* ICYMI: Illinois could see cuts to services for disabled residents. Our Quad Cities…

- Direct support professionals warn that Gov. Pritzker’s budget proposal would cut over 900,000 hours of care for people with developmental disabilities, leading to reduced services and job losses.
- While the state says the change is about efficiency and includes a 50-cent hourly pay increase, advocates argue that the reduction in hours would have a more significant negative impact.
- The Illinois Department of Human Services says a system exists to fairly distribute the remaining hours.

* Related stories…

∙ WCIA: Illinois advocates concerned about proposed cuts to care hours for developmentally disabled
∙ Journal Courier: Intellectual and developmental disability services brace for potential Medicaid cuts

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* WTTW | Segregation, Restraints and Mace: Lawsuit Alleges Mental Illness Met With Punishment in Illinois Prisons: After making an attempt on his life while incarcerated, Irving Madden alleges that an officer transporting him to the hospital joked that he “didn’t do it right.” […] Madden’s allegations are part of a class action lawsuit filed Wednesday claiming the Illinois Department of Corrections has systematically failed to provide adequate mental health treatment to those incarcerated. Uptown People’s Law Center and Equip for Equality filed suit against IDOC Director Latoya Hughes on behalf of the nearly 13,000 people with mental illness in the state’s prisons — approximately 44% of the population.

* Sun-Times | Nearly 1 in 4 out-of-state abortion patients come to Illinois, new report finds: Illinois provided 23% of all abortions for people traveling across state lines for care in 2024, more than anywhere else in the U.S., according to the report from the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights. […] Last year, 35,000 abortions were provided to out-of-state residents in Illinois, representing 39% of all abortions performed in the state.

* Capitol News Illinois | Jones testifies that FBI asked him to wear a wire on hospital CEO, other lawmakers: The senator took the witness stand for a third day Thursday in his trial over alleged bribes he agreed to take from a red-light camera entrepreneur-turned-FBI witness in exchange for limiting legislation he had proposed that worried the red-light camera industry — and lying to agents about it. Not too long into questioning from his own attorney, Jones’ testimony was halted for more than an hour after he named Tim Egan, the CEO of Chicago’s Roseland Hospital in Jones’ South Side District, as someone the feds wanted him to help investigate.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Subscribers know more. Crain’s | Transit agencies launch ad blitz asking riders for backup in Springfield: The Regional Transportation Authority rolled out its Save Transit Now campaign yesterday with ads on radio, television and social media platforms, as well as billboards and signs on trains, buses and transit shelters. Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Pace — which provide rail and bus service in the city and suburbs — face a funding shortfall or “transit cliff” of $771 million a year when federal pandemic-relief funding dries up next year.

* AG Kwame Raoul | Law firms’ capitulation to Trump harms Illinoisans: The capitulation to these unlawful threats inflicts harm on Illinoisans, our judicial system and the rule of law. A just and well-functioning judicial system depends on the willingness of lawyers to take on difficult cases or unpopular clients without retribution by their government. Without that representation, courts will be denied a full presentation of all arguments necessary to resolve a case in an informed and independent manner.

* WBEZ | New medical license pathway for international doctors could alleviate Illinois shortage: Before moving to Chicago from Russia, Dr. Filipp Prikolab had a thriving medical practice. […] He is one of thousands of Illinoisans with an international medical degree. And despite receiving similar training as students at American medical schools and residency programs, the pathway to becoming a licensed doctor for Prikolab and his peers is difficult and can take years. But that’s all changing thanks to a law that went into effect this year in Illinois to make it easier for people like Prikolab to get their state medical license.

* Jim Dey | Ammons on the injured but functional list: Two area Illinois House members — Democrats Carol Ammons of Urbana and Sue Scherer of Decatur — are on the disabled list. Ammons, an Urbana Democrat, is using a wheelchair and crutches to get around because she suffered a torn meniscus, according to office spokesman Grant Chassy. Medical experts say that, like many knee injuries, a meniscus tear is a painful, debilitating and common injury often associated with athletics. The meniscus is described as “a piece of cartilage in your knee that cushions and stabilizes the joint, acting as a shock absorber to protect the bones from wear and tear.”

* NPR Illinois | Former Illinois Ag Director Chuck Hartke has died: A longtime lawmaker and former Illinois Department of Agriculture Director has died. Charles “Chuck” Hartke died Sunday at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. He was 80. A farmer, Hartke was the Agriculture Director from 2003 to 2008. The Department issued a statement Monday that said “his leadership, vision, and commitment to the ag community left a lasting mark on our state.” While at the helm of the agency, Illinois created a statewide veterinary emergency response team to identify and contain animal disease outbreaks. He was also able to increase corporate sponsorship at the Illinois State Fair.

*** Statewide ***

* IDES | Illinois Payroll Jobs Climb to Record High: The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that nonfarm payrolls increased +14,800 (+0.2%) over-the-month to a record high of 6,172,300 in March. The previous record was set in December 2024, with 6,161,000 jobs. Additionally, the February monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report of -6,500 to +900. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.8 percent in March, while the revised unemployment rate was 4.8 percent, unchanged from the preliminary February unemployment rate. The March payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.

* PJ Star | Film and TV productions have spent over $650M in Illinois over the past year. Here’s why: Film and TV producers have spent over $650 million in Illinois over the past year, thanks to a tax credit shepherded by a Peoria-based state representative. Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, who serves as the assistant majority leader in the Illinois House, said in a news release Friday that the recently expanded Film Production Tax Credit helped provide $653 million in film production expenditures and $351 million in estimated wages to the state last year. Gordon-Booth praised the work done by House Democrats in preserving the tax credit and providing front-facing jobs and money to Illinois.

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Glitch with ACT prevented 11,000 Illinois students from finishing the test: The students who could not finish the test on April 8, the first day of testing, have to retake the exam within the testing window, which ends May 2. The testing window between April 8 and May 2 is to ensure students fulfill the state’s graduation and accountability requirements. The hiccup made for a rocky start to the state’s shift back to the ACT as the test required to graduate from high school. Illinois used the ACT for 15 years before switching to the College Board’s SAT in 2016. The problem delayed the start of the exam for thousands of other students. But state education officials and the company that administers the ACT said there have been no issues with testing since April 8.

* Capitol News Illinois | Social Security rescinding its plan to end phone-based filing called a win for Illinois seniors: In Illinois, about 2.3 million people receive some form of Social Security benefits. More than 40% of Illinois residents age 65 or older rely on Social Security for at least half of their income, while around 20% rely on it for at least 90% of their income, according to AARP. The SSA was planning to end phone-based claims as an anti-fraud measure, saying the move would strengthen fraud prevention by forcing individuals to go online or visit local field offices to prove their identities and file for benefits.

* Frank Manzo IV | Project Labor Agreements deliver on policymakers’ promises to taxpayers and workers: With tariffs, market volatility, and mass government layoffs dominating headlines lately, much of our national economic discourse has centered around whether public policies and investments are maximizing value for taxpayers and opportunities for American workers. Here in Illinois, tens of billions of dollars have been invested over recent years to repair and modernize the roads, bridges, buildings, parks, and critical infrastructure that we rely on. These investments offer a great opportunity to assess whether specific policies are delivering.

* Eye On Illinois | How was voter turnout in your local elections?: Perhaps races in your community weren’t decided by fewer people than attend high school football games. Maybe a margin of 122 makes you think “my one vote still wouldn’t have mattered.” But trust these officials understand very well how few citizens actually participate. They’ve conducted public meetings without a single interested spectator or speaker. They know the likely low turnout percentages. As such, they realize they’re directly accountable to the people who do show up, initiate communication and reliably vote. They know those few active citizens can mobilize others to action. Think not in terms of threat or intimidation, but influence and electoral consequence.

*** Chicago ***

* The Triibe | Pritzker, Johnson applaud Peacekeepers violence prevention program as crime drops in Chicago: On Thursday, Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson applauded a new Northwestern University study that found the Peacekeepers Program led to a 41% reduction in victimizations within violence “hotspots” in 2023 to 2024 compared to the previous two-year period. Peacekeeper community areas saw a 31% decrease in shooting victimizations from 2023 to 2024 compared to the previous two-year period, according to the study. Additionally, the study also found that 68% of the conflict mediations conducted by Peacekeepers were “successfully resolved.”

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson reports bigger fundraising numbers, but so do potential opponents: Mayor Brandon Johnson reported raising nearly $300,000 in the first three months of the year, a sizable chunk of which came from gambling interests that want Chicago to legalize sweepstakes machines, as well as some longtime friends and political allies. The mayor’s political haul means he has about $1.16 million in the bank at the near-halfway point of his first term in office, which is about how much ex-Mayor Lori Lightfoot had at the same juncture, state campaign records show. While Johnson’s fundraising appeared relatively healthy, so too were the efforts of other Chicago politicians, including some potentially eyeing a bid to take on Johnson for mayor in 2027.

* WBEZ | Chicago’s robbery surge is over: From September 2021 to June 2024, almost every month saw a year-over-year robbery increase, a WBEZ analysis of city data has found. Robberies peaked at 1,213 in August 2023. In July of last year, however, the numbers started to plummet. Every month since then has had a double-digit drop in robberies from the previous year. The first three months of 2025 had the fewest robberies of any quarter in decades.

* Block Club Chicago | Bowen HS Science Program Gets $10K From PsiQuantum, A South Works Campus Tenant: The $10,000 donation will purchase virtual reality equipment, robotics, rockets, drones and other technology to “enable hands-on learning” in Bowen’s engineering, math and science classes, PsiQuantum executive Mo Green said. […] PsiQuantum’s donation is about four times the average annual budget for Bowen’s science department, allowing teachers to “go outside the parameters of the budgets they’re normally used to [and] plan something phenomenal for the kids,” principal Priscilla Horton said.

* Block Club | City Sues Englewood Junkyard Property Owner, Mechanic Living On Lots: City officials are “seeking maximum penalties and an injunction” against Paul Cawley, Achadboy Properties, Jerry Bell and Melvin Woods for the vacant lots harboring cars at 7150-52 S. Normal Blvd., a spokesperson for the city’s Law Department said in an email Monday. […] The city’s lawsuit comes days after Block Club Chicago published an investigation on the illegal junkyard in Englewood, highlighting the city’s failure to clear the lots of cars, bikes and boats after nearly a decade of neighbors complaining and Cawley blowing off city fines.

* WBEZ | Chicago street festivals sound alarm on rising costs, including security: The coalition called “Save Our Street Fests,” which went public with its concerns Friday, also includes nonprofit street festivals such as Wicker Park Fest, Northalsted Market Days, Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest and several others. The group says that the cost of producing a street festival in Chicago has “skyrocketed,” from fees for security, entertainment, staffing and insurance to expenses for portable restrooms. At the same time, donations from the public at festival gates have dropped dramatically. Pamela Maass, executive director of the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, said there’s often confusion over how the events are funded and why street festivals ask for a donation at the entrance, while downtown city-run events, like Blues Fest, do not.

* WTTW | Chicago Park District CEO Carlos Ramirez-Rosa on Riot Fest, Homeless Encampments and Top Priorities: On Riot Fest: “For the first time ever, we’re going to do a pre-event walk-through with community advocates. The Park District always does a walk-through with the festival organizers. We’re going to invite the community along so we can have greater accountability, so we can make sure that the event is keeping the park up to the same level that they found it at. The Park District previously created a 10% give-back policy where 10% of the money generated from an event would go back into the local park.”

* Sun-Times | WGN interested in airing Chicago Sports Network broadcasts, confident a deal can work: The sides would have to sort out a lot of details, such as how many games would be included and who would sell advertising for them. Though WGN isn’t positioned to pay a substantial rights fee — the teams would have to treat it as a marketing expense — it could deliver the teams their largest TV audience since they launched CHSN in October.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | With Cook County Jail’s population again on the rise, officials weigh the reasons: In an internal report obtained by the Tribune via a public records request, the Cook County sheriff’s office found that the average daily jail population has risen by about 12% in recent months, reaching its highest level in eight months at the end of March. The report also found sharp increases in detention for some charge types for which State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has implemented policy changes. […] Sheriff Tom Dart, in an interview with the Tribune, made clear that he supports policies that keep high-risk defendants incarcerated, but said he is concerned about how long inmates remain in jail as court cases move sluggishly through the system.

* Tribune | Bankruptcies at suburban senior homes collectively cost residents millions of dollars in entrance fees: A recent bankruptcy filing by a network of senior living facilities in Illinois and Indiana highlights the financial risk posed to residents who pay large entry fees to continuing care retirement communities, but get limited government protections, senior advocates say. In February, a Lutheran not-for-profit that operates several long-term care facilities — including Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, seeking to continue operations while shedding debt. The latest bankruptcy follows a Chapter 11 filing in 2023 by Schaumburg’s Friendship Village, now called Encore Village. The Oaks at Bartlett also filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and 2019, went into receivership in 2024 and was sold.

* NBC Chicago | Longtime Skokie mayor who fought antisemitism retires, cites Trump worries: After more than 40 years of public service, Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen is packing up his office and embarking on a new adventure: retirement. In an interview with NBC Chicago, he shared the highs and lows of his career, including his work to combat antisemitism and promote tolerance. […] Another tense time came the following year when the Klu Klux Klan came to Skokie. Nowadays, a big challenge has been combating the surge in antisemitism following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. “It’s hard to describe the pain that Jewish people feel. I think for many of us, it was very unexpected,” Van Dusen said.

* Sun-Times | Senate contenders share face time with Cook County Democrats ahead of Durbin decision: Krishnamoorthi spent about 45 minutes shaking hands during a lunchtime break. After a bit of scurrying from reporters, the congressman chose his words carefully. Both Krishnamoorthi and Stratton are widely seen as potential Senate candidates should Durbin decide to retire. But with that decision still not public, the two tried to pay respect to the veteran senator while making sure to schmooze with high-profile Democrats.

* Daily Herald | Lisle trustee candidates separated by single vote, while Queen Bee school board race ends in a tie: The race for the fourth and final available school board seat in Queen Bee Elementary District 16 has ended in a tie, according to results that are technically still unofficial. Merima Biacan and William Staunton each received 895 votes. Marjorie Fierro, the top-vote getter, finished with 1,044. “For most of the people, the race was done on the first or the second of April. For me, it’s still not done,” Biacan said, adding that “it was kind of nerve-wracking to live through this.”

* Daily Herald | Should Cook County dissolve its four suburban mosquito abatement districts?: Some Cook County Board members are requesting closer scrutiny of the mosquito districts following an investigation by the county’s inspector general that resulted in calls for members of the appointed oversight board at one district to resign. “It would seem best to me to consolidate them,” said 12th District County Board Commissioner Bridget Degnen. “I think it’s more a patchwork now and having it consolidated under the county would provide a streamlined approach with consistent services throughout all of Cook County.”

* Tribune | Will County Board approves solar projects near Monee, Peotone: The Will County Board voted Thursday to approve two new solar projects for the south suburbs. The board voted 13 to 9 to approve TurningPoint Energy’s request to build a 3.4-megawatt commercial solar energy facility on about 35 vacant acres near the northeast corner of La Grange Road and West Monee-Manhattan Road in Monee. TurningPoint has been granted special use permits for eight projects in Will County near Crete, Monee, Peotone and Joliet, county documents said.

* Sun-Times | Former Glenwood cemetery worker charged with stealing $100K in funeral fees: Latrecia Marshall-Parris, 48, handled funeral plans and assisted with headstone payments, which often were made in cash, at Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens in south suburban Glenwood, the Cook County sheriff’s office and court documents said. She took cash from families but deposited lesser amounts into the cemetery’s accounts and pocketed the difference, the sheriff’s office alleges. Marshall-Parris is accused of stealing more than $114,200 from 49 payments made between April 2022 and August 2023.

* Sun-Times | Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library launched in Lake County to inspire young readers: The Imagination Library isn’t a brick-and-mortar project but a collaborative. Each month, a high-quality, age-appropriate book is mailed to children’s homes at no cost to participating families. The books are meant to foster early learning skills, help close literacy gaps and promote educational equity, supporters say.

*** Downstate ***

* BND | As he prepares for final meeting, O’Fallon mayor reflects on decades of service: As he looks back on what the city has achieved in eight years, he thanked the city staff and council for working together on growth and concern for tax dollars. “Our staff is second to none. Our council may disagree, but they come together, by and large, to get things done for the residents,” he said.

* WGLT | 2 public forums scheduled on shelter village plan in Bloomington: The City of Bloomington has announced two forums have been scheduled to collect public input on a proposed cabin village to serve the unhoused. An official with Bloomington-based Home Sweet Home Ministries said in February the agency wants to build a 50-bed non-congregant village near Main Street and Oakland Avenue south of downtown to help address the overflow of unhoused residents who are unable to stay in either of Bloomington’s homeless shelters.

* WGLT | McLean County working to become fully ADA compliant online: The McLean County Board heard an update on the effort during its meeting on Thursday, led by Craig Nelson, the county’s chief information officer, and digital media director Dan Leary. The ADA does not specifically address online accessibility, but the Department of Justice published a rule in 2024 setting technical requirements for accessibility on state and local government websites and social media. Earlier this year, the DOJ published a resource document with more information to explain how to maintain compliance that can help avoid lawsuits.

* CBS Chicago | 4 killed when small plane hits powerlines and crashes in central Illinois: The crash occurred at around 10:15 a.m. local time on County Line Road in Trilla, Illinois, about three miles south of Mattoon in Coles County, according to Illinois State Police and the Coles County Sheriff’s Office. Trilla is about 200 miles south of Chicago. The National Transportation Safety Board said a Cessna 180 single-engine plane struck powerlines and crashed into a field.

* PJ Star | How a robot does the heavy lifting marking athletic fields across the Peoria area: There is an artist named Tank whose canvas is a growing number of athletic fields in the Peoria area, painting with machine-like precision. That’s fitting, because it’s a robot. Turf Tank is a programmable robot on four wheels that looks like a tiny tank. Loaded with a reservoir of paint, and guided by computer, it works unsupervised, painting the lines on soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse and other athletic fields.

*** National ***

* AP | Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming, humble style, dies at 88: Bells tolled in church towers across Rome after the announcement, which was read out by Cardinal Kevin Farrell from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” said Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, who takes charge after a pontiff’s death.

* CNN | DHL to suspend global shipments of over $800 to US consumers: DHL blamed the halt on new US customs rules which require formal entry processing on all shipments worth over $800. The minimum had been $2,500 until a change on April 5. DHL said business-to-business shipments would not be suspended but could face delays. Shipments under $800 to either businesses or consumers were not affected by the changes.

* Bloomberg | How Did This Suburb Figure Out Mass Transit?: Brampton, Ontario, is a large industrial suburb of Toronto, indistinguishable from many across North America. Six-lane-wide arterial roads lined with strip malls course through residential developments full of detached single-family homes with garages. The city is also home to many factories and distribution centers — massive warehouses with blank walls surrounded by parking lots. Yet, with a population of about 700,000, Brampton has 226,500 bus riders on an average weekday. Compare that to Orange County, California, with 3.2 million people and 112,000 daily bus riders. Orange County has a similar suburban built form, and its population density in core areas like Santa Ana is higher than that of Brampton. Comparison with other areas is just as stark: Columbus, Ohio, with about 900,000 residents, has only 34,100 bus riders per day; the Pace bus network, serving 5.7 million residents of suburban Chicago, averages 56,900 riders per day.