* Here you go…

* Sun-Times | State issues guidance on co-pays for undocumented — just as advocates gathered to criticize Pritzker for health care cuts: Advocates argued the rules changes were too costly for low-income patients. The governor’s office said co-pays should not have been charged yet anyway, though they are expected to resume eventually.

* WGLT | Republican Desi Anderson announces run against Democratic state Rep. Sharon Chung: Chung, a former McLean County Board member from Bloomington, first won the 91st House District seat in 2022. Chung defeated Republican Scott Preston with 52.3% of the vote, becoming the first Democrat to represent Bloomington-Normal in the House since 1982. Chung was also the first Korean American elected to the General Assembly.

* Capitol News Illinois | Complaint alleges ComEd violated state law by raising fees on customer bills: The complaint – centered on a portion of the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act that allows utilities to recoup carbon mitigation investments – alleges the utility failed to follow the proper regulatory channels laid out in Gov. JB Pritzker’s marquee climate policy.

* WAND | Pilot program to address root causes of homelessness in Springfield: “Homelessness cannot be placed on the backs of law enforcement who are more than willing to partner with our social service agencies throughout the community,” Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette said.

* Sun-Times | Chicago’s interim top cop shakes up command staff on way out the door: Interim Supt. Fred Waller told department members that the staffing overhaul was effective Friday, but sources said some of his picks had already been installed. Some of Waller’s choices have troubled records. Two commanders have been accused of fostering a hostile work environment, and two others have been named in costly lawsuits.

* Sun-Times | A top CPS official ousted in PPP fraud investigation: schools inspector general: In a report Wednesday outlining his findings, Fletcher did not name names, but the Chicago Sun-Times confirmed Cooper is the “central office administrator” who was found to have inflated her income for a side business she had never reported to CPS to get a PPP loan of $15,625.

* Tribune | Chicago government’s IT infrastructure inefficient to the point of ‘barely’ working, consultant tells City Council: Nitesh Dixit, senior managing partner at Gartner Consulting, provided the update two years after the release of a report commissioned by the Chicago City Council under the direction of Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, who is chairman of the economic, capital and technology development committee. Dixit told council members the city needs to act now to better deliver services, save taxpayer money and streamline city processes for residents and business owners.

* Sun-Times | Chicago-area expressway shootings down sharply this year: As of Tuesday, there have been 82 shootings on Cook County expressways, putting the city on pace to have fewer than last year. But the number of shootings is still higher than before the pandemic.

* Crain’s | Teamsters ratify contract at three Green Thumb dispensaries: The contract codifies 18% lifetime wage increases for Teamster members, attendance bonuses, seniority-based scheduling policies, guaranteed tips and discounts, new safety standards and protection against termination without cause.

* WMBD | Changes to application process could expand pool of potential State Troopers: Starting January first, under one option, education requirements could be waived if certain other requirements are met. “They have to have successfully completed basic law enforcement training, have at least three years of continuous full-time service as a peace officer with the same police department, and they’re currently serving as a peace officer,” said Sgt. Aldo Schumann, a recruitment coordinator with Illinois State Police.

* Center Square | Calls continue to clean up corruption in Illinois government: McCombie has introduced legislation that would end the practice of allowing criminally accused elected officials of using campaign funds for a criminal defense. Madigan has used at least $8.5 million of campaign funds so far to pay the law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman in his criminal defense.

* Sun-Times | Giannoulias to testify at Durbin’s Senate hearing on growing number of book bans: The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Book Bans: How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature,” will include other witnesses selected by Democrats and Republicans on the panel.

* Press release | SIU Carbondale celebrates overall enrollment increase: For the first time since 2014, enrollment at Southern Illinois University Carbondale has grown. Overall enrollment for fall 2023 is 11,359 — 252 students, or 2.3%, more than last year — the highest overall boost in the number of students in 21 years and highest percentage increase in over 30 years.

* Press release | John Atkinson Nominated as Chairman of Intersect Illinois Board of Directors: In his role as Chair of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, Atkinson has played a key role in driving growth of the state’s economy through workforce development. By leveraging the state’s best-in-the-nation higher education system to create a future-ready workforce, more than $50 billion in economic impact is created annually by higher education institutions. The contributions they make to idea generation, innovation, invention, inclusive and diverse economic engagement, and community development are essential for Illinois to thrive.

* Politico | An effort to ban caste discrimination in California has touched a nerve: If the bill passes as expected and Gov. Gavin Newsom signs it into law, California would become the first state to explicitly outlaw caste-based discrimination, though Seattle has done so and other cities are considering it. Caste, a social hierarchy in which one’s group is inherited, is historically associated with South Asia and Hindus, and opponents argue such a ban stigmatizes the religious group.

* Tribune | Illinois nature lovers and scientists warn of population declines among native bees and other pollinators: Paul CaraDonna, a conservation scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden, said there’s quite a bit of evidence demonstrating long-term declines in insect populations. One study published in 2019 in the journal Biological Conservation revealed that 40% of the world’s insect species are facing extinction within the next few decades.

* WSIL | Manager says the Du Quoin State Fair did well: Josh Gross is the Manager for Du Quoin State Fair. He says this year was comparable to what they saw last year. “Crowds were really big on the weekends, and they lagged behind a little bit on the weekdays,” Welch says. “But I will say, this year we had such favorable weather in the middle of the week.”

* Bond Buyer | Teams may go, but Illinois stadium authority bonds win an upgrade: The ISFA, which issued bonds for the two Chicago stadiums where Major League Baseball’s White Sox and National Football League’s Chicago Bears play, won a two-notch upgrade Aug. 29 from S&P Global Ratings. The move boosted the authority’s outstanding debt to BBB-plus from BBB-minus, lifting it higher into investment grade territory three years after the ratings agency knocked it to junk. The authority continues to face speculative-grade ratings from Fitch Ratings.