Good afternoon! Fans of warmer weather should get what they’ve been waiting for this weekend. Here’s what else you need to know today.

1. State lawmakers presented a bill to address Chicago-area mass transit security and governance

After months of debate, Illinois legislators released a transit reform proposal that renames the Regional Transportation Authority, establishes a consolidated police force and creates a universal fare system for the Chicago area’s mass transit agencies, my colleagues George Wiebe and Alex Degman report.

But a gaping hole in the plan remains: revenue to pay for it.

The proposed changes come as the RTA system faces a $770 million budget shortfall. Legislators in Springfield have seized the moment to rehab the region’s ailing transit agencies, using the mantra “no funding without reform.” [Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ]

Meanwhile, the Chicago Transit Authority has paid some workers not to work since the pandemic, costing taxpayers more than $1 million, according to a report.

CTA employees who processed cash and coins from buses and trains worked only three days a week since March 2020 but were paid for five days of work, according to a state inspector general’s investigation. Their bosses knew but did nothing about it. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. Illinois lawmakers are eyeing a remedy for soaring electric bills

As electricity costs climb, legislators are pushing a plan to speed up solar and wind projects, end a moratorium on new nuclear plants and promote energy efficiency, Brett Chase and George Wiebe report for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Customers of ComEd and other electric utilities across the country are seeing higher bills as power demand increases because of a development boom in big data centers, especially operations focused on artificial intelligence.

“We can drive down the cost of energy by increasing the supply of electricity at the time of peak need and by cutting demand,” said state Sen. Bill Cunningham, a Democrat who represents the Southwest Side and surrounding suburbs. “One of the best ways to increase supply is with battery storage, and one of the best ways to decrease demand is with energy efficiency.”

The legislation would also end a state ban on new nuclear power, which is sure to raise questions about building multibillion-dollar plants that critics consider an outdated source of energy and that also comes with safety concerns.

The proposal’s future remains in question, with lawmakers expected to adjourn Saturday. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. The Chicago Bears and Gov. JB Pritzker hired outside consultants to advise on a new stadium for the football team

Despite the governor’s public skepticism about using taxpayer dollars to build a new stadium, more than $100,000 in funds have gone toward East Coast-based sports, media and entertainment lawyer Steve Argeris, the Chicago Tribune reports.

And records show the Bears have hired an adviser tied to Illinois Democrats whose duties have included fundraising for last summer’s Democratic National Convention and Pritzker’s first campaign back in 2018.

As the Tribune reports: “The maneuvers suggest talks between the two sides have gone deeper than has been portrayed publicly and shed new light on some of the behind-the-scenes positioning that has taken place during the yearslong push for public dollars or changes in state law that could help facilitate the construction of a team-owned stadium.” [Chicago Tribune]

4. President Donald Trump commuted drug kingpin Larry Hoover’s federal prison sentence

Hoover still has a state-court murder sentence to serve, and it’s not clear if he will leave federal prison. But Trump ordered him to be released “immediately,” my Chicago Sun-Times colleagues report.

Hoover and David Barksdale created the Gangster Disciples in the late 1960s, ruling as “King Larry” and “King David” until Barksdale was killed in 1974.

Eight months ago, a judge seemingly dashed a mercy bid by asking Hoover’s attorneys, “How many murders is he responsible for?” Now Hoover’s supporters are celebrating, and his attorneys are pressing Gov. JB Pritzker to follow Trump’s lead and commute Hoover’s life sentence for murder in Illinois.

“The federal government has done its part,” Hoover attorney Justin Moore told the Chicago Sun-Times in a text message. “Now it’s time for the State of Illinois to finish the job.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. Illinois wants to protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp. A toxic mess stands in the way.

Illinois officials took possession last week of a 50-acre stretch of riverbed in the Des Plaines River near Joliet in a last-ditch effort to prevent an ecological disaster from reaching Lake Michigan, my colleague Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco reports for WBEZ and Grist.

The state plans to build a $1.15 billion barricade there, called the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, to keep the particularly voracious and invasive Asian carp from muscling past the channel that connects the Mississippi River Basin with the Great Lakes. The project is a joint effort between the U.S. Corp of Army Engineers, the state of Illinois and the state of Michigan.

Planners still need to acquire some additional land along the river bank to be able to build the barricade. Officials have eyes on a piece of land nearby where a coal-fired power plant once stood, but there’s a problem: The ground is contaminated by coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity that is known to cause cancer. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• A federal court kept Trump’s tariffs in place — for now. [NPR]
• The Trump administration canceled plans to develop a bird flu vaccine. [NPR]
• Chicago-based United Airlines will return to New York’s JFK International Airport thanks to a partnership with JetBlue. [AP]
• Andy Austin, whose sketches brought Chicago’s biggest trials to the world outside the courtroom, has died at 89. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

Chicago’s popular free movie and concert series in Millennium Park will return this summer, with a June 26 concert headlined by California trio Thee Sacred Souls, my colleague Cassie Walker Burke writes for WBEZ.

Concert highlights include soul violinist Sudan Archives, who performed at Pitchfork in 2024 and will headline Millennium Park on June 30, and seminal hip-hop group Digable Planets, who perform July 17. Local indie rockers Horsegirl will headline July 28.

The film series will kick off July 1 with a screening of the baseball flick The Sandlot. Academy Award winner Wicked will be featured Aug. 12. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, the Chicago Park District’s free summer movie series will return to neighborhood parks June 10 and run through Sept. 13, Block Club Chicago reports. [Block Club Chicago]

Tell me something good …

I spend multiple days a week along the lakefront in the summertime, whether it’s at the beach or wandering around the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary. So I’m wondering, what’s your favorite spot to hang out along Lake Michigan?

Judith writes:

“The Point! I once took my aunt, who was visiting from the DC area., for a walk around the point. We started in Hyde Park and walked from the 57th St beach north around the point. When we reached the Northeast corner, I tapped her hand and pointed toward the loop, which was in splendid view — she gasped. Spectacular!”

Susan writes:

“On the lake, on a sailboat, watching the sun set behind the beautiful skyline.”

Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.