* WCIA…

A professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said the state is behind when it comes to affordable housing.

A study co-authored by labor professor Robert Bruno estimated the state is short more than 220,000 homes right now. He said Illinois would need to build 227,000 homes in the next five years to close the gap. That’s double the current rate.

Bruno said there are two main factors causing the shortage.

“You have on one hand a double digit increase in in the cost of a of a single family home, while at the same time, for a number of reasons, you see suppressed construction of those new family homes,” Bruno said.

* Shaw Local…

Four-term state Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, said he is exploring a possible run for Illinois governor, even as Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday morning he would seek a third term. […]

For the moment, Ugaste said he is trying to decide whether there is a pathway for him to run for governor.

“I need enough political support throughout the state and enough financial support to get elected,” Ugaste said. “Him running isn’t going to deter me.”

* Illinois Department of Employment Security…

The unemployment rate decreased in all twelve metro areas for the year ending May 2025, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in four metropolitan areas, leading to consecutive months with year-over-year growth: Champaign (4 consecutive months); Chicago (11 consecutive months); Elgin (9 consecutive months); Springfield (19 consecutive months). […]

The metro areas which posted the largest over-the- year decreases in total nonfarm jobs were the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA (IL Section) (-2.8%, -2,500), the Kankakee MSA (- 1.8%, -800), the Bloomington MSA (-1.7%, -1,600), and the Decatur MSA (-1.7%, -800). The metro areas which had the largest over-the- year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+3.0%, +3,500), the Chicago Metro Division (+0.5%, +17,400), the Elgin Metro Division (+0.3%, +1,000), and the Springfield MSA (+0.3%, +300). Industries that saw job growth in the majority of the twelve metro areas included: Private Education and Health Services (ten areas); Mining and Construction and Financial Activities (seven areas each).

The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Champaign-Urbana MSA (-1.0 point to 3.2%), the Elgin Metropolitan Division (-0.9 point to 3.6%), and the Lake County Metro Division (-0.9 point to 3.6%). The Chicago Metro Division reported a decrease of -0.2 point to 4.9%.

*** Pritzker Re-Election Campaign Roundup ***

* ABC Chicago | Gov. Pritzker announces re-election campaign for 3rd term: ‘Keep Illinois moving forward’: He is the first Illinois governor since the late former Republican Gov. Jim Thompson to seek a third consecutive term. The governor spoke at Chicago’s Grand Crossing Park Field House on the South Side. It’s the same location where he announces his first run for governor in April 2017.

* Sun-Times | Gov. JB Pritzker announces run for 3rd term to protect Illinois from ‘chaos and craziness’ of Trump: Pritzker isn’t expected to announce a running mate during his initial campaign tour, which includes more rallies later Thursday in Rockford, Peoria and Springfield, plus two additional downstate appearances on Friday.

* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker announces reelection campaign: The state GOP issued a statement saying Pritzker should be “fired not re-hired.” “He’s prioritized illegal immigrants over Illinois families, hiked taxes, and rammed through the largest, most bloated budget in state history,” ILGOP Chairman Kathy Salvi said in a statement. The governor’s political future has been the topic of significant speculation, especially since he was shortlisted for former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate search last summer in her campaign for the White House. That and his vocal and frequent condemnations of President Donald Trump have fueled speculation of a presidential run in 2028.

* Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker makes it official at South Side rally: He’s running for a third term to be Illinois’ chief executive: In the campaign video, Pritzker appears in the small town of Chestnut, which is the geographic center of the state, to make his case that Illinois is the middle of the national battle over politics and government. “These days, Illinois is standing at the center of the fight: The fight to make life more affordable, the fight to protect our freedoms, the fight for common sense,” Pritzker said, focusing on Trump before pivoting to what Pritzker describes as his successes as governor since he first took office in 2019, including balanced budgets, state credit upgrades and hiking the minimum wage.

* NBC Chicago | ‘Ready for the fight’: Pritzker announces run for third term as Illinois governor: NBC News found Pritzker walking along Chicago’s lakefront just hours before the video was released Thursday. When asked about his upcoming announcement, the governor responded by jokingly asking, “What’s going on?” He said he was walking to “clear his head.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | Proposal calling for annual report on prison hospice, palliative care awaits Pritzker’s signature: Over 1,000 Illinois prisoners are 65 or older and a growing number of those people are in need of end-of-life care and support services. The Illinois Department of Corrections does not have a formal hospice program, as end-of-life care is provided on a prison by prison basis. Sponsors and advocates said this has led to inconsistent care for prisoners diagnosed with terminal illnesses or who are expected to reach the end of their life.

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Illinois lawmakers failed to pass a school cellphone ban – for now: State Sen. Cristina Castro, the chief sponsor of the bill, said in an interview with Chalkbeat that she did not hear strong opposition to the bill, but believes the language of the bill needed some “fine-tuning.” Teachers unions, administrator groups, and state lawmakers had expressed concerns about schools’ ability to enforce cellphone restrictions and what schools would do about cell phone access in emergency situations such as an active shooter scenario.

*** Chicago ***

* NBC Chicago | Universal is bringing a new year-round horror experience to Chicago, city announces: The new venue will mark the second location for the popular Universal Horror Unleashed brand, following one other location in Las Vegas, and a first for Universal in the Midwest. Universal Horror Unleashed: Chicago will transform a vacant commercial building, located across from the new Bally’s Casino at 700 W. Chicago Ave., “into a world-class horror attraction and entertainment destination.”

* Crain’s | With old plan dead, city reopens Loop site to developers: Chicago planning officials are back on the hunt for a developer to breathe new life into a city-owned site in the southeast corner of the Loop after plans for a $102 million, 20-story apartment building fell through. […] The solicitation comes roughly four years after the city selected a 207-unit, all-affordable high-rise residential plan from nonprofit developer Community Builders as the winner of a green-building competition to redevelop the site. Dubbed Assemble Chicago, the project included a Rush University health clinic and a YMCA location as anchor retail tenants. But it didn’t land the necessary financing to kick it off as interest rates spiked and banks tightened up lending for new ground-up development.

* Sun-Times | Water Tower Place owner pitches mall consolidation, lists upper floors for sale: MetLife engaged JLL about a year ago in an advisory role, Kirschbraun said, as the owner explored the option of consolidating mall space. If such a move were to happen, its retail space would shrink to the mall’s first three floors, according to a property brochure from JLL. “We’re open to anything that supports the rest of the complex,” Kirschbraun said.

* WBEZ | Andersonville’s iconic pizzeria Great Lake has quietly returned, with more than pie: It’s understandable. The husband-and-wife duo learned what viral meant before viral was a thing, in 2009, after GQ writer Alan Richman told everyone the mortadella-topped pizza with earthy, bready crust at their tiny Andersonville shop with uncompromising standards was the best in the country. Then came the rest of the national media, the lines snaking down Balmoral Avenue, celebrities like Beyonce and Jay-Z, and frustrating three-hour waits for pizza (for everyone else).

* Sun-Times | Damen Silos should be a concert venue, groups say: So far, property owner Michael Tadin Jr. hasn’t budged on plans to tear down the historic structures near South Damen Avenue along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Nor has he been swayed to sell the property. Preservationists and a community organization say the buildings should be saved and restored. They could be a backdrop for public park space that would be used as permanent music festival grounds, they argue.

* Chicago Mag | How to Coexist With Coyotes: The odds are that some of these pups won’t survive for long. “Our research indicates that coyotes of all ages in the Chicago area generally have roughly a 60 percent chance of surviving each year, even juveniles in their first year,” wildlife ecology professor Stanley D. Gehrt reports in the 2024 book Coyotes Among Us: Secrets of the City’s Top Predator (written with journalist Kerry Luft). “Still, the survival rates of juvenile coyotes in Cook County are approximately five times higher than the 13 percent survival rate reported for rural juvenile coyotes.”

* Sun-Times | Chicago Pride Parade 2025: Route map, street closings, how to get there, reader tips: The parade begins at 11 a.m. at West Sheridan Road and North Broadway — viewing begins at West Grace Street and North Broadway. It continues south along North Broadway, then to North Halsted Street and east along West Belmont Avenue to North Broadway. Finally south to West Diversey Parkway, ending at the corner of North Sheridan Road and West Diversey Parkway.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Air conditioning restored to some units at Park Forest apartment complex: Park Forest spokesperson Joshua Vinson said Autumn Ridge apartment management reported fixing the air conditioning at two of the complex’s four buildings and that they were on track to restore air in the rest of the building by Friday. “They give us an update, so this is what they’re saying,” Vinson said, noting the village is still working to determine who owns the 119 E. Sycamore St. apartments.

* Daily Herald | Rolling Meadows buys strip mall space to expand social services: The city council this week inked a contract to purchase more than 5,300 square feet of long-vacant office space on the second and third floors of the shopping center at 2214 Algonquin Road, plus the first floor entry area, staircase and elevator used to access the upper floors. The location — in the center of a building that’s home to a number of shops — is highly visible and will be more accessible to residents in need of social services, city officials say.

* Daily Herald | Trump store owner agrees to leave Huntley location after effort to evict her: Just before the store’s eviction trial was set to begin on Wednesday, the store owner, her landlord and their lawyers agreed to a settlement. Among the terms of the agreement are that store owner Lisa Fleischmann vacates the premises by 6 p.m. July 17 and that she pays the landlord’s attorney fees and court costs, which she has done, court records show. Fleischmann said she picked the move-out date and hopes to be in a new location by late September or October. She also would like to start selling merchandise online.

* Press Release | Medill becomes the new home for the Illinois Journalism Education Association: The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications has become the new institutional home for the Illinois Journalism Education Association (IJEA), after a unanimous vote of support by IJEA’s board. IJEA is a nonprofit organization that works with teachers and advisers across Illinois to promote high standards in scholastic media. “We’re excited to take on this role and to work closely with the dedicated board, students and advisers who are members of this storied organization,” said Medill’s Dean Charles Whitaker. “We look forward to continuing to strengthen and grow scholastic journalism and publishing here in Illinois.”

*** Downstate ***

* KFVS | “Y’all Rock Carbondale” to welcome public to camper showcase: The showcase will feature performances from bands that will be created during the 2025 Rock Camp. The camp will take place at the Eurma C. Hayes Center from July 7-11. 55 campers ranging from ages 3-12 will attend Rock Camp. During the camps, they will learn an instrument and participate in workshops.

* WSIL | SIU helps aspiring pilots with disabilities take flight: Southern Illinois University is making strides in aviation accessibility for aspiring pilots with disabilities. The university is hosting the 2025 class of Able Flight, marking its second year in partnership with the nonprofit program. Since May, students have been engaged in intensive flight training, thanks to scholarships from Able Flight. They are working towards earning Sport Pilot certificates, which allow them to operate aircraft without physical disability barriers.

* BND | AC goes out at metro-east animal shelter, so adoptions fees are being waived: “We have more than 80 animals in the facility, so identifying the ones that need immediate help is a little difficult with our staff,” Henke said. Both cat and dog rooms have been affected by the broken air conditioning. More than 12 rooms need new air conditioners, and with each costing more than $5,000, retrofitting the facility is too expensive.

*** National ***

* AP | Key Medicaid provision in President Donald Trump’s bill is found to violate Senate rules. The GOP is scrambling: Guidance from the parliamentarian is rarely ignored and Republican leaders are now forced to consider difficult options. Republicans were counting on big cuts to Medicaid and other programs to offset trillions of dollars in Trump tax breaks, their top priority. Additionally, the Senate’s chief arbiter of its often complicated rules had advised against various GOP provisions barring certain immigrants from health care programs. Republicans scrambled Thursday to respond, with some calling for challenging, or firing, the nonpartisan parliamentarian, who has been on the job since 2012. Democrats said the decisions would devastate GOP plans. “We have contingency plans,” said Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota.

* AP | States can cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, the Supreme Court rules: “This is yet another shameful ruling that inserts the government directly between a patient and their doctor—just like Dobbs three years ago and Skrmetti last week. Intimate, personal decisions about health care shouldn’t require sign off from extremist politicians,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement in response to the high court’s decision. “Each and every action taken by anti-choice extremists threatens the life of someone you know. Eventually, the tides must turn—and we must protect health care for all.”

* ProPublica | Fossil Fuel Interests Are Working to Kill Solar in One Ohio County. The Hometown Newspaper Is Helping.: Someone sent text messages to residents urging them to “stop the solar invasion” and elect two county commission candidates who opposed the solar farm. And one day this past March, residents received an unfamiliar newspaper that contained only articles attacking Frasier Solar, a large project that would replace hundreds of acres of corn and soybeans with the equivalent of 630 football fields of solar panels.

* The Atlantic | The End of Publishing as We Know It: According to one comprehensive study, Google’s AI Overviews—a feature that summarizes web pages above the site’s usual search results—has already reduced traffic to outside websites by more than 34 percent. The CEO of DotDash Meredith, which publishes People, Better Homes & Gardens, and Food & Wine, recently said the company is preparing for a possible “Google Zero” scenario. Some have speculated that traffic drops resulting from chatbots were part of the reason outlets such as Business Insider and the Daily Dot have recently had layoffs. “Business Insider was built for an internet that doesn’t exist anymore,” one former staffer recently told the media reporter Oliver Darcy.