* Illinois PIRG…

Bloomington-based State Farm, the United States’ largest property and casualty insurance company, is implementing a $523 million Illinois homeowners insurance rate hike on July 15 for new policies and August 15 for renewals. The 27% increase will raise average annual premiums by $746 for almost 1.5 million Illinois policy holders. 

State Farm asserts the rate increase “is primarily driven by expected catastrophe losses,” caused by an increase in extreme weather. In 2024, there were 27 “billion dollar” weather and climate disasters nationally, second only to 2023, which witnessed 28. In the 1980s, the U.S. averaged just three “billion-dollar” disaster events per year. That average grew to six per year in the 1990s, seven per year in the 2000s, and 13 per year in the 2010s. 

While wildfires and hurricanes have garnered more attention, many of these weather disasters are tornadoes or other events that impact Midwestern states, including Illinois. According to data that State Farm’s rival, Northbrook-based Allstate submitted to federal financial regulators, tornadoes, wind and hail accounted for 93% of its catastrophe losses in 2023 while wildfires, hurricanes and tropical storms accounted for only 7%.

Illinois homeowners insurance rates increased by 50% over the past three years, from roughly $2,000 to $3,000 annually, according to analysis by the Consumer Federation of America. Only one state, Utah, had higher homeowners rate increases over that period.

The Illinois Department of Insurance has no authority to reject or modify excessive homeowners or car insurance rate hikes. Rate review would not only provide the department the authority to trim rate increase proposals, but also greater insight into industry practices, such as how State Farm calculated this rate increase based on “expected” increases in catastrophe losses. The Department of Insurance filed legislation this spring that would grant the department this rate review authority, however the Senate Insurance Committee never called the bill for a vote. 

* According to the governor’s press release, Pure Lithium will invest $46 million in new Illinois operations and move/create 50 new jobs to the state within four years. President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association Mark Denzler…

* USA Today…

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Illinois rose last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, increased to 10,942 in the week ending July 5, up from 10,077 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 227,000 last week, down 5,000 claims from 232,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

North Dakota saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 252.8%. New Hampshire, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 48.8%.

*** Statewide ***

* Bloomberg | Pepsi Seeks Illinois High Court Review of Tax Avoidance Ruling: PepsiCo Inc. asked the Illinois Supreme Court to review a lower court’s determination that the company illegally set up a subsidiary as a tax shelter, arguing the ruling sets a “dangerous precedent” by applying the wrong law. The Illinois Appellate Court, First Judicial District, affirmed in March that Pepsi created PepsiCo Global Mobility under Frito-Lay North America Inc. as a “shell corporation with no economic reality” in order to recognize $14 million per year in income tax savings in 13 states.

* 25News Now | Record number of Illinoisans to receive money from state program: Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said that a record number of people will receive money this year from Illinois’ Missing Money Program. A total of $45 million will be returned to 600,000 Illinois residents. The checks are a part of the Enhanced Money Matched Program that returns unclaimed property to its owners. Most of the checks in this round will consist of about $50 or less. Some people may have multiple claims and will receive a larger check.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Illinois Times | High school student writes bill to prevent opioid deaths: Her bill also calls for library staff members to be trained in how to recognize an opioid overdose and how to use the medicine. At least one trained staff member would have to be working at the library during all hours when the library is open. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, meaning that if someone is having an opioid overdose, the medicine would be able to save their lives. Naloxone is harmless if administered to someone not having an opioid overdose, so it is a low-risk program if the bill becomes law.

* CWB Chicago | Slain boy’s mom to Pritzker: Stop using my son’s name while you fight me in court: The mother of 11-year-old Jayden Perkins, who was fatally stabbed while trying to protect her from a violent attack by her just-paroled ex-boyfriend, is calling out Illinois politicians for using her son’s name for political gain while fighting her civil lawsuit against the state behind closed doors. Laterria Smith, who was also seriously injured in the March 2024 attack, released an open letter to Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday. In it, she accuses his administration of publicly invoking Jayden’s name to promote changes to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, even as state lawyers move to dismiss her negligence suit tied to her son’s death.

*** Chicago ***

* NBC Chicago | Summer festival organizers concerned amid ICE enforcement efforts: The Department of Homeland Security said it was not targeting the museum in its efforts Tuesday, but did confirm agents from its department were in the area. “On July 8, HSI Chicago’s Financial Crimes Task Force (FCTF) staged and held a quick briefing in the Museum’s parking lot in advance of an enforcement action related to a narcotics investigation,” DHS said in a statement. But the museum said federal agents entered its property and “refused multiple requests to present a warrant, badge, or identification.”

* Sun-Times | City faces $35.2M in police abuse settlements, 2 tied to disgraced ex-cops Jon Burge and Reynaldo Guevara: Four police abuse settlements are on the agenda when the City Council’s Finance Committee meets Monday. Two of them — for $17 million and $12.7 million respectively — are tied to two disgraced former cops: Area 2 Cmdr. Jon Burge and Detective Reynaldo Guevara. […] By February of this year, federal lawsuits linked to Burge’s actions had already cost the city about $130 million in legal settlements and judgments, not including millions in lawyers’ fees. Four lawsuits involving Burge are still pending, one of them, the Jackie Wilson case. Three more potentially costly settlements still loom.

* WTTW | Chicago Should Pay Jackie Wilson, Exonerated in 1982 Cop Killings, $12.7M, Lawyers Say: For more than four decades, Jackie Wilson has said he was tortured by disgraced former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and the detectives who reported to him. Dozens of lawsuits and complaints alleging physical abuse have been filed against detectives trained by Burge, who city officials admit tortured and beat more than 100 Black men during his career. A Cook County judge in December 2020 declared that Wilson was innocent of the murders of Chicago Police Officers William Fahey and Richard O’Brien in 1982. Wilson’s brother, Andrew, was convicted of killing both officers.

* Crain’s | Developers reveal new ’scaled down’ plan for Lincoln Yards site: Offering the first details publicly for a project they are rebranding as “Foundry Park,” a joint venture of Chicago-based JDL Development and Boca Raton, Fla.-based Kayne Anderson Real Estate today confirmed it has an agreement to buy a 31-acre site along the river from Bank OZK. Crain’s first reported in May that JDL was in advanced talks to buy the land from the Little Rock, Ark.-based lender, which seized the property earlier this year from Chicago developer Sterling Bay to resolve an outstanding loan. Formally kicking off a new chapter for the embattled megadevelopment, JDL and Kayne Anderson said in a statement they are “moving quickly to reimagine” the site with a project that will be “heavily focused on the creation of a residential community” and named as a tribute to the property’s industrial history. Much of the land on the northern portion of Lincoln Yards was previously home to the A. Finkl & Sons steel mill that operated around the intersection of Cortland Street and Southport Avenue from 1902 until 2014.

* Tribune | Housing discrimination complaint remains active as Mayor Brandon Johnson delays finalizing agreement with HUD: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has delayed signing an agreement to resolve negotiations over a federal complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development related to aldermanic power on Chicago zoning, leaving in limbo a yearslong fight over allegations of housing discrimination by the City Council. Commonly referred to as “aldermanic prerogative,” the veto power was challenged in a 2018 complaint filed by the Shriver Center on behalf of community organizations that alleged the practice promotes housing discrimination by keeping racial minorities from moving into affluent white neighborhoods. Following an agency investigation, HUD found the allegations to be true in 2023 and offered the parties an opportunity to work with the federal agency on informal settlement negotiations.

* WGN | Chicago Police Department unveils upgraded space for crime tracking on CTA: Each of the city’s 22 police districts have a space called an SDSC Room where officers use technology to monitor and analyze crime. This enhanced space inside of the First District tracks CTA locations throughout the city in multiple districts, and assists suburban areas where CTA operates, too. […] In this new larger space, officers are joined by robbery task force detectives who can see events as they are unfolding. While incidents are in progress, the teams in the SDSC Room can relay information directly to officers responding in the field.

* ABC Chicago | 9 injured after Blue Island police chase leads to crash with Pace bus in Chicago: officials: Nine people, including a child, were injured after a south suburban police pursuit led to crash involving a Pace bus and three other vehicles on Chicago’s Far South Side. The crash happened Wednesday night near South Halsted Street and West Vermont Street in West Pullman, Chicago police said. Officers from the Blue Island Police Department were attempting to a stop a vehicle that alleged blew a red light when the vehicle fled and the officers pursued, a Blue Island spokesperson said.

* Sun-Times | Art Institute of Chicago reopens European design galleries after redesign by Barcelona firm Barozzi Veiga: After being closed for refurbishment since January 2024, the Art Institute of Chicago’s 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century European design galleries will reopen Friday with a new configuration that allows for 40% more art on display. On view will be 310 objects, including more than 80 that had never been exhibited.

* Block Club | Park District Abruptly Denies Permit For South Shore Kayaking Event It Approved Last Year: The kayak night, planned for the beach, was to include a roughly mile-long lakefront paddle from South Shore Beach, a performance by the Isaiah Collier Quartet and a biodegradable lantern launch. The Night Out in the Parks event, led by the nonprofit Full Moon Jam, features fire performers and drummers near the park’s field house. The denial was made due to “quality and safety” concerns, as holding both events simultaneously “would hinder our operational capacity to provide the best event experience to our park visitors,” Park District spokesperson Irene Tostado said.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Blue Island mobile home residents seek more time as city pushes eviction: Residents said they’re fighting for more time to relocate at a minimum, as the city ordered immediate evictions after revoking the property owners’ business license late June, citing unsafe conditions, code violations and unpaid water bills. City Administrator Thomas Wogan said Tuesday the management company owes almost $4 million in unpaid water bills. He also said the property poses health and safety concerns, as it has had some of the highest number of police and ambulance calls in the city. Wogan said there are a number of health and fire code violations and said management has not provided the city with a list of residents.

* Lake County News-Sun | Facebook post leads to hate crime charges; ‘Hate is on the rise in this country’: Police said they were alerted to the message on the social media page for the LGBTQ+ Center of Lake, on which the organization was promoting activities associated with June Pride Fest on June 14 in Round Lake Beach. The post, left by someone identified as “William Ramlow,” advocated for violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community, authorities said. Round Lake Beach police said they traced the message to an IP address in Elkhorn and, with the assistance of other agencies, made contact with Ramlow. […] [Round Lake Beach Police Chief Ryan Rodriguez] said, “Hate is on the rise in this country – but our office will never hesitate to hold those accountable who make direct threats or who engage in actions that harm others. Our office proudly stands with the LGBTQ+ community and its leaders in making Lake County safer and better.”

* Daily Herald | ‘This should not go there’: East Dundee residents oppose Haeger redevelopment proposal: East Dundee residents turned out this week to voice opposition to a proposal that would turn the shuttered Haeger Potteries property into a mixed-income rental housing development. About 50 residents, many living near the Haeger property on Maiden Lane, attended a community meeting Monday hosted by the village board to gather community feedback. “I would love to see something happen at Haeger … I would love to see it go down,” said Kelly Hoyt, who lives near the property. “But this (proposal) should not go there.”

* Daily Southtown | Dolton closes on purchase of Pope Leo XIV’s boyhood home at cost of $375,000: Dolton has closed on the purchase of Pope Leo XIV’s boyhood home in the village, but what will happen with the modest brick building is up in the air. The village closed Tuesday on the home, 212 East 141st Place, paying $375,000, including commission fees, Mayor Jason House said Thursday. House said a steering committee is being organized to figure out how best to use the property. “We will then lay out the plans to trustees and the community,” the mayor said.

*** Downstate ***

* The Telegraph | Security footage shows 3 men leaving manure at Carlinville protest: According to the obtained footage, three individuals drop off two trailers of manure using a white GMC truck and a red Dodge truck ahead of the June 24 protest, which was scheduled for 5-7 p.m. […] A minute later, one of the three individuals involved, wearing a tan hat, dark green shirt, and black shorts, is seen hurriedly jogging from the red truck to the white truck to help position the trailer. Another individual, a man with white hair wearing a white polo with khaki shorts, then exits the white truck to let the first man park the truck and trailer.

* WREX | Hard Rock Casino Rockford to host hiring event as they near 1,000 employees: The casino is getting close to having 1,000 employees, with just about 50 to go. After a year of determining what staffing is best to go along with what they have to offer and their hours, the team is holding a hiring event Monday to hopefully reach their goal. “We’ve learned a lot in the last year. We continue to learn. I think on a daily basis there’s new experiences, new faces that are joining the band and I think incrementally day by day we’re heading in the right direction,” Miguel Pascual, the Director of Human Resources said.

* Illinois Times | City’s Black Caucus addresses disparities: Springfield gained its first Black council members after a 1987 federal court case resulted in the City Council changing from full-time commissioners elected citywide to 10 part-time alderpersons elected from specific wards. The city never had as many as three Black alderpersons until Williams and Purchase, who were appointed by former Mayor Jim Langfelder to fill vacancies in 2021, joined Gregory, who was first elected in 2019. The three alderpersons, who don’t always agree on every issue, said they don’t apologize for their aggressive style that sometimes upsets fellow council members and current Mayor Misty Buscher, who typically only votes to break ties on the council.

* WGLT | ‘Hoping that this day would finally come’: Bloomington nonprofit breaks ground on homeless shelter village: The Bridge will be a low-barrier, non-congregate shelter consisting of 48 tiny sleeping cabins on a fully enclosed campus, with a total occupancy of 56 adults. The site is located on Oakland Avenue, near HSHM and The Junction. It’s expected to open sometime this winter. “[HSHM] has been here for 107 years, and the past couple of years have been some of the most significant and challenging years of our organization,” HSHM CEO Matt Burgess said.

* WCIA | Champaign School Board President, CU Autism Network speak out on SPED audit findings, action plan: Last August, WCIA reported that the entire special education program at the Champaign School District underwent an audit as part of a settlement stemming from a special education matter. Now, those close to the findings are giving their insights. The Champaign School District received a report card on Tuesday on the current state of their special education programs. […] The study consisted of a five-month engagement period using interviews, surveys, and more with administrators, parents, and the community. The findings and recommendations were then presented. Action steps suggested to the district to alleviate special education issues include staff development training, transportation services and more.

* STL Post-Dispatch | Printing of the Post-Dispatch to move to an Illinois facility: The printing of the Post-Dispatch, now handled by a facility in Columbia, Missouri, will shift in a few weeks to presses in Peoria, Illinois, but the move won’t affect the size of the newspaper, our deadlines or our delivery schedules. The newspaper company Gannett announced this week that it planned to close the Columbia location in September. The company also said it would shift printing of publications from Columbia to facilities it owns in Peoria and Des Moines, Iowa.

*** National ***

* WaPo | Trump’s crackdown on renewable energy has just begun: President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday evening ordering his administration to crack down on remaining loopholes allowing access to renewable energy tax breaks, after Congress voted last week to overwhelmingly roll back the subsidies. The order aims to placate the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, which argued that the “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed by Trump on July Fourth should have gone further to cut subsidies and reduce the law’s impact on the deficit.

* Belling Cat | Masked, Armed and Forceful: Finding Patterns in Los Angeles Immigration Raids: In April, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in the wake of the Bakersfield raids barring Border Patrol from conducting warrantless raids in California’s Eastern District, stating that “you just can’t walk up to people with brown skin and say, ‘Give me your papers.’” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other industry and rights groups last week requested a similar injunction be put in place in California’s Central District, which includes Los Angeles.

* AP | What to know — and what isn’t known yet — about US tax deductions for tips and overtime pay: Under the bill Trump signed into law on July 4, the U.S. Treasury Department must publish a list by Oct. 2 of occupations that qualify for tax-free tips. The department is also expected to publish guidance on how to report tips and overtime pay, and what documentation will be required. The deduction provisions are not permanent but were written to expire after the 2028 tax year.

* Chalkbeat | Head Start preschools to bar undocumented children under new Trump rule: In a news release, the Department of Health and Human Services said it was rescinding a nearly 30-year-old interpretation of federal law issued under President Bill Clinton that allowed undocumented immigrants to access certain programs because they were not considered “federal public benefits.” […] Administration officials have said they hope many immigrants will “self-deport” if the United States makes life here more uncomfortable. Health and Human Services leaders cast the change as a way to protect benefits for Americans.