* ICYMI: Bears president tells lawmakers Arlington Heights stadium won’t happen without tax break bill. Daily Herald…

- “It’s on us to convince the governor and the state legislators that this is a good idea for the people of Illinois, and we need to do a better job at that,” said Chairman George McCaskey, addressing reporters after training camp Friday afternoon at Halas Hall in Lake Forest.

- Warren said the NFL club won’t be able to move forward with a domed stadium in Arlington Heights unless lawmakers approve its long-sought request for a long-term property tax break on the former Arlington Park racetrack property.

- The so-called megaproject legislation would allow the Bears to negotiate with local taxing authorities like school districts over the amount of taxes that should be paid on the site for up to 40 years.

* Something to keep in mind…

There is no way that most if not all Chicago legislators can vote for this. Rep. Buckner is not an outlier here. The rule of 60 in the House will make this an extremely tough bill to move https://t.co/sKfpJ8r80E

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) August 8, 2025

* Related stories…

∙ Shaw Local: Chicago Bears solely focused on building new stadium in Arlington Heights this year
∙ ABC Chicago: New Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights is ‘the plan,’ Kevin Warren says
∙ NBC Chicago: Bears president and CEO gives update on new stadium plans and timing

* Governor Pritzker will be in Wheeling at 1 pm to encourage back-to-school vaccinations. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Madigan’s bid to remain free during appeal rejected by judge who handed him hefty sentence: Legal experts had predicted that Blakey would reject Madigan’s request. However, the former speaker can now turn to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. An attorney for Madigan could not immediately be reached after Blakey’s ruling Friday.

* Illinois Times | When beer was banned at the Illinois State Fair: “People don’t want a state fair that smells like the back end of a tavern,” Stratton’s agriculture director, Stillman J. Stanard, said when the ban was proposed. Union representatives speaking on behalf of bartenders, hotel and restaurant workers and teamsters came out against the ban owing to the potential loss of revenue for their workers and for the state. Their protests, however, went nowhere. The beer ban was initially enforced by a police unit assigned to the fairgrounds to keep an eye out for what were called “beerleggers.”

*** Statewide ***

* WAND | Hundreds of Illinois Extension jobs lost after federal funding cuts: “With 360,000 Illinois residents now at risk of losing SNAP benefits under the new legislation, they’re not just losing the support they rely on to afford food, they’re also losing tools that helped them use that food wisely and stretch it further to feed their families,” said College of ACES Dean German Bollero. Illinois SNAP-Ed staff also helped launch IL-EATS, a statewide initiative that connects local food producers with hunger relief organizations. The college says that program will also end in the coming year.

* Sun-Times | Fabric portraits of people in Illinois prisons to form one big activism quilt: Clark’s nephew is locked up at Western Illinois Correctional Center in downstate Mount Sterling. He was incarcerated when he was 15 years old. He’s now 43. Her quilt square features a collection of meaningful words that Darnell provided for the project: “Faith,” “Endurance,” and “Family Love.” Plus, an additional word chosen by Clark. “I put ‘FREEDOM.’ Because that’s what I’m looking for, freedom,” she said.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Herald-Review | Doris Turner pledges ‘all gas, no brakes’ in Illinois Senate reelection bid: Turner, 72, who’s served in the upper chamber since 2021, touted the “millions of dollars in infrastructure projects” that have taken place across the district during her tenure along with a lengthy legislative record. But she said there’s more to do. […] Senate Republicans, who only hold 19 of the chamber’s 59 seats, face a brutal map this cycle. Four suburban Chicago districts currently held by Republicans were carried by Harris in 2024. No Democrats represent Trump-won districts. This means that Turner’s seat is Republicans’ best, and perhaps only, shot of taking back a seat. But Turner said she isn’t sweating another tough race.

* Daily Herald | ‘What more could the governor do?’: Illinois lawmakers doubt state’s districts could be more gerrymandered: Democratic state Sen. Laura Murphy of Des Plaines expects Illinois’ congressional map will be redrawn in six years as scheduled — not before. “Our maps were redrawn four years ago and will be again after the next census,” she said.

* WCIA | New law requires Illinois libraries to supply overdose medication: House Bill 1910 was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker on Aug. 1. It requires that all public libraries in the state have a supply of opioid antagonists in an accessible location. Opioid antagonists, like naloxone, are medications that can block or reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

* Daily Herald | Illinois is joining a multi-state effort to crack down on intrusive and illegal robocalls: linois is joining a multi-state effort to crack down on “intrusive and illegal” robocalls nationwide. On Thursday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the launch of Operation Robocall Roundup, a multi-state effort by the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Weiss Hospital Owner Defends Actions Amid Closure, Criticism Of His Tenure: ‘We’ve Had To Fight And Figure It Out’: Without the ability to bill the federal health programs for services rendered, the hospital had no choice but to close, said Dr. Manoj Prasad, whose Resilience Healthcare owns Weiss. Prasad said he is working with legislators to reopen the hospital and save West Suburban Medical Center, which he also own. But some critics — including Uptown area elected officials — say Weiss’ closure is because of Prasad’s cost-cutting style of management, amid other criticisms.

* Sun-Times | Bud Billiken Parade marks the start of the back-to-school season: Griffin says she’s glad the parade has lived on for 96 years. “It speaks to the longevity of the African American family and the support systems that the communities provide for these families,” Griffin said. “As a resident of Bronzeville, it just really warms my heart to be here to watch this year after year.”

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago Public Schools reaches historic tentative bargaining agreement with its principals: The historic contract, which the district and union tentatively reached Friday, needs to be approved by the union’s members and the school board. It includes a retroactive 4% cost-of-living increase for the 2024-25 school year and more due process protections for principals who face discipline, said Kia Banks, the president of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association. It also includes cost-of-living and baseline pay increases for the coming school year, but the union is waiting to share information about them with its members before publicizing the amounts.

* Tribune | Chicago storefront sign restriction efforts a ‘quality of life’ issue for some, but others worry about overreach: So, in a move she describes as a “quality of life” issue, Harris, 8th, is spearheading a citywide effort to rein in businesses’ use of large signage on windows as part of an ordinance that would allow generally untapped, preexisting city rules restricting retail displays to be more easily enforced. The ordinance would also block businesses from using non-reflective window tints and LED lights bordering their windows.

* Tribune | How Chicago Sky aim to ‘take the power back’ against online abuse and harassment with new cybersecurity measures: The Sky front office could feel a change coming to the league even before the 2024 draft brought high-profile stars such as Clark and Reese and new levels of popularity. The team bolstered its security and contracted law enforcement to patrol practices. But that wasn’t enough to give Rawlinson confidence that the Sky could anticipate future incidents. “We’re vigilant,” she said. “But there have still been a few incidents that we’ve handled ourselves that have given us concern. Overall, there’s just a high level of vigilance around this team.”

* Sun-Times | South Side rodeo brings resources, support to veterans: ‘This is really needed’: The inaugural National Veteran Rodeo & Resource Fair was hosted by the nonprofit Leave No Veteran Behind and hoped to enroll 1,000 veterans in vital services while providing Chicagoans a taste of a sport rarely seen in these parts.

* Sun-Times | Chicago’s K-beauty shops feeling pinched as South Korea products hit with 15% tariffs: Owner Johnny Shin said after the baseline 10% tariffs on most countries, including South Korea, were enacted in April, vendor prices started going up. Beauty of Joseon’s sunscreen — a viral product and Over N Over bestseller — was available wholesale for $8 each. After April, Shin said its vendor is now charging them $11. But the retailer hasn’t increased its prices, and it doesn’t plan to. “There’s so much competition going on, so we try to keep it as low as we can,” Shin said.

* Sun-Times | Will Agora take a walk? Grant Park’s iron sculptures might have to relocate in 2026: That’s when the Chicago Park District’s 20-year installation and maintenance agreement expires. The agreement allows Agora to occupy its Hutchinson Field location. The expiration doesn’t make the artwork’s relocation a certainty, but one of the proposals in the park district’s new Grant Park Framework Plan includes refashioning Hutchinson Field into a “neighborhood-oriented amenity” — and it doesn’t mention Agora sticking around.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Ravinia unveils the first of its renovated venues ahead of grand reopening in 2026: The transformed pavilion won’t be unveiled until 2026, but a few performances are scheduled to take place this year in the theater at the newly renovated Audrey, which was completed this spring. Some of the new amenities include wider, cushioned seats, and the Audrey is the first venue on-site to have cupholders, according to Haydon.

* WGN | Texas Democrats find support at St. Sabina Church amid redistricting battle: “They are today’s freedom fighters. They are teaching, I believe, the country a civic lesson right now. Don’t say you love democracy and not fight for it,” Father Michael Pfleger, the longtime pastor of St. Sabina Church, said. […] “As soon as this is over, I’m going to call another one, then another one and another one. If they show back up in the state of Texas, they will be arrested and taken into the capitol,” Abbott said.

* Daily Herald | Powering down: School districts adopt new procedures to limit cellphone distractions: In St. Charles Unit District 303, for example, a district-wide procedure will help clarify expectations. High School students will be asked to silence their smartphones and place them in phone caddies at the start of each class. Middle school students will be told to power down smartphones and other devices, such as smartwatches, and put them in their lockers for the day. Elementary school students will power down all devices and keep them in their backpacks.

* Crain’s | Torrent of bogus papers threatens to drown legit science, Northwestern researchers warn: According to a statistical analysis of scientific research, the bogus content being churned out by “paper mills” is doubling every year and a half, said Northwestern’s Luís A. N. Amaral, senior author of a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “This was so scary, that we wanted to understand how it could grow so fast,” he said in an interview. “There are all these systems in place to allow it and people have not been able to see how it works. We tried to connect the dots.”

* ABC Chicago | New Hollywood Casino in Joliet opening Monday, featuring restaurants from celebrity chefs: At nearly 200,000 square feet, it’s packed with games. The new casino boasts a thousand slot machines, 43 live gaming tables, an ESPN sportsbook, restaurants from top chefs including Stephanie Izard’s first-ever casino spot. Executive Chef Matt Cappellini showed off one of the specialties at the new ESPN BET Sportsbook restaurant. The objective is to draw customers to hang out for a while, place a few bets and have a good time. Food and beverage have become a big draw for casinos.

*** Downstate ***

* PJ Star | Peoria has spent more than $100K in its pursuit of a land-based casino: he city of Peoria has spent more than $100,000 on attorneys and consultants in its pursuit to lure a land-based casino to its side of the Illinois River. Invoices obtained by the Journal Star via the Freedom of Information Act show that Peoria has paid out approximately $106,903.08 in fees to the law firm Elias, Meginnes and Seghetti and the consulting firm Innovation Capital between December and July. Peoria hired a law firm and consulting firm in December after a unanimous vote by the Peoria City Council to do so signaled that the full council was firmly behind Mayor Rita Ali’s effort to bring the Par-A-Dice Casino’s replacement facility to Peoria.

* Shaw Local | Man featured in Netflix’s ‘I Am a Stalker’ pleads not guilty to stalking, harassment in new Ogle County case: John R. Anderson III, 42, was sentenced to six years in prison for aggravated stalking in DeKalb County in 2019. The Netflix series included an installment that focuses on that case, Anderson’s relationship with the woman who fled to Illinois to get away from him, and his pending release from prison. […] “We submit he poses a specific danger,” [Assistant Ogle County State’s Attorney Matthew Leisten] said. “The defendant has prior convictions in Ogle, Winnebago [and] DeKalb counties, and there is also a pending case in Arkansas. There are no set of conditions that can mitigate the risk to her. We don’t believe he can abide any conditions … based on his history.” [Ogle County Judge Anthony Peska] agreed and remanded Anderson to the Ogle County Jail.

* Tribune | In the Quad Cities, a proposed development near a bald eagle habitat divides a community: Soon, local developers could bring another test to the wetlands’ ability to withstand human activity. Rock Island is poised to sell a 10-acre plot at the edge of the Milan Bottoms to A Hana Illowa LLC, a development company owned by local construction moguls Matt Stern and Jeff Hughbanks. The pair are planning to build a gas station and marijuana dispensary on the site, dubbed Casino West. Supporters and opponents of the development alike share an admiration of the Milan Bottoms, and the unique ecosystem that it’s grown into over the years. At the same time, city officials say developing near the wetland could bring much-needed revenue. Rock Island’s poverty rate of about 21% is nearly double the overall poverty rate of the metro area, as reported by the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce in 2022. While neighboring cities in Iowa can expand into surrounding farmland, Rock Island is bordered by rivers and has struggled to find places to develop.

* WAND | Illinois State Fair honors veterans and keeps memories alive: Crystal Womack has been the gold star liaison for 9 years, and she said her main goal is keeping the soldiers’ memories alive. “It is truly my honor to work with these families,” Womack said. Womack said gold star has been around since World War II. When officers were deployed, the families placed a Blue Star flag on their door to let them know that their loved one was deployed at that time.

*** National ***

* The Atlantic | How the Texas Standoff Will (Probably) End: Right now, the Texas Democrats’ quorum-break project appears to have two goals, one much more easily accomplished than the other. The first is to send a message; the gerrymandering attempt in Texas is a chance for Democrats nationwide to accuse Republicans of cheating, and to demonstrate a bit of the gumption their voters have been clamoring for. Because the party is effectively leaderless, now is a perfect moment for wannabe standard-bearers to soak up some of the limelight. Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker, for example, has made a lot of speeches and trolled Republicans; so has New York Governor Kathy Hochul. And tonight, California Governor Gavin Newsom will host Hinojosa and other Texas Democrats in Sacramento for a press conference.

* WIRED | What Does Palantir Actually Do?: Palantir has tried to correct the record itself in a series of blog posts with titles like “Palantir Is Not a Data Company” and “Palantir Is Still Not a Data Company.” In the latter, Palantir explains that “misconceptions can arise because our products are complicated,” but nonetheless, “it is absolutely possible” to accurately describe them to “people who are curious.” The problem, however, is that even ex-employees struggle to provide a clear description of the company. “It’s really hard to explain what Palantir works on or what it does,” says Linda Xia, who was an engineer at Palantir from 2022 to 2024. “Even as someone who worked there, it’s hard to figure out, how do you give a cohesive explanation?”

* SF Chronicle | Trump asks SCOTUS to allow profiling in California ICE raids: The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow officers to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants in Southern California because of how they look, what language they’re speaking and what kind of work they’re doing, factors that federal judges have found to be baseless and discriminatory.

* The Guardian | A ‘bias monitor’ for CBS News is a bad idea. Here’s why: The new job “seems designed to ensure little critical is aired about the current administration”, said Glenn Kessler, the longtime Washington Post journalist and editor of the Fact Checker, who is now writing a Substack newsletter. Kessler also noted that the Trump-appointed FCC chair, Brendan Carr, in commenting on the new position, compared it to the creation of an ombudsman decades ago when General Electric bought NBC. But that regulator was designed to ensure NBC’s editorial independence and to guard against interference from the new owner, a business conglomerate.