* Subscribers know more. ICYMI: Chicago Bears still looking to piece together stadium legislation in Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker says. Tribune…

- The Chicago Bears are looking to piece together legislation in Illinois that might pass the General Assembly in Springfield, Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday, as the team continues to weigh whether to stay or move across the border to Indiana.
- Pritzker said his office has been a player in the ongoing Illinois negotiations with the NFL franchise, which has been considering elements of two bills that each passed one chamber of the Illinois General Assembly this spring.
- The state still needs the Bears to put together specific provisions of a bill, Pritzker said. Once the team is able to put together a proposal, he said, “they need to begin conversations with members of the legislature that they weren’t able to win over before, and again, we’ve been advising and trying to help out wherever we could.”

* Related stories…

• CNI: Bears taking advice, but haven’t put forward specific stadium plan, Pritzker says
• CBS Chicago: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker open to calling special session for bill to keep Chicago Bears in Illinois
• Crain’s | Pritzker offers up a playbook for a special session on a Bears deal

* At 11:30 am, Gov. JB Pritzker will sign legislation that protects reproductive freedom on the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs decision. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | As ‘Broadview Six’ prosecutor faces reckoning, Boutros yet to escape cloud hanging over his office: U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros has launched a review of cases involving veteran prosecutor Sheri Mecklenburg, whose apparent misconduct has led to the collapse of the Broadview case and two others. But attorneys for the Broadview defendants have raised alarms about “what appears to be a determined effort to blame a single prosecutor.”

* Sun-Times | Gov. JB Pritzker to sign Illinois abortion legislation shielding patients’ medical records: On the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down Roe v. Wade, Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday will sign the latest legislation bolstering Illinois’ status as a haven for abortion care in the Midwest. The measure passed by the General Assembly last month will shield patients’ abortion-related digital medical records from access by outside authorities who have sometimes used them to pursue criminal cases in states where the procedure has been outlawed.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol City Now | Organization applauds extension of affordable housing-related tax credits: The Illinois Housing Council says the ten year extension of tax credits that were about to expire is important, given how housing in general, and affordable housing in particular, is in short supply. “We are, really, in a severe housing shortage,” said Allison Clements, Executive Director, on the WTAX Morning Newswatch. “The state faces a deficit of nearly 300,000 affordable rental homes for our lowest income residents. We really just haven’t been building enough housing. We know that between 2017 and 2023, our housing production rate fell 33 percent.”

* Patch | Shelter CEO To Step Down Amid State Senate Run: helter Youth & Family Services CEO Carina H. Santa Maria will transition from her role in September as she pursues her candidacy for the Illinois State Senate, the organization’s Board of Directors announced. Santa Maria has led the Arlington Heights-based organization since 2018. She is also an Arlington Heights village trustee and previously announced her candidacy for the Illinois State Senate. Current State Sen. Mark Walker, a Democrat from Arlington Heights, has said he will not seek reelection at the end of his current term.

* CBS Chicago | CPS holds first budget hearing; CTU wants Illinois lawmakers to convene to fund schools: Tuesday marked the first Chicago Public Schools budget hearing of the summer, as the district faces a $ $733 million shortfall. This comes as the Chicago Teachers Union is calling on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to call lawmakers back to Springfield. The union said a special session is needed to fund schools fully.

* Sun-Times | Gov. Pritzker is leading Chicago fundraiser for Senate candidate and rising Democratic star James Talarico: Talarico, 37, spent about two weeks in the Chicago area last year during the walkout. On Wednesday, Pritzker will serve as a “special guest” at a Chicago fundraiser in support of Talarico. Federal Election Commission records show Pritzker contributed $3,500 to Talarico’s campaign in March. Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley is among several prominent Chicagoans listed as hosts of the fundraiser, according to the invite. Suggested contributions range from $500 to $5,000 for hosts. The top tier is $13,500.

* Center Square | Bill filed to repeal ‘punitive’ digital asset tax: State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, filed House Bill 5798 on Monday. “There’s a lot of constituents and other folks that have interests that think this is going to raise revenue and tax them around $60 million or more,” Cabello told The Center Square.

*** Data Center News ***

* NBC Chicago | ‘Data center capital’ of the Midwest expands as Pritzker calls for regulations: Mayor Craig Johnson said all of the data centers are located in the town’s business and industrial parks, far away from residential neighborhoods. […] He said the data centers generated $26 million in revenue to the village last year alone. In some years, the windfall is so high that the town issues $200 gift cards to residents as tax rebates.

* The Southern | Carbondale passes moratorium on data center development: The Carbondale city council adopted a resolution putting a one-year moratorium on data center development during its regular meeting on Tuesday. The resolution passed on a 4-1 vote, with Nancy Maxwell voting against it. Clare Killman was absent from the meeting. It comes in response to a community meeting in May at the Unitarian Church where several city staff and council members were present. The Southern provided coverage on that meeting, where the impacts of data center development were discussed.

* Data Center Dynamics | Closed incinerator near Chicago eyed for potential data center development: Robbins Mayor Darren Bryant said he was open to the idea of a data center being developed at the site. “I know there are a lot of negative stories out there, but my job as mayor is to be innovative,” he told NBC. “Water, electricity, noise, pollution, and environmental all are concerns of mine too, but we are in the discovery phase. If we cannot solve those issues, it will never enter Robbins. We are in talks with the owner to explore.”

* AP | 40 mayors worldwide endorse a pact to shape data center development: About half of participating mayors are from the U.S. That includes Seattle and the California cities of Palo Alto and Riverside. In the Southwest, Phoenix and Albuquerque, New Mexico, joined. On the East Coast, Beverly, Massachusetts, signed, as did Lincoln, Nebraska; Chicago and Cleveland in the Midwest and Miami in the South. […] The pact lists several standards for data center developments. Urban data centers should be built on abandoned or underutilized land in an area that minimizes negative impacts on noise, heat and air pollution. Developments should be fueled by renewable energy and battery storage, and data centers should reduce water use and emissions, as well as capture waste heat.

* WIRED | Some Electricians Think Building Data Centers Is for Sellouts: Threads about how AI will affect the economy now pepper r/electricians, a subreddit with around half a million monthly visitors. Some users wonder whether the work will eventually prompt widespread job losses. Others aren’t sure if their labor makes them complicit in the damage done to local communities or whether it’s unethical to take on data center work. For some, the answer is a firm no. Ultimately, they argue, work is work. One electrician based in the Midwest says he no longer tells people what he does for a living.

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | Air pollution is often worse in the summer. Now, Chicago can monitor it neighborhood by neighborhood: The air monitors are part of a 5-year project that went live last fall. They’re designed to collect local air data that can show Chicagoans real-time pollution figures that can help officials develop guidance for permitting, urban planning, and air-quality control. The network is about to be put to the test as it faces its first Chicago summer — the season when air pollution tends to worsen, in part, due to climate change.

* CBS Chicago | Payroll in jeopardy for healthcare workers at Roseland Community Hospital, union says: Roseland is a 134-bed safety-net hospital that has operated on the Far South Side for more than a century, but SEIU healthcare union leaders say about 200 healthcare workers could possibly not get paid. The union represents a good portion of the more than 500 staff members at the hospital, which includes support and professional services. It’s not clear what’s behind the potential payroll problem, but the SEIU vice president says, “I can confirm that on June 11, the union was informed that the payroll due our members on June 30th was in jeopardy.”

* Sun-Times | Chicago’s first F1 Arcade to open in August: “About 1% of people get to actually experience an F1 race [in person] in their lifetime. So if we can bring that experience and what an F1 driver gets to experience in that seat and that adrenaline, … I think that’s that whole thing we want to recreate as much as possible,” he said. There will be 61 full-motion racing simulators with multiple game modes, allowing visitors to race individually or in teams. There will also be private event spaces.

* Tribune | Chicago White Sox sit alone atop the AL Central standings after 2-1 win against the Cleveland Guardians: Chicago White Sox designated hitter Randal Grichuk doubled and scored on a single by shortstop Colson Montgomery in the second inning of Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas led off the sixth inning with a home run. Those were the only three hits in the game for the Sox. And it was just enough to defeat the Guardians 2-1 in front of 28,883 at Rate Field.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | State’s Attorney’s office says it will make it harder for ICE to access sensitive data: Don Black, chief of staff to Cook County States Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, said the office is working with Appriss on new contract language that would further restrict data sharing. “The goal is to close any ambiguity in the contract and make sure the data is used only for the purpose it was intended,” Black said.

* Evanston Now | Biss says he will resign in October: Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss said Tuesday afternoon he plans to resign from office on Oct. 18 to allow for a special election next spring, where voters will have an opportunity to select the city’s next mayor. In his annual and final State of the City Address, Biss said the purpose of his resignation “is to be absolutely certain” a special election could occur in the spring. After his speech, he told reporters he intends to write a formal letter “soon” outlining his resignation plans.

* Press release | Northwestern Tech Helps Power Apple Vision Pro Wheelchair-Control Feature: Apple recently unveiled a new Vision Pro accessibility feature that allows users to control powered wheelchairs using only their eyes. Northwestern University technology helps make it possible. The feature uses the Vision Pro headset’s advanced eye-tracking system to send driving commands to compatible wheelchairs. Software developed by Northwestern’s Project DRIVE acts as a bridge between the headset and wheelchair’s control system, translating eye movements into signals the wheelchair can understand.

*** Downstate ***

* Reuters | Constellation Energy to supply nuclear power to Walmart facility under 15-year deal: Retail bellwether Walmart, opens new tab has signed a long-term nuclear power purchase agreement ​with Constellation Energy (CEG.O), opens new tab, the companies said ‌on Tuesday. Under the agreement, Constellation Energy will supply nuclear power from its Dresden ​Clean Energy Center in Illinois to ​Walmart’s previously announced “high-tech” perishable distribution center, ⁠currently in development in Belvidere, ​Illinois.

* STLPR | Illinois EPA takes ‘toxic tour’ through these contaminated Metro East sites: Local residents and activists took three top officials from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on a “toxic tour” of the Metro East on Friday. The goal was to show them what life is like in the communities confronting sewage-contaminated floodwaters, as well as foul emissions from a hazardous waste incinerator. Among the attendees were Illinois EPA Director James Jennings, Deputy Director of Environmental Policy Amanda Raddatz and Environmental Justice Coordinator Chris Pressnall.

* WSIL | Jefferson County Tornado Victims Begin Long Road to Recovery: Volunteers are helping the Thompson family clean up their property after a tornado destroyed their home. Where the house once stood is now a cleared lot. Kelley Thompson says she’s grateful for the support from her community. Youth camp kids from her church and vollunteers came out to help run machinery and pick up debris. “I can’t thank God enough for sending all these people,” Thompson said.

* WGLT | Murals add color and hope for youths in juvenile detention: The McLean County Juvenile Detention Center [MCJDC] commissioned Champaign artist Leslie Kimble to paint the two murals in the common areas of the facility. The project was made possible by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. Program Coordinator Brianna Nelson said the initiative started last October. […] Nelson said Kimble asked the youths to pick colors, images and words they’d like to see on the walls every day.

* STLPR | East St. Louis connects youth with food through Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s new project: After six Olympic medals and over a decade of dominating track and field, Jackie Joyner-Kersee has spent her post-athletic career giving back to her hometown of East St. Louis. Her newest contribution is the Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition Innovation Center. The center will give East St. Louis youth opportunities to get hands-on experience with agriculture and prepare them for STEM careers. It features classrooms, labs and kitchens, and has summer and after-school programs to introduce kids to plant science.

* WCIA | Springfield EMS worker sentenced to probation in 2022 patient death: WCIA previously reported that body camera footage shows 35-year-old Earl Moore Jr. was strapped face-down to a stretcher in the midst of a hallucinatory episode Moore was experiencing. The coroner ruled that the 35-year-old died of asphyxiation. Although Cadigan’s case saw its resolution Tuesday, the case involving the other EMS worker — Peggy Finley — remains ongoing. She appeared in court on Monday for a planned trial call hearing. The next court date in Finley’s case is scheduled for Aug. 24.

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | Stephen Miller Said to Drive DOJ Memo Eroding Disability Rights: Miller, the president’s powerful deputy chief of staff, was frustrated that the department’s Civil Rights Division was still reaching settlements compelling states to transfer those experiencing mental illness out of institutions, added the individuals, who spoke anonymously out of fear of retaliation. They said Miller felt DOJ’s agreements—including one reached with South Carolina in December—would increase homelessness and didn’t adhere to President Donald Trump’s July executive order pressuring cities and states to move homeless people into treatment centers

* WaPo | Nation’s second-largest school district passes strict new screen time rules for students: Los Angeles public schools will ban screens for its youngest learners and limit device usage for other students, marking one of the most aggressive attempts to restrict the amount of time children spend on devices at school The new rules, approved on Tuesday, will be phased in starting in August following backlash to the devices districts nationwide have spent billions on since the coronavirus pandemic. The Los Angeles school board had passed a resolution in April that required the district to limit students’ screen time.