* Click here for some background on another lawsuit against Illinois’ medical aid in dying law. Press release…

The Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki, Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, the Lutheran Care Center, and four Illinois physicians today sued the State of Illinois over its new assisted suicide law, the “End of Life Options” Act. Thomas More Society filed the complaint on their behalf, asking a federal court to block the law before it takes effect on September 12. The law requires faithful medical professionals to help facilitate patient suicides in violation of the Hippocratic Oath, centuries of legal and medical tradition, and their deeply held religious convictions.

“Illinois is forcing faith-based hospitals, nuns, and doctors into supporting the state’s assisted suicide regime,” said Peter Breen, Executive Vice President and Head of Litigation at Thomas More Society. “The law commands Catholic hospitals, religious nursing homes, and faithful doctors to promote suicide’s alleged ‘benefits,’ refer patients to suicide drug prescribers, and then lie on death certificates to cover it up. This immoral scheme flagrantly violates religious liberty and free speech rights, and we intend to stop it.” […]

The four physician plaintiffs include two oncologists, Dr. Michal Porubcin and Dr. Michael Hawking, and two rehabilitation specialists, Dr. Mary Keen Kirchoff and Dr. Brian Couri. They are each faithful Catholics who have built their medical careers around healing the sick, not encouraging them to die. Their faith teaches them that every life is a gift from God and that their duty is to comfort and heal, not to end life.

“The State’s demand that physicians begin helping patients accomplish assisted suicide violates everything I know as a health care professional, as well as my deeply held Catholic convictions on the dignity of every human life,” said Dr. Mary Keen. “As a doctor, I have a responsibility to meet my patients’ existential pain with loving accompaniment, not with abandonment.”

*** Statewide ***

* Investigate Midwest | Illinois farmers saw nation’s biggest jump in seasonal planting diesel costs, analysis finds: Illinois recorded the nation’s largest overall increase in planting diesel costs, at an estimated $163.2 million, followed by Iowa ($151.1 million) and Minnesota ($101.7 million). Florida led the country in percentage increase at 90.6%, followed by Alabama (86.2%) and Oklahoma (85.9%). The calculations only took into account the diesel used to plant corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice. It did not take into account “other war-related increases such as the increased costs of running diesel generators that power some greenhouses or the increases at the pump that farmers and truckers face when they drive products to market,” the committee stated.

* Block Club | Illinois Set To Shatter Tornado Records As ‘Craziest Storm Season Ever’ Continues: In the coming days, the National Weather Service will survey the damage and confirm how many tornadoes were seen Tuesday in Illinois. Each confirmed tornado will add to the growing total in the state, which shattered its yearly record over six weeks ago. WGN meteorologist Bill Snyder said Illinois will likely pass 200 confirmed tornadoes after Tuesday’s storms, far and away the most tornadoes of any state in the country for 2026, according to the National Weather Service.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Injustice Watch | Illinois’ Special Prosecution Unit has been responsible for dozens of questionable cases, while acting outside of public view and with little oversight: Since its creation in the 1980s, the unit has been the primary way criminal cases in Illinois are handled when local state’s attorneys are disqualified because of conflicts. Its prosecutors took on more than 1,000 cases in 2024, far more than were pursued through other methods of appointing special prosecutors, including referrals to the state attorney general, private attorneys, or prosecutors from neighboring counties. But an Injustice Watch investigation shows the Special Prosecution Unit has been responsible for miscarriages of justice including withholding evidence and favorable treatment of political insiders, as well as conflicts of interest and ethical breaches.

* Press release | Gov. Pritzker Renames Historic Springfield Armory as Governor Jim Edgar Executive Office Building: Today, Governor JB Pritzker celebrated the renaming the historic Illinois State Armory in Springfield as the Governor Jim Edgar Executive Office Building. The designation honors Governor Edgar’s legacy of integrity and dedication to public service. Once renovations are complete, the building will serve more than 870 employees across multiple state agencies that work on behalf of the people of Illinois. […] The Governor Jim Edgar Executive Office Building will serve as a hub for State government within the Capitol Complex. Upon completion, the facility will house more than 870 employees from the Department of Central Management Services (CMS), the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB), the Capital Development Board (CDB), and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).

*** Chicago ***

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago Board of Elections rules on final challenges to school board candidacies: Four final candidates for Chicago school board — including two incumbents — survived challenges to their signature petitions and were cleared to get on the November ballot at a Tuesday meeting of the city’s Board of Elections. The board commissioners rejected efforts to block the candidacies of board members Karen Zaccor and Michilla Blaise and would-be members Claudia Peralta and Connie Anderson. Candidate Kernetha Jones was kicked off the ballot.

* Crain’s | Johnson calls for a halt to new data centers in Chicago: The order, unveiled today during a signing ceremony along Lake Michigan, expands the work of a data center working group, directs cross-departmental review of data centers and orders the administration to publish new rules within 90 days. […] New data center proposals will also be subjected to an additional 60-day review from various departments to make recommendations to limit their environmental impact.

* Block Club | Chicago Police Have Failed To Find Loaded Guns On Suspects Twice Since Swedish Hospital Shooting: In June, police inventoried a pair of green dice after arresting a 25-year-old man suspected of gambling and trespassing in Wentworth Gardens. But hours later, after the man had been photographed and fingerprinted in the 9th District station’s lockup, a watch commander reported that staff found a loaded semi-automatic pistol after another search. In another case late last month, a 23-year-old man from whom 7th District police officers allegedly seized 15 grams of suspected cannabis in Englewood sat in police custody for more than eight hours. But it wasn’t until the man was taken to Cook County Jail when staff there found a Taurus handgun tucked in his waistband and “loaded with 13 rounds, including one in the chamber.”

* WTTW | CPD Sergeant Responsible for Botched Raid Won’t Be Fired — But Was Promoted: The Civilian Office of Police Accountability urged Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling to fire Sgt. Syed Quadri for his actions on Dec. 24, 2019, when he tackled and handcuffed 16-year-old Jaylin Stiger without justification and oversaw the nearly two dozen officers who repeatedly detained Jaylin and his 13-year-old brother, according to records recently published by the agency better known as COPA. […] Quadri was promoted to lieutenant two months after Snelling refused to fire him, records show.

* Tribune | Meeting victims where they are, CPD expands assistance in domestic violence cases: CPD is expanding its Victim Services Program within the Office of Equity Engagement in the hopes of connecting more crime victims — especially those affected by domestic violence and nonfatal shootings — to housing and other resource assistance via a growing number of CPD advocates and caseworkers. “We always want to meet the victim where they’re at,” Michael Milstein, deputy director of CPD’s Office of Equity and Engagement, said in a recent interview. “We’re never going to tell a victim, ‘Well, we can’t provide you any more services, we’re done with you.’ It’s really based on what that individual needs and how they want to engage with us.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Crain’s | Daily Herald lays off a dozen less than two months after Tribune acquisition: Months after Tribune Publishing promised Daily Herald employees their jobs and salaries were safe through yearend, the suburban Chicago newspaper has fired about a dozen mostly senior staffers — including Executive Editor Lisa Friedman Miner. The cuts — seven editorial staff and five in other departments — may have eliminated some redundancy between the Herald and Chicago Tribune’s operations, but were not expected to come so quickly after the June 22 acquisition of employee-owned Paddock Publications.

* Tribune | Former Evanston D65 Supt. Devon Horton indicted in Georgia; will also face Illinois trial: Former Evanston-Skokie District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton was indicted by a grand jury in DeKalb County, Georgia Aug. 4 on charges of aggravated assault and cruelty to children following a “verbal dispute” with his wife in January that turned physical, per DeKalb County court records. These charges are separate from Horton’s October 2025 federal indictment by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois over what prosecutors allege as a kickback scheme and misappropriation of District 65 funds that occurred during his tenure as superintendent.

* Lake County News-Sun | Quieter days coming? Glenview to study whether to join Northbrook, Evanston in curbing leaf blowers: Glenview trustees on Aug. 4 approved a resolution to join a gas leaf blower restriction feasibility study at a cost of $15,550. The study is being undertaken by several municipalities that were part of the 11-member Regional Leaf Blower Working Group, formed in 2021. These communities include Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Northbrook, Wilmette and Winnetka.

* Daily Herald | Hackney’s on Lake to close after 71 years in Glenview: After more than seven decades, Hackney’s on Lake announced on social media that it will close its location at 1514 East Lake Ave. in Glenview in early September. “Since 1955, this building has served up Hackneyburgers, French-Fried Onions, and a whole lot of Glenview memories — birthdays, sports banquets, first jobs, meeting friends at the Circle Bar,” the post read. “It’s not a decision we take lightly. But a 700-seat restaurant made sense in the 1960s — it doesn’t in 2026.” […] Hackney’s has another Glenview location, Hackney’s on Harms at 1241 Harms Road, that will remain open.

*** Downstate ***

* WCBU | Pekin puts off renewal vote on contract for its 54 Flock cameras : ouncil members said they want to gather more information on what’s suddenly become a hot issue across the country. They also said they want to hear from more constituents after getting little or no feedback on the cameras until the past few days, even though Pekin has had the cameras in place for three years. The cameras have been paid for each year by a four-year state anti-vehicle theft grant. The council unanimously approved the grant and each renewal.

* WCIA | New Champaign County group pushing against data centers: Earlier this year, Champaign County passed a year-long moratorium on data centers. Even with that in place, people are still pushing back on the massive structures. A new organization called Resist A.I. Data Centers in Champaign County hosted a meeting on Monday at the Champaign Public Library. Leaders say their mission is to educate people about the progression of these buildings in Central Illinois and beyond, and that was the main focus of Monday’s meeting. Several speakers presented research against the centers, hoping to create a more informed public.

* WGLT | Environmental and energy groups to address energy needs, costs in Bloomington talk:
The presentation, entitled “Energy In Your Community,” will be from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2 at the Bloomington Public Library. “For the last 100 years, most people in the U.S. could ignore the details of their energy bills and avoid energy policy without much immediate impact on their lives,” said Nick Hylla, MREA executive director. “Those times are over. These events are meant to help people get informed and make sound decisions for themselves and the places they live.” Organizers said the public will hear from MREA renewable energy experts who also will discuss the future of clean energy in the region, including the viability of solar energy.

* Heartland News | 20-year Hwy. 13 expansion project in southern Illinois enters final stage: A 20-year-long road project in southern Illinois has entered into the last stage. The expansion of Highway 13 between Marion and Carbondale finished the westbound side of both bridges over Crab Orchard six weeks ahead of schedule. […] “It was very successful. The contractor did a good job of, you know, keeping things on track. And we also appreciate the public. It’s a shared responsibility. And we didn’t have any serious accidents, so that’s something that we’re all very happy about,” Ben Wills, project implementation engineer, told Heartland News.

* WCIA | Kids ‘100% fine’ after car crashes at YNOT Outdoors building in Chatham: YNOT said all children present are “100% fine” and the couple inside the car refused medical attention. They were extricated within 10 minutes, according to the fire department. […] “We are relieved to report that everyone involved is okay, including the children inside,” the police department said in a release of its own. “We recognize that today’s incident may be particularly concerning for members of our community following recent history. We understand that incidents like this bring back difficult emotions and understandably cause concern, especially for families with children.”

* WCIA | Volunteers in Windsor preparing for Illinois’ longest-running festival this weekend: This week, WCIA 3 is highlighting “Our Town Windsor” and all of the outstanding people, places and things that make the community unique. The Shelby County city of 1,200 people is preparing for its 129th annual Harvest Picnic, the longest-running festival in the state.

*** National ***

* WaPo | Rural Texas conservatives love free markets but not when it comes to data centers: Opposition to data centers has been notably bipartisan in communities across the country. But the fierce pushback from conservatives in Texas has required no help from liberal groups, and it has been felt everywhere from the state GOP’s new party platform to the campaigns of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott, Republicans who now support varying degrees of increased data center regulation. At the GOP convention in June, the platform included a new plank that would require data centers to disclose and finance infrastructure needs without shifting costs to residents; prioritize the use of reclaimed water; and protect aquifers and the state’s electrical grid.

* Tech Crunch | Google co-founder Sergey Brin has now spent $100 million to fight the billionaire tax: Google co-founder Sergey Brin has donated another $20 million to Build a Better California, an organization advocating against California’s proposed billionaire tax, according to a new filing. That means that the world’s fourth-richest man, whose net worth hovers around $267 billion, has now spent more than $100 million to avoid an estimated $13.3 billion tax payment. California’s Prop 40, known as the billionaire tax, would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of around 200 billionaires that live in the state. The windfall from this proposed tax would mostly go toward funding California’s healthcare programs. The state’s Medicaid program alone could lose up to $30 billion in federal funding once Trump’s budget cuts take effect next year.

*ref=”https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/11/ai-will-do-more-to-boost-fossil-fuel-production-than-green-energy”> The Guardian | AI’s potential climate benefits outweighed by role in boosting fossil fuels, study finds: Researchers modelled the technical potential for AI to boost clean power generation along with projections for how it can help produce coal, oil and gas. Across 64 scenarios, they found net yearly carbon pollution rose by 0.47-1.8 gigatonnes, or about 1-5% of the energy sector’s annual emissions. The study is the first to quantify the climate impact of AI across the full power sector. Previous research has explored its indirect climate benefits – such as reducing renewable downtime and optimising electricity grids – while ignoring the extra pollution from increasing productivity in drilling oil wells and extracting gas.