* ICYMI: Mayor Brandon Johnson didn’t conduct formal national search for CTA head despite claiming otherwise, records show. Tribune…

- “We were always in the process of finding someone,” Johnson told Block Club last month. “It looked like any other national search.” Johnson told Block Club the search had already been completed.
- Three departments told the Tribune they possessed no records of any contracts the city held with search firms involved in vetting candidates, nor invoices from such search firms, résumés of candidates who had been in the running for the job or reports on the search process.
- The mayor’s office said it reached out to three leaders of agencies across the country, but none were interested in doing a formal interview for the position.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Illinois Times | The college crisis: Regional universities struggle to attract students amid funding challenges, changing demographics: In 2010, a combined 112,200 students attended those schools. But today, that number has dropped to 71,600 – a 36% decrease. During the same period, enrollment at University of Illinois’ flagship campuses soared from 71,700 to 90,100 – a 26% increase.

* Daily Herald | Two budgets for Metra? One business as usual, the other a doomsday scenario: The state Senate passed legislation in May with reforms and funding, including new taxes and fees, but House members balked and negotiations continue. The Regional Transportation Authority has asked the agencies to prepare two budgets — one for a normal year and a second doomsday fiscal plan with 40% reductions in trains and buses. Transit planners estimate 40% cuts would mean a Metra line with 90 daily trains could shrink to 54.

* Sun-Times | Chicago Heights crematory shuts down permanently after accusations of mishandling bodies: Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who regulates crematories, announced Thursday she had permanently revoked Heights Crematory’s license through a consent order. “The practical effect of this order is that Heights and its owners will never operate a crematorium in the state of Illinois again,” Mendoza said in a statement. The Illinois Funeral Directors Association received a tip in February with photos showing bodies in a trailer on the site of Heights Crematory, 230 E. 11th St., prompting a state investigation.

*** Statewide ***

* ABC Chicago | After SCOTUS decision, advocates expect more seeking gender-affirming care to come to Illinois: “This is not just an attack on trans youth or LGBT-identifying folks; this is an attack on bodily autonomy,” said Manuel Hernandez, executive director of the Association of Latinos Motivating Action. It’s one of the most significant LGBTQ rulings to come down from the Supreme Court. It’s a ruling that means states are allowed to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. It’s care, Hernandez says, that is life-saving.

* WGLT | Dust storms in Central Illinois increase as farmers continue to explore conservation practices: Trent Ford is the Illinois state climatologist with the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dust storms might seem more abundant recently than they were in years past, though Illinois has an up and down history of these events. “It has been a bit more frequent of an issue in the last few years relative to the previous maybe 10 years,” Ford said. Over a longer period, though, it is hard to tell. Ford said Illinois has spotty data on dust storms. Temperature records are far more robust over the last eight decades. He said there is enough data to suggest the state may face a period of more frequent storms.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Daily Herald | Chan Ding running in Democratic primary in 52nd: Erin Chan Ding, who retained her seat on the Barrington Area Unit District 220 school board in April, announced Wednesday she is running for the seat currently held by Republican Martin McLaughlin. Recently, Jesse Rojo, who fell short in his bid for Barrington village trustee in April, declared he is running.

* WGLT | Despite lack of power, rookie Central Illinois lawmakers carve out their own paths: Republican state Rep. Regan Deering, who represents parts of Bloomington, went to Springfield with the aspiration to affect change, but after five months Deering realized she has less influence than she expected. “I wish I knew how little power I would have,” Deering said. “I came in very optimistic, trying to be an authentic citizen legislator, knowing that I ran because I was frustrated that, apparently a small group of elites was kind of running the show, and it is the reality.”

* WPSD | Southern Illinois mayors, lawmakers discuss challenges facing communities: Windhorst took a strong stance against kratom at the meeting. Kratom is a herbal supplement commonly sold as an energy booster or for pain relief. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, kratom can produce an opioid and stimulant-like effect. Windhorst said it’s a problem not only in Southern Illinois, but across the state. He mentioned that legislative efforts at the state level are underway to address the growing issue.

* Center Square | LaHood weighs gubernatorial run as Pritzker faces scrutiny after hearing: “I love my job. I’m doing the work that I was elected to do. I’m going to continue to do that,” said LaHood. “That doesn’t mean I don’t look for other opportunities, but I’m going to listen to my voters and people throughout the state of Illinois and make a decision accordingly.”

* Press Release | llinois Chamber President Lou Sandoval to Receive Cuauhtémoc Leadership Award from the National Latino Education Institute: The Cuauhtémoc Leadership Award is the highest honor bestowed by NLEI, recognizing individuals whose leadership exemplifies vision, integrity, and a strong commitment to promoting economic opportunity while empowering the Latino community. Notable past recipients include Gery Chico, Partner at Chico and Nunes PC; Martin Cabrera, Founder and CEO of Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC; Guy A Medaglia, former CEO of St Anthony Hospital; and the Honorable JB Pritzker, Governor of the State of Illinois. “As the first Hispanic President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Lou has quickly established himself as a powerful advocate for inclusive economic growth and opportunity,” said Elba Aranda Suh, Executive Director of NLEI. “His leadership across sectors — whether in finance, small business, or civic engagement — sets a profound example for emerging Latino leaders across the nation.”

* WAND | IL GOP lawmakers claim Democratic leaders violated state constitution to pass civil procedure bill: Democrats used the common gut and replace tactic in order for an unrelated bill to change Illinois from a specific jurisdiction to a general jurisdiction state. This plan quickly moved to the Senate floor and passed on a partisan vote in the early morning hours of June 1. “That is a clear violation of what the constitution calls for,” said Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Hoffman Estates). “We are seizing upon that the courts have been more acutely aware recently of the abuse of this process.”

* WREX | Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton shares her concerns surrounding national healthcare: Stratton shared her concerns surrounding President Donald Trump’s healthcare cuts in recent months. Having spoken with constituents, she believes what is happening on a national level is stripping people of their healthcare and knows from personal experience the dangers that can come with not having proper healthcare. “I’ve seen other examples where healthcare has been stripped away. In fact, it’s why I ran for office in the first place. Back in 2015 caring for my mom who had Alzheimer’s, and I was her primary caregiver and at that time, our governor, Bruce Rauner, and my state representative were joining forces to strip away healthcare for seniors, the same kind of healthcare that my mom needed,” Stratton said.

* Rep. Maurice West…

Happy Juneteenth everyone! Please enjoy this original rendition of the Black National Anthem! 🎷 #Juneteenth #LiftEveryVoice pic.twitter.com/MeHQGgabVm

— Rep. Maurice West (@StateRepWEST) June 19, 2025

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Alderman pledges to fight Mayor Brandon Johnson’s vowed curfew veto, won’t ‘twist arms’: Johnson quickly pledged to cast a rare mayoral veto, the city’s first since 2006. The planned move means Hopkins must garner votes from 34 aldermen to overrule the mayor, a high bar that would require him to flip as many as seven council members. Still, Hopkins said Thursday morning he will move ahead in July with a City Council vote on Johnson’s anticipated veto. He plans to keep making the case for his ordinance but added that he will not be heavy-handed.

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson faces city grocery tax pushback as state levy expires: Johnson’s administration has argued the 1% city grocery tax is necessary as a state grocery tax that sent revenue to municipalities ends. But Ald. Brendan Reilly accused Johnson of sneaking the ordinance’s introduction during a meeting to avoid legislative pushback, in what he characterized as a violation of the Open Meetings Act. “They intentionally are leaving the public in the dark,” Reilly told reporters later. “It is obvious the mayor is not proud of this ordinance because he tried to sneak it in without anyone understanding what it would actually do.”

* Sun-Times | Weiss Hospital braces for 2 more weeks without AC; inpatient unit evacuated: Temperatures inside rose to 90 degrees as most of the 45 patients at Weiss were moved to the hospital’s sister facility, West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park.

* Strong Towns | Chicago Banned Its Traditional Affordable Housing—Let’s Fix That: The median Chicago 2-to-4-flat is over a century old, built around 1917. Chicago introduced its first zoning code in 1923 and went through three major overhauls in 1944, 1957, and 2004. Every iteration introduced increasingly restrictive rules for unit counts, setbacks, minimum parking requirements, height limits, and floor area ratios. Between each iteration, large parts of the city were downzoned to prevent anything other than single-family homes from being built.

* Tribune | During COVID-19, many people who were homeless lived in Chicago-area hotels. Here’s what was learned.: While those experiencing homelessness did suffer COVID’s aggressive spread initially, a silver lining has emerged out of the deadly pandemic. Hotels, abandoned by business travelers and tourists, were used to house people who would otherwise be sleeping in congregate shelters or on pads arranged on the floor of a church basement. Social service agencies, doctors and those who stayed in the hotels are now calling it a game-changing model for how to stabilize people experiencing homelessness and get them into permanent housing and off the street for good.

* WTTW | 4 Reconstructed CTA Red Line Stops in Uptown, Edgewater Set to Open Next Month: The stations, located at Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr, will open to the public beginning July 20. City officials said this will mark the largest simultaneous opening of stations since the Orange Line opened in 1993. The reconstructions were part of the city’s $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One Project.

* Crain’s | In need of new customers, Chicago chefs put their chips in casinos: The upcoming Hollywood Casino food courts in Joliet and Aurora will have a new burger spot from celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, plus stands from Logan Square’s Pretty Cool Ice Cream and Wicker Park’s Antique Taco. Fabio Viviani, another celebrity chef based in the Chicago area, is running the food and beverage options at the recently opened Wind Creek Casino in East Hazel Crest.

* WTTW | How Did Meigs Field Become Northerly Island Park? : By cover of night in March 2003, the mayor’s demolition crew arrived at the airport and carved giant Xs into the runway, rendering it unusable. And all this was done without telling the City Council, the state or the Federal Aviation Administration. The surprise move left several planes stranded. Daley defended the stunt as a necessary post-9/11 security measure to prevent planes from flying near downtown Chicago. But critics and pundits say the mayor was merely dodging a prolonged and expensive legal battle with various groups fighting to keep the airport open.

* CBS Chicago | WBBM Newsradio political reporter Craig Dellimore looks back at his career before retiring this month: Dellimore’s voice is familiar to many who drive or take the train to work. He started at Newsradio in 1983, back when WBBM Newsradio was upstairs from Channel 2 at the old CBS Chicago broadcast center at 630 N. McClurg Ct. in Streeterville. Dellimore became political editor at WBBM Newsradio in 2001 — succeeding the legendary Bob Crawford, who had held the post since the station went all-news in 1968. As political editor, Dellimore covered numerous campaigns, controversies, and national political conventions, hosted the “At Issue” public affairs show.

* Crain’s | Sidetrack wants to open the country’s first gay bar at an airport: The 42-year-old Northalsted institution, which is among Chicago’s largest and most beloved bars championing the LGBTQ+ community, is one of scores of businesses vying for the coveted concession licenses currently available at O’Hare International Airport. If approved, Sidetrack’s Terminal 1 location would become a joint venture between the current bar owners, Art Johnston and José “Pepe” Peña, and Germán González, managing partner of Somos Hospitality, the group behind Chicago restaurants Tzuco and Ummo.

* Tribune | Is NASCAR moving its street race from Chicago to sunny San Diego next year?: The Athletic reported Wednesday that NASCAR and the Southern California city’s sports tourism commission are in negotiations to hold a race on the streets of San Diego in 2026. A NASCAR spokesperson declined to comment on the unconfirmed report, while the San Diego Sports Commission did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. Chicago is set to host the third annual street race July 5-6 on a pop-up course in and around Grant Park, completing an inaugural three-year agreement with NASCAR. The deal, struck during former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration, includes a two-year renewal option.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Fox Chicago | As tariff fight reaches Supreme Court, Vernon Hills toy company looks to India for relief: On Wednesday, Elana Ruffman, vice president of marketing and product development at hand2mind, was in India meeting with potential manufacturing partners amid ongoing efforts to diversify. “I’m in Mumbai and I’ll be here for the next week and a half visiting factories, a combination of existing factories and new ones,” Ruffman shared in an interview with FOX 32 soon after she touched down overseas. Her trip comes as the company looks to avoid inventory gaps and price hikes.

* WGN | Tiffany Henyard tell-all? It’ll cost you $99: Tiffany Henyard’s latest promise to “tell all” comes in the form of an autobiography she’s now peddling online. The cost: $99. The deposed south suburban politician took to Facebook to solicit pre-orders for the book that promises “the real story is coming.” A link directs those interested in purchasing the book to a do-it-yourself sales website as opposed to an actual publisher.

* Daily Herald | ‘Her ideas were trailblazing’: Former Des Plaines civic leader Rosemary Argus has died: Rosemary S. Argus, a former member of both the Mount Prospect Park District board and the Des Plaines City Council who also was a longtime community volunteer, died Wednesday. She was 88. Argus served on the parks board from 1974 to 2001, including as its president from 1987 to 1993. She represented the 8th Ward on the city council from 2001 to 2011.

* Daily Herald | A ‘peace language’: Festival within Make Music Wheaton to celebrate Middle Eastern culture: A Wheaton College grad, Bighash and her neighborhood near campus will re-create that atmosphere Saturday as hosts of a street festival that will showcase Middle Eastern culture through music, dance and incredible food. The live performances on Franklin Street will close out Make Music Wheaton — a jam-packed day of free concerts around town — with an expression of hospitality, a salve for those whose hearts and minds are thousands of miles away.

* Daily Herald | Barbecue battle: Chicago restaurant claims Palatine-based Weber infringed its trademark name: Q Smokeshack LLC, which operates Smoque BBQ at 3800 N. Pulaski Road, filed a Notice of Opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office against the grill manufacturer June 2, seeking to block Weber’s trademark application for “Weber Smoque” barbecue grills and wood pellet grills. Smoque BBQ has offered barbecue cuisine under the “Smoque” name since opening in 2006, according to its filing. It secured federal trademark protection for the Smoque mark in 2013.

*** Downstate ***

* WSJ | A Town That Pioneered the Juneteenth Holiday Is Now Calling Off the Party: Plano, Ill., made national news in 2021 when it designated Juneteenth a holiday before the state or federal government. But this year, Plano’s fifth annual celebration is canceled. Organizer Jamal Williams said he called off the event after local business sponsors in the 13,000-person town declined to commit, saying they feared losing customers. A downsized version is being planned at a church in the town next door.
* PJ Star | ‘Embarrassment’: Additional $200M needed to fix Peoria sewer overflow issue. Here’s why: Chief among those issues was a misevaluation at the beginning of the projects as to what kind of soil would be prevalent throughout project sites. Original testing found that areas below the bluffs in Peoria were likely to have sandy soil, which meant that water infiltration would be high. As the project got underway, engineers realized that there was more variance in the soil than they had originally assumed and the soil throughout the project area was not as permeable as expected, meaning water would have to be diverted to more permeable areas. This required quick changes to the engineering plan and a transition away from green infrastructure.

* News-Gazette | OSF faces review process before it can make changes in Urbana and Danville: Members of the public will have a chance to weigh in on OSF HealthCare’s plans to shift services away from its Urbana campus as the project goes through the state’s review process. According to city of Urbana attorney Matt Roeschley, OSF will need to file an application with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, which will consider public comments as it evaluates the proposal.

* News-Gazette | Urbana council to vote on budget next week amid debates on grocery tax and police: The council reconvened Tuesday night after calling Monday’s session at four and a half hours. After further discussion, aldermen put the proposed budget on the agenda for next week’s meeting, along with an ordinance creating the tax. Final action on both items will be taken at that time. Alderman Grace Wilken was the sole “no” vote on the motions to send these items forward. She said that while she saw some of the advantages of the grocery tax, she feels that the revenue should go toward items “that are really serving our community.”

* BND | Nippon will not cut production at Granite City Works for at least 2 years: Nippon’s acknowledgment that it will maintain the status quo at the Metro East mill for at least the next two years provides the first public remarks either company has made about Granite City Works’ future since U.S. Steel and the Japanese company first announced their intentions in late 2023. Granite City Works employees had been left in limbo these past couple of years — waiting for a final decision about the Nippon partnership amid a separate local deal that could permanently end steelmaking in town.

* Telegraph | Illinois dominates St. Louis Regional Freightway’s $9 billion priority project list: “The numbers highlighted in this year’s report, which continue to grow year over year, underscore the tremendous commitment to improving freight infrastructure in the bi-state St. Louis region by securing funding and advancing major projects through the development pipeline,” said Mary Lamie, executive vice president of multimodal enterprises for Bi-State Development and head of Freightway.

* WCIA | Nearly 700 cows escape Milford farm during storm: The Knauth land and cattle family in Milford has been in business for half a century. Wednesday afternoon’s severe weather brought high winds, damaging their property and causing a cattle conundrum. More than 500 cows escaped from an Iroquois County farm after severe weather came through the area. “Coming here this morning, it makes you sick to your stomach,” said Kinsey Mabbitt. “Almost like you look, and there’s supposed to be buildings there that my dad’s worked so hard to build and provide, and they are just gone. Like, it’s all just gone.”

* BND | Confluence Crush: A look inside the metro-east’s only roller derby team: Joining the team is easy and open to all women, trans people and nonbinary people looking to be part of the sport. Each month the team hosts a “new skater night,” where prospective teammates can learn about the team, the sport’s history and its rules. Inclusion has long been a significant part of the sport, but now more than ever, teams put that into their founding principles. Confluence Crush takes that to new heights, sponsoring different charities involving social, environmental and animal welfare cases.

* SJ-R | Largest air-supported sports dome in the world is inflated in Springfield: The dome can hold more than two Scheels sports complexes inside of the 715-foot long sports dome. The dome will have inside two full sized softball fields, six full sized basketball courts and a section for a hitting area. The basketball courts will be convertible to 12 volleyball courts.

*** National ***

* The Atlantic | The Fear Coursing Through State Capitols: Allison Russo, the Ohio House minority leader, stood on a street in downtown Columbus on Saturday morning, reading text messages about the shootings aloud to a few of her colleagues who were standing nearby. Russo hadn’t known Hortman well, but the two shared a bond as midwesterners, Russo said, and both belonged to an informal group of Democrats in state leadership positions—women who regularly shared advice and stories with one another. When word of Hortman’s death came through, “we were all devastated,” Russo told me. “The brutality of it is just shocking.”

* NYT | The D.N.C. Is in Chaos and Desperate for Cash Under Ken Martin: Under its new leader, Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee has been plagued by infighting and a drop in big donations, raising alarms from Democrats as they try to win back power.

* Reuters | Trump administration puts new limits on Congress visits to immigration centers: Senators and representatives in Congress have oversight of agencies in the executive branch of government and control their funding. Under federal law, DHS is forbidden from preventing members of Congress from entering any facility “used to detain or otherwise house aliens,” and lawmakers do not have to give DHS prior notice of a visit. DHS may require lawmakers’ staff to give 24 hours’ notice before those staffers can enter. The new guidelines say that law does not apply to ICE field offices, although immigrants are often detained at ICE field offices before a transfer to an ICE jail. ICE is now asking members of Congress to give at least 72 hours’ notice before a visit

* The Atlantic | The Entire Internet Is Reverting to Beta: Even without actively seeking out a chatbot, billions of people are now pushed to interact with AI when searching the web, checking their email, using social media, and online shopping. Ninety-two percent of Fortune 500 companies use OpenAI products, universities are providing free chatbot access to potentially millions of students, and U.S. national-intelligence agencies are deploying AI programs across their workflows.

* Sun-Times | Federal courts unreceptive to claims of wrong raids: The 11th Circuit is not the only federal court that has proven unreceptive to the argument that police should make sure they are in the right place before raiding someone’s home. Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit dismissed a lawsuit stemming from a 2019 SWAT raid in Waxahachie, Texas, that terrified an innocent couple and wrecked their home after local cops mistook it for a suspected drug stash house a few doors away. The lead officer’s “efforts to identify the correct residence, though deficient, did not violate clearly established law,” the 5th Circuit ruled. Last month, a federal judge in New Mexico reached a similar conclusion in a case that shows such mistakes can be lethal.