* Daily Southtown…

Dolton West Elementary District 148 Superintendent Kevin Nohelty, who has come under fire for a salary increase that led to him making more than $450,000 a year, has resigned.

The school board met Sunday to appoint an interim superintendent, Shelia Harrison-Williams, who started with the district on Monday. Harrison-Williams previously was superintendent of Hazel Crest District 152.5 and during that time received the National Alliance of Black School Educators Superintendent of the Year award.

In his resignation letter sent Thursday, Nohelty blamed certain board members for making his job difficult and targeting him with “harassment and bullying.” […]

In addition to his $450,000 salary, District 148 paid Nohelty an extra $87,000 in fiscal year 2024 in retirement enhancements and other benefits.

* The Alton Telegraph…

An Alton City Council member has decided to try to make a change at the state level.

Rosetta “Rosie” Brown, who represents Ward 4 on the Alton City Council, announced her run for Illinois State Representative for District 111 for 2026. […]

Brown said that she enjoys the “changes and impact” she was able to make as a City Council member, and now, she feels ready for the next level.

“I now feel ready that I can support the same constituents and more at the state level,” Brown said. “I’ll gain insight on how to better serve and make sure that things are pretty fair across the board within the Metro East.” […]

Amy Elik, a Republican, has served as the Illinois State Representative for District 111 since 2021.

* Subscribers got a look at the 12th HD race this morning. Politico…

Mac LeBuhn, who is running in the 12th State House District, raised $80,000 in the first week since announcing his campaign, according to his team. He’s running for the seat now held by state Rep. Margaret Croke, who’s running for state comptroller.

* More from Politico…

Keith Wheeler is now senior director in Illinois for Michael Best Strategies, a national government affairs and public relations firm. Wheeler is a former Illinois state representative and assistant minority leader. “Keith’s wealth of experience in public policy, technology, and business leadership will further bolster the firm’s ability to provide quality service to our clients throughout the state,” the firm said in announcing the move.

* KSDK reports the Proud Boy billboard in Breese has been taken down…

A billboard advertising an extremist group near an Illinois high school was taken down after pressure from local residents.

The Proud Boys, a far-right group linked to violence and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, originally bought the billboard along Old U.S. Highway 50 near Breese Central Community High School. Parents and community leaders in Breese condemned the extremist group’s attempt to recruit teenagers through the roadside advertisement.

5 On Your Side crews returned to the billboard on Tuesday to see crews removing the sign. Residents also told us that they have been calling the Lamar advertising company advocating for the sign’s removal.

*** Statewide ***

* WSIL | Illinois launches ‘One Click’ admissions for public colleges: Illinois has launched One Click College Admit, a new program offering automatic college admissions for any public Illinois university to high school seniors and community college transfer students based solely on their GPA. This initiative, introduced by Gov. JB Pritzker, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, Illinois Community College Board and Illinois Student Assistance Commission, aims to simplify the admissions process by eliminating applications, fees, essays, and recommendation letters.

* Medill Illinois News Bureau | Illinois beekeepers battle losses, costs to keep hives buzzing: It’s an idyllic scene, one that can make it easy to overlook how challenging beekeeping can be for Harvey and the more than 5,400 other registered beekeepers across Illinois. Nearly 89% of them are hobbyists managing 10 colonies or fewer, according to the fiscal year 2025 Apiary Inspection Annual Report from the Illinois Department of Agriculture released in July. Bee loss is a persistent issue throughout the state. It’s not uncommon for beekeepers to lose over half of their colonies each year — primarily during winter — due to disease, competition, poor nutrition or limited resources. That’s a trend mirrored across much of the Midwest and the country.

*** Catching up with the Congressionals ***

* Tribune | Top candidates for the US House in Illinois’ 2nd, 7th, 8th and 9th districts for the 2026 election: The fourth House seat officially opened up when 83-year-old U.S. Rep. Danny Davis announced in late July that he would not seek a 16th term representing a district that stretches from downtown Chicago through the West Side and into the near-west suburbs. Davis’ long-anticipated decision came after 81-year-old U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s May announcement that she wouldn’t run for another term in the seat she’s held since 1999, representing much of the north and northwest suburbs. The wave of retirements began in late April, with 80-year-old U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s announcement that he wasn’t seeking a sixth term. That created a domino effect for the congressional delegation when two incumbents — U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg — declared their interest in Durbin’s seat.

* ICT | Oji-Cree and Lakota man announces run for Illinois Congress seat: When Anthony Tamez first ran for office and won in 2023, he made history as the second Native person to hold an elected office in Illinois, and one of the youngest Native people to hold a position in the U.S. Tamez is making waves again by announcing his run for the Illinois Fifth Congressional District. If elected, Tamez, who is running as a Democrat, would be the first Gen Z Afro-Indigenous member of Congress to serve in the United States.

* 25NewsNow | Republican challenger starts out swinging in bid to oust ‘radical’ Sorensen from Congress: Julie Bickelhaupt from rural Mount Carroll is now one of two candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District seat, representing parts of Peoria, Tazewell, McLean, and Fulton counties. In a release, Bickelhaupt called Sorensen a “radical” politician chasing extreme agendas rather than helping working families being “crushed” by rising costs and unsafe streets. “He’s embraced extreme policies and pandering political theater, while families here are just trying to pay the bills,” said Bickelhaupt.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Meet The 7 Candidates Vying To Replace Ald. Walter Burnett In The 27th Ward: Grunst-Bednarz ran for 27th Ward alderperson in 2019. She lost to Burnett, who garnered 69.8 percent of the vote to her 30.1 percent, according to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. […] Walter Redmond Burnett, son of former Ald. Walter Burnett, is also vying for the position. Burnett is the principal of Hannibal Valley Company, a Chicago-based real estate and hospitality consulting firm focused on community-rooted development, cultural programs and strategic growth. It was created in 2023.

* Paul Wargaski | My son still doesn’t have a way to get to school in Chicago: That’s why legislation such as HB 989 matters. In short, the proposal increases the pool of safe, qualified drivers and routes. It also gives parents and caregivers the options to track rides in real time. The bill would allow participating school districts to contract with vetted, third-party transportation providers — giving them flexibility to serve high-need students who too often fall through the cracks. The program would focus specifically on students experiencing homelessness, students with disabilities, foster youths who face frequent placement changes and students who live outside traditional bus routes. In other words, it’s a smart, measured step that gives school leaders one more tool to meet the urgent needs of their most vulnerable students.

* Block Club | Target Fires Hundreds From Little Village Warehouse Over Medical Benefits Scheme, Employees Say: Workers at Target’s distribution center at 3501 S. Pulaski Road took advantage of the company’s medical loan program, through which employees could receive loans exceeding $3,000 to cover medical expenses. Workers found a glitch in the program, allowing them to pay back $50 of the loan and have the remaining balance erased from company records, multiple employees told Block Club. One employee was considered the ringleader of the operation and would charge $200-$300 to facilitate taking out and erasing the medical loans, employees said.

* Crain’s | Abbott gets 2nd formula lawsuit dismissed, spelling trouble for 700 cases: With a second bellwether case against Abbott Labs thrown out, and statements from a U.S. District Court judge casting doubts on both plaintiff’s evidence and arguments, hundreds of baby formula lawsuits against the North Chicago company are now on shaky legal ground. Last week, Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer granted Abbott’s request for a summary judgement dismissing a lawsuit brought by Maryland mother Keosha Diggs that claimed using Abbott’s cow’s milk-based formula led to her baby developing necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, a serious and sometimes deadly gastrointestinal disease that primarily afflicts premature infants.

* Sun-Times | Chicago cop who killed partner says he’s the victim in Wicker Park bar fight: When Baker’s friends came back inside and told him the woman was a police officer, he said he went outside to get her name and badge number and was “suddenly approached” by another woman, his girlfriend’s mother, who punched him in the left eye as his girlfriend stood nearby, according to the police report. […] The off-duty police officer who had recorded Baker filed her own police report, saying Baker and a woman had punched her repeatedly while in the bar’s vestibule after he pressured her to delete the videos. She was taken to Rush University Medical Center and got two stitches to repair a split lip, according to police sources. […] Meanwhile, the police department’s internal affairs bureau is investigating an accusation that Baker tried to get video of the altercation from a nearby business and that he said he was investigating the matter despite being on a leave of absence since the shooting.

* WBEZ | The Uptown Theatre turns 100 with a new book and serious questions about its future: His new book, “The Uptown: Chicago’s Endangered Movie Palace” (CityFiles Press), is the closest available thing to a time machine. Available Aug. 18, the day the Uptown opened its doors to the public in 1925, the book features photographs — both archival, dating back to its earlier days, and those shot over recent years — that reveal the building’s grandeur. The images also tell the improbability of the theater’s survival. Designed as a temple to silent films, the 46,000-square-foot palace was built for maximum audiences. Next to a wide orchestra pit, the theater featured seating for more than 4,000 people who could exit onto Lawrence Avenue or Magnolia Street, while another 4,000 people could stream in after holding in the splendorous lobby.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Former Robbins police Chief Carl Scott pleads guilty to battery: Former Robbins acting police Chief Carl Scott pleaded guilty to battery charges Monday, reduced from aggravated battery, for allegedly attacking a man in July 2024. Cook County Judge Diana Kenworthy sentenced Scott to two years of probation and revoked his law enforcement certificate, prohibiting from working as a police officer, according to court records. Kenworthy dismissed all other charges against Scott, including official misconduct and theft. Kenworthy also ordered him to complete an anger management program and to avoid contact with the victim.

* : In his resignation letter sent Thursday, Nohelty blamed certain board members for making his job difficult and targeting him with “harassment and bullying.” “The board president and certain board members have undertaken a smear campaign against me, riddled with baseless allegations, innuendo, and repeated threats of investigation and discharge,” the letter said. Nohelty said at one point, a board member pointed out his being a white man in a majority Black district as a reason he had to leave.

* Daily Herald | ‘Let’s get this done’: Challenge issued to close funding gap for Antioch Veterans Memorial: Supporters of a long-sought veterans memorial in Antioch hope a push to bridge the final funding gap will allow for a fall groundbreaking. Mayor Scott Gartner is challenging residents and others to contribute $100,000 to complete fundraising for what he described as a lasting tribute to local veterans. “We’re almost there and with one final push, we can begin construction on a memorial that will stand for generations,” Gartner said in a message to the community.

* WTTW | Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source Gets $815M Upgrade: Elmie Peoples-Evans is the project manager responsible for choreographing the complex logistical, engineering and technical dance required to complete the project. “We started planning for this over 10 years ago,” said Peoples-Evans. “The upgrade came about as a way to take the existing APS facility to the next level. We wanted a brighter machine. They wanted to do different techniques and enhance the capabilities that we had. … We want to keep the APS as a world-leading machine.”

* Tribune | Naperville’s Bob Odenkirk talks about being an everyman action hero — and a possible Disco Demolition movie: In town recently to promote his new movie “Nobody 2,” Odenkirk, who produced and stars in the film, talked about his dramatic turn to grittier roles, first in FX’s “Fargo” series and then as the scheming Saul Goodman in “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.” Being able to find the funny in those characters helped him find the balance between dark humor and extreme violence in the original “Nobody” (2021). “I’m not a handsome guy, or a young guy,” Odenkirk, 62, said recently in a conference room overlooking North Michigan Avenue. “I think I work well on the screen as a regular guy who has a certain amount of pressure he’s under.”

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | EIU announces end of TV station’s affiliation with PBS: Eastern Illinois University has announced that it is ending its affiliation with PBS this fall amidst funding cuts to the broadcaster’s chief funder. Josh Reinhart, EIU’s Public Information Coordinator, said in a news release Tuesday afternoon that the decision was made after federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was discontinued following the passage of the federal Rescissions Act of 2025. Funding for the CPB will officially conclude on Sept. 30, the same day the university-run station WEIU-TV will end its affiliation.

* WGLT | Town of Normal expands enterprise zone to encourage more business development: “We don’t have to look too far in our history where we had a local project unfortunately not check with us and was not included in the enterprise zone,” said council member Kevin McCarthy. “It cost them a pretty penny in sales tax and other potential incentives that we lost because they didn’t realize that their property was not in an enterprise zone.” The town removed nearly 100 acres of property deemed no longer likely to be developed in the zone and added 342.28 acres deemed likely to be. These added areas are generally in north and west Normal, as well as in Uptown.

* WSIL | Ribbon cutting scheduled for Deaconess Illinois Clinic for Family Medicine at JALC: A ribbon cutting event is scheduled for August 20, at 11:30 a.m. for Deaconess Illinois Clinic for Family Medicine. The event will take place at Logan Fitness on the JALC campus. An open house will take place at 11:30 a.m. with remarks by speakers at noon. Light refreshments will also be served.

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | Trump Widens Metal Tariffs to Target Baby Gear and Motorcycles: The new list includes auto parts, chemicals, plastics and furniture components — demonstrating the reach of Trump’s authority to use sectoral tariffs. That is separate from the executive power he invoked for his so-called reciprocal tariffs. “Basically, if it’s shiny, metallic, or remotely related to steel or aluminum, it’s probably on the list,” Brian Baldwin, a vice president of customs in the US at logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel International AG, wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “This isn’t just another tariff — it’s a strategic shift in how steel and aluminum derivatives are regulated.”

* AP | NASA’s Webb telescope finds a new tiny moon around Uranus: Scientists think it hid for so long — even eluding the Voyager 2 spacecraft during its flyby about 40 years ago — because of its faintness and small size. Uranus has 28 known moons that are named after characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. About half are smaller and orbit the planet at closer range. The new moon, still nameless, ups the planet’s total count to 29.