* Capitol News Illinois…

Advocates — including the same organizations that criticized the governor this spring for a “lack of engagement” on passing data center regulations — said no one, not even Pritzker, could have foreseen the challenges data centers would bring.

Andrew Rehn, policy director of the Prairie Rivers Network, said 2019 was “a different world” in terms of data centers.

While traditional data centers have existed for decades in Illinois, the new hyperscale data centers needed for AI require significantly more energy, water and space. Some of the largest proposals, Rehn said, would consume half the energy of the entire city of Chicago, and take up a space as big as Central Park.

“It feels like, well, why is this conversation new? And of course, the answer is generative AI,” Rehn said. “It’s not just that we’re aware of something that wasn’t there. It is that what they’re doing has changed, or the scale of what is happening has changed in a meaningful way.” […]

Even nearly six months into the general election for governor, the data center debate continues to evolve.

Bailey seemed to initially balk at Pritzker’s incentives pause during a news conference responding to the State of the State address, as he listed the proposal among others from Pritzker that he disapproved. […]

But, speaking to Capitol News Illinois this month, Bailey argued his campaigning forced Pritzker to support more rigorous regulations. When asked to provide evidence of that, a spokesperson for Bailey pointed to social media posts he made in April — two months after Pritzker announced his proposal.

Alex Gough, spokesperson for Pritzker’s campaign, said the decision to pause the tax incentives program was not inspired by Bailey.

***************** Advertisement *****************

Sponsored by Chronic Care Policy Alliance

It’s a fact: obesity is a chronic disease.

Access to FDA-approved obesity treatments shouldn’t depend on a patient’s financial situation.

A recent study of Illinois voters found:

- 77% agree all residents should have access to obesity medicines regardless of income or socioeconomic status.
- 81% believe access to obesity treatment is especially important for communities facing higher rates of chronic disease.
- 78% agree that when programs like Medicaid cover obesity medicines, they help improve lives and lead to better health outcomes down the road.

Expanding access to obesity medicines through Medicaid can help eligible patients receive the care they need to manage a chronic disease and prevent long-term complications.

Learn why Illinois policymakers should provide Medicaid coverage for obesity medicines and help ensure every eligible patient has access to treatment.

*************************************************

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Darren Bailey accepts campaign money from sex offender who’s now pastor, attends service at his church: Barr and his household made two contributions this year to the Bailey for Illinois campaign account, one for $700 in a donation dated in April and another for $400 in a donation dated in June, according to records maintained by the Illinois State Board of Elections. A spokesman for Bailey says of Barr: “We did not know his background … we’re going to find a charity and donate it … we’re committed to making it right.”

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | ‘ICE Out’ pledge divides Chicago aldermen amid campaign finance reform push: The “ICE Out” pledge has garnered signatures from 21 aldermen since its launch in late July. Each promised not to accept money from 12 businesses that activists say have profited from President Donald Trump’s strong-armed deportation campaign, including its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, with many using the pledge as proof of their anti-Trump bona fides. But a Tribune analysis found the targeted companies have contributed $1.16 million since 2010 to every aldermanic candidate, sitting alderman, ward organization and city candidate combined. Of that, only about $381,000 has gone to the campaign accounts of the 50 current council members — a small fraction of what those aldermen have raised in total during that time.

* Chicago Mag | The Case for a Parking Revolt: Justin Marlowe, director of the Center for Municipal Finance at the University of Chicago and a close observer of the deal, doesn’t like to speak in absolutes. But he will say: “Empirically, it’s difficult to find another public-private partnership or another privatization anywhere in the country, and perhaps even anywhere in the world, where the government entity appears to have left as much taxpayer money on the table as Chicago left.”

* ABC Chicago | Dramatic decline in people becoming new citizens in Chicago area this year, data shows: But federal data from the Northern Illinois District Court analyzed by the I-Team shows a precipitous drop in new naturalization ceremonies in 2026 compared to the last four years, from a high of nearly 33 thousand in 2022 to just under 38 hundred so far this year.

* Sun-Times | Chicago Public Media staff honored with two national Murrow Awards: Chicago Public Media staff at WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times have been honored with two 2026 national Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in broadcast and digital journalism. Named for WWII correspondent and broadcast journalism pioneer Edward R. Murrow, the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA)’s Murrow Awards recognize exemplary local and national news stories, technical skills and community impact. The Murrow Awards are among the most distinguished honors in news. Winning stories adhere to the RTDNA’s Code of Ethics, which include three guiding principles: truth and accuracy above all; independence and transparency; and accountability for consequences.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | ‘Broadview 6′ judge has to decide whether to hold prosecutors accountable after exposing misconduct: U.S. District Judge April Perry is expected to rule on whether to impose sanctions and appoint a special counsel in the tainted case. It’s the latest high-stakes moment for Perry, who previously shot down President Trump’s attempt to deploy the National Guard to Illinois and had her appointment as Chicago’s top federal prosecutor blocked by his vice president.

* Shaw Local | Tri-County GOP candidates’ meet-and-greet event set for 3 counties at 3 locations at 3 times Sept. 24: The day kicks off with a free continental breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m. in Stephenson County at the Eagle’s Club, 1200 W. Galena Ave. in Freeport. Jo Daviess will host free lunch from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Community Building, 402 West St., Elizabeth. End the day with free appetizers from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Davis Center, 631 S. East St., in Mount Carroll.

* Daily Herald | Cook County forest preserves will remain open as Teamsters launch strike, officials say: Last year, the district said, it offered the union a contract extension that included a 2% raise in January 2026, another 2% in July 2026 and a 4% raise in July 2027, plus a $2,500 one-time payment for full-time employees. More recently, the district included a paid 30-minute lunch break, broader overtime pay rules and a $1,250 one-time payment for seasonal staff, officials said. […] However, the union says its workers earn “dramatically less” than their counterparts at comparable public employers, and their wages trail those paid by the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, the Chicago Park District, the city of Chicago, the Illinois Tollway, and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

* Daily Herald | ‘Could be an uphill battle’: Wauconda drops action to block proposed solar project: Based on advice that the village would face an uphill legal battle, Wauconda officials recently dropped action to forcibly annex agricultural property on the north end of town to block a proposed solar project. Meanwhile, OneEnergy Renewables is refining plans for a solar utility system to be located on 40 acres of a 62-acre site immediately east of the Liberty Lakes subdivision south of Gilmer Road. In April, village officials took the first step to block the solar proposal, saying it was in the wrong spot because the comprehensive land use plan envisioned the unincorporated area to be low-density housing in the future.

* Forbes | ‘Have I Been Flocked’ Researcher Says Over 400 Illinois Agencies Have Surveillance Network Access: A Georgia researcher’s public records request has revealed that the police department in the small Chicago suburb of Schaumburg is sharing its automated license plate reader data with more than 400 Illinois law enforcement and government agencies—a finding that comes as public debate over the mass surveillance of Flock and other plate-reader networks intensifies across the country.

* Aurora Beacon-News | How the Special Prosecution Unit shattered a small-town civic leader’s life: Included in the changes are the elimination of “vacation” as an option for parents to select when a student is absent, and the use of proactive alerts to families about how many absences a student has accumulated. Student attendance rates at District 204 have generally outpaced the state average in recent years, according to a district presentation. Indian Prairie has, over the past four years, hovered around 93-94% student attendance, compared to around 91% statewide.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Mayor of Normal to postpone vote on restrictions for home-based businesses: Normal Mayor Chris Koos said he intends to withdraw a proposal that would have banned home occupations from allowing customers to come to their home in the town. The proposal was one of a number of changes to the zoning code that the town council is set to consider at its 7 p.m. meeting at Uptown Station. “This very much seems to be a one-size-fits-all scenario. This section is withdrawn for further study and consideration,” Koos said in a statement to WGLT.

* WAND | Heritage Behavioral Health expanding to 24/7 crisis care: Heritage Behavioral Health Center is expanding its crisis response network, launching a new 24/7 walk-in behavioral health urgent care to provide round-the-clock support for all ages. Starting Aug. 31, 2026, the Behavioral Health Urgent Care Hub (BHUCH) will expand its hours to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The expansion also introduces new Crisis Observation Services specifically for adults.

* WCIA | Lainey Wilson breaks Illinois State Fair Grandstand record: Wilson, a country singer, is known for hits like “4×4xU,” “Heart Like A Truck” and “Watermelon Moonshine.” During her performance at the Illinois State Fair on Saturday, Aug. 15, she performed in front of 15,533 “screaming fans and made history,” fair officials said. State Fair officials previously said Moroney performed in front of a record-breaking crowd of 15,532 last year — meaning Wilson broke the record by one fan. Moroney broke Lil Wayne’s attendance record of 15,427, which was set the year before. Before that, Jason Aldean held the attendance record at 15,329 for more than a decade.

* STLPR | ‘Your track is back’: Belle-Clair Speedway is hoping to book 15-18 days of racing in 2027: Racing returned to the St. Clair County fairgrounds in Belleville after a seven-year absence. Officials shut down racing during 2020, the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it never resumed at the old facilities. St. Clair County purchased the property in 2022. After it was determined the old track and grandstands weren’t worth saving, the county demolished them in early 2025. The county spent $13.9 million to build a new racetrack.

* Capitol City Now | The year of the Cozy Dog at the Illinois State Fair: “Visit Springfield” Director Scott Dahl says it’s an homage to one of the things that makes Springfield — and historic Route 66 — so great. “(It’s) a nearly 25-foot-tall, double-sided Cozy Dog — again, the theme being the Cozy Dog this year — sign, featuring authentic neon ketchup and mustard, by the way,” said Dahl. “This incredible tribute recognizes Route 66 icons, and will also share the story of the Waldmire family,” Dahl says, the family that helped make the Cozy Dog famous.

*** National ***

* 404 Media | ‘Show How 3M Is 0% at Fault:’ Expert Witness Used ChatGPT to Write Report Defending Company in Deadly Explosion Lawsuit: An expert witness testifying in a lawsuit about liability for a Houston explosion that killed three people and destroyed roughly 200 homes used ChatGPT to write significant portions of his “expert report.” The man, who was hired by the industrial product conglomerate 3M, exposed his AI prompts publicly. They showed that he asked ChatGPT to help him “create an exceptional expert witness report defending the standard of care at 3M,” and that the report should “show how 3M is 0% at fault for the explosion at Watson Grinding.”

* CNBC | Meta faces ‘astronomical’ consequences as legal fight reaches critical moment in California: Opening arguments begin Tuesday in the trial that California Attorney General Rob Bonta is co-leading against Meta, following a litany of allegations that the company fostered addictive behavior in teens and children. The jury was seated last week in Oakland’s federal courthouse. The trial involves a coalition of 29 state attorneys general in a unified case against Meta that was brought in 2023, and will be argued by lawyers representing California, Colorado, New Jersey and Kentucky. The stakes are enormous as leading government officials across the country push for Meta to be held accountable for allegedly violating federal and state laws, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, and various consumer protection statutes.

* NYT | AI Slop Is Everywhere. Spotify, LinkedIn and Others Have Had Enough: Spotify, a music streamer, said it removed 75 million bulk uploads, duplicate songs and other “spammy” tracks last year — a sizable chunk of its total portfolio. LinkedIn said in July that “A.I. slop is a top priority for all of us” and developed a button for users to report it. Researchers from YouTube’s parent company, Google, described how a video service wiped 130,000 channels of low-quality content off its platform over six months.