* ICYMI: Gov. Pritzker ‘glad’ Trump shifting focus from sending National Guard to Chicago: ‘We don’t need them’. Sun-Times…

- Trump on Tuesday night told reporters that he would focus on sending the guard to another city and said he is working with a governor “who would love us to be there.” The president has yet to announce which city he was referencing.
- “I’m not convinced that we’re not going to see military troops on the ground,” Pritzker said at a Chicago press briefing on Wednesday. “We don’t know. I mean, I wish the president would again recognize that military troops in American cities are something that just doesn’t belong. And he should not be ordering them into American cities.”
- But the governor emphasized that a president-led military presence in the city is still a possibility, and more U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid activity is likely on the way.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Timothy Evans out as Cook County chief judge after 24 years: Beach, the newly elected Cook County’s Circuit Court chief judge, received 144 votes to Evans’ 109, or about 57% of the votes cast by circuit judges; one ballot was “spoiled,” the spokesperson said. Beach will serve a three-year term starting Dec. 1.

* Capitol News Illinois | Under emergency rule, Illinois prisons begin withholding physical mail: Under the rule that went into effect Aug. 14, IDOC will electronically scan mail and provide a digital copy or paper copy to an incarcerated person. The rule also specifies that books, magazines and other publications can only come through the prison’s mailroom from the publisher. After a series of incidents last fall that left dozens of correctional personnel hospitalized after exposure to substances or overdoses in the prison population, IDOC introduced the rule under pressure from Republicans and the prison workers’ union.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Daily Herald | ‘We represent the entire state:’ Del Mar joins Bailey on GOP governor’s ticket: Conservative farmer Bailey from downstate Xenia, who contested Gov. JB Pritzker in 2022, will head the ticket. Del Mar will take another shot at lieutenant governor, the Palatine resident confirmed Wednesday. “I bring a deep understanding of what matters most to voters in Chicago and the suburbs, while Darren brings the perspective and values of southern and central Illinois,” said Del Mar, the Cook County GOP Chair and Palatine Township’s highway commissioner. “Together, we represent the entire state.”

* NPR | Why Gov. Pritzker says Trump’s threats to Chicago make him worry about 2026 elections: The Court, without explanation, overturned a lower court ruling that found immigration agents engaged in racial profiling on the streets of Los Angeles. One of the justices in the Court’s conservative majority, Brett Kavanaugh, argued that it was reasonable to question people who worked at construction sites or spoke English poorly. “You think they’re questioning them? Because that’s not what any of us are seeing in any of the bystander videos that have been made. People are being grabbed,” Pritzker said. “You shouldn’t have to walk around with papers the way that they did in the early days of Nazi Germany to prove that you belong and that you’re not one of them. And that is essentially the kind of country that we’re becoming.”

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Plea deal ends career of Chicago police officer who struck 14-year-old student: Craig Lancaster, 56, was placed on 18 months’ supervision and ordered to undergo eight hours of anger management as part of a plea deal in which prosecutors reduced the original felony charge of aggravated battery to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Lancaster also agreed to voluntarily decertify as a police officer, ending his nearly 30 years of service to the Chicago Police Department. He was indicted in late 2023 after the Tribune published a video that showed Lancaster striking 14-year-old JaQuwaun Williams near his throat as the boy walked into Gresham Elementary School that May.

* Block Club | South Siders Demand Jobs Under South Works Quantum Campus Community Benefits Agreement: Coalition members announced the latest community benefits agreement proposal, which features employment, environmental and anti-displacement measures, during a town hall Tuesday at the Salud Center, 3039 E. 91st St. in South Chicago. The proposal aims to “make sure that our voices are heard, our concerns are addressed and our requirements are met,” Renee Nowlin, a member of the KECS Block Club Association in the 7th Ward, said during Tuesday’s town hall.

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago Public Schools wants to tighten up employees’ use of paid time off: The Chicago Board of Education is considering tightening up paid time off policies for CPS employees, including requiring more notice for taking off for religious holidays and adding explicit language that says CPS can fire employees who misuse sick days. The district also proposed changes to bring its sick leave policies for non-union employees into alignment with new City of Chicago policies. CPS is proposing the changes for approval at its board meeting on Sept. 25.

* Sun-Times | Chicago pedestrian ways violate ADA requirements, lawsuit alleges: The lawsuit claims the city is riddled with “deteriorated, cracked, crumbling, sunken, uplifted, uneven,” sidewalks, crosswalks, curb ramps and other pedestrian passages. It specifically alleges that the city is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark law enacted in 1990 that requires cities to ensure people living with mobility disabilities have equal access to public ways and buildings. It also alleges the city is violating Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination based on disability.

* Sun-Times | Lot full of apparently legally parked cars towed during Bears game: ‘I couldn’t believe it’: On Wednesday, Matty received a message from SpotHero apologizing for their “egregious mistake.” The message said they were “happy to add $250 credit” to her SpotHero account. Additionally, they said they would refund the cost of her SpotHero reservation, and be reimbursed for the tow costs. Fans who parked in the lot booked their placement through parking app SpotHero and had no issues when it came to arriving at the lot, several of the affected drivers told the Chicago Sun-Times. Many had their spots reserved until 11:15 p.m. and arrived before the expiration time to find the lot empty.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Feds seize vape products from Bensenville warehouse: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, standing by a display of some of the items, said the materials were produced in China and “smuggled” into the United States, evading federal regulations regarding disclosing what chemicals are in the products. The seizure at Midwest Goods, also known as Midwest Distribution, was part of a national campaign carried out Wednesday in five states at distributors and stores. She said the sellers of vaping products target children, young adults and U.S. military personnel.

* Daily Herald | Cook Co. invests more than $1.5 million in suburban biking infrastructure: Cook County boosted biking to the tune of over $1.5 million when Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways recently announced Invest In Cook grants for five suburbs and the Forest Preserve District. Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Oak Park and Streamwood earned project construction funds while design funds were awarded to Niles and the forest preserve’s Des Plaines/Salt Creek Trail system. Nearly $8.3 million was granted for 32 transportation-related projects this year.

* Daily Southtown | Oak Lawn regulates use of e-scooters and e-bikes as popularity grows: The village voted 6-0 on Tuesday in favor of updating traffic code to define e-bikes and e-scooters and restrict riders’ ages, motor wattage and riding locations. “We’ve all experienced some type of incident involving the scooters throughout the village of Oak Lawn,” Mayor Terry Vorderer said Wednesday. He said his own recent experience included a close call with a child on a scooter riding alongside his vehicle in the dark. “Thank God I caught him out of the corner of my eye, because he had no wherewithal of what he was doing and I slammed on the brakes,” Vorderer said.

* Aurora Beacon-News | New hire in Aurora’s legal department sparks debate at City Council meeting: Aurora Mayor John Laesch has said the city is facing a nearly $30 million shortfall in the 2026 budget, which is currently being developed. One of the ways Laesch is working to bridge that gap is by putting in place what he has called a “hiring slushie,” as opposed to a full hiring freeze. That means the city is not hiring any new employees, even for currently-open positions or positions that become empty when an employee leaves, unless first approved by the mayor’s office, Laesch has said. Aurora’s Corporation Council Yordana Wysocki said at Tuesday’s meeting that she’s looking to bring in a new lawyer to deal with labor and employment matters, which the city currently contracts out at a cost of over $300,000 each year. The new part-time employee would instead cost the city around $164,000 each year, which includes both salary and benefits, according to numbers city staff shared at the meeting.

* Daily Herald | 9/11 remembered with fields of flags; World Trade Center survivor to speak in Naperville: Laura Murphy worked in the North Tower of the World Trade Center and descended 59 floors to escape. She is scheduled to speak Thursday evening during a ceremony at the Cmdr. Dan Shanower Sept. 11 Memorial along the Naperville Riverwalk. Shanower, a Naperville native and Naval intelligence officer, died at his post in the Pentagon. The memorial’s theme was inspired by an article written by Shanower.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora area events to mark anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks: In Aurora, a remembrance ceremony open to the public will be held beginning at 7:30 a.m. Thursday at Aurora Central Fire Station at 75 N. Broadway in downtown Aurora. Aurora Fire Chief Dave McCabe will speak, followed by the presentation of colors and the Pipes and Drums of the Aurora Police Department, city officials said. Aurora Mayor John Laesch will speak at the event, as will Aurora Police Chief Matt Thomas.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Peppers sought from local gardeners for community hot sauce to benefit Batavia food pantry: The local producer of well over 400 flavors of hot sauce launched the first collaborative effort back in 2023 with a sauce dubbed Fire on the Fox, which sold all of the roughly 250 bottles that were made and raised nearly $1,300 for the food pantry, Gindo’s officials said. Company officials said the name of last year’s sauce called Fire on the Fox Vol 2 Hot 2 Handle proved to be prophetic in some respects as some consumers did, in fact, find it a bit too fiery.

*** Downstate ***

* Crain’s | Northern Illinois University sees enrollment jump, cuts deficit: Northern Illinois University announced a bump in its fall enrollment, a good sign for a school working to eliminate a $31.8 million deficit it reported in fiscal year 2024. The school welcomed 2,435 new freshmen this fall, a 22% jump over last year and the second-largest freshman class since 2014. Overall enrollment is up to 16,078 students, a 4% increase compared to the previous year.

* WCIA | So far, so good: Danville High School’s new phone policy in its third week: The pouches — made by Yondr — are the same ones used at some concerts where artists don’t want the crowd videotaping or photographing their performance. They are locked by pushing a green pin at the top of the pouch and unlocked with a special magnet as students leave the building at the end of the day. […] “There’s been a market increase in student discussions, assignment turn in rates have already gone up,” Bretz said. “You will see a lot of students playing cards, uno, far more students are reading books in the cafeteria.”

* WGLT | Mayor Brady soothes zoning worries and calls for talks on shared sales tax: Brady said during a WGLT interview on Sound Ideas the text amendments are limited in scope and the report is not one size fits all. “This report is not aimed at or will be allowed to go into subdivisions and make significant changes that would hamper not only that subdivision, but would reduce property value and make something dangerous on the side of parking,” said Brady. “I also don’t see the report taking any foothold anywhere without additional council action.”

* WGLT | Green infrastructure could help reduce flooding and water pollution in Bloomington-Normal: In an effort to modernize wastewater and storm water treatment, the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District [BNWRD] and Illinois State University’s Center for a Sustainable Water Future are forming a partnership to bring green infrastructure directly to Twin City residents. “Storm water management comes from rainfall, where since we are in an urban environment, we have a lot of impervious surfaces where large amounts of rainfall can actually cause water to flow over the ground picking up contaminants, picking up just unwanted material,” said Tim Ervin, BNWRD’s executive director. […] Green infrastructure treats the water at its source, rather than traditional methods like gutters, pipes or tunnels. Common examples include rain gardens, bio swells, and different natural grasses and trees than what might be found in a yard already.

* WCIA | Champaign Co. United Way has a new CEO, but goals remain the same: The new CEO, Beverley Baker, said that she’s honored, humbled, and nervous, but overall really excited. Baker said that working in the non-profit sector has allowed her to fulfill her goals as a person, professional, and a mom, and she’s ready for this new role at United Way. Baker has worked there for eighteen years. She was previously serving as the Director of Community Impact and as a Chief Impact Officer. Her background is in early childhood education.

* WSIL | Sesser to host city-wide garage sale: The event will take place on both Friday and Saturday, with dozens of homes and locations participating throughout the city. Organizers are actively updating the list of locations to assist residents and visitors in finding all the places to shop. For additional information and a complete list of locations, visit here.

*** National ***

* NYT | Rise in U.S. Inflation Likely to Keep Fed Cautious on Pace of Rate Cuts: “Core” inflation, which the central bank tracks as a gauge of underlying inflation since it strips out volatile items like energy and food prices, steadied at 3.1 percent. The overall measure of inflation rose 0.4 percent for the month, slightly higher than economists had expected. The core measure rose 0.3 percent. The inflation data has been pivotal to the Fed’s debate about not only when it should lower interest rates again after a long pause but also the speed at which the central bank moves once that process kicks off.

* AP | Income inequality dipped and fewer people moved, according to largest survey of US life: These year-to-year changes, big and small, from 2023 to 2024 were captured in the bureau’s data from the American Community Survey, the largest annual audit of American life. The survey of 3.5 million households asks about more than 40 topics, including income, housing costs, veterans status, computer use, commuting, and education.