* The Will County Democratic Party…

This is to notify you that the Democratic Representative Committee for the 97th Representative District will meet on Monday, July 20, to fill the vacancy in the office of State Representative of the 97th District, as well as the vacancy in nomination for that office on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The meeting will be open to all who wish to attend.

WHEN: Monday, July 20, 2026, 5:00 pm

WHERE: Plainfield Township Community Center- 15014 Des Plaines St., Plainfield, IL 60544

* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s reckless attacks on our nation’s elections.

“What we saw tonight was another pathetic attempt to rewrite the past and ignore the will of American voters. Donald Trump’s obsession with an election he lost six years ago does not change the fact that the 2020 election was secure. In fact, it was one of the most secure elections in our nation’s history. More than 60 courts – including Trump-appointed judges – have already looked at his false claims about the 2020 election and rejected them.

“The fact remains that the Constitution gives states, not the federal government, authority to administer elections. In Illinois, we are focused on facilitating, not limiting, access to the ballot box. I stand firm in my commitment to defending the right of voters to have a voice in our democracy and to protecting the United States’ tradition of free and fair elections.

“Make no mistake about the president’s real aim with his baseless allegations tonight. This speech was part of a broader, ongoing effort to undermine your faith in the 2026 elections. Do not let it succeed.”

*** Statewide ***

* Center Square | Secretary of State dismisses calls for clarity on migrant’s license status: “These are boldface lies. This individual was never issued an Illinois driver’s license, period. Using a family’s tragedy to manufacture a false political narrative is deceitful, reprehensible, and does nothing to improve public safety,” Giannoulias said. He went on to say Illinoisans can respect immigrant communities while the state also holds bad actors to account.

* Marijuana Herald | Illinois Cannabis Sales Reach $763 Million in First Half of 2026 as Prices Fall to Record Low: Illinois’ legal cannabis market generated approximately $131 million in combined medical and adult-use sales in June, bringing total sales for the first half of 2026 to roughly $763 million, according to new data released today by the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer. The state recorded $118 million in adult-use cannabis sales and $13 million in medical marijuana sales during June. Added to the $632 million in combined sales reported from January through May, the figures bring the six-month total to approximately $763 million. Despite a sharp decline in retail prices, June’s total was nearly identical to the $133 million in combined sales recorded during June 2025, indicating that increased purchasing volume has largely offset lower prices.

* The Illinois State Bar Association | John S. Rendleman III (1958-2026): Having an unshakeable belief that government can be a force for good, John pursued public service. He ran as the Democratic Party’s nominee for Illinois State Representative in 1996. Not deterred from public service by a narrow loss, John pursued local politics, serving on the Jackson County Board for 18 years, and led the board as chairman from 2012-2018.

*** Chicago ***

* Illinois Answers Project | Chicago police failed to place troubled cop under strict supervision before he fatally shot partner: Carlos Baker was referred to a program that puts officers under intense oversight. Failing could mean “severe” discipline or firing. But Baker wasn’t enrolled before he shot Officer Krystal Rivera because a supervisor didn’t respond to an email.

* Tribune | Chicago alderman critical of parking meter bidder’s ICE ties has own financial link to ICE: Conway has a multimillion-dollar stake in GrizzlyRock Capital LLC, a private investment firm run by a friend that has $7.5 million invested in Amentum Holdings, a massive government contractor that now runs Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, according to a Tribune analysis. It’s similar to the financial tie the moderate alderman has already criticized — and a connection that highlights the far-reaching economic web at many of the largest financial institutions in the world that undergirds Trump’s deportation efforts.

* Crain’s | Amazon nears deal for vertical warehouse next to Goose Island: Amazon is closing in on a deal to buy a high-profile warehouse between Goose Island and the Kennedy Expressway, a move that would bolster its local network of distribution centers with a big new hub close to downtown. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant is in advanced talks to purchase a vacant, multistory industrial building at 1237 W. Division St., according to people familiar with the negotiations. The 571,423-square-foot vertical warehouse facility has sat empty since its 2024 completion by Chicago-based developer Logistics Property, which hired brokers to sell it last fall.

* Tribune | Wildfire smoke could leave northern Illinois by Friday afternoon as pollutant levels drop: Though conditions are slowly improving, the Chicago Park District announced Friday morning that Chicago beaches and pools will remain closed for a second day in a row, and that all day camps will be held indoors. The park district also said Osaka Garden, and both the Garfield Park Conservatory and Lincoln Park Conservatory will remain closed for the day.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Opponents readying to fight proposed South Elgin data center: A data center proposed for 20 acres in South Elgin is to be reviewed by the village’s Planning and Zoning Commission next month, with opponents already gearing up for a fight. As of Friday morning, an online petition has been signed by more than 5,400 people who don’t support the Whiterose Partners proposal to annex the northwest corner of Kenyon Road and Route 25 into the village for the construction of a 200,000-square-foot data center facility. Kenyon Brothers Co., a Dallas-based developer that owns the property, submitted a conceptual plan for review at the commission’s Wednesday night meeting. However, the presentation was postponed due to concerns that there would not be enough parking to accommodate attendees of the meeting and a concert in the area at the same time.

* Crain’s | More lawyers join Resilience legal scrum, delaying settlement and West Suburban reopening: Two new attorneys looking to enter the legal fight over Resilience Healthcare have dragged out a resolution on the operations and possible reopening of its shuttered West Suburban and Weiss Memorial hospitals. Cook County Judge Patrick Stanton had expressed hope that an undisclosed settlement agreement could have been ruled upon today, but that possibility was dashed with motions that will delay proceedings until at least July 28.

* Crain’s | Evanston fines Northwestern University over long-vacant houses: The city of Evanston issued fines and citations to Northwestern University for eight houses that have long stood vacant, and in some cases are visibly in disrepair. An Evanston building inspection official filed 26 citations, eight of them carrying fines of $250 each, after inspecting the homes the week of July 6. The houses, on transitional blocks from campus to a residential neighborhood, have for years frustrated property owners who feel Northwestern should be a better caretaker, Crain’s reported in May.

*** Downstate ***

* Muddy River News | Supporters back Adams Co. Democratic Party Chair Kate Daniels at her first court appearance following altercation with GOP organizer: At the request of the Adams County State’s Attorney’s Office, the judge also ordered Daniels not to have any contact with GOP organizer Roni Quinn. Daniels is accused of touching Quinn during a confrontation outside The Ambiance event center over questions about where protestors were allowed to stand. As originally reported by Muddy River News, an Adams County Sheriff’s deputy gave Daniels a notice that night to appear in court for disorderly conduct.

* WSIL | Herrin House of Hope receives a $20,000 state grant: Herrin House of Hope has been awarded a $20,000 Charitable Trust grant through the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office, making it one of just 10 nonprofit organizations across Illinois selected to receive funding this year. It was also the only recipient in Southern Illinois. Executive Director John Steve said the grant will allow the organization to continue serving families experiencing food insecurity while expanding its impact throughout the region.

* WCIA | Pilot hospitalized with ‘serious injuries’ after St. Joseph helicopter crash: WCIA 3 spoke with neighbors who live less than half a mile away from where the crash happened. The neighbors were watching the pilot crop dusting before going inside their home. Then, their power went out and one man immediately drove out to the scene. He said the pilot was hanging onto the frame of the helicopter when he got there. But, with a live powerline, no one was able to safely rescue him until Ameren cut the line.

* PJ Star | An anonymous donation of $200,000 moves Princeville closer to saving its pool: The fundraising effort to restore the Princeville Aquatic Center has received a big splash that moves the campaign to 74% of its financial goal. The project received an anonymous donation of $200,000 – the largest single donation since the fundraising began.

*** National ***

* Forbes | Flock CEO Apologizes For Calling Activists ‘Terrorists’: For the last two years, Will Freeman has been advocating against Flock Safety, an $8.3 billion surveillance company that tracks vehicles with a network of over 80,000 cameras. His organization, DeFlock, crowdsourced a map that shows where the company’s cameras are located, and helps local grassroots movements organize against Flock deployments. In an interview with Forbes last year, Flock CEO Garrett Langley described DeFlock as a “terroristic organization.” But now, as Flock faces an increasingly vitriolic public backlash, Langley says he regrets that label.

* AP | MLB restricts using dugout iPads for AI-assisted in-game strategy: The tablets have access to video and league-provided data, and also included a custom tab where teams could access other programs. MLB made the custom tabs inaccessible to teams starting Wednesday night, when the second half of the season started. “In many cases, the custom tab had expanded the use of the dugout iPads beyond their originally intended purpose to include recommendations regarding substitutions, pitch calling, and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches,” MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword wrote in a June 11 memo to general managers, assistant GMs and video coordinators.

* Bloomberg | Lab Closures Threaten Cyclospora Research as Parasite Outbreak Sickens Thousands: Food-safety experts warned that plans to shutter a US Department of Agriculture research facility will hinder efforts to protect consumers from the foodborne cyclospora parasite — a risk that’s underscored by the outbreak that’s spreading across the country. The agency is in the process of closing the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center just north of Washington, DC, and relocating its programs to facilities across the country under a restructuring plan announced last year. The center has two laboratories that play a significant role in investigating cyclospora as well as coordinating research with other federal agencies.

* AP | Wildfire smoke kills tens of thousands of people a year. Here’s how it attacks the body: It attacks the body immediately, spiking asthma cases with increased ambulance runs within hours, swamps emergency rooms in a day or so with people suffering from heart attacks and other cardiovascular and lung issues, as well as mental health issues, doctors and scientists told The Associated Press. Smoke also harms pregnant women, increasing the risk of premature births and low-weight babies who could have breathing problems the rest of their lives, doctors and studies say. And then there are long-term risks connecting prolonged smoke and other air pollution exposure to some cancers and dementia.

* NBC | Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin threatens states over elections: Expanding on President Donald Trump’s election speech a night earlier, Mullin said that the Department of Homeland Security had preliminarily determined there were more than 250,000 noncitizens on voting lists in at least four states: California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania.