* WGLT…

Childcare across the nation and in McLean County has seen better days. Recent waves of closures, affordability concerns, months-long waitlists and staffing shortages are among today’s challenges. […]

House Bill 3595 creates a new state agency streamlining services currently spread across the Department of Human Services, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Department of Children and Family Services. Gov. JB Pritzker signed the legislation into law on June 26.

The Illinois Department of Early Childhood officially took over July 1 as the agency in charge of programs ranging from home visits for newborns to licensing and regulating childcare facilities. […]

McLean County is home to about 10,858 children under five, according to the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map [IECAM].

The county has 24 licensed child care centers with a combined capacity of roughly 3,100 children, plus 70 licensed in-home providers who can serve about 720 more, Robinson said.

Three centers closed abruptly at the end of last year, shrinking a system that was already stretched thin.

*** Statewide ***

* NBC Chicago | Illinois Tollway proposes highest rate hike in history: How much rates could go up and when: The Illinois Tollway Monday night will hold its first public hearing over proposed rate hikes that could be the largest in state history. The proposed hikes, part of a $26.5 billion capital program, would fund the next 15 years of roadwork on the tollway system. […] “Today, the Illinois Tollway proposed its next long term capital program, Driving Connections, a 15 year, $26.5 billion transformative plan to improve our tollways between 2027-2042,” a release from the Illinois Tollway said. “This includes signature projects to improve traffic as well as widespread maintenance and improvement projects.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Pritzker for president? Handicapping the Illinois governor’s political future: It’s the most common question Pritzker is getting from local and national reporters. And for now, the answer is unclear. The Sun-Times spoke with Pritzker in Corpus Christi, Texas on June 26 before he delivered an address before the Texas Democratic Party. Asked where he is in his decision-making process on whether to run for president, the governor denied there was even a “decision-making process.” “Not at all,” Pritzker said. “I literally, I’m running for reelection as governor because we have a whole lot more work to do in the state.” Asked directly if he planned to run for president at a June 16 event in Chicago, the governor deflected and called the election “the most important election of our lifetimes.”

* Chalkbeat Chicago | How should schools use AI? Illinois is providing some guidance for teachers and districts.: Illinois state education officials issued a 400-page document Thursday that provides teachers with an extensive framework for using artificial intelligence responsibly in the classroom. How the technology gets used in schools is ultimately up to district leaders and the guidance document emphasizes the importance of human relationships in teaching and learning. It also discloses that popular AI chatbots ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini assisted in early drafts of the framework.

* Edwardsville Intelligencer | Illinois has no road rage charge as local driver pushes for change: When Jennifer Smith experienced what she describes as road rage, the gray area in the law became personal for her, and she said she is trying to do something about it. Smith said she did not get the support she wanted from police, and she has started a petition asking for legislative change. Under the Illinois Compiled Statutes, one definition of reckless driving is, “A person commits reckless driving if he or she drives any vehicle with a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.” The statute does not specify how to determine whether a driver is demonstrating “willful or wanton” disregard. It does stipulate that reckless driving is a Class A misdemeanor unless certain injuries occur, in which case it is a Class 3 or Class 4 felony.

* WCSJ | State Rep Encouraging Constituents To Come Up With Possible Legislative Ideas: 75th District State Rep Jed Davis was in our studios last week providing the latest happenings in Springfield. He said they are not in session now, but Davis is getting ideas for possible legislation next year. “Starting a list. If anybody has an idea, now would be the time to talk. You know, I know we talked a little bit about Colleen Murphy last time. She’s a great example of walking into our front door and saying, hey. I have an idea. And literally nine months later, the Governor signed her idea into law. That’s wild, and that’s really fun when that happens. But we’re starting to compile that list, which is awesome, and we’ll see how that all goes here.”

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget chair comes out against parking meter sale: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget chair took a stand against the planned sale of Chicago’s infamous parking meter lease to a private firm Monday, arguing the city should instead create a trust to purchase the system itself. Ald. Jason Ervin, one of Johnson’s closest allies, became the latest council member to join the naysayers on the proposed deal that would land the system a new owner. His stance came as the mayor’s Finance Committee chair Ald. Pat Dowell was expected to pull a vote Monday afternoon, sources told the Tribune.

* School board member Jennifer Custer | Blame county’s delayed property tax bills for CPS financial woes, not the state : CPS is already facing serious cash-flow pressures due to ongoing delays in Cook County property tax distributions and underperforming year-end financials. 2026 is projected to end with a negative net cash position of approximately $642 million, with $914 million in TANs outstanding against a cash balance of only $272 million. The district’s expenses are outpacing incoming revenue; there is no cash reserve cushion. CPS is reaching the legal limits on available borrowing for 2026. The current $1.25 billion borrowing capacity is expected to be fully exhausted in August. Without action, operations will cease, paychecks will stop and the start of the school year will be thrown into chaos just as families are ending their summer breaks.

* Tribune | Archdiocese: St. Sabina’s Father Michael Pfleger removed amid sexual abuse investigation: In a letter to the congregation Saturday, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich said that, in line with the Archdiocese’s child protection policies, the allegation has been reported to law enforcement authorities. “I want to stress that the welfare of the children entrusted to our care is our paramount concern,” Cupich wrote. “The Archdiocese of Chicago takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously.”

* ABC Chicago | Chicago City Council committee expected to vote on transfer of ownership of parking meters: The parking meter system has been controversial since it was privatized under then Mayor Richard M. Daley for more than $1 billion. Critics have called the original deal one of the worst in the city’s history. Under Mayor Brandon Johnson, the city bid as much as $3.2 billion to try and buy the parking meter system, before abandoning the effort. The bid was made last year, but recently made public due to a non-disclosure agreement.

* Tribune | Famed tumbling team mourns as members bring legacy to national stage: On Monday night, longtime team member Jeff Williams was killed in a crash in northwest suburban Mundelein. A day later, Chicago watched as the hometown team auditioned for — and ultimately moved forward — in this season of “America’s Got Talent.” “We are hurt by his death, (we’re) very saddened by that,” tumbling coach and friend Emmanuel McGhee said in an interview with the Tribune on Thursday. “But at the same time, we’re very happy to go to the next round. I think he (would) want us to go to the next round.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Fox Chicago | Data center fears grow after massive land purchases in Chicago suburb: “August of 2025, we heard rumblings of a data center being built in Essex Village,” resident Kylee Raney said. “Since then, we have found out that Constellation Energy has purchased over 700 acres on top of Essex Village. Some of that acreage includes land that goes right up to residential homes. We’re talking 10 feet.” Raney is one of the organizers of the Essex Coalition. The group has about 40 members who have been tracking the Essex Village Board’s actions related to the land sales.

* Daily Southtown | Dolton District 149 pays Superintendent Maureen White $181,000 for early departure from contract: Her latest contract was set to run from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027, with White expecting a 6% salary increase to $321,350 for the 2026-2027 school year. Instead, the district and White “mutually agreed to part ways due to differences in organizational fit and future direction,” according to a retirement agreement that allowed White to leave the district June 26. The district agreed to pay White $180,730 to release her from the contract, the retirement agreement states.

* Daily Herald | Schaumburg Convention Center looks to build on two decades of success: This year’s opening of Andretti Indoor Karting & Games and a six-level, 900-space parking deck heralded the commencement of a long-awaited and much-anticipated entertainment district. “For 20 years, the hotel and convention center were looking forward to the area developing to build on the full potential,” said Dieter Heigl, general manager of the Renaissance for the past decade.

* Daily Herald | Should suburban pet owners fear screwworm’s return?: “It’s nothing we need to worry about yet,” says veterinarian Jason Szumski, medical director at Bartlett Animal Hospital. “We’re answering questions as (pet owners) ask.” Lori Ross, an emergency vet and medical director for Michigan-based Emergency Veterinary Care Centers, said NWS has not been detected in Michigan, Indiana or Illinois. Still, “vigilance is critical,” she added.

* Daily Herald | ‘We’re all pretty proud’: Equine Guardians taking care of displaced Palatine Stables horses: They were among the roughly two dozen school horses and ponies displaced following the controversial closing of the Palatine Stables in late 2024. Now they are among 17 under the care of the nonprofit group Gehrke started, Equine Guardians. The organization, which is run by former instructors, boarders and longtime riders, has an online fundraising site. Several horses are listed on the website, equineguardians.org.

*** Downstate ***

* WAND | Pivot Energy bringing 2 solar projects to Douglas County: The company says the project will have a combined 10 megawatt capacity, meaning they generate enough electricity to power nearly 2,400 homes. Pivot said it plans to invest nearly $50,000 into local nonprofits as well as pay nearly $450,000 in local property taxes over the next 20 years. Construction will start next year.

* SJ-R | Veterans group battles state over fairgrounds home: IDOA attorneys emailed a letter to the veterans’ group, which this year lost the Illinois State Fair beer contract it had for more than 50 years, on June 26, stipulating it had 10 business days to remove its belongings from the building, plus a semi-trailer and a camper.[…] “Why is our name on the front if it’s a state of Illinois building? Why do we have a parking lot designated for this organization?” Alwood said The building is still used for quarterly meetings, with Teams set up so members from all over the state can attend. During the fair, it was an easy meeting place for volunteers, who could be ferried to the different beer tents with golf carts.

* WCIA | U of I program aims to help veterans transition to college: “The service you know, purposely takes a person, changes their identity to make them fit into the military service. And then at the end, overnight, they take all those services, all that support away and expects that person to find it on their own. What we want to do is fill that gap of leadership and structure to help them, do that,” said Chez Veteran Center Director Andrew Bender.

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | DOJ Guts Civil Rights Tool That Fought Job Bias for 50 Years: The Department of Justice’s recent memo to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission further eviscerates civil rights by seeking to eliminate a longstanding antidiscrimination tool used to fight discriminatory employment practices. In its June 9 opinion to the EEOC, the DOJ concluded that the commission’s guidelines on disparate impact liability under Title VII are unconstitutional. The opinion paves the way for race-based employment discrimination, the likes of which haven’t been seen in more than 50 years.

* AP | No relief from the heat as many US cities will see record overnight temperatures: Another week of blistering heat will bring even more health risks in the coming days, as overnight temperatures won’t provide much relief. The National Weather Service is predicting that more than 90 temperature records across the U.S. will be tied or broken this week through Wednesday — and most of those will be overnight heat records. Health experts say overnight temperatures that fail to cool down are even more dangerous than daytime temperatures that soar.