* Subscribers know more. ICYMI: Black, Latino lawmakers criticize Pritzker’s proposed budget. Capitol News Illinois…

- “This is not a time for celebration,” Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago, said at a news conference. “Budgets reveal the morals and the values of our state. In Illinois, Black communities contribute significantly to the economy, yet when the budget is finalized, those contributions are not flowing back into our community.”

- Other Black Caucus members were more supportive. Sen. Elgie Sims, who has led budget negotiations for the Senate Democratic caucus for the last several years, said Pritzker’s proposal is a “great first step.”

- Sen. Javier Cervantes, D-Chicago, said the Latino Caucus was “profoundly disappointed” in Pritzker’s proposal to eliminate a health care program for many immigrants.

* Related stories…

∙ Sun-Times: Pritzker touts $55.2 billion budget with no new taxes, likens Trump Administration to Nazi Germany
∙ Daily Herald: Transit funding crisis on Pritzker’s radar but not budget proposal
∙ CBS Chicago: Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget plan includes no new taxes, would cut healthcare for immigrant adults without legal status

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Crain’s | Pharmacy benefit managers take a hit in Pritzker budget speech: In his budget address today, Pritzker is proposing the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, which aims to stop pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, from “exploiting loopholes” to grow profits. PBMs, which negotiate drug costs with pharmaceutical makers and manage prescription plans for employers and health insurers, have become targets for many lawmakers as patients, health care providers and pharmacies complain of high drug costs. The three largest PBMs are operated by health insurance and pharmacy giants, such as CVS Health, Cigna and UnitedHealth Group.

* Center Square | Trump orders DOJ changes at critical time in Illinois corruption cases: A jury convicted Madigan earlier this month, but the long-time Illinois political boss has yet to be sentenced. A change of guard in the Northern Illinois office could potentially affect how that case and other related corruption cases proceed. Some in Illinois have raised questions about Trump’s dedication to prosecuting public corruption after the president commuted the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

* Scott Holland | Don’t be shocked if online gambling licensing floated as budget booster: There is much to be said about details – respect for casinos already doing business in Illinois, the licensing process, tax rates, potential membership in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement and more – but the basics are self-evident: in the Pritzker years, when choosing between cutting services or increasing revenue, the leading choice is always extra income, and all the better it can be squeezed from people happy to leave the black market behind.

*** Statehouse News ***

* The Barrington Hills Observer | Do Over Scheduled for Meeting to Replace State Senator Dan McConchie: “ It has been brought to my attention that the Committee would be best served to meet again in order to ensure that there can be no question as to whether the process we followed properly empowered the Committee to act to fill the vacancy in this Office”

* Daily Herald | Restraining order sought to block 26th Senate appointment amid legal fight: A request for a temporary restraining order seeking to prevent Barrington Hills Trustee Darby Hills from being sworn in as the next state senator for the 26th District was filed Wednesday. It’s the latest salvo in an Algonquin woman’s campaign to stop Hills’ appointment to the seat that was held by Republican Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods until Feb. 2.

* Lynne McChristian | Don’t import California’s shortsighted insurance regulation policies: A recent Tribune editorial accurately points out that California stands in stark contrast to Illinois as a cautionary tale on how to destroy a healthy insurance market. California’s insurance regulators have used their regulatory authority to keep premiums artificially low. As a result, many California insurers pulled back from the marketplace, leaving many Californians unable to find coverage in the private market. And yet, new legislative proposals in Illinois are attempting to import California’s shortsighted regulatory policies. Our state lawmakers should recognize how supporting measures to underprice risk will ultimately hurt Illinois policyholders.

* WCIA | ‘Together, we are powerful,’ IL Legislative Black Caucus hosts soiree:
Collins added that some may attempt to reduce the importance of their soiree, but it actually serves as an important tool to stay united. “We can only prevail against these challenges by enhancing our numerous variations in diversity and enhancing the core values that bring us together,” Collins said. “While many may attempt to marginalize the mere concept of a soiree, the ILBC views it as a methodology to sharpen our agenda and be fully united for the journey ahead.

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | Giannoulias pushes Real IDs as federal deadline approaches — for real this time: After years of delays, the updated form of identification will be required to board domestic flights and enter many federal facilities starting May 7 — but 75 days ahead of the deadline, less than a third of Illinoisans have Real IDs in hand. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office announced Thursday it’s adding thousands of additional appointment times in the weeks ahead to handle the Real ID rush.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson escalates push for CPS to pick up pension payment, borrow more money: Bridget Early, Johnson’s deputy mayor for labor relations, emailed several top education officials a presentation dated Feb. 13 that outlines the next steps the school board can take to make the controversial payment that is currently paid by the city. Solutions include borrowing and shifting responsibility to the state, which pays for all other school districts’ pension costs.

* Sun-Times | City Council votes down lower speed limit: The 28-21 vote against lowering the speed limit followed a spirited and emotional debate that pitted traffic safety advocates, many of them on the North Side, against African-American alderpersons concerned about uneven enforcement and a surge in pretextual traffic stops targeting Black drivers.

* Tribune | Fixing water mains installed too close to sewer lines could cost Chicago millions, IG report says: In a six-page letter released Wednesday, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg slammed the Department of Water Management for failing to ensure contractors complied with state and city regulations intended to prevent human and industrial waste from tainting drinking water. Witzburg said experts told her investigators that the level of pressure maintained in underground water mains likely thwarted any contamination. But she urged the city to improve its communication with Chicagoans, in particular when sections of the system malfunction and boil orders are issued.

* Unite Here 1 | Virgin Hotel Chicago Workers Find Drug Paraphernalia, Bodily Fluids at Work: Today, Virgin Hotel workers rallied outside the downtown Chicago property to speak out about their working conditions and call for better wages Virgin Hotel Chicago Workers Find Drug Paraphernalia, Bodily Fluids at Work
and healthcare. 51% of surveyed Virgin Hotel Chicago workers reported finding syringes outside the trash and 77% reported finding blood while working in the past year, according to a new study released by UNITE HERE Local 1.
 
* Tribune | AIDS Foundation Chicago sues Trump administration over executive orders involving equity, gender: The AIDS Foundation Chicago, the National Urban League and the National Fair Housing Alliance filed the lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking to halt three recent executive orders. They’re challenging orders that seek to end “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” (DEIA) programs in the federal government and equity-related grants and contracts, and that direct federal agencies to combat DEI in the private sector. They’re also suing over an order that said it would be the policy of the U.S. to recognize only two sexes.

* Crain’s | Chicago Bears raise season ticket prices for second straight year: The Bears are increasing their season ticket packages by an average of 10%, a move that follows a disappointing season that saw the team finish last in the NFC North with a 5-12 record. In a letter to season ticket holders, the team informed fans the uptick in price was due to market dynamics, industry trends and a strong home schedule. The 2025 home schedule features the traditional three division games as well as matches against the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints.

* Tribune | Oh, no! There goes Chicago! Godzilla finally gets to the Midwest in new comic book: Also impacted by a giant radioactive lizard tramping through Illinois: Soldier Field, the Bears, Michigan Avenue, Interstate 94, Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Garfield Park Conservatory, Cottage Grove, hot dog stands, the mansions of Lake Forest and most CTA service to Logan Square. On the bright side, a searchlight rental business in Bridgeport seems to do pretty well. And in one of four Chicago-centric stories in the issue — definitely the funniest — a Chicago woman makes herself larger than Godzilla, wraps herself in a Chicago flag, then picks up Godzilla and drops him on another shore of Lake Michigan.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Illinois Review | State Election Board Vindicates Illinois Review in 6-0 Vote as Mayor Pekau Allies Fail to Silence Conservative Voice: During a hearing in downtown Chicago on Tuesday, ISBE general counsel Marni Malowitz characterized the complaint against IR as “impinging on First Amendment rights.” On August 1, 2023, Illinois Review broke news that Orland Park mayor Keith Pekau and his village trustees were using taxpayer-funded village resources to run his failed congressional campaign against incumbent U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL).

* WTTW | Bird Flu Claims a Bald Eagle Victim in a Cook County Forest Preserve, Sandhill Cranes Are Dying Too: The lifeless eagle was reported by a visitor to the northwest suburban preserve. Cook County forest preserve wildlife staff then collected the bird from the ground near its roost and submitted it for testing, Carl Vogel, forest preserve spokesperson, told WTTW News. “The results give all indications that the bird died of (highly pathogenic) avian influenza,” Vogel said, though the official designation still awaits federal confirmation.

* Shaw Local | Ogle County Board approves solar development southeast of Polo: In December, OneEnergy officials asked for a letter of recommendation from the Polo City Council either approving or declining this project. According to minutes of the council’s Dec. 16 meeting, OneEnergy officials said they would make a contribution to the Polo Economic Development Corp. of $50,000 over 30 years.

* Tribune | La Grange Park ‘close to being fully staffed’ after 4 firefighters sworn in: Joining Alex Kiessling and Christian Kiessling in completing their probationary periods are fellow new La Grange Park firefighters Emma Ellison and Daniel Griffin. “It takes a lot of work to get to this point and it takes a lot of work by our personnel to get through the training, especially when they have other things going on in their lives,” Fire Chief Dean Maggos said before Village Clerk Meghan Kooi swore them in as a group.

* Shaw Local | Report: Will County cop’s fatal shooting possibly caused by involuntary trigger pull: A Will County sheriff’s lieutenant’s fatal shooting of a hostage taker could have been the result of an involuntary trigger pull, according to a firearm expert’s analysis. Reports of the examination of the rifle used in the fatal shooting of Gregory Walker, 65, of Crest Hill, who took hostages at a bank, were released Tuesday by Illinois State Police in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

*** Downstate ***

* BND | U.S. attorney for southern Illinois court fired by Trump, chief judge confirms: Rachelle Aud Crowe, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, was terminated by the President Donald J. Trump administration, Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel confirmed. The move was made Monday under the Vacancies Reform Act, which allows removal of officials that are appointed by the White House. Ali Summers, first assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, is the Acting U.S. Attorney for now.

* PJ Star | ‘Absolutely devastating’: Union leader says Peoria Ag Lab job cuts were ‘illegal’: The job cuts at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, more commonly known as the Peoria Ag Lab, impacted roughly 12 union employees and roughly 20 total employees, according to Ethan Roberts, the Local 3247 American Federation of Government Employees union president. The union represents 86 employees at the Ag Lab. Roberts said the terminated employees were informed via an email that said, “the agency finds based on your performance that you have not demonstrated your further employment at the agency would be in the public interest.”

* Illinois Times | City Council OKs east-side housing expansion: The two 10-0 votes – to spend $1 million in federal HOME grant funds and $500,000 in property tax revenues from the Far East Tax-Increment Financing District – pave the way for the church-based nonprofit overseeing Nehemiah to request bids from contractors for the project’s proposed fifth phase.

* PJ Star | After ‘circus’ meeting, Washington City Council adopts ‘civility’ pledge: After last week’s heated Committee of the Whole Meeting, in which a Washington resident and a representative from The Hengst Foundation exchanged pointed jabs during discussion about the city’s proposed amphitheater project, the council voted unanimously Monday to adopt the Illinois Municipal League’s Civility Pledge. […] Council members Lilija Stevens and Mike Brownfield agreed. “It was just a circus last week, and I’m glad we’re doing this and I’m 100% for this,” Brownfield said.

* News-Gazette | Danville school board approves tentative superintendent separation agreement, appoints interim: The board has said it wants to move forward with a new leader after Geddis has been working remotely for months due to what she said were security threats. As a result of being put on leave, her laptop, phone and all other district devices have been shut off.

* AP | Illinois loses to Wisconsin for first time in six years: Illinois’ nine-game winning streak against No. 11 Wisconsin ended with a 95-74 loss Tuesday night in Madison, Wisconsin. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had a team-high 17 points for the Illini (17-10, 9-8 Big Ten), who suffered their first loss against the Badgers (21-5, 11-4) in six years. Ben Humrichous scored 13 points and was 3-for-6 from three-point range, and Will Riley added 11 points.

*** National ***

* Tribune | As egg prices soar, Trump administration plans new strategy to fight bird flu: The federal government will seek “better ways, with biosecurity and medication and so on” rather than the current standard practice of destroying all the birds on a farm when an infection is detected, Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said Sunday on the CBS program “Face the Nation.” said the administration planned to announce further details this week. He said they were “working with all the best people in government, including academics around the country and around the world,” to get the plan ready.

* WaPo | U.S. reverses plan to shut down free covid test program: The Post reported Tuesday afternoon that the administration was looking into the costs of destroying tests that would otherwise be provided free to Americans, citing two officials at a federal public health preparedness agency and internal documents reviewed by The Post. A half-hour before the planned shutdown, Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon sent a statement to The Post confirming that COVIDtests.gov would shut down at 8 p.m. Tuesday. But he said the tests would not be destroyed and “will remain in inventory until they meet their expiration date.”

* The Independent | Judge orders Mississippi newspaper to delete editorial criticizing public officials: The city sued the publishers of the Clarksdale Press Register over an editorial from February 8, which criticized officials for failing to notify the public about a hearing on proposed tax increases. On Tuesday, without a hearing to review the allegations, Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Crystal Wise Martin ordered the newspaper to “remove” the column from its website.