badge, not just wear one. He emphasized that law enforcement should be built on trust, not fear. […] He’s running as a Republican in the 2026 election.

* Daily Herald | Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz honored as he prepares to leave office: Lentz presided over his last full village board meeting Monday night. A tribute video — featuring testimonials from family members, former trustees and others — played on the boardroom’s TV screens before Trustee Tim Wilson read a resolution lauding Lentz for his service. Wilson spoke of Lentz’s “extraordinary service, vision and commitment, which have improved the lives of countless residents.” Additionally, Mayor-elect Robin Meier thanked Lentz for educating her about the job and creating a smooth transition. She takes office May 12.

*** Downstate ***

* BND | Metro-east school district moves toward restrictive cell phone policy:Currently, Collinsville High School students may use devices in the classroom for educational purposes with teacher permission, during passing periods, before school and at lunch. At its May meeting, the Collinsville Community Unit School District 10 board might change this policy, requiring that high school students have their cell phones off and put away during instructional time and passing periods.

* SJ-R | With more backing from county, Massey Commission has familiar name as assistant managing director: Sontae Massey, a cousin of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who was fatally shot by a former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy in her home in an unincorporated neighborhood of Springfield on July 6, is now assistant managing director after previously serving on the commission. The commission has become “a forum for analysis and inquiry into the systems and conditions” that serve as context for Massey’s killing as well as others who have suffered at the hands of first responders in the county.

* Crain’s | U of I faculty votes to joins Big Ten alliance to defend against Trump attacks: Faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign adopted a resolution today to join a mutual defense pact with other Big Ten schools as a way to blunt the Trump administration’s aggressive posture toward higher education. U of I is the first university in Illinois to join the Big Ten mutual defense pact, which has now been adopted by a growing list of Big Ten universities as faculty push to create a unified front to defend academic freedoms against the Trump administration’s attacks.

* ABC Chicago | University of Illinois shares class of 2024 success rates report: The new report found that 90% of graduates were employed before leaving campus last year. […] Ninety-one percent of graduates who found jobs participated in an internship of some kind or studied abroad, according to the study. Also, the average salary for an Illinois graduate was $75,000 last year, with a $5,000 signing bonus, according to the report.

* Photos: PJ Star | McClugage Bridge truss falls in nighttime implosion

*** National ***

* NPR | The White House threatens sanctuary cities in another EO, but courts are skeptical: The Trump administration has previously tried to withhold funding from sanctuary cities and states. During President Trump’s first term, the Justice Department tried to withhold funding from several jurisdictions — but they fought back, and were often able to defeat those efforts in court. […] Last week, a federal judge blocked the administration’s latest effort to withhold funding from 16 jurisdictions, including San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, St. Paul and New Haven. “Here we are again,” wrote U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco, who found that the Trump administration’s actions were likely unconstitutional and granted a preliminary injunction.