* ICYMI: AIPAC funded secretive super PACs that hid contributors and spent big in Democratic primary, new records show. Tribune…

- Newly released records reveal the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, was the primary funding organization behind two ostensibly independent super PACs that spent heavily to reshape Chicago-area Democratic congressional primaries — a connection the groups did not disclose during the campaign.
- United Democracy Project, AIPAC’s affiliated super PAC, directed more than $5.3 million to bankroll the groups Elect Chicago Women and Affordable Chicago Now, according to Federal Election Commission filings released Friday night.
- The two super PACs, along with UDP itself, emerged as the largest outside spenders in Chicago’s four competitive congressional primaries, part of a surge that reached an unprecedented $32.9 million in outside spending. But who was behind and funded the groups remained shrouded until after the March 17 primary election, a tactic that sparked controversy as opponents decried hidden influence.

* Governor JB Pritzker is in California today to participate in a panel at the Common Sense Summit on Kids and Families.

* At 1:15 pm, Attorney General Kwame Raoul will hold a virtual press conference to announce new legal action to federal funding that supports multiple programs. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Daily Herald | English learner programs in Illinois schools face uncertainty amid federal funding cuts: At the start of this school year, most districts around the country had payment of their Title III funds delayed by about two months and were left unsure whether they would receive them at all. “These are very uncertain times for many schools,” said Theresa Guseman, superintendent of Joliet Township High School District 204, where almost a quarter of the student population are English learners. “We’re expecting continual government cuts, but we don’t know what they’ll be yet. It’s hard to plan not knowing what’s coming, so we’re budgeting very conservatively to remain in a strong financial place.”

* Tribune | In texts, Gov. Pritzker, Comptroller Susana Mendoza split over Trump-backed school tax credit program in Illinois: Pritzker sent the lengthy message to Mendoza last month after she wrote an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune urging Illinois to join the federal program. In the text, the governor warned Mendoza that the incentives could support schools that “teach values that are racist or antisemitic or Anti-American.” “State/federal tax credit dollars would go to support schools that teach children that gay people are evil, that ‘the KKK was fighting against the decline of morality,’ that white supremacy is God’s will — and other crazy notions,” Pritzker texted Mendoza.

* Capitol News Illinois | Regulators OK ComEd’s plan to increase deposit costs for large-load projects like data centers: The ICC called the approval of ComEd’s June request an “important first step.” But consumer and environmental advocates sought broader protections that the commission ultimately determined were out of scope for the proceedings. The ICC did, however, direct its staff to initiate new proceedings next month to investigate the unaddressed issues and adopt new ratepayer protections, recognizing what it called “significant reliability, affordability and policy risks” caused by large-load projects in ComEd’s territory.

*** Statewide ***

* Pretty cool…

*** Statehouse News ***

* Legal Newsline | Google Gemini face scans violate IL biometrics law: Class action: Google has been hit, again, by a class action lawsuit under Illinois’ stringent biometrics privacy law, this time accusing the tech giant of allegedly illegally scanning the faces of people pictured in photos uploaded to be edited through the company’s Gemini A.I. Attorneys with the firm of McGuire Law P.C., of Chicago, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court against Google, accusing the company of allegedly violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA.) The lawsuit was filed on behalf of named plaintiff John Adams, identified only as a resident of Illinois.

* Sun-Times | Pritzker quips on weight loss, Rahm and 2028 buzz in Washington speech: Pritzker, who is widely seen as a Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential primary, addressed the speculative chatter during a quippy, joke-filled 13-minute address and did little to squash it. His appearance capped a big week of wins for the governor, who just won his third primary with no opposition and is being credited with helping Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton win her Democrtic primary bid for the U.S. Senate. Pritzker’s popularity among Democrats in the state helped boost Stratton’s numbers — and the governor also doled out millions to a pro-Stratton PAC to help her run ads. “As far as my own plans for 2028, here’s what I’ll say right now, I’m 100% focused on the people of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “That’s not just me talking. That’s also a 2006 quote from Barack Obama.”

* WAND | Illinois Secretary of State warns residents about surge in text message scams: The Secretary of State’s Office said the messages threaten vehicle registration suspension, license penalties or other enforcement actions if someone does not click a link or pay an alleged fine. According to the office, scammers have recently improved their tactics, crafting messages that look more official by referencing fake regulations, deadlines or penalty commencement dates. “These text messages look legitimate and are designed to frighten people into acting quickly before they have time to think,” said Giannoulias. “Our office will never send a text message demanding payment or threatening to suspend someone’s license. If you receive a message like this, remember it’s a scam – plain and simple.”

* Capitol News Illinois | ‘Illinois farmers can feed Illinois’: State grant program offers assistance: Illinois food producers and businesses can apply for a share of $3.6 million in state grant funding through March 27 as part of a program to reduce Illinoisians’ reliance on food from out of state. The Local Food Infrastructure Grant program, through the Illinois Department of Agriculture, supports small agricultural operations and food producers working with cold storage, processing equipment, refrigerated transportation and distribution systems.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Feds Froze $3.1 Billion For CTA Because Of ‘Political Retaliation,’ Suit Says: In a Friday news release, the CTA said the agency responded to federal officials right away and submitted more than 1,000 pages of information to the department on Oct. 21. The CTA said the feds requested more information on Dec. 1 — which the agency provided on Dec. 10. The CTA said it has not received any communication from the department since that time. On Friday, it filed a 51-page complaint in U.S. District Court that accused the federal government of trying to “hold hostage billions of dollars in federal grants for crucial infrastructure projects” in Chicago, which the CTA said violates federal law and the constitutional separation of powers.

* Fox Chicago | Community honors fallen Chicago firefighter Michael Altman: Murguia said, “Seeing the support the community come around to support the whole city of Chicago, really, come out and remember Mike and remember him for the great human he was the great friend he was, the great father, he was, husband.” They hope Altman’s family sees the red ribbons and roses placed in tribute to a hero who put others’ safety ahead of his own. Sullivan said, “Hopefully they know they’re loved people care, we support ‘em.”

* Sun-Times | Transportation department’s changes to federal diversity program risks hurting Chicago’s small businesses: The DOT has called the Chicago Transit Authority’s diversity programs “discriminatory” and has said it’s reviewing the $5.7 billion Red Line Extension and Red and Purple Modernization projects “to determine whether any unconstitutional practices are occurring.” It froze the remaining federal funding for both projects, totaling $2.1 billion. It also put under review New York’s Second Avenue Subway and Hudson Tunnel projects. “Illinois, like New York, is well known to promote race- and sex-based contracting and other racial preferences as a public policy,” the DOT said.

* Sun-Times | Chicago seeks to make the West Side’s Madison Street shine again: “Madison [is] probably the most visible and historically significant commercial corridor on the West Side,” Chicago Department of Planning Supervising Planner Brian Hacker said of the Madison Street Corridor Study. “We’re looking at the levers that we can pull as a city planning department — zoning, regulatory, environmental … to facilitate development.” It’s not a bad time to rethink Madison Street, particularly within the study’s boundaries that include the Near West Side, East Garfield Park and West Garfield Park. East of the study area, construction will soon begin on the 1901 Project, a $7 billion effort by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families to turn those barren parking lots around the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., into a new neighborhood and entertainment district.

* Sun-Times | Park District paints over César Chavez mural as calls grow to rename public buildings in Chicago: On Friday a Sun-Times reporter observed fresh green paint covering a part of the mural where Chavez’s face had previously been before. Other historical figures on the mural including Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. remained visible. A Park District spokesperson confirmed that they had removed Chavez from the mural, saying in a statement: “The Chicago Park District takes recent allegations of misconduct by Cesar Chavez seriously … and are conducting a district-wide review of any other park features that may honor him. Where appropriate, we will take further action consistent with our values and standards.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Aurora’s proposed data center regulations head to final vote: The Aurora City Council on Tuesday is set to consider regulations on data centers that officials say would be among the most strict in the country. Data centers are currently considered warehouses under Aurora’s city codes, so they have no special requirements and can be built in certain areas without Aurora City Council approval. The proposed changes would give the City Council the ability to approve or deny proposed data center developments, plus would set requirements around energy use, water use, noise and other emissions. “What is being recommended by staff is, as far as we can tell, the most restrictive zoning ordinance in Illinois for sure, and very much so among those nationwide,” said Aurora Corporation Counsel Yordana Wysocki, who later called it “the first of its kind.”

* NBC Chicago | Court awards nearly $46k to Will County election worker in doxing case: “This verdict is important not just for Ellen Moriarty, but for anyone who has been targeted by false online attacks,” said attorney Joe Giamanco, counsel for Moriarty and managing partner of Giamanco Law Partners, Ltd. in a statement. “People cannot manufacture or spread fake content, try to destroy someone’s livelihood, and then expect to walk away without accountability. Keyboard warriors should pay attention to this verdict and think twice before they go on the attack.” The law, that took effect at the start of 2024, creates a civil cause of action for anyone harmed by doxing. Under the statute, “doxing” includes intentionally publishing another person’s identifiable information (including social media profiles) without consent with the intent to harm or harass someone and that leads to harm of that person, including economic injury, mental anguish, fear of serious bodily injury or death, or a substantial life disruption.

* Sun-Times | Judge rules Broadview protest curfew violates First Amendment: Judge Edmond Chang said Broadview’s daily curfew “cannot stand under the First Amendment,” but the village is allowed to maintain the “free speech zones” and can enact a curfew in specific circumstances.

* Sun-Times | Suburban couple wants Will County prosecutors investigated for seizing their Ford Broncos, retirement savings: The criminal case against Regnier and Keranen is still in court. But, in a dramatic twist, the couple has beaten a separate attempt by Will County prosecutors to seize millions of dollars in investment accounts and six vehicles under Illinois’ civil asset forfeiture laws. Two of those vehicles — late-model Ford Broncos — prompted a blistering rebuke to prosecutors from a Will County judge who ordered the SUVs returned in January. “The money-laundering statute is not a catchall for all things that the state cannot find in a legitimate way to seize,” Judge Brian Barrett wrote.

* Daily Herald | ‘Billions of dollars in savings’: Argonne unveils giant ‘treadmill’ to test and improve truck efficiency: Road-hogging, diesel-guzzling, pavement-shaking trucks may hardly seem candidates for scientific breakthroughs. But researchers at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont would disagree. A team at Argonne’s Heavy-Duty Vehicle Dynamometer Test Facility is eager to debut new technology they expect will improve energy efficiency and move goods more economically. “Anything that you consume is delivered by truck,” Argonne Transportation and Power Systems Division Director Thomas Wallner said during a facility tour Thursday. “And, transportation is probably 10% of gross domestic product, so it’s a huge piece of the U.S. economy and growing, with e-commerce. The importance of delivering goods quickly and efficiently has become even more important.”

*** Downstate ***

* 25News Now | State official ‘disappointed’ ISU did not send out emergency alerts after mass shooting: Woodruff is responding to criticism from Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza who said she has a “personal connection” to an ISU freshman who was one of the victims. Mendoza said in a Facebook post that she was shocked by the violence that happened about 2:40 a.m. in the 700 block of Franklin Avenue, just south of campus. “I am also disappointed that apparently ISU did not issue an emergency alert as administrators have done in other shooting incidents near campus,” Mendoza said.

* WGLT | Why ISU opted against sending an emergency alert after a mass shooting near campus: As a matter of practice, ISU issues campuswide alerts when they are threats to public safety, but Woodruff said those are determined on a case-by-case basis. Woodruff said Normal Police officers responded when they heard reports of gunfire but were initially unable to pinpoint a location. “We were getting some conflicting information about where it was and so by the time they sorted it out — the location and what had occurred — that imminency had kind of passed,” Woodruff said, adding that at least some of the victims were not on scene when police arrived.

* Capitol News Illinois | Carterville coach at center of sexual abuse investigation has history of disciplinary action: In an eight-count “notice of charges,” the district at the time also accused him of drinking in front of students before driving to catch the bus headed for a football game that he helped coach. It also said that he let students remain in his home unsupervised. He did not face criminal charges. Wakey joined the Carterville district in the fall of 2003, days after he ended court supervision for a misdemeanor conviction for providing liquor to minors earlier that same year in Coles County, about 150 miles north of Carterville, court records show.

* WREX | Boone County Board Member to be reprimanded after theft charge: On March 10, 2025, Thornberry was charged with theft after being accused of stealing a $20 bill from a donation envelope at a Belvidere church. The local government said Thornberry intended to permanently deprive the church of that money. On March 9, 2026, Thornberry pleaded guilty to one count of attempted theft. Boone County Government said his actions betrayed the public’s trust.

* Illinois Times | Leland Grove police chief’s license to be suspended: Starting March 23, Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan will not be able to drive a motor vehicle while he’s awaiting trial for driving under the influence. At a March 20 court appearance, Ryan’s attorney asked for a continuation of the hearing related to an automatic license suspension, which was granted by Sangamon County Judge Rudolph Braud. The statutory summary suspension is a state penalty that automatically suspends anyone who refuses to test, or tests over legal limits, for substance impairment while driving a motor vehicle. The law, which is a civil penalty rather than a criminal charge, automatically leads to a driver’s license suspension for a minimum of one year should the driver of a motor vehicle refuse chemical DUI testing.

* Legal Newsline | Female prison workers can sue IDOC over inmate ‘masturbatory attacks’: In an opinion filed March 10, U.S. District Judge Jonathan Hawley, of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, granted a motion to certify the complaint as a class action seeking “relief for themselves and other female medical and mental health employees of IDOC and Wexford at Pontiac for allegedly being forced to endure exposure to masturbation and other vulgarities and sexual harassment on a regular basis as a term and condition of their employment.” According to the complaint, the reported incidents occur nearly daily. Workers accused the defendants of opting against corrective action and affirmatively acting to cause or increase attacks. The women say the situation constitutes violations of Civil Rights Act Title VII protections against sex discrimination and hostile work environments.

* WGLT | More McLean County defendants are using ChatGPT as their lawyers. It’s not going great:
Associate Judge Amy McFarland said she’s seen a growing number of pro se litigants using artificial intelligence to assist them with preparing documents and verbal arguments. “I have, on occasion, admonished defendants that ChatGPT didn’t go to law school,” she said. “If you’re going to use that, you’d better understand what it says and be prepared for that. “Attorneys are getting sanctioned for using AI and having hallucinations [give] incorrect information. I’m not going to sanction a defendant for using that, but [want them] to be aware that what they’re getting is not what they think they’re getting.”

* SJ-R | Springfield nonprofit loses state funding amid fraud claims: A Springfield nonprofit has had state grant funding frozen by the state, limiting HIV testing and other essential programs. The Phoenix Center has been under investigation from Illinois agencies for more than two years and is now losing funds. In January of 2024, the Illinois Department of Public Health investigation began an investigation into the Phoenix Center grant use, funded through the department. The investigation in conjunction with Illinois State Police has led to all previous grants the nonprofit received, including HOPWA, the John Pritzker Family Fund, to freeze according to the center.

* WAND | U of I Board of Trustees approves engineering technology degree at UIS Springfield: The U of I System said the major will help meet employers’ and the state’s need for engineering technologists across the engineering field. The major will debut in the fall 2027 semester. According to UIS News, the 120-credit-hour degree will prepare students for careers in manufacturing, technical management, automation and other industries.

* Sun-Times | Illinois’ NCAA path blocked by Houston, a powerhouse that will be hard to handle in Sweet 16: Seven more Sweet 16 matchups were to be determined Sunday, but by the end of tournament play Saturday, the only one set was Illinois-Houston — and, at least for those on the outside looking in, it felt almost as big as it gets. The No. 3-seeded Illini have arrived as a tournament regular under ninth-year coach Underwood and clearly possess the talent and size to have a shot at the Final Four. The Elite Eight in 2024 is the furthest the program has gone since the national championship near-miss of 2005.

*** National ***

* Post-Tribune | Experts: SAVE America bill would require more documentation to vote: Driver’s licenses in many states would not be enough. The legislation says that the identification must be compliant with new REAL ID rules and also indicate that the applicant is a citizen of the United States — which few state licenses do. Trump also wants new provisions added to the bill, including a ban on most mail-in ballots and a ban on trans women competing in women’s sports.

* LA Times | More than half a million ballots seized by top GOP candidate in California governor’s race: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a leading Republican candidate for governor, has seized more than 650,000 ballots from last November’s election to determine, he says, whether they were fraudulently counted. “This investigation is simple: Physically count the ballots and compare that result with the total votes recorded,” Bianco said at a news conference Friday. The unusual probe drew a sharp rebuke from California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, who said in a statement that it is “unprecedented in both scope and scale” and appears “not to be based on facts or evidence.”