* ICYMI: Abuse rates are higher at nursing homes with more mental illness. APM Research Lab …

In the wee hours of the morning, less than 24 hours after his arrival at [North Aurora Care Center], V.R. allegedly groped a resident with Down syndrome. He also tried to get into bed with another resident and entered the room of a third woman, according to inspection reports. Nurses on duty at the time did not find out about the alleged abuse until residents told them the next morning. […]

Illinois passed a law in 2010 requiring the state’s health department to establish a certification program. To be certified, a nursing home would need to hire specialized staff and provide specific training before accepting even one resident with a serious mental illness.

But the state has no record of North Aurora Care Center being certified, even though roughly 70% of its residents were there primarily due to mental illness as of late 2023. Indeed, the Illinois Department of Public Health has no record of any nursing home carrying such a certification — even though some 600 facilities in the state had at least one resident with a serious mental illness. The law directed the department to establish a certification program by the beginning of 2011, but nearly 15 years later it still has not done so.

The Illinois Department of Public Health declined to explain why or comment for this story.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Subscribers know more. Daily Herald | Rep. Amy Grant of Wheaton to step aside after current term: Grant won’t seek reelection and plans to bow out in 2027. The decision to call it a political career comes with “both a measure of satisfaction and many mixed emotions,” Grant said in a retirement announcement. Grant served six years on the county board and then won four elections to the Illinois House.

* Crain’s | Illinois NPR and PBS stations see donations surge after federal funding blow: Chicago NPR affiliate WBEZ-FM/91.5 has raised $984,000 from 4,788 supporters since July 18, when the rescission package was approved, according to Victor Lim, vice president of marketing and communications at Chicago Public Media, which owns WBEZ. PBS member station WTVP-TV/Channel 47 in Peoria has raised $40,000 since mid-July and is expecting additional matching funds, according to Jenn Gordon, the station’s president and CEO.

*** Statewide ***

* South Side Weekly | ‘We Need Help’: Local Organizations Step Up as Undocumented Immigrants Lose State Health Coverage: She is one of over 30,000 undocumented immigrants that lost health coverage as Illinois ended its Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) program July 1. For the past three years, the program provided healthcare to immigrants without legal status between the ages of 42 and 64, covering doctor and hospital care, lab tests, therapy and mental health services. Advocates and immigrants said the program was critical for the community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

* Shaw Local | Once a rarity, girls wrestling now flourishing across Illinois: It’s not just talk. The numbers reflect that girls’ high school wrestling is the fastest-growing sport in Illinois. In the 2023-24 season, there were an estimated 2,400 girls wrestlers in the state, more than double the number in its inaugural sanctioned season. 350 schools either have a girls wrestling team or at least one girls wrestler competing. “It’s one of the most exciting times that not just girls wrestling has seen but that the sport has seen,” Batavia coach Scott Bayer said. “For a long time, the sport of wrestling cut itself off to 50% of the population, and what we’re seeing right now is it’s catching on at an explosive rate.

* Daily Herald | Krishnamoorthi leading investigation into license plate readers: Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member of the Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, announced Thursday he and California Rep. Robert Garcia have launched a formal investigation into Atlanta-based Flock Group Inc. Both have written a letter to Flock Safety founder and CEO Garrett Langley outlining their concerns. They want a full accounting of all National Lookup searches involving the terms “abortion,” “ICE,” or “CBP”; contracts or communications between Flock and Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and documentation of any action taken to address misuse.

*** Statehouse News ***

* 21st Show | Why is Illinois’ transfer of Shabbona Lake State Park to the Prairie Band Potawatomi tribe significant?: Last year, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation made history when it became the first federally recognized Native American nation in Illinois since the mid-1800’s. The tribe’s homelands are in the Great Lakes region, but many of its members were forced off that land. For generations, the nation has argued that some of the land in Northern Illinois was illegally sold to white settlers. Nowadays, the nation is based in Kansas. But over the years, it’s been slowly buying back parts of its original reservation in Illinois. Earlier this year, Governor JB Pritzker signed a law to transfer ownership of Shabbona Lake State Park to the tribe. A member of the Prairie Band tribal council disccusses the history of the tribe, its connection to Illinois and what this move means for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Mayor may seek broader power if Springfield won’t let city pursue ‘progressive revenue,’ top aide says: “If there’s no viable option, but there is momentum on giving Chicago more home rule authority, sure, we would be willing to take that on and do what’s necessary for the people of Chicago,” senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee told the Sun-Times. “If for whatever reason they say, ‘Look, as much as we believe these are good ideas, we just can’t execute them,’ then we can say, ‘All right, well, will you let us do it?’”

* WTTW | Former Ald. Walter Burnett Could Collect $121K Annual City Pension While Earning $311K as CHA Head, Records Show: Former Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) will collect an annual city taxpayer-funded pension of $120,608 — and could also earn more than $310,000 at the same time as head of the Chicago Housing Authority, according to records obtained by WTTW News. Burnett, who represented parts of the West Side and the West Loop for 30 years on the Chicago City Council, retired July 31. During 2024, his final full year as an alderperson, Burnett earned $145,974, and accepted a 4.1% raise for 2025, bumping his final annual salary to $152,016, records show.

* WBEZ | Many home care workers are immigrants. Now, some are afraid to go to work: Immigrants make up a disproportionate share of home health care aides. In the Chicago metro area, 65% of the 24,000 people who worked for home care agencies in 2024 were not citizens, according to a WBEZ/Sun-Times analysis of U.S. Census data. Six months into President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration, it’s not yet clear how deeply these workers have been hit by his efforts. But there are signs in Chicago that the changes in immigration policy could be affecting aides, caregivers and the people who rely on them.

* Sun-Times | All Chicago police misconduct cases could be heard in secret if court sides with union: Most officers accused in these cases are already opting to skip the Chicago Police Board, which holds public hearings, and instead go to arbitration, a process that has historically been favorable to the police. As it stands, officers accused of lesser misconduct already can make their case out of public view. The appellate court ruling is expected Friday, but could be quickly appealed to the state Supreme Court.

* Sun-Times | A young transgender bus driver thought her CTA job was the answer: But in her seven months driving North Side bus routes, she found an environment that was not inclusive or supportive even as the CTA specifically includes gender identity in its anti-discrimination policy, the Chicago Sun-Times found after reviewing her hundred pages of records and interviewing family and friends. Supervisors and colleagues regularly misgendered her, including on work documents. A boxy, mannish uniform put her ill at ease and confused riders into calling her “sir.” She knew no other trans coworkers. And it’s not clear she had help from her union. […] Ava died by suicide. She was 27.

* Sun-Times | Founders of Chicago’s premier AIDS unit gleam over decades of progress, as Trump cripples research: After witnessing tragedy after tragedy as the disease ravaged Chicago’s gay community in nearby Boystown, they are now living what Blatt calls a “dream come true” — a world where an AIDS diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. […] It took more than a decade of medical research and activist pressure before the tide of suffering caused by the crisis began to recede, slowly ushering in a new era of improving treatments and longer lives for patients with the virus. But in recent months, the Trump administration has targeted access to health care and the LGBTQ+ community and cut a $258 million program seeking to develop an HIV vaccine.

* Tribune | Concerns swirl about potential closure of Weiss hospital, which will lose Medicare funding this weekend: Worries about closure follow news last month that the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services planned to terminate Weiss from the Medicare program Aug. 9, which is this Saturday. The federal agency issued a public notice, at the time, saying that the Uptown hospital would lose its ability to participate in Medicare because it was out of compliance with rules related to nursing services, physical environment and emergency services. The notice did not elaborate on specific problems, but it came after the Illinois Department of Public Health conducted an on-site investigation at the hospital in June in response to complaints of high temperatures after air conditioning equipment at the facility failed, according to a state health department memo obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

* Tribune | Angry with DHS, protesters disrupt job fair at Congress Plaza Hotel: Thursday’s protest exemplified the frustration many Americans expressed towards the Trump administration’s immigration policies, but in doing so, it clashed with Chicagoans searching for jobs. “We’re hoping to make this space as inhospitable (for Customs and Border Protection) as possible,” said Johnny, 33, a protester from Chicago who asked that his last name not be used. “It seems like it’s working.”

* WGN | Remembering Ofc. Ella French: Chicago street renamed in her honor: The street in front of the criminal courthouse will now be known as Honorary Officer Ella French Way. “The moment is not just about a street sign. It’s about a life of service, courage and deep compassion. ” Ella was just 29 years old when she was shot and killed in the line of duty on Aug. 7, 2021.

* Block Club | Chicago River Swim Returns For The First Time In Nearly A Century: The event — which was approved by the city after officials denied it a permit last year — takes place Sept. 21 and will feature 500 qualified swimmers navigating a one or two mile course through a stretch of the river Downtown, organizers announced Thursday. The event is set to begin at the Dearborn Street Bridge and end near the Clark Street Bridge, followed by a festival along the Riverwalk with events for Chicagoans of all ages. “The return of the Chicago River Swim marks a major victory for our city — a testament to decades of hard work revitalizing our river,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement.

* WGN | Thousands of rubber ducks race for a cause in the annual Chicago Ducky Derby downtown: Participants who purchased a duck for $10 looked on as the mass of rubber waterfowl made its way down the river and a handful of lucky donors whose ducks crossed the finish line first will be awarded one of three available prizes, including a Chevy Trailblazer, a $2,500 Cash Prize and tickets to the Cub’s W Club Chicago.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | County prosecutors’ union bid should get tossed out, judge finds: A decades-old Illinois Supreme Court decision bars Cook County prosecutors from unionizing, an administrative law judge for the state’s labor board found Wednesday. A bid from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 700 to represent nearly 700 assistant state’s attorneys should therefore get tossed out, the judge, Michelle N. Owen, found. “The petition is clearly inappropriate,” she wrote.

* Lake County News-Sun | Illinois Beach State Park-area officials reissue call for help; ‘We have people dying’: State Sen. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, who represents the area, said funding has been set aside to provide that support, but is tangled up in state bureaucracy, although she has meetings scheduled with decision-makers on the issue. Area fire departments, including Zion, Winthrop Harbor and Beach Park, say they’ve seen an increase in water-related calls since the completion of a $73 million beach restoration at Illinois Beach State Park. In June, the drowning of a 20-year-old reignited calls for federal or state financial assistance, which only got louder with the July drowning of a 14-year-old.

* Daily Southtown | Despite lawsuit settlements and drop in security detail, Dolton budget forecasts increased spending: Total revenue for the budget year — fiscal 2026 which will end April 30 — is projected to be $26.8 million compared with $24.2 million in last year’s budget, according to the proposal. Revenue from property taxes, sales taxes and other sources are expected to be $13.3 million in fiscal 2026 versus $12.5 million in fiscal 2025. Fiscal 2026 revenue includes a $2 million bond sale, part of which is used to pay for garbage collection.

* Tribune | Hollywood Joliet unveils new $185 million casino ahead of Monday opening: Pending final Gaming Board approval, the new $185 million Hollywood Casino Joliet is planning to open its doors Monday in the Rock Run Collection, a sprawling 310-acre mixed-use development taking shape next to the busy Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 interchange. The massive 189,000-square-foot casino complex features 1,000 slots, 43 table games, a new retail sportsbook, a 10,000-square-foot event center and celebrity chef restaurants, ushering in a new era of gaming in the southwest suburbs.

* Daily Herald | ‘Salesman of hope’: How former car salesman became director of Batavia workshop for disabled: Valley Sheltered Workshop has been a direct beneficiary. After he explained to his priest and wife about his desire to move on, a text soon came from the workshop board asking if he was interested in an executive director role they were creating. Divine intervention, one might say, made his answer of “yes” and eventual hiring seem natural. Nearly four years later, Saltijeral has kept the workshop at 325 Main St. moving forward for its 60th anniversary in May of 2026, but also is adding his vision for workshop participants to be able to do more in their lives.

*** Downstate ***

* Prison Writers | The Inside Story of East Moline Correctional Center: I knew the first day I arrived that this prison had serious health code issues. I noticed on the receiving wing that a lot of cells were boarded up and pad-locked. Upon further inquisition, I found out that there was an overwhelming presence of Black Mold in them, as well as in the showers. A lot of the incarcerated people were complaining of respiratory issues and other health concerns that they believed were linked to the mold. Mop buckets were placed strategically around the leaky wing to catch the falling water, massive puddles pooled on the floor in our living and recreational areas. I could not fathom how this had not been addressed, I soon found out that things were drastically worse.

* WTVO | Ogle, Lee County’s communities blindsided by sudden closure of newspapers: News Media Corporation has unexpectedly ceased operations, leaving several areas, including Ogle and Lee Counties, without access to local newspapers. The corporation cited financial challenges, significant economic downturn in the industry, revenue losses and increased expenses as just some of the reasons for its closure, according to a press release.

* BND | Fatal helicopter crash on Mississippi River kills two Ameren contractors: It was a Hughes 369D, which is a type of light utility helicopter, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB confirmed that it is investigating the crash in a Thursday afternoon statement. St. Louis media reported that the helicopter was being used to transport crews performing work on the power lines. They were contractors for Ameren who were repairing and replacing tower lighting and marker balls, which make the wires visible to aircraft pilots.

* WGEM | Quincy Spirit Halloween reopens for the season: Quincy’s Spirit Halloween reopened this week in preparation for spooky season. The Quincy location opened on Wednesday along with over a hundred other Spirit Halloween locations across the country.

* WSIL | Businesses in Carbondale are ready for SIU Students to return: Project Human X, which is a community art center, studio & gallery, is one of the businesses ready to welcome back students. They are located right down the street from SIU on South University Avenue. Marquez Scoggin is one of the co-founders of PHX and an alumnus of SIU. He says they get a lot of business during the school year from students stopping by to make art and meet new people. “When they get done with class, they can come here and de-stress and make some art, connect with new people, and make new friends,” Scoggin said.

*** National ***

* AP | EPA cancels $7 billion Biden-era grant program to boost solar energy: The funding, part of the Biden-era’s Solar for All program, was awarded to 60 recipients including states, tribes and regions for investments such as rooftop solar and community solar gardens. Solar, a renewable energy, is widely regarded as a way to introduce cleaner power onto the electrical grid and lower energy bills for American consumers.

* AP | Judge orders temporary halt to construction at Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center: The facility was quickly built two months ago at a lightly used, single-runway training airport and can hold up to 3,000 detainees in temporary tent structures. The site was continuing to be built out, but the order by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams temporarily bars the installation of any new industrial-style lighting, as well as any paving, filling, excavating or fencing. The order also prohibits any other site expansion, including placing or erecting any additional buildings, tents, dormitories or other residential or administrative facilities.