* ICYMI: Illinois Head Start officials react with caution to RFK Jr.’s assurances of continued funding. Tribune…

- Illinois Head Start officials reacted warily Wednesday to assurances from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the administration of President Donald Trump supports continued funding for the federal early childhood development program, which supports about 28,000 low-income children and families in Illinois alone.

-“ Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, executive director of the Illinois Head Start Association, said Kennedy’s testimony was “good news and I hope there’s continued good news going forward.”

- Morrison-Frichtl said there are still issues with delayed funding to Illinois Head Start programs due to federal actions such as the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency’s late April “defend to spend” initiative requiring increased justifications for grants from the Department of Health and Human Services.

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

* Gov. Pritzker will be downstate today, starting with an 11 am visit to Venice Recreation Hall to announce awards supporting the establishment of new grocery stores in food deserts. At 2:30 pm, he’ll be in Marion for the groundbreaking of the first STAR Bonds project. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | 3 CTA board members join calls for nationwide search for new leader: Amid speculation that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to appoint one of his top deputies to lead the Chicago Transit Authority, three CTA board members said they support a national search for a new president Wednesday, echoing calls made by transit advocates and signaling the mayor could face more opposition to his plans for the role. Three of the seven members, including one appointed by the mayor, said they back the nationwide search during a sometimes heated CTA board meeting.

* Tribune | Race for retiring US Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat opens up contests for Chicago-area congressional seats: On Thursday, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss became the latest but likely not the last congressional contestant, announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in Schakowsky’s 9th Congressional District, which includes the city’s Far North Side and numerous north and northwest suburbs. In addition to Schakowsky’s seat, candidacies in recent days have been announced to succeed Democratic Reps. Robin Kelly of Matteson in the 2nd Congressional District that includes parts of the city’s South Side as well as many south suburbs and downstate areas, and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg in the northwest suburban 8th Congressional District. Both Kelly and Krishnamoorthi have declared they are running to succeed Durbin.

Click here to watch Biss’ announcement video.

* Crain’s | CVS’ drug middleman gives Illinois $45M to settle rebate dispute: Illinois officials indicated that the settlement is about a larger issue than just a contract dispute with one PBM. “PBMs have gone from being useful administrative service providers to behemoths that control the pharmaceutical industry at the expense of patients and independent pharmacies,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement. “This settlement is part of my office’s ongoing work to hold PBMs accountable to the people of Illinois, which also includes calling on Congress to take federal action to reign in PBMs. I will continue to advocate for reforms that ensure transparency and competition in prescription pricing.”

*** Statewide ***

* WBEZ | Illinois immigrants closely following Supreme Court arguments on birthright citizenship: Daniela, an asylum seeker from Nicaragua who lives in a small town near DeKalb, Illinois, will be watching closely on Thursday, when the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments about the right to citizenship for children born in the United States to immigrant parents. Almost all legal scholars say there is no basis for denying citizenship to people born in the United States, but Thursday’s oral arguments could ultimately impact the citizenship status of millions of children across the country, including Daniela’s newborn.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Subscribers know much, much more. Politico | Huge shake-up: Democratic state Rep. Fred Crespo was stripped of his leadership positions and kicked out of the Democratic caucus by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. The reason: “He wouldn’t return calls” from House Majority Leader and chief budgeteer Robyn Gable, and “didn’t complete” tasks that he was assigned as chair of the House Appropriations-General Services Committee, which reviews funding for statewide offices such as treasurer, comptroller and attorney general, and some state agencies, according to a person inside the speaker’s office. “We understand he was trying to introduce a budget proposal that didn’t reflect input with [his Democratic] colleagues and leadership,” according to the person. “He didn’t work in collaboration with people who the speaker put in charge of budget negotiations.”

* Capitol News Illinois | Governor’s office cuts revenue projection by $500M in latest downward estimate: While Pritzker’s office blamed changes made by the Trump administration for revenue shortfalls, the new fiscal reality is almost certain to make passing a budget more difficult as lawmakers are forced to consider approving new revenue streams or cutting state programs to make up the difference. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget lowered revenue projections for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1, by $536 million from its February estimate. It’s a 1% decrease that puts the state on track to finish FY26 with $54.9 billion in revenue.

* KSDK | ‘Slap in the face’: Illinois Lt. Governor blasts Trump EPA’s rollback of PFAS regulations as over 400,000 residents face contamination: — Just over a month after officials warned over 400,000 Illinois residents that their water is contaminated, the Trump Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency announced it would be rolling back numerous regulations aimed at protecting drinking water. EPA on Wednesday announced it would be weakening drinking water rules for “forever chemicals,” or PFAS. The Biden administration originally set the first-of-their-kind limits on PFAS due to their increased risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight at high levels.

* Axios | Illinois makes HIV drug PrEP more available: As the federal government cuts funding for HIV and AIDS research, Illinois is trying to make HIV prevention meds more available. Better access to the medication could reduce the risk of contraction for those most at risk — men who have sex with men and Black and Hispanic people. The Illinois Department of Public Health issued an order allowing Illinoisans to obtain the medication PrEP, which can reduce the risk of contracting HIV through sex by 99% when taken correctly, directly from a pharmacist without first requiring a doctor’s prescription.

* Sun-Times | Rahm Emanuel flirts with idea he’d run for president: Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel openly flirted with a 2028 presidential candidacy Wednesday, telling a nationally televised talk show audience that he is “in training” for a White House bid. Emanuel’s remarks on ABC’s “The View” stopped short of an actual announcement that he intends to run for what constitutionally should be an open seat, given that President Donald Trump will have served two terms.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | CPS faces $529 million shortfall as school budgets roll out: There are additional challenges in the upcoming school year, officials told reporters in a briefing Wednesday, due to the expiration of federal pandemic relief funding, rising prices and greater student needs. CPS faces an estimated $529 million shortfall heading into next year. But outgoing schools chief Pedro Martinez said the district is moving ahead under the assumption that it will receive $300 million in additional money from either the city or the state, and prioritize cost-saving measures that avoid impacting schools directly.

* WTTW | Ald. Moore Warns CTA Board Not to Be ‘Backbiting Snake’ by Opposing Mayor’s Pick for Agency Leader as Some Call for National Search: In his fiery, unscheduled remarks to directors at the end of the usual public comment period, Moore slammed transit advocates’ outcry for a national search to find the next CTA leader and said the board should fall in line behind the mayor’s nomination. Moore touted Roberson’s long track record of work across local government and claimed advocates for a full-fledged search don’t actually represent commuters who rely on the CTA. Among his previous jobs, Roberson once served as chief of staff for Moore.

* WBEZ | ‘It’s just devastating,’ Chicago State president says of federal cuts: It’s not only big-name institutions that are feeling the effects of President Donald Trump’s attacks on higher education. The administration’s decision to freeze nearly $800 million in funding for Northwestern University has gotten a lot of attention. But on the other side of Chicago, in the Far South Side neighborhood of Roseland, Chicago State University has been hit by federal cuts as well.

* Crain’s | Chicago blocks press from investor event amid $1B budget warning: The city made the decision to block the press from attending the city’s annual investor conference after hearing from financiers who said they would provide less guarded feedback and more pointed questions without journalists in the room. A group of news outlets, including Crain’s Chicago Business, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ, Bloomberg, Block Club Chicago and the Better Government Association this week wrote a letter asking the administration to reverse course — to no avail.

* Sun-Times | Gambling regulators give Bally’s permission to resume construction of Chicago casino: The work site had been shut down since the Chicago Sun-Times discovered a waste-hauling company with reputed mob ties was being used at the River West site where a permanent casino is being built.

* WTTW | With Labor Contract Secured, CTU Members Now Set to Vote on Union Leadership: The union on Friday is holding officer elections in which current leaders — the Caucus of Rank-and-file Educators (CORE) — will face off against challengers from the Respect Educate Advocate Lead, or REAL, caucus. CORE, which took over union leadership in 2010 under powerhouse president Karen Lewis, is now headed by Stacy Davis Gates, who is wrapping up her first term as union president following her election victory in 2022.

* Crain’s | Troubles mount at Appraisal Institute, Chicago-based center of property valuations: Problems are piling up at the Chicago-based Appraisal Institute, an influential group in the real estate industry because of its key role in property valuation. They include a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former CEO, a lengthy investigation published by The New York Times and, according to the ex-CEO, entrenched business practices that allegedly undermine the integrity of appraisals done for homes and commercial property.

* Crain’s | Lincoln Yards poised for reset as full site sale nears: Chicago-based JDL Development is in talks to buy the southern portion of the proposed megaproject land along the North Branch of the Chicago River from a joint venture of J.P. Morgan Asset Management and developer Sterling Bay, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The discussions come as JDL is also in advanced discussions, first reported by Crain’s, to buy the vacant northern portion from lender Bank OZK, which seized that parcel from Sterling Bay in March to resolve an outstanding loan balance.

* NBC Chicago | Chicago Bears’ schedule released by NFL Wednesday: The Chicago Bears will be hoping to get back to the postseason this year, and we now know the road that they will have to take to get there. The Bears’ schedule features 10 games against teams that reached the playoffs last year, including a Week 13 showdown against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Tiffany Henyard skips final regular meeting during tenure as Thornton Township supervisor: The Township Board voted to settle a lawsuit with employee Kathryn Granberry and to spend $3,000 for an “employee luncheon.” The board also paid bills with the exception of several reoccurring services Henyard previously pushed. Meeting attendees, including newly elected trustees Mary Avent and Valeria Stubbs who take office Monday, expressed gratitude for board members Chris Gonzalez, Carmen Carlisle and Stephanie Wiedeman for their leadership during Henyard’s three-year tenure as supervisor.

* Daily Herald | New Aurora mayor calls for people-centered economic development, better relations with aldermen: “The big-picture goal of our city has to be bringing living-wage jobs,” he told a crowd of about 1,100 people at the inauguration ceremony at the Paramount Theater. That will be the litmus test for any company looking to build in Aurora, he said. Laesch also said he wants to share more power with the aldermen and treat all of them equally after being treated as a “second-class citizen the last two years.” He pledged to keep relations civil.

* Shaw Local | Threatened cuts to programs fighting opioid overdoses called ‘disastrous’ for communities: Although the Trump administration named overdose prevention among its top drug policy priorities, in recent weeks, CNN and The New York Times have reported on a draft budget proposal to cut a $56 million annual grant program for the training and distribution of Narcan. […] Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant said these “dangerous cuts would be disastrous for communities” throughout the county. The region has been plagued by fatal heroin and opioid overdoses in the past.

* Daily Herald | DuPage Forest Preserve District volunteer honored with Governor’s Award: Bruce Kulik, a volunteer with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, has been named a recipient of the 2025 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award by the Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service. The Bolingbrook resident was honored as the Outstanding Senior Volunteer in Region 2 at a ceremony on April 24 in Chicago. He is thought to be the first volunteer from the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County to earn the honor. Since joining the Forest Preserve District in 2020, Kulik has contributed more than 1,600 hours at sites including Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton and Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago.

* NBC Chicago | Wheaton family blames radio personality for more than $134K investment loss: A few years passed, and when Phil finally saw his policy statement, he noticed thousands of dollars in what he assumed were monthly fees. “It just shows an asset charge $17,000, negative $17,000,” said Phil. “We have so many fees on this thing, we wouldn’t have money left in it.”

* Daily Southtown | Making amends: Lockport Vietnam War veteran funds library in Binh Dinh Province where he served: The 83-year-old veteran’s bright blue eyes grew translucent with tears, guilt and sorrow overcoming his otherwise stoic visage. “You pay for the war for the rest of your life,” Picciolo said, almost 60 years after his nine-month stint in the southeast Asian country. Picciolo said he is considered 60% disabled from Agent Orange, the now infamous herbicide the United States government disseminated in Vietnam to control vegetation.

*** Downstate ***

* Sun-Times | Illinois Supreme Court considers pretrial release of Sonya Massey murder suspect: The Illinois Supreme Court is considering whether a former sheriff’s deputy accused of murder in the fatal shooting of Springfield resident Sonya Massey should be released from jail before his October trial date. Sean Grayson, 30, responded to Massey’s 911 call reporting a potential home intruder on July 6, 2024. Body camera footage shows Grayson, a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy at the time, threatening to shoot 36-year-old Massey for not removing a pot of boiling water from her stove top, before opening fire and striking her in her face.

* WCIS | Sonya Massey’s family speaks out, following Sean Grayson’s pretrial release hearing: Sonya Massey’s family, including both her parents, were present at the hearing. Members of the family embraced Sonya’s mom while her father supported himself with his cane, as tears welled in his eyes. “I don’t think there are any terms or any conditions that this guy is going to comply with,” Sonya Massey’s Father, James Wilburn, said. Sonya’s family opposes Grayson’s request for pretrial release. Sonya’s cousin, Sontae Massey, said if the roles were reversed, Sonya would’ve been issued punishment a long time ago.

* WGLT | Trump’s proposed NEA cut will hurt small communities most — but artists have been here before: Last week, grants already promised to arts nonprofits were yanked by letter — in a move that looks quite like other recent federal grant revocations. Cultural Arts Director for the Town of Normal Beth Whisman said, for now, they haven’t received one of those letters. The town received a $50,000 NEA grant for a mural in the eventual Uptown underpass. “We’re bracing for it,” said Whisman on the possibility for losing the grant that would primarily impact community engagement tied to the project.

* WCIA | Over 13% of Central Illinoisans are food insecure: EIF, Feeding America: In the EIF’s area, more than 143,000 people — which is 13.3% of the population — live in food-insecure households. Out of those people, nearly 40,000 are children. […] Nationwide, the study also found that nearly nine out 10 high food insecurity counties are rural. And, more than two out of five people facing hunger nationwide may not qualify for SNAP benefits due to income limits. In Eastern Illinois, that number jumps to 44%, while 29% of children facing hunger may not qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

* WCIA | Illinois, Oklahoma State tie for NCAA Regional title: Illinois men’s golf couldn’t maintain a three-stroke lead it held entering the final day of play at Atkins Golf Club. However, the Illini didn’t fully give up the lead either. Instead, Oklahoma State and Illinois wound up tied for the top spot at the conclusion of the three-day tournament in Urbana. Both teams finish 15 under par on the week and will share the regional crown. Since the top five teams all advance to NCAA Nationals, a playoff to determine the winner was not played.

*** National ***

* NYT | House Republicans Push Forward Plan to Cut Taxes, Medicaid and Food Aid: The measure would extend Mr. Trump’s 2017 tax cut and temporarily enact his campaign pledges not to tax tips or overtime pay. Cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and subsidies for clean energy would partly offset the roughly $3.8 trillion cost of those tax measures, as well as increased spending on the military and immigration enforcement.

* The Atlantic | The Cynical Republican Plan to Cut Medicaid: The fiscal centerpiece of the “big, beautiful bill” now making its way through Congress is to take Medicaid away from jobless adults. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the work requirement would save $300 billion over a decade and take health insurance from 7.6 million people. This would not come close to offsetting the deficit-exploding effects of extending and expanding the 2017 tax cut, but it’s one of the only big spending reductions the congressional Republican caucus can agree on.

* WaPo | RFK Jr. to Congress: ‘I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me’: During one of the sharpest lines of questioning in the first hearing in front of a House Appropriations subcommittee, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin) asked if Kennedy, the founder of a prominent anti-vaccine group, would vaccinate his own child against measles today. Kennedy paused before answering, “Probably.” Kennedy went on to say, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me,” and he did not directly answer whether he would vaccinate his own children against chicken pox and polio today.

* WaPo | NOAA scrambles to fill forecasting jobs as hurricane season looms: Some National Weather Service forecasting teams are so critically understaffed that the agency is offering to pay moving expenses for any staff willing to transfer to those offices, according to notices recently sent to employees and obtained by The Washington Post. The worker shortages have forced several offices to stop operating 24 hours a day — a drastic step for an agency whose ethos is to prepare and warn a “weather-ready” nation.