* ICYMI: Republican Darren Bailey launches second bid for governor with strategy to connect better with Chicago voters. Tribune…

- Darren Bailey’s suburban Chicago running mate, Aaron Del Mar, plans to focus on helping Bailey win over voters in the northern most populous areas of the state while the candidate at the top of the ticket will focus on everywhere else.
- Bailey’s rural, evangelical Christian-rooted campaign and his allegiance to Trump clashed with suburban voters, particularly his opposition to abortion rights. In his first bid for governor, for instance, he compared the deaths from abortion to the millions of Jews killed during the Holocaust in World War II.
- Aside from speaking out against gun control measures, he’s decried “woke” school curricula that incorporate LGBTQ teachings and, despite there being no evidence of widespread voter fraud, Bailey has previously said election integrity is “another big problem” in Illinois following Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

* Related stories…

• WGLT: Republican Darren Bailey visits Bloomington as he joins race for governor a second time
• WMBD: Darren Bailey launches 2026 campaign for Illinois governor with statewide tour
• CNI: Darren Bailey enters Illinois governor’s race, pledging new approach to Chicago area

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*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Crain’s | Lead sponsor calls off vote to legalize video gambling in Chicago: Despite being advanced by the License & Consumer Protection Committee, Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, told Crain’s he was delaying a vote to amend the legislation to allow the terminals in taverns in the hopes of shoring up more support. The ordinance was approved in committee over the objection of Mayor Brandon Johnson and opposition from the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

* Evanston Now | Lawmakers optimistic on transit funding: Rep. Kam Buckner, another Chicago Democrat, said “we got the bill at 11:47 p.m.” on the last day of session, making it impossible to bring it to a vote. However, both Democrats agreed that there will be a vote, and a positive vote, later this fall. Buckner pointed out that “some people are saying we can wait, but for the sake of our transit systems we have to get this done now. I think we will do it.” The “wait awhile” school of thought is surfacing because the fiscal cliff may not be as imminent as originally projected.

* Sun-Times | Illinois braces for more patients as Wisconsin Planned Parenthood pauses abortions over Medicaid cuts: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 22 other attorneys general took to the courts Thursday seeking to halt the administration from pulling the funding. “Without access to the medical care they receive at Planned Parenthood health centers, thousands of Americans will simply opt to defer or even forgo critical preventive care like screenings for cancer,” Raoul said in a news release.

*** Statewide ***

* WGLT | ‘Visionary leader’ Ryan Whitehouse remembered for his advocacy and service: Ryan Whitehouse, the Illinois Farm Bureau’s [IFB] director of national legislation, died Wednesday following an accident in Michigan. He was 43. “This is a tremendous loss, personally, of an amazing man. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and co-workers,” IFB President Brian Duncan said in a statement. “Ryan excelled in everything he did at Illinois Farm Bureau and throughout his work in the Bloomington-Normal community. He leaves a lasting impact and a true legacy of service.”

* Shaw Local | Illinois food banks worry USDA decision to stop tracking food insecurity will lead to people being overlooked: “Food banks and pantries rely on the USDA data to understand the scope and location of need,” Alex Hurd, executive director of the Kendall County Community Food Pantry in Yorkville, said in response to the USDA’s decision. “It may be harder to adequately prepare for and respond to an increase in demand.” The Kendall County Community Food Pantry serves not only Kendall County, but also DeKalb and La Salle counties. It serves an average of 450 families a week. “It may become more difficult for advocacy groups and nonprofits to demonstrate the need for increased funding or support for food assistance programs,” Hurd said. “When data is missing, it’s harder to make a strong case for investment in battling hunger.”

* Daily Herald | ISBE seeks feedback on first draft of numeracy plan: The Illinois State Board of Education will conduct a series of listening sessions across the state to gather feedback on the first draft of the Illinois Comprehensive Numeracy Plan, which will provide guidance to support educators, schools and districts in advancing student success in math. Educators, instructional coaches, administrators, regional offices of education, counselors, other education leaders and community partners are invited to participate in the listening tour.

*** Statehouse News ***

* The National Association of Social Workers Illinois Chapter…

At a time of deep division and growing threats to vital programs, the NASW-Illinois Chapter cannot afford to wait until petition season is over to act. The decisions made in the next few years will determine whether our state continues to support vulnerable families, protect critical services, and uphold our shared values.

That’s why the NASW-Illinois Chapter is taking the unprecedented step of making early endorsements for the 2026 election cycle. In this time of crisis, it is essential that we elect ethical leaders who understand the challenges facing our communities. There
is no better voice to lead that fight than a social worker. […]

As the only licensed social worker (LSW) currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, Senator Karina Villa has been a tireless advocate for social workers and the communities we serve. Her work has shaped policies that directly strengthen our profession and expand access to critical services across the state. […]

Join us in supporting Senator Karina Villa for Illinois Comptroller, a true champion for social workers and the communities we serve.

* Center Square | Illinois lawmaker, physician pushes back on Trump Tylenol announcement: State Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, is pushing back against the Trump administration’s handling of recent claims linking acetaminophen use during pregnancy to autism. He called the rollout “political” and “dangerous.” Hauter said the announcement lacked new evidence and contradicted established medical consensus. “There was no new evidence, only a rehashing of older studies that medicine has already addressed,” Hauter said. “If there was a true risk, the FDA would issue a black box warning. That hasn’t happened because the science doesn’t support it.” Hauter warned that telling women to avoid Tylenol during pregnancy could put mothers and babies at greater risk, since high fevers are a proven danger to fetal health.

* Press Release | Gov. Pritzker Joins Multi-State Launch of PJM Governors’ Collaborative to Increase State Representation to Address Electricity Affordability and Grid: “For far too long, PJM has made decisions with minimal input from the states, leaving families and businesses to bear skyrocketing energy costs and rising reliability risks,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m proud to join this bipartisan collective to ensure states have a meaningful voice in shaping the region’s energy future. Together, we’re sending a clear message that PJM must prioritize affordability, reliability, and accountability for the people it serves.”

* Crain’s | Pritzker forms panel to counter RFK Jr.’s autism data efforts: The group, created earlier this year by executive order, will provide the state with recommendations throughout next year. Pritzker’s order came in May following the first of what he referred to as concerning statements and proposals by U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including diminishing the abilities of people with autism and “the specter of a national autism patient registry.”

* The Southern | Brown pledges to represent Southern Illinois families on autism panel: “Honestly, I’m humbled and excited,” Brown said. “As a mom of a son with autism, this feels very personal. I want to make sure families like mine have a voice when it comes to protecting our kids’ information.” Brown, president and founder of the Autism Society of Southern Illinois, has been named to the advisory group established by Gov. JB Pritzker under Executive Order 2025-02. The panel will guide state policy on how autism-related data is used, with an emphasis on safeguarding privacy and protecting civil rights.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Chicago Fire net City Council approval for new South Loop stadium at The 78: The 22,000-seat stadium is being bankrolled by billionaire Chicago Fire owner Joe Mansueto, who pitched the new stadium project in June, but tens of millions of public dollars would still be needed to prepare the long-dormant site for development. City Council members, without debate, unanimously passed a zoning amendment allowing the new stadium to be built. Mansueto, a Chicago native who bought the Fire in 2019, hopes the soccer-only stadium will be ready in time for the 2028 season.

* Sun-Times | Veteran activist pleads for City Council’s help fighting pollution in Chicago neighborhoods: Johnson is pushing for an ordinance named after her late mother Hazel Johnson that would change the rules on how polluting businesses can locate in low-income communities of color. The proposed law would force the city to consider the health impact on neighborhoods, including Riverdale where Johnson lives, when new sources of pollution are added. The ordinance was introduced in April, is backed by Mayor Brandon Johnson and is an outgrowth of a federal civil rights investigation that found the city has long discriminated against its own residents who live in neighborhoods overburdened by air pollution and other health threats.

* Crain’s | Environmental zoning ordinance back on track, but opposition remains: Since being introduced in April, the measure has faced stiff resistance from the business community and organized labor and has been stuck in the Rules Committee, which blocks it from a vote, ever since. The Johnson administration circulated an amendment last week seeking to address those concerns, but opponents say further tweaks are needed. Those changes included seeking to clarify that a new board to review applications for industrial projects is only an advisory body and would not supersede city departments.

* Tribune | US Border Patrol boats dock along Chicago Harbor Lock as part of immigration blitz: It was not clear how long CBP officials planned to dock at the Army Corps facility, nor what their purposes in doing so may be. Lake Michigan is located entirely within the United States and is the only Great Lake without a foreign border.

* Tribune | Lawsuit accuses Loyola University Medical Center of doing risky organ transplants to boost revenue: Patrek Chase, former executive director for Loyola’s Solid Organ Transplant Programs and Outpatient Dialysis Clinic, alleges in the lawsuit that Loyola had area hospitals transfer “their sickest patients” for transplants. “Loyola would then list these patients on the organ donor list as status 1A, meaning the patient was unlikely to live more than a few days without a transplant,” the lawsuit said. “This put the patient at the top of the donation list, and they were regularly able to match with the needed organ.” But the Maywood hospital did not properly screen patients before carrying out the transplants, according to the lawsuit. Instead, the suit contends the hospital focused on billing and profitability, noting that Medicare would reimburse the hospital for discharging the patient “even if the reason for discharge was death.”

* Daily Herald | Judge rejects American’s pitch to retain gates at O’Hare: In a letter to employees, United President Brett Hart called the decision “a powerful validation of United’s growth, investment and incredible workforce here in our hometown of Chicago.” Chicago Department of Aviation Department officials said the decision allows the city to move forward with reallocating gates at O’Hare as planned. “Ensuring that gates are allocated effectively is essential to keeping O’Hare competitive, fostering growth, and providing travelers with more choices and better service,” CDA Communications Director Kevin Bargnes said.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Protest heats up again outside Broadview ICE facililty: A group of protesters has swelled from a handful to at least two dozen by 6:30 a.m. outside the 25th Street entrance the facility, 1930 Beach St.. A handful are standing near the new silver gate that was erected earlier this week, some yelling toward passing vehicles on the other side of the gate.

* Sun-Times | Cook County’s top prosecutor is pushing for pretrial detention for anyone charged with machine-gun possession: Soon after taking office Dec. 1, O’Neill Burke said her prosecutors would seek pretrial detention for anyone charged with possession of a machine gun or an extended magazine — asking judges to keep them in jail while they await trial. She pointed to a “15-fold” increase in recoveries of weapons with illegal machine-gun conversion devices since 2019 in Chicago. Forty of the devices had been recovered in 2019. That figure rose to 604 in 2024, according to federal statistics.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Kane County Board panel shoots down strategic plan contract cancellation idea, amid budget shortfall talks: Originally, the $100,000 for the strategic plan contract, which is included in the county board’s proposed budget, was set to be paid from the county’s general fund. The general fund, however, is facing a multimillion-dollar gap that the county board is attempting to close. When Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog presented the board’s proposed budget for the coming year, the board discussed how it was going to reduce a deficit in its budget, with the strategic plan contract coming up as one possible expense that could be paid for with other funds or terminated.

* Daily Southtown | State denies Orland Fire Protection District’s request to bring back ambulance at half capacity:
The Orland Fire Protection District board’s waiver request to put a district ambulance back in operation for 12 hours daily, after the district took the ambulance offline in June, was denied by the Illinois Department of Public Health, said board member Tina Zekich, which a spokesperson for the board president later confirmed. The board unanimously voted on July 22 to resume 12-hour daily operation of the ambulance after public concern over the district’s ability to respond to rising call volumes without the vehicle.

* Daily Herald | Top flight: Gurnee police are on the leading edge of drone technology: So when the theft report came in, police quickly deployed the drone from its climate-controlled base atop Gurnee Fire Station 1, located the suspect pedaling away from the business on a bicycle and tracked him until an officer could drive there and make an arrest. “It can get us to a location before an officer can arrive,” Detective Shawn Gaylor told us this week. “It’s like another officer we can use as a resource, but from the air.”

* Daily Herald | Charging stations coming to downtown Mundelein after all: The village board this week voted to amend the 2026 fiscal year budget to come up with $473,610 for the equipment. The budget initially included $135,000 for the project. The difference will be made up with grant funds and property tax revenue, Trustee Kara Lambert said during Monday’s board meeting at village hall. The budget change comes two weeks after the board agreed to a deal with Vernon Hills-based Powerlink Electric that covers the purchase and installation of the equipment.

*** Downstate ***

* WQAD | Mercer County School District superintendent, employees make first court appearance following arrests: Law enforcement officials announced Wednesday that Superintendent Tim Farquer and IT employees Amberly Norton and Andrea Long were arrested after allegedly accessing student medical records illegally. Norton and Long are sisters. Each is charged with unauthorized access to medical records (class A misdemeanor), computer tampering (class A misdemeanor) and official misconduct (class 4 felony). According to court documents, Norton and Long allegedly gained access to the unauthorized records in question on July 19, 2019, while Farquer did not access them until Sept. 1 of this year. The documents further allege that Farquer “demanded a school nurse to disclose vaccination information to him, compiled it into a Google document, and shared with an unauthorized individual.”

* Pontiac Daily Leader | Illinois grain tour brings global buyers to Midwest farms: The Illinois Department of Agriculture is preparing to host its second Illinois grain tour of 2025. The event will welcome international buyers from six countries including China, Vietnam, Egypt, Jordan, Singapore and the island of Mauritius, according to a community announcement. The four-day tour, scheduled for Sept. 29 through Oct. 2, aims to foster relationships that could boost export sales of Illinois agricultural products. Last month, buyers from Latin American countries participated in a similar tour. This year, the groups were split due to the program’s success and the high number of interested participants.

* WAND | State regulators unanimously approve OSF Healthcare cuts: The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board unanimously approved the plan 9-0 during a meeting Thursday. The cuts are part of OSF’s proposal from earlier this summer to merge its Urbana and Danville locations into one hospital with two campuses. State staff added that the services OSF plans to eliminate in Urbana are available at Carle Foundation Hospital, located one mile away.

* WAND | ‘We need so much food’: Northeast Community Fund counting on Decatur for WSOY Food Drive: “It’s a ton of food. I mean, we need so much food,” said Sharon Bunch, assistant director of the organization. “If every day was the 225 patrons coming through the door on the days we’re open, the market is only so big. [The market] is quickly depleted throughout the day as we have availability of products.”

* WCIA | Outgoing Decatur City Manager hired by Davenport, Iowa government: As the fallout continues in Decatur over the resignation of City Manager Tim Gleason, another city has announced it hired him for a position in its government. WCIA’s sister station, WHBF in the Quad Cities, reported that the City of Davenport, Iowa, announced its hiring of Gleason as its Interim City Administrator. He will serve in this capacity for six months starting in November, but Gleason has expressed interest in taking the position permanently.

*** National ***

* WaPo | Trump announces new tariffs on trucks, furniture and pharmaceuticals: In a post on social media, Trump said the new tariff for heavy trucks would be 25 percent and would seek to help companies such as Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner and Mack trucks. New import taxes of 50 percent will be imposed on “all Kitchen Cabinets, Bathroom Vanities, and associated products,” Trump added. Upholstered furniture will be subject to a 30 percent rate, he said.

* Politico | ‘Let’s have a trial’: Comey proclaims innocence as Trump revels in grand jury indictment he demanded: Comey has selected as his defense attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, a longtime friend, former U.S. Attorney in Chicago and former DOJ special counsel. “Jim Comey denies the charges filed today in their entirety. We look forward to vindicating him in the courtroom,” Fitzgerald said in a statement.