* Governor JB Pritzker…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined elected officials, early childhood advocates, and education leaders to sign Senate Bill 0001 into law, officially establishing Illinois’ new Department of Early Childhood. The new state agency, first proposed by Governor Pritzker in October 2023, will focus exclusively on early childhood programs and services for young children, improving equity and accessibility for families and caregivers.

“Our state-funded early childhood programs operate across three different state agencies, putting an unnecessary burden on those families looking for support and on those providing the support that’s needed,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I am very proud to usher in the beginning of a new era for early childhood education and care in Illinois – as we create the Department of Early Childhood. Once fully implemented in 2026, this new agency will make life simpler, better, and fairer for tens of thousands of Illinois families.”

“The launch of the Department of Early Childhood puts the needs of our youngest learners front and center,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “We’re making it easier for parents to find quality care and education, no matter their zip code. This new agency marks a transformative step in ensuring that every child in Illinois has access to the high-quality care and education they deserve.”

Currently, services for young children are housed in three separate agencies: the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Navigating the current system is complex and inefficient, often leaving service gaps and challenges for historically underserved communities. With this new agency, early childhood programs will be unified to improve ease and availability for families and providers seeking state resources, including:

- The Early Childhood Block Grant at ISBE, which funds Preschool for All and the Prevention Initiative programs
- The Child Care Assistance Program, Home-Visiting programs, and Early Intervention services at DHS
Day care licensing currently managed by DCFS.

The transition will be led by education expert Ann Whalen, who has a background in education policy and teacher retention, and the Department of Early Childhood will begin administering all new programs in FY27 (July 1, 2026). Until then, programs will continue to be housed in legacy agencies as the State works with educators, parents, providers, and stakeholders to design the ideal framework and practical rollout for the new agency.

* Invisible Institute…

Nine Black families interviewed for this story said they felt neglected and disappointed in the Chicago Police Department’s handling of their loved one’s missing person cases — services a majority believed were denied because their relatives were Black.

People searching for their missing loved ones felt abandoned and revictimized by Chicago police. In the face of rude behavior, unanswered phone calls and slow or lackluster investigations where evidence was fumbled or even lost by detectives, friends and family had to conduct their own searches and collect their own evidence.

In worst-case scenarios, people believe police delays and missteps allowed their loved ones to be murdered, leaving perpetrators uncharged or cases unsolved. Moore still wonders if Smith would be alive if police had followed up quickly, examined Smith’s phone and immediately questioned the man Smith was last seen with.

Shirley Enoch-Hill believes she will never find out what happened to her daughter, Sonya Rouse, who dreamed of being a news anchor. When Rouse went missing in 2016 at age 50, Enoch-Hill immediately suspected Rouse’s boyfriend, whom she claims physically abused her daughter throughout their relationship. According to police documents, an Illinois Department of Corrections official offered to arrange an interview between police Detective Brian Yaverski and the boyfriend (who was in an IDOC work release program), but Yaverski “decided to wait.” More than a year later, the boyfriend died of a suspected fentanyl overdose, and Yaverski never interviewed him. (Reporters contacted Yaverski for comment but he did not respond. CPD media affairs also did not respond to a request for comment.)

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press Release | Schmidt highlights support of legislation benefitting Seniors: HB1074 increases the maximum income limitation for the senior freeze to $73,700 for the 2024 taxable year. HB1274 standardizes the senior citizens homestead exemption to $8,000 across all counties and raises the maximum income limitation for the senior citizens assessment freeze to $75,000. HB1219 allows seniors to deduct Medicare premiums from their annual household income to qualify for the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption.

*** Statewide ***

* Bar News | Illinois Supreme Court Appoints Emily J. Hampton ARDC Commissioner: Ms. Hampton is the Director of Human Resources at Illinois CancerCare, P.C. in Peoria. She manages all strategic and operational functions of Human Resources and Administration over 14 locations throughout Central Illinois. Her work involves employee benefits, recruitment and retention, compensation, legal issues, contracting, and labor relations. She oversees a staff of 550 employees, including more than 20 physicians and over 40 mid-level health care providers. She attends and presents information at bi-weekly physician board meetings.

*** Chicago ***

* ABC Chicago | Democratic National Convention staff, volunteers start moving into United Center: Heavy-duty preps were happening inside the bowl at the United Center on Monday. Construction workers are transforming the sports and concert venue into the Democratic National Convention Hall, and Monday marked move-in day for staff and volunteers.

* Tribune | It’s not your imagination. Chicago traffic has gotten worse since the pandemic, report finds.: The region also had one of the biggest jumps in traffic congestion in 2023 compared with pre-pandemic, according to the new report from mobility analytics firm Inrix, made public Tuesday. Traffic was up 18% over 2019 levels, tying for the highest growth among the cities studied.

* Block Club | Walmart Donates Chatham Training Academy To Chicago Urban League A Year After Abruptly Closing: The academy was part of the Chatham Supercenter, which included the Walmart Health Center and a Walmart grocery store. The store and health center spaces remain vacant. Chicago Urban League will pay for the six-figure renovation, helping the group expand its existing job training and entrepreneurship opportunities at the Chatham site, said Karen Freeman-Wilson, president and chief executive officer.

* ABC Chicago | Chicago Cubs announce plan to use solar power at Wrigley Field for 1st time: A partnership with Invenergy, and their community solar company, Reactivate, will launch clean and renewable energy systems at the park. The Cubs will be an “anchor” for community solar projects in Wrigleyville.

* Block Club | West Nile Virus Found In South Side Mosquitoes: The mosquitoes — the first local ones confirmed to have West Nile in 2024 — were found in Greater Grand Crossing, Roseland and West Pullman, according to a Department of Public Health news release. No cases have been confirmed in humans. To prevent the spread of this virus, Chicagoans can use insect repellent; get rid of standing water where mosquitoes breed; keep grass and weeds short; ensure all screens, windows and doors are tight-fitting and free of holes; and wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing when outside at night, according to the health department.

* Tribune | Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese is on track to be a WNBA All-Star — and she’s chasing a Candace Parker record on the way: Reese, who is second in the league in rebounding behind Wilson with 11.1 per game, was seventh in the first returns of fan voting with 118,490 votes. That ranked fourth among non-Olympians behind fellow rookie Clark (second overall), Boston (third) and Ogunbowale (fifth). “Every time that she’s stepped in, she keeps getting better,” Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “She does things that are incredible. Just to look at her, to see the way that she rebounds basketball — that’s All-Star status.”

* Crain’s | Union that helped build Chicago’s skyline opens new training facility: Ironworkers Local 63, which represented Chicago’s architectural and ornamental ironworkers, opened a 12,000-square-foot glass building at 2525 Lexington St. that will allow the union to simulate the pressurized work its members do such as installing glass windows and frames and other structural metal work on some of the city’s most recognizable buildings.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Shaw Local | St. Charles School Board president resigns from post, but staying on board: Before the vote, Fairgrieve, who has served on the school board since 2017 and as board president since May 2022, made a statement to address her reason for stepping down. “From my perspective, the reason for this agenda item is I am unable to complete all of my presidential duties at this time, specifically as they relate to school board policy 2:110,” Fairgrieve said.

* Sun-Times | Judge won’t overturn man’s murder conviction despite report that found ‘powerful evidence’ he may be innocent: A Cook County judge on Monday denied a man’s request to overturn his murder conviction, even as the state’s attorney’s office said it would not oppose it or seek to retry the case. In a nearly two-hour ruling, Judge Angela Petrone said Kevin Jackson’s latest attempt to overturn his conviction did not cite evidence that had not already been considered by his jury and other courts. In a statement released by his attorneys, Jackson said he believed the decision was “severely irrational and unjust.” His lawyers filed a notice of appeal hours later.

* Lake and McHenry County Scanner | McHenry County judge charged after allegedly speeding 93 mph, being injured in motorcycle crash: A McHenry County judge was charged after he allegedly drove his motorcycle at 93 mph and then crashed, leaving himself injured, as a sheriff’s deputy was conducting a traffic stop on him. […] The driver was identified as Jeffrey L. Hirsch, 55, of Woodstock, court records show. Hirsch is a McHenry County associate judge who was appointed to the position in October 2015.

*** Downstate ***

* Reason | Students in This Illinois School District Are Getting Tickets for Misbehaving: Students at an Illinois school district have been receiving tickets for misbehavior, resulting in fines of over $750, according to a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education this month. Further, the complaint alleges that black students in particular were singled out for this punishment—and white students who similarly broke school rules weren’t issued fines as frequently. Rockford Public Schools (RPS) serves a diverse group of nearly 30,000 students, around 30 percent of whom are black, 26 percent are white, and 31 percent are Hispanic. To handle disciplinary infractions, students are sometimes sent to school resource officers (SROs).

* WCIA | Urbana City Council passes budget without increased police funding: The proposed increase in funding for the Urbana Police Department has been a point of contention for weeks amongst the community. Chief Larry Boone wanted it in order to implement his plan for cutting down on crime — including new technology, increased staffing and improved community relations. Others wanted the funding to instead go toward having a more direct impact in the community such as social services and reducing poverty.

*** National ***

* Nieman Lab | Journalism has become ground zero for the vocation crisis:
As an occupation, journalism is attractive to many people because they can be paid to do work that’s interesting and socially beneficial. In this regard, it is similar to otherwise very different jobs like nursing, teaching, social work and caregiving. These are “vocations,” in the sense that sociologist Max Weber described them more than a century ago. Based on strong personal commitments, vocations promise recognition and a sense of self-worth for doing work that’s connected to broader values: healing people, fighting injustice, imparting knowledge, serving the cause of democracy.

* AP | US surgeon general declares gun violence a public health emergency: The advisory issued by Dr. Vivek Murthy, the nation’s top doctor, came as the U.S. grappled with another summer weekend marked by mass shootings that left dozens of people dead or wounded. “People want to be able to walk through their neighborhoods and be safe,” Murthy told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “America should be a place where all of us can go to school, go to work, go to the supermarket, go to our house of worship, without having to worry that that’s going to put our life at risk.”

* Bloomberg | Carolina Panthers win $650 million for stadium upgrade: The owner of the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers and Major League Soccer’s Charlotte Football Club has secured $650 million of public funds for a $1.3 billion renovation of Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The newly approved plan uses existing hospitality and tourism tax resources to finance Charlotte’s part of the renovation through 2029. The sports group run by billionaire David Tepper, called Tepper Sports & Entertainment, is on the hook for another $150 million over the same time period. Tepper owns both the Panthers and Charlotte FC.