* Capitol City Now…

Logan Correctional Center does not fare well in a new assessment from a prison watchdog group. A report from the nonprofit John Howard Association outlines what executive director Jenny Vollen-Katz says are unsafe and inhumane conditions, along with $116 million in deferred maintenance.

The list of problems, says Vollen-Katz, is long: “From the presence of black mold to lack of ventilation, the presence of rodents and pests inside the facility, crumbling infrastructure, ceilings that cave in, along with the lack of air conditioning in places that are very hot during the summer, which can lead to and also exacerbate existing health issues.”

Logan, near Lincoln, is slated for closure, with its all-female population to move to an as yet unbuilt facility in Crest Hill, near Joliet. Vollen-Katz says that brings an uncertainty which does not help the psyche of inmates or employees.

* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul co-led a coalition of 26 states to stop the Trump administration’s continued efforts to use federal funds—specifically, billions of dollars in federal counterterrorism and other funds—to coerce states into complying with the administration’s political and policy priorities.

Raoul and the coalition’s lawsuit filed today challenges decisions by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to impose unlawful conditions on billions of dollars in federal funds that Congress appropriated for states to use in preparing for and responding to emergencies and natural disasters, including acts of terrorism. The conditions challenged in the lawsuit would require the states to change the way they conduct elections, including by transmitting lists of all registered voters to DHS, and to assist DHS in enforcing federal immigration law. They would also permit DHS to terminate any federal grant at any time and for any reason.

Now, DHS and FEMA have established grant conditions for 2026 funding that again attempt to coerce the states into complying with the administration’s policy priorities. The conditions in total affect billions of dollars in funding, including over a billion dollars in Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funding that states use to support security measures and protect residents from terrorism, cyberattacks and more. Illinois receives over $40 million in HSGP funding each year for state and municipal efforts to prevent, prepare for and respond to acts of terrorism.

In the lawsuit, Raoul and the attorneys general explain that DHS and FEMA will withhold counterterrorism funding if states do not change state election law to conform to the administration’s policy goals. The attorneys general assert that these requirements would force states to abandon years of work and millions of dollars of investments in their elections systems, all to obtain unrelated funding that Congress earmarked for the prevention of terrorist attacks.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Gov. JB Pritzker…

July 25th will now be known statewide in Illinois as a Day of Reflection and Remembrance for Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley.

We understand here in our state that we cannot build a more just future if we are unwilling to confront the injustices of our past. pic.twitter.com/nNuoGy76tS

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) July 23, 2026

* Capitol News Illinois | Here’s how Illinois election authorities guard against noncitizen voting: “That’s 10 cases in 44 years.” Dietrich told Capitol News Illinois, referring to information published by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative-leaning think tank. “Every two years, you have approximately 5 to 6 million votes being cast. So, you’re talking really about hundreds of millions of votes cast, with 10 prosecutions.”

* Sun-Times | Blagojevich now seeking Trump clemency for former Indiana politician convicted in vote-buying scheme: Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is hoping to parlay his access to President Donald Trump into a moneymaking clemency ask for Frank Kollintzas, a former Indiana city councilman who allegedly fled to Greece after being convicted in a vote-buying scheme. Trump in February 2025 issued a full and unconditional pardon to Blagojevich after commuting his 14-year sentence for political corruption charges. Now, according to a federal lobbying disclosure form first reported by NBC News, Blagojevich is reporting income of $50,000 tied to lobbying activities for Kollintzas. According to the form, Blagojevich is seeking presidential clemency on behalf of Kollintzas.

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | CTU and SEIU back different candidates for school board president, widening rift between staff unions: Both unions have considerable financial resources, a state and local presence and tens of thousands of workers who can knock on doors. SEIU represents about 16,500 CPS employees and more than 160,000 workers across the state. CTU has 30,000 CPS members and its president, Stacy Davis Gates, also leads the Illinois Federation of Teachers with more than 100,000 members. In both of these unions, members can choose to deduct money from their paychecks to go to political committees, in addition to their dues to support union activities.

* CBS Chicago | Northeastern Illinois University to become first public university in Chicago to offer AI bachelor’s program: Beginning in the fall of 2026, Northeastern Illinois offer an AI major through its College of Business and Technology (CBT) under the Department of Computer Science. The university said the program is designed to balance “theory, application, and real-world relevance.” […] Curriculum highlights include foundational courses in programming, mathematics, and data structures; courses in subjects such as machine language and natural language programming; coursework in databases, operating systems, data analysis, and information processing; a writing-intensive software language course; and courses in ethical AI development and responsible tech use.

* ABC Chicago | Obama Presidential Center hosting WNBA summit ahead of all star game: There will be a host of big names in sports taking the stage, including Seven-time WNBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist Candace Parker, who got her roots playing at Naperville Central. The co-owner and operating chairman of the Chicago Sky Nadia Rawlinson said Thursday’s conversations will take women’s sports to the next level. “Chicago, as we know, has always been a city of big ideas and a city that understands the power of sports to bring people together. And today we have a chance of putting Chicago at the forefront of this important conversation about the future,” Rawlinson said.

* CBS Chicago | Chicago Fire Department hosts “Firefighter for a Day” event for girls: The girls learned fire safety procedures, went through interactive stations, and took part in a firehose exercise. Campers also learned CPR and how to stop bleeding. “If they can see us, they can be us, so the whole idea is for them to be able to touch tools and realize they can do a job forever men have done,” said Chicago Fire District Chief Betty Ortiz. “So we want them to understand it’s OK. We can do this. We can do this just as good as the guys do.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Lisle looks to consultant to help navigate fight against Illinois American Water: Village trustees this week discussed hiring Hanson Professional Services, a consulting firm with offices in Lisle, to help them navigate the complexities of the Illinois American Water system that serves about 600 Lisle homes, predominantly in the Oakview subdivision. “We’ve had a lot of conversations about this over the past year,” Lisle Trustee Meg Sima said, adding the village has spent time gathering resident input and reviewing the matter. “To me, this is the first practice step forward in what our realistic options are.”

* Daily Herald | Former Motorola building saved from demolition proposed for residential use in Schaumburg: The residential conversion of the last Motorola office building left in Schaumburg’s 225-acre Veridian development will be just the start of about $1 billion worth of further work on the former corporate campus suggested to village trustees Tuesday. […] While not easy to to do, Burk said the repurposing of the six-story, 360,206-square-foot former Motorola atrium building would be a poster child for the creative conversion of an office building to apartments. With a similar four-story building to be constructed beside it, the entire project would boast about 300 units and be accompanied by 18 row houses to segue into the adjacent D.R. Horton housing development.

* Daily Herald | Residents speak out on 57% passenger car rate hike for I-PASS users in Illinois: It was the 11th of 13 hearings at which the agency is pitching its $26.5 billion Driving Connections improvement plan. The initiative would be partly funded by raising passenger vehicle tolls for I-PASS users from an average of 7 cents a mile to 11 cents, beginning Jan. 1. Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog spoke in favor of the plan, noting that she represents “one of the fastest growing counties in Illinois.”

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Times | New plan calls for bypassing Logan County Board, annexation into Latham: Hut 8 Corp. could avoid scrutiny from the Logan County Board if it convinces Latham Village Board members to annex the proposed site of the company’s planned 500-megawatt data center – two miles west of the village – and thus take control over the future of the $5 billion project. The five-member Village Board – in charge of a community with 350 residents, a handful of village employees, total annual revenues of $291,000, no stoplights and virtually no businesses – plans to meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 3 to hold a public hearing and vote on the plan at Village Hall, 220 N. Main St.

* WGLT | Bloomington High School expects improved graduation rates, more students graduating with college credit: The graduation rate is improving at Bloomington High School, with an estimated 89% of students in the 2026 school year on track to graduate. This is up from 76.5% in the 2025 school year. Nicole Rummel, assistant superintendent, told the District 87 school board the key has been the district’s focus on credit recovery. This is a chance for students who have failed a class to study the material again and recover those credit hours. Rummel said over 100 failed classes were recovered during the last school year.

*** National ***

* Reuters | Massive disconnect of power roils largest US electric grid: A massive amount of data center power abruptly disconnected from the largest U.S. electric grid on Wednesday, causing a voltage disturbance that could be felt from Washington, D.C., to Chicago, according to experts and data from grid operator PJM. The epicenter of the event was in northern Virginia, home to the largest collection of data centers in the world. When an area transmission line went out of service Wednesday morning, the data centers’ own control systems unplugged from the electric grid and transferred to backup power, Dominion Energy, the electric utility for the region, said in a statement.

* CBS | New Fed research suggests far fewer Americans own homes than widely believed: Only about 53% of U.S. adults own homes, far below the commonly cited 65% homeownership rate, according to new Federal Reserve research that paints a starker picture of access to homeownership. The traditional homeownership rate, tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau, measures the share of occupied homes in which the owner lives. The new measure from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, called the homeowners-to-population ratio, or HPOP, instead calculates the share of adults who own a home.