* Utility Drive…

The Illinois Commerce Commission, Invenergy and consumer groups are urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to dismiss a petition from Ameren Illinois seeking the right to build about $1.9 billion in transmission projects in the state.

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator and Exelon — on behalf of its Commonwealth Edison utility subsidiary — told FERC that courts should determine whether a precedent under Illinois law gives Ameren Illinois the right of first refusal, or ROFR, to build the transmission lines that MISO contends are eligible for competitive bids.

Ameren Illinois contends that judicial precedent in Illinois enforcing the state’s “first in the field” doctrine gives the utility dibs on building MISO-approved transmission projects in the state, according to a petition filed by the Ameren subsidiary at FERC on July 24. […]

Illinois lacks a ROFR, according to the ICC. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, in 2023 vetoed a bill that would have given incumbent utilities in the state a ROFR, the commission noted.

“Illinois has specifically declined to adopt an ROFR statute, and the Illinois [first in the field] doctrine has never been found by any Illinois court to constitute an ROFR,” the ICC said in an Aug. 25 filing at FERC.

* 25News Now…

In 2023, Illinois became the first state to eliminate cash bail under the SAFE-T Act.

Peoria attorney Kevin Sullivan said he believes the rule will continue in Illinois.

“I think you’re going to see a bevy of lawsuits that are going to be filed, and I think that’s going to tie this thing up for so long that it’s not going to really have much effect until those lawsuits get resolved,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said cashless bail could end for federal courts, where the federal government has more control. He said this could continue until, and if, the U.S. Congress gets involved.

* Governor JB Pritzker…

Governor JB Pritzker joined the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and state and local leaders at the Shawneetown Regional Port District today to break ground on a new fertilizer distribution center along the Ohio River. This fertilizer terminal will boost regional freight activity, create jobs, and reinvigorate economic opportunity in the region. Made possible by $12.6 million from Governor Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois capital program, the project also will make local agriculture operations more efficient by reducing the traveling distance to the next closest port, resulting in improved safety as well as less wear and tear on local roads. […]

The project will create a new hub—partly built from repurposed river infrastructure once used to facilitate coal shipments—where fertilizer can be received, stored, blended, and transported via barges and trucks. After construction concludes in 2026, the new facility is expected to create nearly 50 jobs, ranging from barge workers and truck drivers to new positions at the port district. […]

Funding from IDOT was awarded from $150 million Gov. Pritzker made available via Rebuild Illinois on a competitive basis to improve the state’s 19 public ports, the first time in state history a capital program invested in waterways. Projects were selected based on their potential to advance IDOT’s Illinois Marine Transportation System Plan, which prioritizes asset management performance-based decisions and benefits to disadvantaged or economically distressed areas.

Additionally, $400,000 from IDOT’s Illinois Competitive Freight Program is leveraging a total investment of nearly $10 million to build a new main entrance road, eliminating a bottleneck for trucks and making the Shawneetown port a more attractive option than Ohio River ports in Indiana and Kentucky.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Precious Brady Davis has endorsed Sen. Sara Feigenholtz for reelection…

“Sara has always been the kind of leader who shows up for our community when it matters most. What I admire most is that she never wavered. She chose courage even when it wasn’t easy, and she stood with the LGBTQ+ community when the stakes were highest.

She also fought to secure funding for some of our most vital institutions, ensuring they had the resources to serve people in every corner of our city and state. Because of that fearless advocacy, our communities are stronger and lives are enriched.

And I believe Sara still has more to give. At a time when forces in Washington continue to attack our rights and dignity, we need her experience and resolve more than ever. I am proud to endorse Sara for reelection.”

* NPR | With no federal facial recognition law, states rush to fill void: Illinois’s requirement that companies receive written permission before gathering biometric data goes farther than most states, which require digital consent — or checking a box for a company’s terms and conditions policy, something experts say is a largely symbolic gesture in practice.”I’m not saying it’s better than nothing, but if you’re hanging these legal frameworks on a model of informed consent, it’s clearly ineffective,” said Michael Karanicolas, a legal scholar at Dalhousie University in Canada who studies digital privacy. “Nobody is reading these terms of service. Absolutely nobody can effectively engage with the permission we’re giving these companies in our surveillance economy.”

* WAND | Life insurance companies can no longer discriminate against people with criminal records under Illinois law: The law will ban insurance companies from limiting or denying life insurance coverage based on a criminal record. Sponsors said families should not be put in debt because of a crime their loved one committed a lifetime ago. They also argue life insurance companies should provide coverage regardless of the crime someone committed.

* WAND | Illinois law empowers certified nurse midwives, addresses maternal healthcare deserts: “In a healthcare provider shortage area or maternal care desert, a certified midwife can collaborate with a full practice authority,” said Rep. Yolanda Morris (D-Chicago). Advanced practice registered nurses certified as midwives will also have the ability to provide out-of-hospital births if they have been granted clinical privileges from a birth center.

*** Chicago ***

* ABC Chicago | Chicago Board of Education set to vote on CPS budget ahead of deadline: According to the budget proposal, officials say they were able to close the deficit through a combination by repurposing funding in the district, like central office department reductions and increasing the district’s TIF revenue. King said if the board can’t reach a deal, “That would be history making moment. It has not happened and we don’t expect it to happen now. However, if that were to happen the district would not be able to operate normally.”

* WBEZ | Millions of travelers expected in Chicago area airports, highways during Labor Day weekend: Friday is expected to be the busiest day for both airports with nearly 285,000 passengers traveling through O’Hare and 58,000 going through Midway, according to a press release from the CDA. “Being the home of one of the world’s busiest and most prominent aviation systems, Chicago always stands ready to serve all passengers at our airports,” CDA Commissioner Michael McMurray said. “After yet another wonderful summer in our city, we can’t wait to assist all who will be arriving and departing O’Hare and Midway this weekend.”

* Crain’s | Chicago Amtrak routes see fastest ridership growth in the nation: Ridership on seven train lines connecting Chicago and Midwest cities is up 8% for the nine months ending June 30, compared with 7.5% for similar lines in the Virginia-North Carolina corridor and 3.6% in California and 0.2% on the New York-Vermont corridor, according to a new report from the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University.

* ABC Chicago | Chicago reverend honors cousin Emmett Till 70 years after murder: ‘You didn’t die in vain’: Reverend Wheeler Parker, Till’s cousin, is the last living witness to the deadly kidnapping. Back in 1955, they traveled from Chicago to Mississippi together. He’s remembering his cousin as he takes the same route they took seven decades ago. “You didn’t die in vain, and you still speak from the grave, and we are going to carry on your legacy,” Reverand Parker said before boarding the train.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Evanston RoundTable | Flock challenges city’s termination of contract for license plate readers: Flock sent the city a response letter Wednesday written by Dan Haley, the company’s chief legal officer. A copy was shared with the RoundTable by a company spokesperson, Josh Thomas. Haley confirmed that Flock has deactivated all of EPD’s cameras as directed, but rebuked the termination notice as being “replete with conclusory and unsupported assertions” and wrote that the company “denies categorically” that it broke any laws or terms of the contract.

* Fox Chicago | Another Chicago suburb cracks down on electronic scooters, bikes: Under Illinois law, e-scooters are prohibited in Grayslake, while e-bikes are allowed but must follow bicycle rules. Gas-powered dirt bikes remain banned. Local ordinances also bar any motorized vehicles — including e-bikes and e-scooters — from village bike paths and sidewalks, a rule that has been on the books for years. Officials said the village may consider local ordinances in the future but will remain consistent with state regulations.

* Crain’s | Mounting legal costs add new pressure to Northwestern’s finances: The school recently settled a $130 million lawsuit with its former head football coach, as well as with former football players earlier this year, in the fallout from a hazing scandal that rocked the Evanston campus. Just this month, the school was named in an antitrust lawsuit seeking class-action status and settled in a separate suit over financial aid calculations for $43.5 million in February. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has frozen at least $790 million in federal funds and grants headed for the school, leading to Northwestern continuing to hit the gas on its lobbying efforts. The school has spent almost $1 million on lobbyists so far this year after it spent a million last year, its largest figure on record, according to the nonprofit database OpenSecrets, which tracks lobbying expenditures. The school is also reportedly nearing a deal with Trump that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars in order to restore federal funding.

*** Downstate ***

* First Alert | Brown Water Blues: Illinois leaders promise action to Bethalto residents, IEPA to do testing: State leaders in Illinois have announced water quality testing being done this week in Bethalto — after First Alert 4 voiced residents’ concerns over brown water coming out of showers, taps and toilets across the small village. On Thursday, Illinois Senator Harris and Rep. Elik said they have met with the Village leaders, and contacted the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), requesting information and “action” from them about the water quality concerns.

* WCIA | Arthur nursing home closing, citing financial challenges, ‘inattentiveness by the State’: In a letter to residents obtained by WCIA, the Arthur Home stated that the letter served as a formal 90-day discharge notice due to the facility’s closure. The nursing home cited ongoing financial challenges “from the insurance companies and inattentiveness by the State of Illinois and local hospitals” that left the nursing home unable to continue operations. “This decision has not been made lightly and is the result of careful consideration of our current financial status,” staff said. “While Eberhardt Village will continue to serve our community as an assisted living facility, we must sadly bid farewell to the Arthur Home and its dedicated skilled care services.”

* PJ Star | Summer travel been very good at Peoria’s airport. See the record numbers: The airport hosted 80,836 passengers last month, marking the first time in its 93-year history that it has exceeded 80,000 passengers. The 26% increase over its July 2024 numbers not only sets an all-time high for the airport, but continued a trend where it has set monthly records in 10 of the last 12 months, according to Gene Olson, director of airports for the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria.

* KFVS | Gov. Pritzker announces $16.4M investment in road repairs at Du Quoin State Fairgrounds: With more than $30 million allocated by his administration and the Illinois General Assembly, the fairgrounds have seen several upgrades across its 750 acres. According to the governor’s office, an additional $21.7 million in repairs has been done by the Du Quoin Buildings and Grounds team for a total investment of $50 million.

*** National ***

* Crain’s | AHA slams federal pilot to replace hospitals’ drug discounts: The Chicago-based American Hospital Association blasted the plan in a letter sent to Health Resources and Services Administrator Thomas Engels on Wednesday, saying it would upend the way safety-net providers access lower-cost medications and lead to higher spending. The pilot program is scheduled to begin in January, run for at least a year and may later be expanded, HRSA announced last month. Only medicines subject to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program are eligible for inclusion. Pharmaceutical companies must apply by Sept. 15 and HRSA plans to announce the participants on Oct. 1.

* AP | Mystery surrounds $1.2 billion Army contract to build huge detention tent camp in Texas desert: When President Donald Trump’s administration last month awarded a contract worth up to $1.2 billion to build and operate what it says will become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex, it didn’t turn to a large government contractor or even a firm that specializes in private prisons. Instead, it handed the project on a military base to Acquisition Logistics LLC, a small business that has no listed experience running a correction facility and had never won a federal contract worth more than $16 million. The company also lacks a functioning website and lists as its address a modest home in suburban Virginia owned by a 77-year-old retired Navy flight officer.

* 404 Media | Flock Wants to Partner With Consumer Dashcam Company That Takes ‘Trillions of Images’ a Month: Nexar, the dashcam company, already publicly publishes a live interactive map of photos taken from its dashcams around the U.S., in what the company describes as “crowdsourced vision,” showing the company is willing to leverage data beyond individual customers using the cameras to protect themselves in the event of an accident. “Dash cams have evolved from a device for die-hard enthusiasts or large fleets, to a mainstream product. They are cameras on wheels and are at the crux of novel vision applications using edge AI,” Nexar’s website says. The website adds Nexar customers drive 150 million miles a month, generating “trillions of images.”

* NYT | C.D.C. Standoff: Kennedy’s Push to Fire Director Devolves Into Chaos: In meetings this week, Mr. Kennedy demanded that Dr. Monarez fire top agency officials. He also insisted that she agree to accept recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Policy, or A.C.I.P., an expert panel that has recently been reconstituted by Mr. Kennedy with some members who have questioned the safety of current vaccines. The committee is scheduled to meet again on Sept. 18 and 19, and may consider recommendations for a wide array of vaccines, including those for hepatitis B, Covid, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and a combination vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella, according to an agenda posted on the Federal Register