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Pritzker says Trump trying to set a legal trap by demanding the governor call him

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From Gov. JB Pritzker’s press conference today…

Q: [Some people are saying] this is all political. You won’t call the president, because you have your own aspirations…

Pritzker: That’s silly. That is absolutely ridiculous. Let me be clear, the President is begging me to call him, to ask him to do something that we don’t want. He wants me to call him and ask him to call in National Guard to the city of Chicago. We don’t want it. So that’s why I’m not calling the president.

I have been very clear about what we do want. What we do want is civilian law enforcement assistance. We want to make sure that we have enough FBI, ATF DEA on the ground. We have some already. As you know, they do really good work, working in tandem with state police, working in tandem with Chicago Police Department, but we can use more. We can interdict more drugs and more guns that are coming across the border, into the city, into the state of Illinois. And there’s more work that we can do to make sure that we’re fighting crime with, again, civilian law enforcement. And I’ve been very clear about that. The President wants me to call him about National Guard. I’m not going to do that. […]

Q: Don’t you think if you maybe called him, you can lower the temperature and all of this, and you can ask for the civilian resources, the law enforcement, not military resources that you just talked about. For example, sir, if you were president, and you wanted someone to call you, would you want them to call you?

Pritzker: No, I would pick up the phone and call them. What I don’t understand, why everybody doesn’t understand this. It’s as if he’s begging me to call him because he wants me to ask him for National Guard. That is what he is trying to do.

There’s a second reason, and you should pay close attention to this. He wants to set into the fact pattern that the governor called him to ask for help. Why? Because he’s going to end up in court. He’s going to end up in court, and that will be a fact that they will use in court that the governor called to ask for help. And I’m sorry I’m not going to provide him with evidence to support his desire to have the court rule in his favor. I’m just not going to do that.

Please pardon any transcription errors.

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The Sun-Times has more details on what federal agents will be up to at Naval Station Great Lakes…

Hundreds of federal agents who are being sent to a north suburban naval base this week are expected to leave the facility before dawn each morning to carry out President Donald Trump’s mission to curb crime and make immigration arrests in Chicago, officials have been told.

The 230 agents, at least some of whom work for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, are coming from Los Angeles, where an immigration blitz this summer spurred protests that pushed Trump to call in the National Guard, sources familiar with the planning said.

At least 30 agents already have arrived at Naval Station Great Lakes near North Chicago, where they’ve been practicing crowd control with shields and flash-bang grenades, the sources said. Similar training has been underway for several months. […]

Roughly 140 unmarked vehicles that will be used in the operation have been sent to the base, which is the Navy’s largest training station and the largest military installation in the state, according to sources. Officials are seeking to establish a no-fly zone to keep away news helicopters and drones that aren’t already prohibited from flying in the area.

* The Tribune…

The nearly 30,000 people incarcerated in Illinois prisons may begin having their mail scanned and subjected to other security measures following reports that those incarcerated and staff members who work in state prisons were in danger of being exposed to harmful chemicals from illegal drugs and other substances being smuggled into the facilities.

The stricter security rules, which are being implemented for the next five months on an emergency basis, were quietly imposed a few weeks ago by the Illinois Department of Corrections. They allow, but do not mandate, IDOC to implement a process to electronically scan and digitize incoming mail and print it for a person incarcerated or send it to them electronically. The head of IDOC also would have the authority to exclude incoming mail from the process.

Authorized through the state’s bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, the new measures went into effect Aug. 14 and come amid a protracted push by Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly’s superminority and a union representing IDOC employees raising concerns that the department was failing to protect workers and people behind bars against drugs such as fentanyl and other substances apparently being sent covertly through the department’s mail.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois’ tourism push includes millions for NASCAR events: State records obtained by Capitol News Illinois show the state has spent nearly $7 million hosting or sponsoring the sport since 2022. That includes sponsorship of the Enjoy Illinois 300 scheduled for Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison just across the river from St. Louis. The state-sponsored race is the second playoff race on the Cup Series schedule. It’s one of four NASCAR races scheduled to take place in Illinois this year.

* Sen. Lakesia Collins | Prioritize funding after-school programs: As chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, I’ve fought to secure $50 million in the state budget for after-school grants. But I also know that funding without timely follow-through is an empty promise. Delays in releasing those funds are already putting these programs at risk — and families can’t afford to wait. I’ve spoken with parents who are desperate to find care that matches their work schedules. I’ve met youth workers and mentors who’ve had to walk away from kids they’ve known for years, because their programs were defunded. I’ve seen the heartbreak and the uncertainty. And I refuse to accept it as normal.

*** Chicago ***

* Injustice Watch | Superintendent of Chicago’s youth jail might not live here, records show: Nine current and former employees of the detention center — many of them critical of what they describe as mismanagement and poor leadership at the facility — told Injustice Watch that Dixon is rarely seen. And a trail of public records ties Dixon to a suburb outside Detroit, where he ran the juvenile detention center for nearly two decades before agreeing to move to Cook County for the superintendent job in 2015. Dixon has been registered to vote in Michigan since 1995, and he has voted absentee consistently since 2012, including, most recently, in the 2024 primary and general elections, records show.

* Sun-Times | Family of teens shot at Douglas Park pool sue former lifeguard, Chicago Park District: “Kids [are] supposed to be able to go to the park to play,” Jeremy Herred Sr., Jeremy’s father, said at a new conference announcing the lawsuit Wednesday. “Our kids went to the park to play and got shot by an employee. It’s crazy.” The boy’s families filed a lawsuit this week against Leto and the Chicago Park District, who they alleged hired and promoted Leto despite reports of aggressive and threatening behavior.

* Block Club | CPS To Pay $700,000 To Fired Lincoln Park High School Principals After 2020 Scandal: The settlement follows a May decision by former CPS CEO Pedro Martinez to remove both principals from the district’s “do not hire” list. “This case shows the choice for CPS should not be either protecting students or treating their teachers, coaches and principals with dignity and some due process. It needs to do both,” Bill Choslovsky, the attorney who represented Thuet and Brumfield, told Block Club. “That’s the ultimate lesson of this five-year saga.”

* Crain’s | Howard Brown nurses authorize strike over pay, staffing: The Illinois Nurses Association, which represents 32 registered nurses at the LGBTQ-focused health care provider, says Howard Brown Health’s cost-of-living increases fail to keep up with inflation and the strike would come following “years of alleged chronic understaffing” and turbulent labor disputes between Howard Brown Health and the non-nurses HBH Workers United union. “Nurses argue that chronic understaffing and sub-standard pay have made their jobs worse in recent years,” the union said in a press release. “They believe staffing issues will persist until HBH makes nursing jobs more attractive to applicants.”

* Sun-Times | Northwestern Medicine opens outpatient clinic in Bronzeville: The 120,000-square-foot center also has free parking for patients. There is a large community space and a room for local retail in the clinic’s building. “Increasing access to world-class health care in Bronzeville will make a generational impact on the health and wellness of this community,” Dr. Kimbra Bell, medical director at the Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center, said in a statement.

* Tribune | Veterans, advocates urge National Guard members to resist potentially unlawful Trump orders: “Service members signed up to uphold the Constitution,” Brad Thomson, a member of the National Lawyers Guild’s Military Law Task Force, said at a news conference Tuesday at Federal Plaza in the Loop. “Service members did not sign up to become pawns for a president trying to score political points against the opposing party.”

* Tribune | After killings in Mexico, lawyer seeks help from Chicago attorney — but Trump-era cuts hamper their work: With cuts earlier this year and Washington’s further retreat from international aid, reinforced by the $9 billion rescissions package Congress approved this summer and Trump’s $4.9 billion proposed pocket rescission last week, the federal funding that helped pay for Lee’s work was decimated, and the program’s future is uncertain. The initiative, Justice Defenders, is run by the American Bar Association, which said it received up to $3.4 million annually in federal assistance for the program from the U.S. Department of State. For years, the program has supported lawyers’ work in dozens of countries, shedding light on human rights abuses and strengthening rule of law standards in criminal justice systems. While Lee and other lawyers offered legal services for free, the federal funds helped cover travel, research and other costs.

* Crain’s | Mary Dixon moves off ‘Morning Edition’ as WBEZ revamps its lineup: Starting Sept. 15, the local NPR affiliate WBEZ-FM 91.5 will add “In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons,” a local news talk show airing from 9 to 10 a.m., and “Say More with Mary Dixon & Patrick Smith,” a live show featuring conversations with Chicago listeners from 10 to 11 a.m. Dixon, who had been the local host for NPR’s “Morning Edition,” will be replaced by WBEZ anchor and reporter Clare Lane, who has filled in as an anchor at “Morning Edition” before, as Dixon moves into her role with “Say More.”

* Chicago Mag | Mike Reed’s Next Act: The result is Sound & Gravity, a five-day, six-venue event with a more intimate and esoteric appeal. Running September 10 to 14, it features headliners like Drag City troubadour Bill Callahan and Nigerian desert-blues shredder Mdou Moctar. They’ll share stages with Chicago jazz mainstays Michael Zerang and Ken Vandermark, plus more than 50 other acts from around the world — a wide-ranging mix of rock outliers, free-jazz improvisers, and contemporary classical performers that reflects Reed’s varied interests. The lineup expands on what Constellation does year-round. Says Reed: “I want to keep doing music the way I want to do it, outside the desires and the trends of the popular culture.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | National Republican movement visits Orland Park in push for stricter voting measures: The Republican advocates on tour, called the Tea Party Patriots, argue the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would require states to obtain documentary proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections, would close a loophole in voter registration rules, according to Jenny Beth Martin, honorary chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action. Advocates from Will County Now, a chapter of the National Organization for Women, said on social media they planned to protest the event because it was “dangerous misinformation,” and the proposed legislation would “actually disenfranchise legitimate voters way more than it prevents those who are ineligible from voting.”

* ABC Chicago | Valley View District teachers file ‘intent to strike’ notice: The district covers Romeoville and Bolingbrook The teachers union there filed an official notice of their intent to strike. The teachers and the district are arguing about an additional 20 minutes being added to the school day. District officials say the extra instructional time will lead to higher test scores. Teachers say it puts unnecessary burdens on staff.

* Evanston Roundtable | Chicago Stars to play 2026 season at Northwestern Medicine Field: The Chicago Stars officially named Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium as their home for the 2026 National Women’s Soccer League season on Wednesday morning, confirming a decision rumored after the city of Evanston granted the team zoning permission. This decision comes just days before the team will play their “Lakefront Faceoff” on Sunday.

* Daily Herald | Waukegan finalist for Netherlands-based solar panel maker’s U.S. headquarters: The former Johns Manville Corp., property on the far northeast side of the city is one of two locations being considered as Solarge USA reaches the final stage of a national site selection process for its first U.S. facility. An unspecified site in Kansas is the other potential location, a company official said last Thursday during a presentation to the Lake County Board’s finance and administrative committee, which is expected to discuss and make recommendations on potential incentives.

* Evanston Now | City’s call for ban on masked agents advances: The resolutions will head to the City Council on Sept. 8 for final consideration, just as Chicago braces for a federal immigration blitz that Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday said was imminent. The city’s Human Services Committee passed the resolutions with little conversation, backing both proposals that stemmed from a referral by Ald. Parielle Davis (7th) in July, cosponsored by Alds. Shawn Iles (3rd) and Clare Kelly (1st).

*** Downstate ***

* Daily Egyptian | SIU denies FOIA request asking for all syllabi: SIU refused to comply with a mid-August Freedom of Information Act request from a media organization, Metric Media, for a complete list of classes, professors and syllabi from the spring 2025 term. The request, which professors say is a scare tactic, was sent to SIU among other schools around the country. […] Metric Media is an online media company registered in Missouri but based out of Delaware. Their content has been described by the Columbia Journalism Review and Deseret News as “pink slime journalism,” a term coined in 2012 by journalist Ryan Smith to draw comparisons between processed, low quality meat and low quality, templated or stolen content.

* IPM Newsroom | U of I will offer students on-campus abortion access starting this fall, following new Illinois law: Awais Vaid, the executive director of U of I’s McKinley Health Center, said the law allows the university to have a contractual agreement with a provider in the community. “If a student comes to us with medication abortion requirements, we will do the intake in house, and then we’ll do what is called a warm handoff,” Vaid said. McKinley is partnering with Planned Parenthood in Champaign. Warm handoffs will occur on a “priority basis,” Awais said, meaning students will be seen in order of urgency.

* WGEM | WIU to continue ROTC program : The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program will continue at Western Illinois University. According to WIU, the U.S. Army announced plans to maintain the ROTC program at the university after it was inactivated at the end of June. WIU said the ROTC program has been active for over 50 years at the university and has developed more than 1,000 cadets. Click here for some background.

* PJ Star | Washington moves step closer to repairing damaged historic bridge: After the initial bid to repair Tazewell County’s oldest bridge was tabled and then rejected by the city, the project will once again go up for bidding in September. The Washington City Council approved an amended resolution for work on the city’s historic Candlewood Bridge, built in 1894. The bridge showed significant deterioration over the years, and was closed in 2023 at the recommendation of the city’s bridge inspector and the Illinois Department of Transportation after a wingwall collapsed into the below creek. In May, the council passed a resolution approving $356,188 in motor fuel tax funds to repair the bridge. The resolution approved Monday was higher, putting $550,000 toward the project.

* WGLT | Littered fishing line in waterways concern Bloomington-Normal bird experts and residents: Also known as “Local Tarzan,” Cavalera said he has rescued “hundreds” of birds from fishing line, and has a video of himself rescuing two geese tied together in fishing line at Miller Park Lake. Cavalera said his solution to preventing this issue is not going to be everyone’s favorite. […] Cavalera said if people have the integrity to get the $15 license every year to fish, they are probably less likely to throw trash and discarded fishing line around the lakes.

*** National ***

* Chalkbeat Colorado | Banana phones and cozy corners: Colorado’s third year of universal preschool gets off the ground: It was the first day of preschool in the Otters classroom at El Nidito, a bilingual child care program at The Family Center in Fort Collins. The little boy and his 11 classmates are among 40,000 children enrolled in Colorado’s universal preschool program this year. The $349 million program offers tuition-free preschool — typically a half day — to all children in the year before kindergarten. […] But wrinkles remain. The state is still fighting two lawsuits brought by religious preschools that objected to non-discrimination rules protecting LGBTQ children, families, and employees. Both suits are pending in federal appeals court. And the national early childhood group found that Colorado meets only two of 10 benchmarks meant to ensure that preschool classrooms are high quality.

* NYT | Florida Says It Plans to End All Vaccine Mandates: Florida plans to become the first state to end all vaccine mandates, including for schoolchildren, rejecting a practice that public health experts have credited for decades with limiting the spread of infectious diseases. […] He added that the administration would be “working to end” all vaccine mandates. “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Dr. Ladapo said.

* WaPo | The group behind Project 2025 wants a ‘Manhattan Project’ for more babies: It hopes to steer funding for child care away from programs like Head Start and toward individual families — specifically to encourage parents to stay home and rear children. And the group wants Trump to issue executive orders requiring all proposed policies and regulations to “measure their positive or negative impacts on marriage and family” — then overhaul or end programs that score poorly.

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Tariffs Impact Everyone

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Businesses in urban and rural areas alike are navigating the uncertainty of tariff expenses. County Junction in Clinton has had to adjust items they carry and the prices they charge. Owner Julie Hinds says shipping prices for inventory and vendor suppliers are changing rapidly. “I wish the government would kind of stop and slow down and think about the small businesses. The ‘mom and pops’ like us are the ones that keep America alive.”

Retailers like Julie enrich our economy and strengthen our communities, even during the uncertainty of increased tariff expenses. IRMA is showcasing some of the many retailers who continue to make Illinois work.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign stuff

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Is Trump hedging again about Chicago? (Updated)

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* AP…

President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that New Orleans could be his next target for deploying the National Guard to fight crime, potentially expanding the number of cities around the nation where he may send federal law enforcement. […]

“So we’re making a determination now,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki. “Do we go to Chicago? Do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite, you know, quite tough, quite bad.” […]

“We could straighten out Chicago. All they have to do is ask us to go into Chicago. If we don’t have the support of some of these politicians, but I’ll tell you who is supporting us, the people of Chicago,” Trump said Wednesday.

He does enjoy keeping people off balance.

Anyway, your thoughts?

…Adding… Ken Klippenstein…

The Department of Homeland Security has requested military assistance for upcoming ICE operations in Chicago, according to a “For Official Use Only” memo that I’ve obtained. A military advance team has already arrived.

The document requests “immediate Department of Defense support” for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) activities “to address public safety and national security.” It suggests that the support will be provided by active duty troops, making no mention of the Illinois National Guard.

The request specifically seeks “support infrastructure,” including highway access, fuel, and “other logistical nodes…” with the military staging out of the Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago, some 30 miles from downtown.

Dated August 27, the request is from Department of Homeland Security Executive Secretary Andrew Whitaker to Defense Department Executive Secretary Anthony Fuscellaro. Whitaker is a former Ralph Lauren Brand Ambassador and a longtime Trump politico.

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Alternative electricity suppliers cry foul, claim AG Raoul suing them to fund Trump fight

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From last month…

Customers of ComEd and Ameren Illinois have lost more than $2 billion over the past 10 years to alternative electricity suppliers — businesses known for ringing people’s doorbells and promising great deals, according to an analysis of state data by the nonprofit Citizens Utility Board.

CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz called Illinois “a buyer-beware market.”

The offers are legal, but often they don’t deliver long-term savings, according to the consumer watchdog, which is calling for better consumer protections.

* This week…

Companies that say they offer consumers choice on their electric bills have accused Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul of unconstitutionally teaming up with Chicago-based plaintiffs’ law firms in a bid to use the power of the state to extract big settlements from the companies, generating big fees for the lawyers and millions of dollars to help Raoul finance his office’s politically-driven court actions opposing policies and goals of the administration of President Donald Trump.

On Aug. 20, so-called alternative retail energy suppliers Residents Energy LLC and IDT Energy Inc. filed suit in Chicago federal court against the Illinois Attorney General’s office and Raoul in his official capacity as the state’s top legal officer.

The lawsuit accuses Raoul of violating the rights to due process afforded to Residents, IDT and other alternative retail energy suppliers (ARES) under both the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment and the Illinois state constitution.

Specifically, the lawsuit asserts Raoul violated those constitutional protections by deputizing three plaintiffs’ law firms, who normally specialize in class actions and other similar lawsuits, to take point on legal actions against Residents, IDT and other ARES. […]

The companies further noted that Raoul, a Democrat, has publicly stated that his office’s financial resources have been further strained in recent months by Raoul’s politically-driven legal actions opposing policies, executive orders and other initiatives from the Trump administration.

“These admissions reinforce that the Attorney General has an institutional and political interest in maximizing enforcement revenue - a profit motive that aligns with and exacerbates the bias created by his illegal contingency-fee arrangement with the deputized private-law-firm (Special Assistant Attorneys General),” the companies said in their lawsuit.

Um, the money generated by Raoul’s office goes to the General Revenue Fund.

The full lawsuit is here.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Another supplement to today’s edition

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Once again, Sen. Willie Preston to the rescue!

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* A little more than two years ago…

Illinois State Senator Willie Preston came to the rescue of a driver whose truck had flipped onto its side in Chicago last week.

Sen. Preston, who represents Illinois’ 16th District, was driving near 79th and Kedzie last Friday when he saw people recording something on their phones.

He said he then saw a semi that had flipped onto its side. It was smoking, and the driver was trapped inside.

Sen. Preston had a tool in his car, which he used to break the windshield and then helped the driver out of the cab.

Video is here.

* Yesterday…

Kathleen Miles is a north suburban mother to 11 kids and the grandmother to seven more. She’s the rock of her family, but now she’s recovering after getting rocked by a man in the Loop, who has spent time in jail for doing just that to several other women years ago.

“This has rocked our whole family cause the rock needs someone to take care of her,” Miles said from her Lake Villa home on Tuesday.

Miles has worked in the Loop for the last two decades, and a couple of weeks ago, she said she was walking to the train with a coworker along West Washington Avenue when a stranger blew through them and struck her in the face.

The attacker, WGN-TV was told, watched as she lay on the ground bleeding before a good Samaritan, who turned out to be state senator Willie Preston, stepped in, took off his shirt and tried to stop the bleeding. […]

“I think every system has failed [the attacker], whether it’s mental health or the justice system, I feel he’s been failed,” Miles said. “And as a result, we’ve all been failed.”

* I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Preston’s congressional campaign. This happened two weeks ago and Preston didn’t cravenly rush to post video or whatever on his social media platforms (especially since it happened the day before his formal campaign announcement). Maybe that’s my own soft bigotry of low political expectations, but I came by those low expectations after 35 years covering this stuff. /s

* Also, his videos have so far been pretty solid. Labor Day…

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Appeals court upholds ban on concealed weapons on CTA, Metra. Sun-Times…

* Related stories…

• Legal Newsline: IL can ban concealed carry on trains, buses: Appeals court
• Bloomberg Law: Illinois Public Transit Gun Ban Upheld by Seventh Circuit

* Governor JB Pritzker will visit the Metropolitan Peace Academy at 3 pm to meet with community violence intervention leaders preparing to respond to potential federal deployments. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Capitol News Illinois | As Trump declares ‘we’re going in,’ Pritzker says ‘terror and cruelty is the point’: Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday he expects Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to employ the same aggressive strategies they used in Los Angeles earlier this summer after President Donald Trump said he will deploy the National Guard to Chicago. The information, Pritzker said, was not directly communicated to him, but rather gleaned from anonymous sources in the federal government, military and “well-sourced” news reports. He said he’s been told members of the Texas National Guard are being readied for deployment to Chicago and many of the same federal ICE and Homeland Security groups that worked in L.A. are being relocated to Chicago.

* Subscribers know more. WTTW | Feds File Lawsuit Targeting Illinois Law That Provides Financial Aid to Undocumented Students: The Department of Justice on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the state itself arguing that by providing in-state tuition and scholarships to undocumented students, they are unconstitutionally discriminating against U.S. citizens. “Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “This Department of Justice has already filed multiple lawsuits to prevent U.S. students from being treated like second-class citizens — Illinois now joins the list of states where we are relentlessly fighting to vindicate federal law.”

* WCIA | Champaign County advocates voice concerns about SNAP cuts: Food security advocates in Champaign County are concerned about the impacts of recent cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. On Monday, the first of about $300 billion was stripped from the program after the “Big, Beautiful Bill” was passed in July. Champaign County Health Care Consumer’s Adani Sanchez said there’s a chance the lack of funding could get picked up by the states, and, right now, the program is still working off last year’s money.

*** Statewide ***

* CBS Chicago | Illinois Climate Education Hub gives teachers head start on climate curriculum: Ahead of that, the Illinois Climate Education Hub is launching later this week. It is a platform to help teachers implement the required learning next year, but some teachers are already getting a head start. “It’s super exciting to really expand climate learning in Illinois,” said Katie Nahrwold of the nonprofit Subject to Climate, state lead for the Illinois Climate Education Hub. “All of the lessons and resources are aligned to Illinois state standards.” With no state learning program in place, and no money set aside for one, the Illinois Climate Education hub is made possible through a nonprofit — and aims to fill those gaps.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Republican Robert Vrankovich announced a bid for retiring Rep. Amy Grant’s seat.…

Robert Vrankovich, husband, father, successful entrepreneur, and longtime community leader, today announced his campaign for State Representative in the 47th Legislative District.

“Illinois is my home, and I will help reverse the course Springfield has set,” Vrankovich said. “It’s time to cut taxes and costs, make our communities safer, and turn Illinois into a business-friendly state where families can thrive.” […]

A proven entrepreneur, Vrankovich was the genesis of a start-up propane company 25 years ago, starting with zero customers and building it into a national operation generating more than $110 million annually.

…Adding… Rep. Grant’s district is a tier-one target for House Democrats. Rep. Grant won by just 292 votes last year.

* WGN | North suburban mother of 11 recovering after attack from serial woman puncher: The attacker, WGN-TV was told, watched as she lay on the ground bleeding before a good Samaritan, who turned out to be state senator Willie Preston, stepped in, took off his shirt and tried to stop the bleeding.

* Daily Herald | Elburn trustee is latest to announce bid for Illinois Senate seat DeWitte is leaving: Elburn Trustee Chris Hansen announced he will seek the Republican Party nomination in the 2026 primary election for the state Senate 33rd District, according to a news release. […] Hansen will vie with Blackberry Township resident Jessica Breugelmans and Cody Holt of Elgin for the GOP nomination.

* Daily Herald | Wilmette’s Dabrowski preparing gubernatorial campaign: In recent weeks, Dabrowski, a Republican from Wilmette, formally created a campaign committee and filed paperwork with the Illinois State Board of Elections indicating that he’ll self-fund the organization. He also lent the campaign $250,000 and then an additional $100, state records filed Tuesday indicate. Also Tuesday, the Wirepoints nonprofit research and media company announced Dabrowski has resigned as its president and no longer will write columns for the organization. Wirepoints research director John Klingner resigned to join Dabrowski’s campaign, too, the company revealed. Wirepoints founder and executive editor Mark Glennon also resigned.

* Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker appoints two members, including a downstate ally, to controversial parole board: Pritzker on Friday appointed two new members to the state parole and release board, including Timothy Nugent, who as mayor of Manteno helped Pritzker two years ago secure the construction of a Chinese-owned electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant despite complaints from residents and Republicans. Pritzker appointed Nugent and Tracy Buckley, a contractor for the review board, as board members, pending Senate approval. Buckley previously served as the board’s chief of operations and as an administrator, the governor’s office said.

* Patch | First Assistant Deputy Gov. Ryan Croke Honored with 2025 IARF Champion Award: Illinois First Assistant Deputy Governor Ryan Croke has been named a 2025 IARF Champion Award recipient, recognized for his decades-long commitment to advancing human services and supporting Illinois’ intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) system. The award was presented at IARF’s annual Educational Conference & Expo in Bloomington-Normal last week. IARF President Josh Evans noted Croke’s role in helping secure wage increases for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs).

* Legal Newsline | IL A/G Raoul wrongly teaming with private lawyers to extract bucks: Lawsuit: Companies that say they offer consumers choice on their electric bills have accused Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul of unconstitutionally teaming up with Chicago-based plaintiffs’ law firms in a bid to use the power of the state to extract big settlements from the companies, generating big fees for the lawyers and millions of dollars to help Raoul finance his office’s politically-driven court actions opposing policies and goals of the administration of President Donald Trump.

* The Caucus Blog | House Republican licensing reforms aim to get Illinois working: In 2024, several Republican legislators introduced a plan and legislative package aimed at improving the licensing process and ultimately keeping healthcare providers practicing here in Illinois. The proposed measures would require IDFPR to accept online payments, lower costs, allow for reciprocity, and expedite licenses for critical shortage occupations, especially in healthcare.

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | Chicago sees its fewest summer murders since 1965: Murders in June, July and August totaled 123, the lowest number for those months since 1965, when the Chicago Police Department reported 117 victims, according to city data and historical CPD data obtained by WBEZ using the Illinois open records law. Overall violent crime numbers, meanwhile, have dropped more than two-thirds since peaking in 1991, a WBEZ review of CPD annual reports has found.

* Tribune | CPS prepares students, parents amid National Guard threat: In the midst of the uncertainty, Chicago Public Schools has reiterated to parents and students that school is a safe place to be in a letter sent out Thursday. No families in the district are required to share their immigration status with CPS, and the district is committed to not working with or sharing student records with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, also known as ICE. The concerns come after repeated remarks from Trump indicating his intent to send troops to Chicago to curb perceived violence in the city, despite a drop in crime rates in the last year. The threat was made seemingly more real last week when the Trump Administration asked to use the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago ahead of a potential “immigration operation.”

* NBC Chicago | Pritzker ‘deeply concerned’ about ICE targeting Mexican Independence Day events: The governor warned that “unidentifiable agents in unmarked vehicles with masks are planning to raid Latino communities and say they’re targeting violent criminals,” while noting that timing of such a deployment could be intentional. “We have reason to believe that Stephen Miller chose the month of September to come to Chicago because of celebrations around Mexican Independence Day that happen here every year,” Pritzker said. “It breaks my heart to report that we have been told ICE will try and disrupt community picnics and peaceful parades. Let’s be clear: the terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here.”

* NBC Chicago | Texas border patrol chief expected to lead increased immigration efforts in Chicago: Gregory Bovino, who most recently led immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles – which at times have devolved into violent clashes between authorities and protesters – has been tapped to lead the efforts in Illinois. […] In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Illinois State Police would not provide specifics about the conversation, only saying: “Consistent with normal law enforcement protocol, ISP continues to communicate with a variety of federal agencies, including border patrol, to ensure the safety of officers and the public. ISP operates within the requirements of the TRUST act and is not involved in immigration enforcement.”

* Tribune | Should retired police be able to sell marijuana? Alderman says no, blocks dispensary: Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, came out in opposition late last month to the proposal by the Kaneh Group, which includes 10 former Chicago cops as members. The progressive alderman said he supports opening a dispensary in the ward, but decided to halt the bid after resident pushback emphasized “a fundamental justice concern” with the retired police ownership. “I have questions and concerns about people who were paid to arrest people who might still be in jail for selling cannabis, selling cannabis,” Vasquez told the Tribune. “There’s just something fundamentally unfair and unjust about it.”

* Tribune | ‘The guy behind the guy’: Gang lifer takes stand in federal RICO trial against reputed Wicked Town boss, associate: Deshawn Morgan was immersed in Chicago’s West Side gang culture before he was even out of grade school, dealing drugs at age 12 and rising in the ranks of the Mafia Insane Vice Lords. Along the way, Morgan told a federal jury last week, he befriended key players in the complex hierarchy of gang factions in the city’s Austin and West Lawndale neighborhoods. His testimony provided a rare glimpse at the kind of gang conflicts that often drive Chicago violence.

* Forbes | Chicago’s Hot Dog King Dick Portillo On Selling Out And Moving On: It’s been 11 years since Richard “Dick” Portillo sold Portillo’s, the restaurant chain offering up Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches that he founded in 1963. Sitting in the living room of his 9,000-square-foot home in the Chicago suburbs—a short drive away from the location of the original Portillo’s he opened more than 60 years ago—the 85-year-old former Marine is feeling nostalgic. “I’m sorry I sold. I didn’t owe 10 cents to anybody,” he says. But ultimately, he knew it was the right decision to make. “There were 24 private equity groups that were interested in buying Portillo’s. The timing was right.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Clarendon Hills village manager’s status in question: The employment status of Clarendon Hills village manager Zach Creer appears to be in question. He has not responded to phone calls or emails over the past couple of weeks, and the word from Village Hall is simply that Creer is “out of the office.” Multiple calls to his cell phone went unanswered; however, he did confirm via text that it was the correct number.

* Shaw Local | State inspectors to assess Will County storm damages Wednesday, Thursday: Residents in Will County are advised by police to be aware that storm damage assessments taking place in their communities this week. One team will start in the north -Plainfield, Crest Hill, Joliet, Romeoville - another team will start on the east side of the county - Crete, University Park, Frankfort, Mokena, Lockport).

* Naperville Sun | Naperville makes more ranking lists, including one for most ‘underrated’ cities in Illinois: Most recently, Naperville was named one of WorldAtlas’ seven Most Underrated Cities In Illinois. The publication did not provide a methodology for its determination, but cited the city’s shops, riverwalk and outdoor areas were among the factors that make the city so desirable. DuPage Children’s Museum, Naper Settlement and the city’s 72-bell Millennium Carillon were contributing factors. The other six cities to make the list were Champaign, Evanston, Frankfort, Grafton, Peoria and Schaumburg.

* 21st Show | Why is a New Yorker singing about Aurora, Illinois?: Cassandra Jenkins is an artist and musician, living in New York City. But one of our producers stumbled upon her track titled, “Aurora, I-L.” As in Aurora, Illinois. He wondered about the origin of the song and what it means.

*** Downstate ***

* WIFR | Tornado siren repairs underway in Winnebago County, sheriff says: As of Sept. 2, nearly 60 out of the 79 tornado sirens in Winnebago County are working, according to Sheriff Gary Caruana. This is a difference from July when 26 of county-wide sirens were reported as not working.

* WMBD | Shoppers react to proposed sales tax in Glen Hollow: City Council on Aug. 26 approved a public hearing on whether to turn Glen Hollow into a business development district. This change would allow the property owners to levy a 1% sales tax on all purchases. Shoppers at the strip had no idea this proposal was made. Brandon Houseworth, who’s shopped at Glen Hollow for eight years, said this could make more people go online to get their goods.

* WCBU | ICC seeks community input on search for next president: The college’s board of trustees has hired RH Perry & Associates to lead the search, and consultants will be conducting a pre-search study to gather feedback from students, employees, and other community members. ICC has scheduled three in-person open focus group sessions for Thursday (at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and 2 p.m.), as well as a virtual Zoom meeting. Additionally, the college has set up an on-line survey to gather perspectives toward shaping an “executive search profile.”

* WCIA | Long stretch of dry weather creating field fire risk in Central Illinois: “We thought we had a bumper crop going into the beginning of August, because we had timely rains, the heat kind of hurt and then it turned off dry,” Lucas Roney said. Duane Hopkins has been a firefighter in Arthur for 40 years, and has sold seed with Prairie Green Seed for 30. He helped nearby farmers with the harvest this past weekend — and noticed the impact of the recent weather. “The crop has dried down exceptionally fast, and creates a tinder box per se, it doesn’t take much to get a fire started,” Hopkins said.

* WIFR | Town of Beloit votes to end firefighting contract with South Beloit: Prior to the meeting, a memo from Town Administrator Tim Wellnitz and Fire Chief Daniel Pease shared the Town of Beloit lost out on a FEMA SAFER grant. That funding would have hired nine new firefighters for a three-year period. Without it, the leaders argue TOB can’t meet the staffing required to fill the SB station. Just before Tuesday’s vote, Board Supervisor John Pelock described the arrangement as a failed experiment.

* Pantagraph | Bloomington enacts treatment to improve water taste, odor: The city said in a Tuesday news release that its most recent water quality test showed “a notable increase in taste and odor compounds.” Levels had been steady at about 4-5 nanograms per liter for the past month, the city said, but that number has risen recently to 9-10 ng/L. The city said this is likely due to dry conditions in the area, noting that a “significant lack of rainfall” has dropped the water level in Lake Bloomington, where the city sources its water, by more than a foot.

* WGLT | District 87 considers easing graduation requirements for students new to the country: District 87 is considering an alternate graduation timeline for Bloomington High School students new to the United States. About 15 to 20 students at Bloomington High School fall into the “newcomer” category of students new to the country when they enrolled in high school. These students start school later than their peers, but current District 87 expectations maintain they still must earn 23.5 credit hours to graduate. An alternate graduation pathway would allow these students to instead earn 16 credits, which is the amount mandated by the State of Illinois.

* News-Gazette | Black Dog Champaign closed indefinitely after smoker causes fire: Kelsey Jamerson, Black Dog’s kitchen line manager, said she saw smoke from outside, which prompted her to pull the fire alarm and escort customers out of the building. She watched from the sidewalk as firefighters put out the blaze. “I’m just praying (the food and electric) is fine,” she said. Heller said “it’s undetermined whether one or two of the smokers are still working, so we won’t know anything for probably a day or two.”

* Herald Whig | Adams County Bicentennial finale goes country: All Beach Boys tickets already sold will be honored for the performance by Gretchen Wilson and Montgomery Gentry. Tickets remain available online at AdamsCo200.org and at all Liberty Bank locations, Quincy Hy-Vee stores, First Bankers Trust at 12th and Broadway in Quincy and in Mendon and Farm and Home Supply in Quincy.

*** National ***

* The Bond Buyer | A $165 billion bond authorization reflects data center subsidy boom: A New Mexico county last week advanced a massive data center project that calls for an eye-popping $165 billion of taxable industrial revenue bonds as a way to access tax breaks, one of the latest local governments to offer generous incentives to tech companies racing to build the facilities across the country.

* WaPo | A red state community bet on carbon capture. Trump is blocking it.: The Heidelberg plant in the town of Mitchell was meant to be a model for the world, a place where the United States could take the lead in cutting carbon dioxide emissions from cement manufacturing — an increasingly urgent goal for construction projects. Yet the administration’s cancellation of the $500 million grant for machinery to trap and bury the plant’s greenhouse gas left the staunchly Republican community stunned and cement industry officials questioning if the U.S. will be equipped to keep up with a fast-evolving global marketplace.

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Good morning!

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Oh….

But now she sucks her thumb and wonders
By the banks of her own lagoon

What’s up?

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Live coverage

Wednesday, Sep 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.

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