* ICYMI: Immigration Enforcement Conditions Placed on Federal Disaster Aid for Illinois and Other States ‘Unconstitutional,’ Judge Rules. WTTW…

- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined 19 other Democratic attorneys general and the District of Columbia in filing the suit in May, claiming the departments of Homeland Security and Transportation were attempting to illegally coerce states into enacting sweeping immigration enforcement by threatening to withhold billions in funding if they refused.
- On Wednesday, Rhode Island District Judge William Smith ruled that the conditions the Trump administration placed onto that funding are “invalid.”
- “In the end,” he wrote in a 45-page ruling, “the Court finds that the contested conditions fail, regardless of DHS’s arguments related to its authority to promulgate them, because the contested conditions are both arbitrary and capricious under the (Administrative Procedure Act) and unconstitutional under the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution.”
- In light of that finding, Smith added that a permanent injunction preventing the enforcement of those contested conditions “is also appropriate.”

* Related stories…

• Reuters: US judge blocks Trump from tying states’ disaster aid to immigration enforcement
• NYT: Federal Judge Rejects Administration Efforts to Tie State Disaster Funds to Immigration Cooperation

***************** Advertisement *****************

Sponsored by Ameren Illinois

The summer of 2025 has been a tough one for residents and businesses in the Ameren Illinois service territory. Supply constraints, extreme hot and humid conditions, and increased energy usage have led to a significant spike in electricity prices and higher-than-normal monthly bills for residential, commercial and industrial energy users. We appreciate and thank legislators, regulators and stakeholders who are working hard to address the energy challenge in Illinois. Energy policy is complex, and we’re encouraged that there are some creative ideas being proposed and a willingness to work together to find answers.   

While Ameren Illinois cannot control the price or availability of energy, we can ensure that the system that delivers energy to homes and businesses — electric poles, wires, and technology; and natural gas distribution pipelines and storage fields — is equipped to operate at peak performance to withstand severe weather events, facilitate business expansions that grow local communities, and enable the transition to renewable generation.

We have an opportunity to build an energy system that is smarter, cleaner, reliable, resilient, and affordable for Illinois families and businesses. As discussions on short- and long-term legislative solutions occur this fall, we will continue to advocate for our 1.2 million customers.   

If you know of someone who is struggling to pay their energy bill, please encourage them to visit www.AmerenIllinois.com/PathToSavings for information on available financial assistance and energy saving programs. 

*************************************************

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | NFL approval of Bears’ sale of minority stake raises valuation to $8.9 billion: report: The Bears are valued at $8.9 billion after the NFL approved the sale of a minority stake in the team, CNBC reported Wednesday. It’s the highest official valuation for any team in the league, though CNBC’s unofficial estimates have six other teams ahead of them: the Cowboys ($12.5 billion), Rams ($10.7 billion), Giants ($10.5 billion), Raiders ($9.3 billion), Patriots ($9.3 billion) and Jets ($9.1 billion).

* WTVO | Illinois prisons face criticism over outdated recidivism statistics: State Representative Kam Buckner is introducing a bill to address outdated recidivism data in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The bill aims to modernize the department’s systems and ensure that recidivism rates are updated regularly. Currently, the state prisons report that nearly 37% of inmates reoffend within three years of release, but this data has not been updated in over two years due to a computer programming issue.

* WCIA | U of I study finds majority of Illinois wetlands no longer federally protected: From their research, the team estimated that about 72% of Illinois’ remaining wetlands is non-WOTUS — meaning that it is not protected by the Clean Water Act. 79.5% of non-WOTUS wetlands have no alternate protections from county, state or federal regulations, the researchers added.

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | New federal clean energy policies hamper some Illinois companies: At the start of 2024, clean energy was projected to be one of the fastest-growing parts of the U.S. economy. But new federal policies threaten the growth of clean energy jobs and the country’s economic health, said a new report from E2, a Washington, D.C.,-based nonpartisan business group. In 2024, Illinois ranked 10th in the nation for clean energy jobs with 132,239 across sectors, such as solar, electric vehicles, wind, battery storage and biofuels, E2 said. The state had nearly 10,000 wind energy jobs, second only to Texas. Since 2020, clean energy jobs in Illinois have grown more than 15%. But new federal policies that revoke clean energy incentives, cancel permits and add red tape puts the sector’s growth “at serious risk,” according to E2’s report released last week.

*** Statehouse News ***

* With Rep. Terra Costa Howard appointed circuit judge, DuPage County Board member Lynn LaPlante is first in the 42nd House District race…

* Fox2 Now | Illinois Republicans admit impeachment effort of Pritzker likely to go nowhere: State Representative David Friess is among the nine of 40 Republican House members who have now signed onto the impeachment resolution. […] He expects the resolution to be discussed on the House floor but admits it likely will never come up for a vote with a Democrat supermajority in control of the General Assembly.

* Center Square | Illinois lawmakers clash over election consolidation and compulsory voting: State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, warned that mandatory voting could erode core freedoms. “Part of our electoral process and part of being a free people is the right not to engage,” Windhorst told the committee. “We have the freedom of speech. We also have the freedom not to speak. We can encourage voting without making it compulsory.”

* NBC Chicago | GOP candidates for governor call for repeal of Illinois TRUST Act: Darren Bailey, who is set to launch his candidacy for governor this week, said in a statement: “The TRUST Act has been an unmitigated disaster for our state. The idea that law enforcement would be directed to not cooperate with federal agents is a testament to how politics has crept into the basic functions of our government. We need to repeal this terrible policy and return to sanity in our state.”

*** Chicago ***

* CNN | Trump administration to hold back millions from NYC, Chicago and DC area school districts over transgender policies: Chicago schools were further told to abolish a program that provides remedial academic resources to Black students, which Trainor labeled “textbook racial discrimination.” School officials estimated a total of about $8 million would be lost for initiatives that have expanded staffing, technology and enrichment opportunities like field trips and after-school programming.

* Sun-Times | Trump administration pulls millions from Chicago Public Schools: In relation to the district’s roughly $10 billion budget, the grant is relatively small. But pulling this funding could signal the Trump administration’s willingness to come after more of the district’s federal funding, which is projected to make up around $1 billion of the district’s 2026 budget. Just a week ago, Trainor demanded CPS take action to change these policies, which he maintains discriminate against non-Black students and students who do not identify as transgender. Trainor first gave CPS til Friday Sept. 19 and then Tuesday Sept. 23 to comply.

* Capitol News Illinois | Durbin hopes to meet with ICE this week about Chicago-area raids: Durbin said there is a “chance” that changes this week, adding he has a lot of “basic” questions for ICE. “What’s happening to the people that you’re sweeping off the streets, the detainees?” Durbin said. “Many times, their families don’t know what happened to them and can’t come up with any information as to where they’re even located.”

* CBS Chicago | Immigrant rights group says ICE agents targeting Chicago homeless shelters for arrests: The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said ICE agents detained and released two people who were outside the shelter at 3034 W. Foster Ave. in the North Park neighborhood. The building was once a U.S. Marine Corps reserve training center, but was purchased by the city in 2023 to transform into a shelter for asylum seekers, and now assists anyone experiencing homelessness in Chicago. The group said targeting shelters is a new tactic ICE is using to arrest people.

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson pushing to reorganize City Council chairs; aldermen unsure of votes: Johnson administration officials are lobbying aldermen with a plan to install a progressive Zoning Committee chair while winning over the council’s powerful ethnic caucuses with upgrades of their own. But the final result of the mayor’s push to reassign chairmanships remains in question, aldermen said Wednesday. “I don’t think it’s a done deal until it’s in writing, passed by committee and passed by the full City Council,” Ald. Daniel La Spata said at City Hall Wednesday. “I’ve seen too many things go sideways when actual voting happens.”

* Sun-Times | Man whose murder conviction was overturned files federal lawsuit alleging misconduct: The lawsuit claims police detectives fabricated witness statements through coercion, created fake polygraph results and suppressed truthful statements, and prosecutors ignored exculpatory evidence during the initial investigation and again years later during a reinvestigation. The detectives and prosecutors also are accused of disregarding an alternative suspect in the shooting.

* ABC Chicago | Chicago City Council to take up settlements, Obama Center housing ordinance: The City Council Finance Committee unanimously approved a $90 million settlement for the 176 civil rights violations cases involving former disgraced Chicago Police Sergeant Ronald Watts. That goes before the full council Thursday. Watts was convicted and sentenced for shaking down residents in the Ida B. Wells Public Housing Complex.

* ABC Chicago | Chicago residents struggle with delays, denials for disabled parking spots: “We keep getting denied, and I don’t know the exact reason why we keep getting denied,” homeowner Murshed Rab said. The latest complaints come after ABC7 viewers saw Bridget Vann’s story. Vann was denied because she has a small, detached garage. However, that garage could not fit her injured husband’s SUV, and it’s further from the home then a designated street spot. After an I-Team report, a spot was eventually installed.

* Tribune | ‘A number you don’t want to get to’: Chicago White Sox reach 100 losses for the 3rd consecutive season: It’s the seventh time in franchise history the Sox have lost at least 100 games in a season. “It’s definitely a number you don’t want to get to,” Cannon said. “But I think there’s so many positives (this year). When you look around the locker room, look at all the guys here, guys that have had success here throughout the year, I think it’s very exciting.”

* NBC Chicago | Loyola’s beloved Sister Jean retires at age 106: Sister Jean rose to the spotlight during Loyola Chicago’s trip to the Final Four in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. She was spotted cheering courtside throughout the Ramblers’ improbable run. She published a memoir in 2023, “Wake Up with Purpose! What I’ve Learned in My First 100 Years,” sharing lessons she’d learned throughout her life and offering spiritual advice. Sister Jean turned 106 on Aug. 21.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Crystal Lake park board president wears bulletproof vest to meeting amid heightened security: The president of the Crystal Lake Park District board wore a bulletproof vest to the panel’s meeting Monday, one of several heightened security measures taken amid hostile sessions that have included yelling, personal jabs and booing from the public. […] Tiesenga said being he’s been characterized as a “Nazi” and “fascist” on social media and that “is right out of the Democratic liberal playbook on how to demonize somebody.” […] Many residents, along with board members in the minority, have been critical of the new majority’s swift actions. Those include replacing the longtime park district attorney with former board member who chose not to seek reelection this year, at a higher pay rate; ending an intergovernmental agreement with Crystal Lake and Lakewood in favor of a new contract; reconstituting a lake advisory panel with a lakefront homeowners group; and ending the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy.

* Tribune | Broadview ICE facility becomes backdrop for candidates to signal immigration stance and raise campaign funds: This past Friday, at least five Democrats campaigning for federal office made appearances at the facility, including an activist who for weeks has been promoting her presence at the spot, a north suburban mayor, a south suburban member of Congress and Illinois’ lieutenant governor. The candidates have shared their appearances on social media, and some have even used them in fundraising appeals, eliciting criticism from Republicans and, in one instance, from Broadview’s Democratic mayor.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora City Council calls special meeting Thursday on data centers, warehouses: Chief Development Services Officer John Curley told the Aurora City Council on Tuesday that the moratorium would allow staff time to research ways to mitigate the various impacts of data centers and warehouses then report recommendations back to City Council. If approved by the Aurora City Council at the special meeting Thursday, the temporary moratorium would be in effect for 180 days, so until late March 2026, but could be extended an additional 30 days.

* Sun-Times | Toni Preckwinkle responsible for ‘failed Far Left social experiment,’ her Democratic primary opponent says: Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) took off the gloves against incumbent Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in his bid to unseat her, accusuing her of using the massive windfall earmarked for pandemic relief to “balloon” the county budget. Preckwinkle called Reilly’s remarks “either a reflection of his ignorance or deliberate misinformation.”

* Tribune | Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce director resigns amid discrimination complaints: According to the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Marion-Burton’s resignation came after two women, a current employee and a former employee, filed separate complaints against the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce with the agency on Aug. 28 and Sept. 4. IDHR referred to the complaints as “unperfected charges of discrimination” and declined to release the complaints because they are still under investigation. Marion-Burton declined to comment when asked why he resigned or whether his leaving his job was related to charges of discrimination filed with the state agency.

* Daily Herald | Planned industrial buildings in Schaumburg require demolition of 19 unincorporated homes: The company has all 25 properties under contract to buy, including the 19 homes and vacant land, some of which is owned by the village. Homeowner Dina Menini said she never thought she’d leave the property she’s lived on for the past 25 years, but the presence of Experior has changed the peaceful, rural atmosphere she and her neighbors sought. “Once they approved the truck stop, nobody’s going to want to buy our houses,” she said. “There’s no peace anymore. It was very disappointing.”

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Decatur mayor, council member disagree amidst city manager resignation: Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said “toxic” actions from Council Member David Horn led to City Manager Tim Gleason’s resignation. WCIA received Gleason’s letter of resignation through a Freedom of Information Act request. His letter cited “ongoing actions from one councilmember” as a reason for his departure. “I had been trying to work with him on not leaving,” Moore Wolf said. “It became, to the manager, a very toxic work environment.”

* News-Gazette | First-ever Illinois-led space mission successfully launches: A capacity crowd of 400-plus at the UI’s Campus Instructional Facility counted down in unison the last 10 seconds, awaiting the first University of Illinois-led NASA mission to blast off into orbit — all thanks to two UI scholars. The project’s principal investigator, Lara Waldrop, the UI’s Y.T. Lo Fellow in Electrical and Computer Engineering, watched the launch from the observatory deck alongside her family at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

* WGLT | Federal grant to Chestnut Health Systems supports research on drug addiction and the justice system: Chestnut’s research arm called the Lighthouse Institute received a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop evidence-based strategies for safe and effective treatment and recovery services at various points in the legal system. “About one in four people with an opioid use disorder are involved with the legal system during any give 12-month period,” said Lighthouse Institute Chief Research Officer Michael Dennis. “So, it’s one of the easiest ways to find out-of-treatment opioid users.”

* WCIA | Charleston redefining music education: Students at Charleston High School are putting their new recording studio to use. Their new recording studio lets students create and play with music in the non-traditional sense. Charleston High School’s band director, John Wengerski, said that there are a lot of careers that have nothing to do with touching an instrument, but everything to do with using technology and recording equipment.

*** National ***

* Wisconsin Public Radio | Planned Parenthood, family planning clinics in Wisconsin face cuts under new federal law: Speaking to reporters last week, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s Chief Strategy Officer Michelle Velasquez said that while the full extent of the impact on Wisconsin isn’t yet known, the cutbacks will be significant. She warned that the changes will make it harder to provide a range of services — not just abortion. “[The bill] would make Planned Parenthood essentially a prohibited entity, meaning it could not seek reimbursement from Medicaid for services like contraception care, gender affirming care, STI [sexually transmitted infection] treatment, testing, cancer screening,” Velasquez said at a news conference. “The list goes on and on.”