* ICYMI: Pritzker says he’ll head to court as soon as troops show up. Crain’s…

- Gov. JB Pritzker says the state’s first move will be to the courthouse if troops come to Chicago as part of the Trump administration’s planned immigration crackdown that’s expected to begin later this week.
- Pritzker, like other governors, has asserted that President Donald Trump has no authority to dispatch National Guard members or federal troops.
-In recent days, the White House has been cagey about whether it plans to deploy troops.

* Related Stories…

• WTTW: Pritzker Says He’ll File Suit to Stop ‘Nefarious’ Plan to Send National Guard, Military to Chicago
• CNN: DC sues Trump administration over National Guard deployment
• Sun-Times: Putting national guard troops in Chicago to fight crime could stain military’s image, former general says

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* WGLT | Rivian plans job cuts as it plans for R2 production in Normal: Rivian is cutting about 1.5% of its global workforce as the electric vehicle maker prepares its plant in Normal for production of its new lower-cost sport utility vehicle. The automaker had about 15,000 employees globally at the end of the year. It’s unclear how many of the job cuts could be in Normal. “We have made some recent changes to the commercial team as part of an ongoing effort to improve operational efficiency for R2,” according to a statement from a Rivian spokesperson.

* Sun-Times | In Illinois, soybean is king and helps fuel everything from farmers to Chicago Park District trucks: About 80 park district vehicles are fueled by biodiesel blends made from refined soybean oil. That’s about 25% of its diesel fleet, which includes service and forestry trucks, tractors and mowers. The parks department uses various kinds of clean energy for its vehicles and equipment. It started using soybean-based biodiesel blended with regular diesel in 2011. The liquid fuel can supplement regular diesel often used in heavy vehicles. “It performs better than standard diesel, and the power is the same. It also benefits the health of our employees and park visitors,” Mike Dimitroff, manager of cultural and natural resources for Chicago Park District, said.

*** Statewide ***

* SJ-R | Free monthly STI testing now at all 13 Planned Parenthood Illinois centers: Walk-in patients will be offered a variety of STI tests and have a consultation with a provider. While at the health center, individuals can schedule a wellness visit, make an appointment for other services and get enrolled in Medicaid. Walk-in appointments will end 45 minutes before closing, are first-come, first-served and results are confidential, according to the announcement.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Daily Herald | New Illinois law requires police to act swiftly on missing persons cases: You’ve probably seen it play out on a TV crime drama: A distraught person enters a police station to report a loved one missing, only to be told by the desk officer that there’s nothing they can do about it for at least 24 hours. A new state law championed by a suburban legislator and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart will keep that scenario the stuff of fiction here in Illinois. Senate Bill 24 — also known as the Missing Persons Identification Act — was signed into law late last month by Gov. JB Pritzker, paving the way for major changes in how police handle missing persons cases.

* Education Week | How This State Is Protecting Undocumented Students’ Right to an Education: House Bill 3247—signed into law by Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker on Aug. 15—is the state’s response to rising fear among local immigrant communities over the Trump administration’s push for increased immigration enforcement across the country, lawmakers and advocates said. The law is also a response to the efforts of policymakers in other states to overturn the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe, which granted a constitutional right to a free, public education to all students regardless of immigration status. Since President Donald Trump’s re-election, policymakers in at least six states have taken actions to challenge Plyler, with at least one of these still in process, and the rest paused or defeated, according to an Education Week analysis.

* WAND | Illinois law could ensure families with NICU babies receive info on early intervention services: The Illinois Department of Human Services’ early intervention program helps children with disabilities or developmental delays up to age three learn and grow. However, many families are unaware they are eligible for these services. This law states hospitals must sign a written letter referring babies to early intervention programs if the child is sent to their neonatal intensive care unit.

*** Chicago ***

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago’s Air Force Academy High School to change name, switch to Army JROTC: The school opened in 2009 and was the only wall-to-wall public Air Force Academy high school in the country. It’s been lauded by Mayor Brandon Johnson and is one of six military schools in CPS where participation in JROTC is mandatory. Currently, there are roughly 130 students enrolled, down from more than 300 a decade ago. The deactivation of the Air Force Academy High School JROTC program means there are no longer Air Force JROTC programs in CPS. A program inside Phillips High School was closed for low enrollment in 2022. There are 815 active Air Force JROTC programs at other schools across the country.

* Sun-Times | ‘The powder keg is growing.’ Former Chicagoans in D.C. call guard deployment ‘unprecedented and scary’: “In Chicago, it feels like the powder keg is there. In D.C., I think the powder keg is growing. I’ve had friends who have been in Ubers or have been in situations where people around them have been stolen and arrested and taken to who knows where, and you can feel there’s tension building,” said Albano, 30. “But it does not quite feel as intense of a tension as how the activists and organizers in Chicago are planning to protect immigrant communities and their families and loved ones.”

* ABC Chicago | UIC student sues university police, claiming arrest was unlawful, led to visa revocation: In police body-worn camera video, you can hear one UIC officer say, “Mr. Presta, just to let you know you are being charged with theft under, it’s a class A misdemeanor, under meaning under $500 in value.” “The allegation is he was working out and, at some time during his workout, he stole someone’s little gym bag,” attorney Gregory Kulis told the I-Team. He represents Presta in a new lawsuit against four UIC police officers filed Thursday. Kulis says video evidence shows Presta did not take the bag in question.

* Sun-Times | White Sox’ 2025 loss cause: If 100 is inevitable, at least try to stay under 106: Unless the 50-88 Sox scratch out seven more victories, they’ll be tied to last year’s 121-loss team forever — with the two most “L”-acious seasons in franchise history coming back-to-back.

* Sun-Times | Angel Reese officially suspended after eighth technical foul: Angel Reese will miss the Sky’s game Friday against the Fever. She received her eighth technical foul in the first half Wednesday against the Sun, which triggered a one-game suspension. Coach Tyler Marsh said the Sky appealed the call, but the WNBA issued a statement Thursday confirming the suspension. The Sky have appealed other calls this year without success. Reese was assessed a technical for a “flail” in the second quarter against Sun forward Aaliyah Edwards. There was no whistle on the court, but officials upgraded the play after review. Marsh argued at the time and said he was frustrated by the explanation.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Naperville Sun | Naperville commission seeks more info before voting on Karis Critical data centers plan: “This is the only zoning district where data centers are permitted,” said Russ Whitaker, an attorney representing Karis. While the development is planned for an appropriately zoned area, it is also in close proximity to multiple residential areas, including the Naper Commons, Danada Woods and Indian Hill Woods subdivisions. Those residents opposed to the project say it will have a negative effect on their health and quality of life as well as the environment. An online petition urging the city to reject the development has been signed by about 1,900 people.

* Daily Herald | Former Arlington Heights school nurse sentenced for misappropriating students’ medicine: Eitz worked at from Aug. 19, 2019 through May 8, 2024, at Westgate Elementary School school, where prosecutors say she was responsible for documenting, storing, handling and administering prescribed medication that “included controlled amphetamine substances” for several students. She was fired in May 2024 amid an investigation into the allegations. In April of this year, the parents of nine Westgate students sued Eitz, school leaders and Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 administrators alleging she intentionally gave children the wrong medication and school leaders had the ability to stop her but “actively chose not to.”

* Daily Southtown | Orland Park passes Israel-Hamas ceasefire resolution, continuation of grocery tax: The board also voted to join neighboring suburbs in creating a 1% municipal grocery tax to begin when a statewide tax expires on Jan. 1. Similar action was taken by neighboring communities including Tinley Park, Homewood and Homer Glen. Milani and Healy voted against the measure while Dodge, Lawrence, Lawler and Leafblad voted in favor.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora committee tables talk of lifting ban on backyard chickens: No official ordinance was drafted, but aldermen who sit on the City Council Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee have spent time at the past several meetings discussing the possibility of allowing backyard chickens within city limits and the logistics of how that may work. They’ve also heard from the city’s Animal Care and Control division about the idea, including its current response to backyard chickens. Currently, city code bans people from keeping dangerous animals, bees or farm animals within city limits, but special permission can be given to things like pony rides and petting zoos.

* Daily Southtown | Blue Island’s random water sampling finds no hot spots for immediate pipe replacement: City Administrator Thomas Wogan said the results met the Environmental Protection Agency’s 90th percentile value, which means lead in the drinking water samples did not exceed 15 parts per billion, comparable to adding 15 drops of a substance to a 10,000-gallon swimming pool, in at least 90% of the homes sampled. Wogan also said no individual homes that were tested met the 90th percentile. He said in June the city would immediately notify any homes that had a high concentration of lead in their sampled drinking water.

* Daily Herald | How runway safety system slowed plane, averted disaster in Wheeling: Installed a decade ago on the north end of Runway 1634, the Engineered Material Arresting System is a rectangular, graded bed of large, concrete blocks that rise slightly above ground level. The blocks can support a person’s weight but are designed to give way under greater pressure, slowing and eventually stopping an aircraft that overruns a runway. Miller compares the system to the emergency escape ramps often found in mountainous areas that help trucks with braking problems stop safely.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Viper Mine coal plant in Central Illinois permanently closed; some caught off guard: On Thursday, Village President of Williamsville Mark Esker said that the coal plant was being torn down and officially closed on Sept. 4. At this time, there is not an estimated completion date on the demolition of the Viper Mine. The mine had been providing coal to the Springfield area over the course of the last 40 years. According to CWLP, the closure of the Viper Mine locations was first made public in November 2024 after the Springfield City Council approved a new coal supply contract with Foresight Coal Sales LLC to serve Dallman 4. However, Esker said he only found out about the closure a few months back when some of the workers laid off at the plants let him know they would be receiving severance.

* WGLT | Dueling letters show rising tension between local leaders over shared sales tax: An Aug. 22 letter sent by Normal Mayor Chris Koos to County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston contains phrases that accuse the county of “stockpiling” sales tax revenue rather than spending it on purposes approved under a decade old intergovernmental agreement (IGA). The letter, obtained by WGLT through a Freedom of Information Act request, called the $20 million fund balance “excessive.” And it objected to county leadership’s refusal to have its full board consider the town and city request to pause sales tax sharing during negotiations.

* WGLT | Illinois State University approaches 22,000 students as enrollment sets new record: ISU has increased its student headcount by 448 students to 21,994 students this fall. “Given the climate and the environment that is becoming ever so competitive for college admissions, I am very happy with the group we are bringing in,” said Pat Walsh, the university’s director of recruitment and operations for admissions.

* WCIA | Blue Mound water unsafe for kids under six months old: In a news release sent to WCIA, the village said on Sept. 4, samples that were collected the day before showed nitrate levels of 12 milligrams per liter (mg/L). The standard for nitrate is 10 mg/L. Nitrate in drinking water can pose a serious health concern for infants less than six months old. And, nitrate in drinking water can come from natural, industrial, or agricultural sources, like septic systems and run-off. Levels of nitrate in drinking water can change throughout the year.

* WSIL | Bob Odenkirk returns to Carbondale for SIU event in September: The Odenkirks will participate in a public event at The Varsity Center on September 12 from 3-5 p.m. They will discuss their careers in the entertainment industry with H.D. Motyl, an associate professor at SIU’s School of Media Arts. Bob Odenkirk graduated from SIU in 1984 and has since built a successful career as a comedy writer. He is well-known for his roles in “Breaking Bad” and its spinoff “Better Call Saul,” as well as his recent work in the films “Nobody” and “Nobody 2.”

*** National ***

* KPTV Oregon | U.S. Border Czar threatens to ‘flood’ Portland, other cities with ICE agents: PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan said Wednesday at a news conference that the Trump administration plans to “flood the zone” with ICE agents in sanctuary cities like Portland, Seattle, and Chicago. “We’ve got 10,000 more agents coming on, we’re going to flood the zone,” Homan said to reporters on the White House lawn. “You’re going to see a ramp up of operations in New York. You’re going to see a ramp up of operations continue in L.A. and, you know, Portland, Seattle. I mean, all these sanctuary cities refuse to work with ICE … we’re going to address that.”

* NYT | The Doctors Are Real, but the Sales Pitches Are Frauds: Dr. Robert H. Lustig is an endocrinologist, a professor emeritus of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, and an author of best-selling books on obesity. He is absolutely not — despite what you might see and hear on Facebook — hawking “liquid pearls” with dubious claims about weight loss. “No injections, no surgery, just results,” he appears to say in one post. Instead, someone has used artificial intelligence to make a video that imitates him and his voice — all without his knowledge, let alone consent.

* Forbes | AI Startup Flock Thinks It Can Eliminate All Crime In America: Langley offers a prediction: In less than 10 years, Flock’s cameras, airborne and fixed, will eradicate almost all crime in the U.S. (He acknowledges that programs to boost youth employment and cut recidivism will help.) It sounds like a pipe dream from another AI-can-solve- everything tech bro, but Langley, in the face of a wave of opposition from privacy advocates and Flock’s archrival, the $2.1 billion (2024 revenue) police tech giant Axon Enterprise, is a true believer. He’s convinced that America can and should be a place where everyone feels safe. And once it’s draped in a vast net of U.S.-made Flock surveillance tech, it will be.