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  "path": "/wbez-newsletter/2026/03/16/the-rundown-federal-support-for-great-lakes-carp-plan",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-16T20:45:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.wbez.org",
  "textContent": "<p><i>Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and we’ve got another week of </i><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/weather/2026/03/16/over-350-flights-canceled-at-ohare-as-wintry-conditions-create-hazardous-morning-commute\" target=\"_blank\" ><i><u>typical March weather</u></i></a><i> on deck. Here’s what else you need to know today.</i></p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/politics/2026/03/16/jb-pritzker-dick-durbin-invasive-asian-carp-wants-great-lakes-donald-trump-brandon-road-interbasin-project\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>1. Gov. Pritzker wants funds flowing for a Great Lakes carp plan after Trump heaped praise on a project he paused</u></b></a></p><p>Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin want President Donald Trump to put money where his mouth is on a massive project to help stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes — a project the Trump administration paused in December.</p><p>The president this past week said “only Trump” can save the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp and urged governors to “join in on the fight.” His post on Truth Social called it a “worthy cause” and came after a meeting with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. In his post, Trump cited the governors of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York.</p><p>That social media commitment surprised Pritzker’s office because the Trump administration issued an administrative review in December and paused the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, with no federal funds being delivered.</p><p>Only Illinois and Michigan have directed resources to the project, but Pritzker’s office said it “would welcome additional commitments from the full force of all eight Great Lake states.”</p><p>The $1.15 billion project in the Des Plaines River near Joliet is seen as a vital way to stop invasive Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. Without a barrier, the carp could wreak havoc on the $20 billion fishing and boating industries and upend the freshwater ecosystem, experts say. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/politics/2026/03/16/jb-pritzker-dick-durbin-invasive-asian-carp-wants-great-lakes-donald-trump-brandon-road-interbasin-project\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2026/03/16/operation-midway-blitz-immigration-campaign-chicago-suburban-democratic-voters-poll\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>2. Chicago and suburban Democratic voters are more likely to vote for candidates who fought ICE, a poll found</u></b></a></p><p>Almost three-quarters of likely Democratic primary voters in the Chicago area say candidates’ positions on federal immigration enforcement are their most important concern, my colleagues Tina Sfondeles and Mitchell Armentrout report for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>Several candidates in congressional and state races have made their anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement stance a focal point of their campaigns, including the top U.S. Senate Democratic candidates. Tomorrow’s primary elections will serve as a test of whether campaign messaging about fighting ICE worked — and how views on immigration have changed during Trump’s second term.</p><p>When voters were asked about ICE, 63% had an unfavorable view, while 31% had a favorable view. That broke down sharply by political parties, with 90% of Democrats viewing ICE unfavorably compared to 9% of Republicans. Among independents, the number was 62%. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2026/03/16/operation-midway-blitz-immigration-campaign-chicago-suburban-democratic-voters-poll\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p>This morning, Mayor Brandon Johnson took questions from WBEZ listeners on a range of topics, including elections and democracy. For Chicagoans who may feel intimidated about showing up to a polling place tomorrow, Johnson said: “Go vote. ... To ensure that democracy is alive, it is always going to be worth showing up on behalf of our values of working people to cast our vote.” [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/city-hall/2026/03/16/mayor-brandon-johnson-answers-your-questions-in-the-loop-with-sasha-ann-simons\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p>If you haven’t voted yet, my colleagues put together a really helpful guide to the races on your ballot. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/graphics/voter-guide-primary-election-illinois/\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/03/13/chicago-social-media-tax-lawsuit-facebook-tiktok-block-brandon-johnson\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>3. Big tech companies sued to block Chicago’s new social media tax</u></b></a></p><p>A coalition of the world’s largest tech companies is suing to block Chicago’s new tax on social media giants like TikTok, Facebook and X, claiming the city’s first-of-its-kind per-user levy tramples the First Amendment rights of major corporations that contend they’re part of the free press.</p><p>The lawsuit, filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court by the tech trade group NetChoice, takes aim at the social media tax proposed by the mayor and retained in the budget ultimately approved by the City Council last fall.</p><p>Companies started paying the tax last month at a rate of 50 cents per user after the first 100,000 Chicagoans who log on to Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram and other popular sites, with city officials projecting a $31 million annual windfall for future mental health programs. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/03/13/chicago-social-media-tax-lawsuit-facebook-tiktok-block-brandon-johnson\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/03/13/illinois-college-degree-workforce-credential-state-group-study\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>4. Should more Illinoisans have a college degree or workforce credential? A new state group is figuring that out</u></b></a></p><p>Top officials from state education and workforce development agencies will be putting their heads together to figure out what degrees, certificates and other training Illinoisans need to be competitive in the workforce for the next 14 years.</p><p>Pritzker signed an executive order Friday that establishes a new state group that will work with experts to analyze the state’s changing labor market and workforce needs. By Dec. 1, that group will let the governor know what share of Illinois adults they think should have a college degree, workforce credential or other post-high school training by 2040.</p><p>As my colleagues Kalyn Belsha and Emmanuel Camarillo write, those choices are meaningful because they can guide state investments, help colleges and trade schools decide what programs to offer and let high schools know what career prep courses are most likely to pay off. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/03/13/illinois-college-degree-workforce-credential-state-group-study\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2026/03/15/buddy-guy-oscars-i-lied-to-you-sinners\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>5. Buddy Guy joined a star-studded ensemble for a live performance of ‘I Lied to You’ from ‘Sinners’ at the Oscars</u></b></a></p><p>Guy wore a black-and-white polka-dot shirt under black leather overalls, first snapping his fingers and then playing the guitar during “I Lied to You” alongside Miles Caton, who stars as Sammie Moore in the movie, and Raphael Saadiq, who wrote the song with composer Ludwig Göransson.</p><p>Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith were also part of the performance. It faithfully recreated the scene at the juke joint when Sammie conjures up the spirits of musicians from past and present, including African tribal dancers, a DJ and break dancers, while singing and playing the guitar during “I Lied to You,” a song about his love of the blues.</p><p>Guy has a brief but significant cameo as the older Sammie in the movie. The legendary Chicago blues musician’s impact on the genre is one of the reasons “Sinners” writer and director Ryan Coogler wanted Guy in his film, and the writer and director personally visited Buddy Guy’s Legends to ask him to be part of it. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2026/03/15/buddy-guy-oscars-i-lied-to-you-sinners\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p>“Sinners” star Michael B. Jordan won best actor at last night’s Academy Awards. You can see the full list of winners in the link. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/15/nx-s1-5739287/oscars-2026-winners-list-best-picture-actor-actress\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</p><p><b>Here’s what else is happening</b></p><ul class=\"rte2-style-ul\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;\" id=\"rte-e770fa60-2174-11f1-a500-f70897bd5170\"><li>U.S. allies rebuffed Trump’s requests for military help reopening the Strait of Hormuz in Iran. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/16/world/iran-war-trump-oil-lebanon?unlocked_article_code=1.TlA.ddSY.IiktFd8qHToS&smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>New York Times</u></a>]</li><li>March Madness has begun, with the men’s and women’s brackets set last night. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/live/march-madness-selection-sunday-2026\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>Team USA won the second-most medals at this year’s Paralympics. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/16/nx-s1-5742376/2026-winter-paralympics-highlights-usa-hockey-skiing-snowboarding\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</li><li>The race in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District will help show how far left Democrats want a new generation of leaders to go. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/13/nx-s1-5726873/generational-politics-il-9\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</li></ul><p><b>Oh, and one more thing …</b></p><p>Leaning into cultural celebration is one way Moor’s and Funkytown Brewery — the city’s two Black-owned breweries — set themselves apart in a volatile industry that is seeing increased brewery closings nationwide. In Chicago, at least five have shuttered or announced closures this year amid rising operational and production costs and a decline in drinking.</p><p>In contrast, Moor’s Brewing and Funkytown Brewery have remained resilient due to contract brewing — producing their beers at other breweries instead of opening a brick-and-mortar location right away. They also have built a following by pairing their beer with cultural experiences and events, and targeting a diverse consumer base. The owners said they hope this approach will sustain them when they eventually open their own space.</p><p>“We can do art, we can do sports. That’s the future. That’s where it’s going. And I just feel like the rest of the industry hasn’t caught up yet, but it’ll bounce back,” said Jamhal Johnson, co-owner of Moor’s Brewing Company. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/03/16/black-owned-breweries-chicago-craft-beer-industry\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><b>Tell me something good …</b></p><p>Last week, my colleague Patrick Smith turned 40, and lots of listeners <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/say-more-with-mary-dixon-patrick-smith/2026/03/12/your-advice-for-say-more-co-host-patrick-smith-as-he-turns-40\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>called in with advice</u></a> for him. This comes right as I’m reading a book some have called a coming-of-age novel for those of us in our early 30s (“<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/books/review/goodbye-vitamin-rachel-khong.html?unlocked_article_code=1.TlA.i2Ne.I3NeSWOfLG0x&smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Goodbye, Vitamin</u></a>” by Rachel Khong).</p><p>As someone who turned 30 this past August, I’ve noticed I’m much more self-assured than a decade ago, especially about my major life choices and values. At the same time, the parts of my life I still don’t have together feel even more apparent.</p><p>So I’m wondering, what’s something you would tell your younger self?</p><p>Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.</p>",
  "title": "Federal support for Great Lakes carp plan: The Rundown",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-16T20:45:01.727Z"
}