* Shaw Local…

Improvements in public school funding over the past decade have left Illinois Valley administrators encouraged about their districts and cautiously hopeful for future gains.

After 10 years of schools being funded under the Evidence-Based Funding model, schools in the Illinois Valley encounter a more stable and consistent revenue flow from the state that provides a solid bedrock of resources, while leaving some room for growth in the years ahead. […]

“Historically, the Evidence-Based Funding formula has been the lifeblood of our district in terms of maintaining solvency and staying competitive,” La Salle Elementary School District 122 Superintendent Brian DeBernardi said. […]

DeBernardi said that in the 2026 fiscal school year, District 122’s local financial contribution generated $3,424,939, while the district received $7,630,207.10 through the state’s funding model.

* JB for Governor…

Today, JB For Governor launched DangerousDarrenBailey.com to expose Darren Bailey’s record of putting his extreme values and loyalty to Donald Trump above working families.

The new website spotlights Bailey’s desire to ban abortion, even in cases of rape or incest, and his support to ban books in schools. It also highlights his loyal devotion to Donald Trump and his private school’s curriculum that teaches evolution isn’t real and that slave owners were kind to their slaves.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol City Now | Pritzker defends Choate layoffs: Gov. JB Pritzker Tuesday defended the layoffs of about 250 people who worked at the Choate Mental Health Center (pictured) in southern Illinois. “Remember, the reason there are staff reductions is because we have literally moved the developmentally disabled residents there to better facilities; so, at some point, you don’t need staff when there is nobody at that facility,” said Pritzker after a bill-signing ceremony in Elgin.

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois recognizes gambling addiction, allowing new treatment options: The legislation, Senate Bill 2749, updates the state’s existing Substance Use Disorder Act to codify gambling addiction under the same framework as alcohol and drug use disorders, allowing the Illinois Department of Human Services’ behavioral health division to offer programs and support to compulsive gamblers and affected families. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest, said recognizing the disorder under the law would make it easier for the state to provide resources for those struggling with gambling addiction.

* Daily Herald | ‘I was unable to speak’: Autism advocates laud statewide Blue Envelope Program for traffic stops: The intent is to “make traffic stops safer, calmer and more predictable for drivers with autism spectrum disorder and the law enforcement officers who serve our communities,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who helped steer the legislation. The program will be managed by the secretary of state’s office and standardized blue envelopes will be available at DMVs and participating police departments starting in 2027.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Chicago Public Schools ups tax increment financing dollars in budget by $85 million to avoid furloughs: The change raises the district’s anticipated TIF surplus to $285 million in its proposed 2026-27 budget, replacing savings that would have come from cutting five paid professional development days. TIF districts are special taxing zones aimed at spurring redevelopment by pooling increases in property tax revenue within a designated area. When City Hall declares a surplus, that pooled money is returned proportionally to the taxing districts, with roughly half going to CPS and a quarter going to the city.

* WBEZ | CPS reverses course, says no staff furloughs ahead of budget vote: Board members technically have until Aug. 30 to sign off on a spending plan, but district officials say they need a balanced budget in place to secure a short-term loan. Without that loan, district officials say they won’t be able to make payroll in September. Supt. Macquline King said she decided to make the change after holding budget hearings and listening to other feedback. She also indicated that she wanted to improve the chances that the budget would be approved on Thursday.

* Block Club | Advocates Urge City To Keep Funding For Free Legal Services For Immigrants: Chicago immigrants need legal aid, services and information to navigate their cases, help a loved one and prepare for a potential immigration arrest, immigration advocates said. To meet that need, the city’s Legal Protection Fund provides money to local groups that offer free legal aid and educate immigrant communities about their rights. As of March 31, it’s spent $4.48 million of the $4.5 million it’s allocated for the fund, city data shows.

* Block Club | Construction Begins On Logan Square’s Megamall Plaza: The hope is the redesigned space, tentatively called the Logan Square Megamall Plaza, will complement nearby public amenities, including the updated traffic circle. “The vision for the plaza is to create a welcoming public space that supports local economic development and provides opportunities for community gathering and events,” Ald. Anthony Quezada (35th) wrote in his newsletter last week announcing the start of construction.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Naperville Sun | Naperville could replace grocery tax with higher sales tax: Last year, the council implemented a 1% local grocery tax to fill a $6.5 million budget deficit created when the General Assembly abolished the statewide grocery tax. The city’s new tax took effect Jan. 1. At the July 21 council meeting, staff reported that tax revenue has fallen short of expectations because early compliance was weaker than anticipated.

* Daily Southtown | La Grange Park officials highlight a year of ‘difficult projects’ in State of the Village address: “The work that we’re getting ready to start on are very difficult projects and took years of planning and years of saving in order to bring them to reality,” village manager Julia Cedillo told a crowd of about 30 residents at the July 22 event at the La Grange Park Public Library, which was moderated by deputy village manager Maggie Jarr. “It’s very hard to pick any one of the items on the agenda. There are so many wonderful things that the staff and Village Board have been working on together during the last year and few years that we’re so proud of,” Cedillo said.

* Pioneer Press | Clarendon Hills board nixes $3.2 million no-bid streetscape contract: Tech said Sunday that he was surprised by the outcome of the July 20 board vote denying a contract with Burke LLC. “I believed the proposal was consistent with the board’s objectives and the direction we have been moving to improve the overall safety and viability of our downtown area,” he said. “I plan to meet individually with the board members to determine which priorities we should focus on moving forward.” Tech said he believes the idea of a no-bid contract was a major stumbling block toward board approval.

*** Downstate ***

* NPR Illinois | Sangamon County board member seeking to put recall referendum on November ballot: Illinois allows governors to be recalled, but local recalls are handled on a per-municipality basis. The Chicago suburbs of Buffalo Grove, Wheeling and Arlington Heights all have established recall for their officials; Cahnman said that several other states also have set up this process. […] Cahnman tried to get similar petitions through county government after the shooting of Sonya Massey in 2024 by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson. After the shooting, then-Sheriff Jack Campbell was discovered to have “ignored a million red flags” about hiring Grayson, Cahnman said.

* WAND | Macon Co. Sheriff’s Office concludes oversight of Macon Co. Animal Control: For about 20 years, the Sheriff’s Office entered into what was intended to be a temporary agreement to help the County Board stabilize the agency. Instead, the temporary arrangement continued for two decades. As an independent county department, Animal Control will operate under the oversight of the County.

* WAND | Downtown Springfield sees new businesses and plans: Twelve new businesses are expected to open in Downtown Springfield between winter 2025 and fall 2026, according to Jay Shanle, executive director of Downtown Springfield Incorporated. Shanle took over as executive director in April and has changed how business owners and community members see the area. “Downtown is a unique environment,” Shanle said. “It’s something that you can’t get anywhere else in Springfield. It’s a special place that the people want to be a part of.”

* Capitol City Now | Murphy talks up Chamber: Mike Murphy says he is living the dream. “I know this may sound corny to some, but I just wake up every day wanting to make sure everyone has the opportunities that I did,” said the president and CEO of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. “Our members are tremendous. I know how hard it is. I say the most important thing our members do is put the key in the door and open up every day, because it not only gives the people of our community the opportunity for their services, but, more importantly, it gives all their employees the opportunity to have a job.”

* NPR Illinois | Batter Up! Women’s Pro Baseball League to launch in Springfield this weekend: The Women’s Pro Baseball League is the fifth professional league for women’s baseball in U.S. history. Its first season will begin 71 years after the closure of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was immortalized in the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own.” League organizers previously said that Springfield was chosen for its inaugural season because of its proximity to cities like Chicago and St. Louis, as well as the fact it was the site of the first professional women’s baseball game in 1875.

*** National ***

* AP | Minnesota’s first-in-the-nation law banning prediction markets is halted in federal court: U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez in Minnesota found that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Kalshi and Polymarket were likely to succeed in their challenge to the law and that letting it take effect would cause “irreparable harm” to the operators. The law was scheduled to take effect Saturday. It would have made it a crime to create or operate prediction markets or help administer nearly any activity connected to one. The law will remain blocked while the lawsuit proceeds.

* CNN | AI is making your life more expensive: Recent data shows that the gargantuan interest and investment in AI adoption (estimated to be around $750 billion for this year alone) have pushed a variety of prices higher, lifting overall inflation in the process. “The higher inflation means that households must spend just over $375 more to purchase the same goods and services as they did this time last year due to AI’s inflationary impact,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, wrote in an email to CNN. The good news: AI is still just a minor contributor (an estimated 0.2 percentage points) of overall inflation, and the impacts are currently limited to a handful of categories.

* Axios | America’s blood supply “alarmingly” low, patient care at risk, Red Cross says: The Red Cross says it has “less than a one-day national supply of type O positive blood,” which is the most commonly transfused blood type. Due to the shortage, the organization is limiting distribution of type O blood to hospitals. Blood donations fell to a four-year summer low in 2026, the Red Cross said on Monday.