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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Sep 4, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois sees strong revenue growth to start fiscal year. Capitol News Illinois…
- “While this level of growth is unlikely to continue at such an elevated rate, the stronger than expected totals to start the year will provide additional financial cushion if revenues were to weaken later in the fiscal year,” COGFA’s report said. - Personal income tax is up 5%, corporate income taxes, which have been sluggish over the last year, are up 50.9%, and sales taxes are up 11.6%. * Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today. * Capitol News Illinois | Travelers flocked to the ‘Middle of Everything’ last year, generating over $88 billion in economic impact: According to a news release from the governor’s office, the state’s ‘Middle of Everything’ tourism campaign helped generate an additional 2.8 million trips and $904 million in visitor spending last year. Illinois’ tourism industry was also supported by over $3.3 million in state grants in fiscal year 2025, helping to promote projects like the state’s Route 66 centennial celebrations and the Illinois America 250 campaign. * Tribune | CPS board president candidates lay out competing visions at first forum: Dominguez, who has been endorsed by CTU, pointedly and repeatedly called for more money from Springfield. “With a deficit as large as we have at CPS, there is no solving it without help from the state,” he said. “That’s why we’re going to fight for progressive revenue, that includes taxing the billionaires that have the money to fund our schools.” CPS is only considered 70% funded by the state’s own funding formula. And while all candidates said the district should fight for more state funds, Dominguez’s opponents called for a less bullish budgeting approach. “If we say that the state should give us more money, I’m curious which people have actually looked at the state budget and said, ‘What is the plan to make that happen?’” Revuluri said. * WTTW | Illinois Prisons Do Not Provide Equal Phone Access to Incarcerated Deaf People, Lawsuit Alleges: According to Valenzuela, he and other incarcerated deaf people do not have equal access to the prison’s phone program compared to non-disabled people. The lawsuit was filed against Latoya Hughes, the director of the Illinois Department of Corrections. The suit, filed by the law firms Disability Rights Advocates, Equip for Equality and Much Shelist, alleges that IDOC’s practices violated the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. Valenzuela is seeking a court order requiring the department to provide telephone access equal to that provided to non-disabled people in custody. * Sun-Times | Cardinal Cupich, nuns challenge ‘right-to-die’ law, say Illinois ‘has no business’ forcing assisted suicide: Cardinal Blase Cupich has added his high-profile name to a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois’ assisted suicide law, arguing that the practice is unconstitutional and “denies the choice of a dignified death” to Catholics who want to die naturally. Cupich’s suit is one of at least three filed ahead of the law’s effective date: Sept. 12. A federal judge is expected to rule Friday on a request for a preliminary injunction on one of the suits. Cupich joined two orders of nuns and an Illinois pharmacist Thursday in seeking to block the law via a permanent injunction. Illinois joined 11 other states that have passed so-called “right-to-die” legislation, which is opposed by many religious leaders and disability rights activists. * Tribune | Bally’s CFO resigns amid liquidity issues, VGT dispute and Chicago construction slowdown: Bally’s announced the departure Thursday of Mira Mircheva, who is stepping down as CFO effective immediately for “personal reasons,” according to a news release. “On behalf of the entire Board and executive management team, I want to thank Mira for her dedication to Bally’s and we wish her great success going forward,” Robeson Reeves, CEO of Rhode-Island-based Bally’s Corporation, said in the release. * Tribune | Iceman on ‘Hot Ones:’ Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams takes on popular YouTube series’ gauntlet of scorching wings: Williams said when he first moved to Chicago after being drafted as the No. 1 pick in 2024, he had his doubts. “I didn’t think I was going to like it that much, to be honest. And I fell in love with the city of Chicago. The people, the food, obviously the sports,” he said. “And then, also, Chicago’s actually insanely clean. So it surprised me.” * Sun-Times | Illinois sues ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric over alleged ‘deceptive’ practices: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has filed a lawsuit against an Arlington Heights-based home repair company for alleged deceptive business practices that targeted seniors, according to court documents. The lawsuit accuses ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc. of violating multiple state laws by having customers sign contracts for home repair work “at inflated prices by unlicensed technicians” that also waive the customers’ right to exit the contract, the office said in a statement. * Daily Herald | ‘Trust was horribly violated’: Victims speak out after chiropractor admits to recording patients: A Batavia chiropractor accused of secretly recording at least 180 nude or partially clothed patients, including children, pleaded guilty Thursday to child sexual abuse material crimes. David Hanson, 44, formerly of the 1100 block of Challenge Road in Batavia, admitted to felony charges of producing child sexual abuse material of someone under 13 and disseminating child sexual abuse material of someone under 13. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora City Council eyes plan for hotel near Hollywood Casino site: The Aurora City Council is set to vote on a proposed ECHO Suites hotel by Wyndham near North Farnsworth Avenue that if approved could open next year. The proposed development at 1350 Corporate Blvd. would be able to take advantage of a location near the new Hollywood Casino resort that opened in late June, said Ald. Daniel Barreiro, 1st Ward. His ward includes the casino and the proposed hotel site. * Daily Southtown | La Grange Trustee Glenn Thompson, who led flood mitigation effort, resigns from Village Board: Thompson, who had previously served on the village’s Environmental Quality Commission and was a founding member of Dry Up La Grange, the citizen’s group formed in the wake of massive flooding in 2021, officially resigned July 31. “This was something that was not planned,” Thompson said of his new job. “It was an opportunity that just kind of came out of the blue that blossomed into being a full-time role to the point where they made me an offer I could not refuse. … It was just too good to pass up.” * Tribune | In Evanston, a rare breed emerges: a new jazz listening room: Local Note is a place of big swings — in more ways than one. The club, which opened its doors in late July, is banking on a bold prospect: bringing a jazz-only venue to Evanston. With a cozy capacity of just 50, the intimate, dark-paneled space dissuades chatter and encourages active listening. Spots are guaranteed through reservations, though walk-ins are welcome when they happen: Passersby can only reach the club through the adjacent alley. At the time the Tribune visited in mid-August, the entrance was still unmarked, speakeasy-style. * Heartland News | ATF, State Fire Marshal investigating fire in downtown Du Quoin, Ill.; 1 injured: “What the rebuilding looks like down the road, we don’t know. Do these business owners want to rebuild? Do they not? We don’t know the answer to that this time. And that is a personal decision that they will make and the city will support them in any way that we can. But we will overcome this. We will persevere and we will rebuild something in that area. It’s not going to be an open block. That’s my commitment to everybody in Du Quoin and to everybody who is involved in this,” Du Quoin Mayor Josh Downs said in the news conference. * 25News Now | Illinois State University sees ‘modest’ enrollment decline in 10th day numbers: 21,577 students are enrolled at Illinois State University for the Fall 2026 semester. The university calls that a modest decline from last year’s enrollment of 21,994, an increase of 448 students from Fall 2024. 3,891 are first-time-in-college students, with more than 1,000 earning a GPA of 4.0 or higher, and an incoming-class average of 3.64. * WGLT | ISU enrollment falls for first time in 5 years as ‘demographic cliff’ arrives; IWU headcount nears 1,700: At the smaller Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, enrollment reached its highest total in the past decade: nearly 1,700 students. Both campuses enrolled fewer new students, but that’s hardly a surprise: ISU, IWU and educational institutions across the country have been bracing for the enrollment cliff. Those entering college now were born at the beginning of a population decline that began with the Great Recession and continues through today. This is not a one-time problem and will persist for several years. * Heartland News | From plastic bottles to food: SIU research draws global attention: The protein-rich prototype is the result of years of research aimed at taking materials people cannot eat — including plastic and agricultural waste — and using microbes to turn them into something they potentially can. The research has been underway at SIU for about five years, but it suddenly found a much larger audience this week. The team presented its work Monday at the American Chemical Society Fall 2026 meeting in Chicago. * NYT | After OpenAI’s Bots Went Rogue, Watchdogs Were Kept on a Short Leash: OpenAI allowed three A.I. safety researchers from the nonprofits METR and Redwood Research into its headquarters to conduct an investigation. METR’s 91-page report, released last week, was the most comprehensive account yet of the incident, revealing alarming new details, including how the agents coordinated their hacking plans and tried to keep them secret. But the report, though extensive, still may not have told the full story of how OpenAI’s A.I. agents went rogue. OpenAI dictated the terms of the METR investigation, limited its scope to just the single week when the agents had attacked Hugging Face and allowed the researchers in its San Francisco offices for only a few days in July and August. * AP | US diesel prices hit a record high of $5.85 on average as the Iran war disrupts the flow of fuel: Diesel hit a new record price in the U.S. on Friday, soaring to an average of $5.85 a gallon for the first time ever as the six-month war with Iran disrupts the world’s flow of fuel. Because diesel is used for many freight and delivery networks, higher diesel prices mean higher transportation costs for a long list of everyday goods.
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- It's always Sunny in Illinois - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 8:11 am:
* Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today.
Not in Illinois anyway……
- Pundent - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 8:37 am:
I am not Catholic. If your religion wants to deny you the right of assisted suicide then by all means follow your faith. But don’t force me to adhere to your beliefs simply because you believe your followers may show weakness in the presence of the law. And requiring someone to suffer horribly in the last six months of their life is anything but dignified. Anybody that’s experienced this knows that. We should be able to show the same compassion for people as we do for pets.
- DuPage Saint - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 8:44 am:
ISU shows a slight decline in students. May be an interesting few years for college enrollment.
- 48th Ward Heel - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 8:59 am:
I am a Catholic and generally like the Cardinal, but the use of the word “choice” is completely inverted here. Is the basis of this lawsuit “death panels?” I thought we were past this.
- JS Mill - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 9:01 am:
=CPS is only considered 70% funded by the state’s own funding formula. And while all candidates said the district should fight for more state funds,=
70% (banned punctuation). They should all send a thank you card to the governor. In FY 25 (our last available audited year) we received 11% of our funding from the state. Our entire EAV is less than the value of one skyscraper in Loop. CPS needs to stop complaining and start funding their own school district. If a small rural district can, one of the wealthiest cities in the world can.
- Pundent - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 9:12 am:
=Is the basis of this lawsuit “death panels?”=
The Sun-Times article is worth a read. The basis of this lawsuit is weakness. The Cardinal believes that if offered this option Catholics will set aside their faith and choose it. And on that basis it should not be an option even for non-Catholics. I’m paraphrasing but that’s certainly the gist of it.
- Jocko - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 9:14 am:
==Catholics who want to die naturally==
What is ‘natural’ about having Parkinson’s disease or metastatic bone cancer? If I understand correctly, Cardinal Cupich is okay with my undergoing chemotherapy so long as I don’t overdo it.
- Steve Polite - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 9:24 am:
“a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois’ assisted suicide law, arguing that the practice is unconstitutional and “denies the choice of a dignified death” to Catholics who want to die naturally.”
If the lawsuit is based on denial of choice, I would think it will be quickly dismissed, because, as I understand the law, the patient is choosing their manner of death. No Catholic is being denied the choice of dying “naturally”.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 9:25 am:
“We should be able to show the same compassion for people as we do for pets.”
We allow people to suffer in ways that if we allow an animal to suffer one could face felony charges.
“Hi, we’re the Roman Catholic Church. Please don’t Google us.”
- sulla - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 9:31 am:
Pundent has got it correct.
Illinois law requires two physicians to adjudicate that the patient is indeed terminal within a six month time period and that the patient is of sound mind. The doctors may then prescribe a drug cocktail that will end the patient’s life. The patient themselves has to be the one to administer the medication. Each health system needs to decide whether to opt in to the law, and individual physicians can still voluntarily opt out of participating even if their hospital opts in.
All of those checks and balances above and opponents are still using terminology like “forced suicide”.
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 9:46 am:
“Because diesel is used for many freight and delivery networks, higher diesel prices mean higher transportation costs for a long list of everyday goods.”
Diesel is at record prices. There is already a shortage in middle distillates (heating oil, jet fuel and diesel). There is no sign of things getting any better. If you think inflation is bad right now, just wait.
- Pundent - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 9:54 am:
=CPS needs to stop complaining and start funding their own school district. If a small rural district can, one of the wealthiest cities in the world can.=
This has always been the rub for me. While the rest of the state screams for property tax reform, CPS is demanding more state money. And why wouldn’t they? If the city can receive a disproportionate amount of education funding compared to other districts, there’s no need for Chicago property tax payers to shoulder the burden. And if CPS wants to continue to run schools with declining enrollment while continually adding personnel and expense, let Chicago residents underwrite it.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 9:56 am:
The decline in the number of college age people is expected to be about 13% over the next decade. Add that to the trend for fewer high school grads to enroll in college and you have an enrollment cliff.
Illinois needs to do some serious thinking about its university system. Enrollments at the less selective state schools have already dropped quite a lot in the last 10 years.
It would be great to know that someone is working on a plan.
- hisgirlfriday - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 9:59 am:
Very convenient for ISU to blame decreased enrollment on a demographic shift.
It can’t possibly have anything to do with how the ISU admin botched labor negotiations last spring (during the time when most last-minute college decisions are happening) and let ISU’s dorm residents suffer through weeks of substandard dining and janitorial conditions as a result
- Steve - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 10:03 am:
Since 2008, the birthrate dropped and K-12 saw it first. College enrollment peaked in 2011. These facts have been known. As college becomes less of a good deal for marginal students at these high costs: things will have to change or taxes will have to go up to support the institutions that want to stay open. I would never underestimate the ability of many institutions to stay alive in Illinois.
- JS Mill - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 10:10 am:
=It can’t possibly have anything to do with how the ISU admin botched labor negotiations=
I doubt students and prospective students care about labor negotiations.
The demographic shift is a real actual thing. And not convenient at all.
=“Hi, we’re the Roman Catholic Church. Please don’t Google us.”=
THAT made me laugh. Hard.
- fs - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 10:52 am:
Carbondale’s enrollment is reportedly the highest it’s been in a decade, which is hopefully a much needed good sign for Southern Illinois
- Steve M - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 11:11 am:
CPS is subject to the Tax Cap law just like the majority of school districts in the State. They can’t just increase property taxes to better fund themselves locally any more than my district can. They can however go to the voters and state their case for a tax increase like many districts successfully do each election cycle. I wonder if CTU is as willing to pound the pavement for that increased funding as they are visiting the Capitol
- Mr. B.A. - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 11:22 am:
Whereas ISU and IWU have decreasing enrollment, Bradley’s freshmen class has increased its enrollment by 30% from the previous year. Credit new Bradley President Dr. James Shadid with new policies and practices to bring about this meteoric climb…
- Contrarian - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 12:09 pm:
If someone wants to seek assisted suicide, the persons should choose a hospital that is not managed by the Catholic Church. There are public and private hospitals.
Do you go to a Kosher delicatessen and ask the Orthodox Jewish owners to sell bacon?
- JS Mill - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 12:14 pm:
=If someone wants to seek assisted suicide, the persons should choose a hospital that is not managed by the Catholic Church. There are public and private hospitals.=
Then the “private” hospitals should nopt take public money. Problem solved.
- H-W - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 12:20 pm:
=== Do you go to a Kosher delicatessen and ask the Orthodox Jewish owners to sell bacon? ===
A. Very crass
B. Jews are not demanding that all food be kosher.
Choose a better argument, and show respect.
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 12:29 pm:
“Diesel hit a new record price in the US on Friday”.
So I check some of what some local MAGA are saying on Facebook.
The comments range from “nuh uh” to “it was worse under Biden” to “blame Pritzker” (when the spell his name right).
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 1:01 pm:
“Those entering college now were born at the beginning of a population decline that began with the Great Recession and continues through today. This is not a one-time problem and will persist for several years.”
Several years or forever?
It is wishful thinking that birth rates are going to continue to do anything but decline.
- Gorman - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 1:09 pm:
Catholic hospitals were founded with a mission statement to serve the poor and vulnerable.
One is six hospital beds in the US are located in a Catholic hospital.
Eliminating government funding to them would create severe problems not solve them
- Gorman - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 1:13 pm:
In Illinois, 30% of hospital beds are in a Catholic owned or affiliated facility
- Pundent - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 1:18 pm:
=If someone wants to seek assisted suicide, the persons should choose a hospital that is not managed by the Catholic Church.=
There are exceptions in the law that allow physicians and hospitals to avoid participating. That’s not satisfactory to the church. They want to deny all people the option regardless of their religious affiliation. And depending on where you live the choice of hospital you use may be out of your control or very limited.
- Gorman - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 1:37 pm:
If a Catholic hospital violates Catholic doctrine they are no longer a Catholic hospital.
There are roughly 3.5 million Catholics in Illinois- about 23-27% of our population which is slightly less than the percentage of the hospitals it controls.
In Cook and Lake County there are 1.95 million Catholics - about 33% of the population
Du Page 500,000
Peoria 132,000
Christians are about 62% of adults in Illinois down from 71% in 2014.
- JS Mill - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 2:37 pm:
=The obsession on the Left with forcing Christians to violate their beliefs is just gross.=
The inability of the far right to understand that the establishment clause of the United States constitution and wanting to uphold it has nothing to do with christianity or people being allowed to follow their faith, is just gross.
Also, I am not “on the Left”.
There are conditions to taking public money, and religion has nothing to do with it. Follow your faith, I fully support that. But you do not have the right to force me to follow your faith. That is a basic tenant of our rights as set forth by the founding fathers.
- Gorman - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 2:47 pm:
Did you have Red Herring for lunch?
No one is forcing you into any religion.
What are these conditions that are required for Catholic hospitals to receive public money?
Catholic hospitals do not perform abortions and they won’t be required to administer assisted suicide.
- Proud Sucker - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 3:22 pm:
“Because diesel is used for many freight and delivery networks, higher diesel prices mean higher transportation costs for a long list of everyday goods.”
Exhibit 1: Road Salt. Our bid on the State contract, let by CMS, went from $75.40/ton last year to $90.12/ton, heavily attributed to trucking, barge and loader diesel use.
We were fortunate, about 1/3 of the munis, counties and townships did not even get a bid.
- Just a guy - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 3:45 pm:
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 1:01 pm:
“Those entering college now were born at the beginning of a population decline that began with the Great Recession and continues through today. This is not a one-time problem and will persist for several years.”
Several years or forever?
It is wishful thinking that birth rates are going to continue to do anything but decline.
This is spot on. What’s more remarkable is that despite this factor (and many others), the CTU and CPS still seem quite content to ask for more money and hire more staff.
- Proud Papa Bear - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 3:47 pm:
The Catholic Church is sounding like most MAGAs I know. Their definition of freedom is the ability to restrict it from others.
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 3:51 pm:
=If someone wants to seek assisted suicide, the persons should choose a hospital that is not managed by the Catholic Church. There are public and private hospitals.=
Some areas downstate, all of the hospitals are managed by the Catholic Church.
=The obsession on the Left with forcing Christians to violate their beliefs is just gross.=
Well, someone is clearly not paying attention to reality. This provision of the law does not require anyone to violate their beliefs; it is an opt-in for patients and providers are allowed to opt-out. On the other hand, the Right does seem to be obsessed with forcing a specific set of “Christian” values on everyone while ignoring some pretty basic values explicitly described by Jesus (provide food, shelter, and housing for the poor and welcome the stranger at your door). That is what I find to be gross.
- Doogie Howser - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 4:02 pm:
One of my sister’s died of gall bladder cancer. She was in unimaginable pain. The hospice doctor asked me if I supported her right to die (he used the d-fashioned word, euthanasia). I replied that dying dogs are treated with more dignity than my sister. Cardinal Cupich uses the word “forced.” The law implies the word “choice.” I’m offended by his comments. (My sister passed away three weeks after diagnosis. Thank goodness her painful experience wasn’t protracted.)
- Doogie Howser - Friday, Sep 4, 26 @ 4:14 pm:
Edit: old fashioned, not d fashioned.