* ICYMI: Democratic Senate candidates jockey for Durbin’s seat on Governor’s Day at state fair. Sun-Times…

-The spotlight, a whole seven months ahead of the Democratic primary, came on Governor’s Day activities in Springfield, as Democrats collectively vowed to fight President Donald Trump and to fight for middle class priorities.
-All three candidates have said they’ve spoken to Durbin about an endorsement, but it’s unclear whether the senator will choose a side in a competitive race that is also becoming one of the most expensive in the country.
- The candidates so far have focused on identifying themselves to voters in their campaigns, and not on attacking each other.

* Related stories…

∙ CNI: Jeffries says working-class focus is key to Democrats retaking U.S. House
∙ Tribune: At Illinois State Fair, Democrats celebrate state as a leader of the Trump resistance
∙ CNI: Illinois Dems say state should be blueprint in national fight against Trump

* At 10:30 am, governor Pritzker will sign a package of worker rights bills. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Daily Herald | ‘We signed up for this’: Texas Democrats in Illinois vow to continue fight against GOP redistricting: Asked if the group would fly back this weekend after the session ends Friday, state Rep. Donna Howard said at a Planned Parenthood of Illinois event Wednesday in Chicago that “there’s no plan at this point, we’re watching day by day what goes on.”

* Democracy Docket | Illinois Judge Rules Against Arresting Quorum-Breaking Texas Lawmakers: Illinois Judge Scott Larson determined the court did not have the power to initiate contempt proceedings against Texas Democrats, saying Paxton’s emergency motion and petition “do not cite any authority to allow this court to obtain subject matter jurisdiction to initiate the requested contempt proceedings.”

* Sun-Times | ‘Fair play:’ Democratic Senate candidates jockey for Durbin’s seat on Governor’s Day at state fair: All three major Senate Democratic candidates have said they’ve spoken to Durbin about an endorsement, but it’s unclear whether the senator will choose a side in a competitive race that is also becoming one of the most expensive in the country.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Subscribers know more. Sun-Times | Illinois Dem leaders Welch, Harmon eye same state central committee post: “I don’t think there’s a fissure,” Welch told the Sun-Times as he mingled among supporters before a Governor’s Day rally on the Springfield state fairgrounds. “He’s circulated for it in the past. He’s been in that district before. Before the [2021 congressional district] remap, I was in the 4th Congressional, now I’m in the 7th Congressional. It’s something I had never thought about, but the congressman himself [Davis] said it was something I should at least look at.”

* WHBF | Illinois State Police to increase efforts to stop human trafficking: According to a release from ISP, the move comes with the signing of the Illinois Statewide Trauma-Informed Response to Human Trafficking Act (SB2323). “As Illinois continues to enhance its strategies to combat human trafficking, it’s crucial that we ensure survivors — no matter who they are or where they live — have access to the resources they need,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “This vital legislation marks a coordinated, multi-agency effort to better identify, protect, and support our most vulnerable, making Illinois a safer place for everyone.”

* ABC Chicago | ‘Don’t have 6 months to wait’: Veteran says squatters took over home, but new law not yet in effect: “I just feel totally violated,” Army veteran Bradford Robinson said. “I really have no words for it. I’m an emotional wreck.” This time, an Army veteran says his South Side home is the latest target. Robinson says his realtor came by his property last month to show a prospective buyer the house, but when they arrived, the lockbox had been broken and the locks were changed. […] “The young lady in the house showed them a bogus lease,” Robinson said. “With that being said, with the lease, the police said there’s nothing that they could do… the police actually asked me to have you come out to do a report because you seem to have a little bit more pull in getting things done.”

* Center Square | Governor suggests ending nuclear ban as lawmaker files pro-nuclear bill: When asked about high energy costs at the Illinois State Fair Wednesday, the governor said Illinois could do something important by lifting the decades-old moratorium. “We already got rid of it on small modular nuclear. We can do that on large nuclear. It’s going to be an important part of a transition to renewable energy everywhere,” Pritzker said.

* WICS | Governor Pritzker buys Grand Champion Steer for $105K at Illinois State Fair: For the sixth consecutive year, Governor JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker purchased the Grand Champion Steer for $105,000, donating the prize-winning animal to Feeding Illinois to support families in need across the state. […] Proceeds from the sale assist exhibitors in funding their college education or investing in future projects. Generous contributions, such as CME Group’s $50,000 gift, provide $5,000 scholarships to the next generation of agriculture leaders.

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | CPS budget plan hedges on city pension payment, but some board members are insisting it be paid: Chicago Public School leaders on Wednesday presented a budget proposal, wiping away a $734 million deficit by a combination of mechanisms: cuts to operations and central office, refinancing debt, using $65 million from a reserve fund, counting a philanthropic donation in the budget and expecting $379 million from the city from a TIF surplus. […] Jitu Brown said he and other school board members will not vote for a budget in which the pension payment is not guaranteed. Brown, an elected member, is part of the majority of the board that is aligned with Mayor Brandon Johnson, who appointed 11 of the 21.

* Sun-Times | CPS to cut Safe Passage workers’ hours in budget crunch: Safe Passage workers who supervise Chicago Public Schools students as they walk to and from school will see their hours cut this year amid a budget crunch. Ronan Shableski, interim chief of safety and security at CPS, told Board of Education members at a meeting Wednesday that the program’s budget is being reduced, but the schedule changes will help ensure coverage to all 191 schools with Safe Passage routes. Workers will be on the streets for 30 fewer minutes in the mornings and afternoons — an hour less every day.

* Sun-Times | Chicago aims to have largest number of air-pollution monitors in the U.S.: The plan is to have the monitors up by the end of summer as city officials try to get a handle on the poor air quality that severely affects the polluted Far South Side, Southwest Side and West Side neighborhoods. The sensors will not be used to enforce pollution violations, however. Their use is intended to help shape city planning and practices around industrial development, planning, zoning and land use and establish public health safeguards to mitigate the pollution.

* Injustice Watch | How A Rogue Laboratory Got People Convicted For Driving High: It would take more than six years for Thompson to be exonerated, along with more than a dozen other DuPage County defendants who had been convicted of low-level DUI-cannabis charges with the help of Bash’s lab work and testimony. By then, Bash would resign and UIC would shut down her lab right as an accrediting agency’s audit uncovered a range of unacceptable problems in its operations. Prosecutors’ offices in some of the 17 counties for which the lab provided testing would also issue disclosures to defendants about Bash’s “inaccurate and unqualified testimony.”

* Crain’s | Chicago Fed chief says upcoming policy meetings will be ‘live’: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said the central bank’s meetings this fall will be “live” as he and his colleagues try to interpret mixed economic data and how best to adjust interest rates in response. “As we go into the fall, these are going to be some live meetings and we’re going to have to figure it out,” Goolsbee said Wednesday at an event in Springfield, Illinois, referencing a word often used to describe a Fed meeting where it’s unknown beforehand how policymakers will vote.

* Crain’s | Lawsuit alleges Lettuce Entertain You staged a ‘corporate coup’: Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and co-founder Rich Melman are facing a lawsuit that alleges the restaurant group pushed a longtime business partner out of equity in one of its concepts, the Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab chain, in what the suit calls a “corporate coup.” The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court on Friday, alleges Lettuce Entertain You and Melman fraudulently transferred ownership from business partner Gerard Centioli and Icon, a company formed by Centioli and Melman in 1999 to expand restaurants like Joe’s Stone Crab, in a “fake sale.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* 404 Media | Feds Used Local Cop’s Password to Do Immigration Surveillance With Flock Cameras: Our reporting set off an internal investigation into what these searches were for, and who did them, according to the documents obtained by Unraveled. According to a July 9 investigation report written by the Palos Heights Police Department, Hutchinson was the only task force member who had access to Flock. Information about what the search was actually for is redacted in the internal investigation, and neither the Palos Heights Police Department nor the DEA has said what it was for. “Hutchinson advised that it was common that he allowed others to use his login to Flock during the course of their drug investigations. TFO Hutchinson spoke to his group and learned that one of the DEA agents completed these searches and used his login information,” the report says. The DEA agent (whose name is redacted in the report) “did in fact use Hutchinson’s login for federal investigations in late January 2025 without Hutchinson’s knowledge of said use.”

* Daily Southtown Judge rejects early eviction plan for Blue Island mobile home residents: Blue Island City Administrator Thomas Wogan said in an email that “the matter before the court today regarding how the property is vacated and the mobile home park operations are ceased is primarily a matter between the owners of Forest View and the remaining residents.” “As previously stated, the City strongly urges the Forest View owners to take responsibility for this situation and work to rehome the remaining residents,” Wogan said.

* Lake County News-Sun | Lake County officials discuss the challenges of public transportation during town hall meeting: Johnson, Vallivalam, state Sen. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, and Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, D-Lake Bluff, presented their ideas on the future of public transportation in the Chicago area at a town hall on Monday in Vernon Hills to gather ideas and urge support. With $200 million earmarked for downstate Illinois, Vallivalam said the rest of the money will be spent on public transportation in Chicago, suburban Cook County, and collar counties Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, and Will counties.

* Naperville Sun | Naperville D203 teachers ready to strike if contract talks remain stalled, officials say: Ross Berkley, president of the Naperville Unit Education Association, which represents more than 1,500 teachers and licensed staff for nearly 16,000 district students, said in a statement that a strike is the last thing teachers want to do. “We’d much rather be in our classrooms with our students than out on the picket line,” Berkley said. “But we’re also willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure our students have the best education possible. If we do go on strike, we also want to reassure parents and our community that we will give plenty of notice before so arrangements for childcare can be made.”

* Aurora Beacon-News | St. Charles City Council rejects contract extension with coal-reliant electricity provider: On Monday, the City Council voted against renewing the contract at a special meeting of its Government Services Committee on Monday evening, meaning the matter will not advance to the City Council meeting next week for a vote. The Government Services Committee is a committee of the whole, meaning all City Council members sit on the panel. St. Charles is one of 32 municipalities across Illinois that are part of IMEA, a nonprofit joint action agency that sells electric power to municipally-owned utilities, per its website. The city began purchasing partial electric power for its electric utility with IMEA in 1999, and entered into its current contract to get all of its electric power from IMEA in 2004, according to past reporting.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Emergency repair work happening Thursday at CyrusOne data center in Aurora after weather delays: But, on Monday, CyrusOne said the repairs scheduled for Tuesday had to be delayed for safety reasons as a result of weather changes, a move it announced via its web page dedicated to communicating with residents about sound issues from the facility, which is located at the corner of Eola and Diehl roads on Aurora’s far East Side near Interstate 88. The rescheduled repairs are now planned from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | ADM could resume CO2 injections soon in Decatur after EPA issues final order: The EPA added that its final order will ensure future injections are safe. Some of ADM’s compliance measures include implementing certain parts of the permit’s emergency and remedial response plan for a failure of monitoring well integrity. An ADM spokesperson said the company recently entered into an updated Administrative Order of Consent with the EPA.

* WQAD | Homeless shelters in the Quad Cities running out of room: In total, there’s only 224 shelter beds throughout the Quad Cities. That’s while there are 488 people experiencing homelessness in the Illinois Quad Cities. This past winter, Project NOW used their building at 418 10th St. in Rock Island as an emergency overflow during especially frigid nights. Throughout a 90 day period, they say 180 different people used their shelter, with 2,214 shelter nights provided.

* SJ-R | Harness racing horse dies in catastrophic accident at Illinois State Fair: Gardner told The State Journal-Register the filly might have been spooked by one of the carnival rides. “Once they lose their driver, they’re just a wild horse, a loose horse,” said Gardner, a veteran horseman who brought 11 horses to Springfield from southern Illinois for the State Fair.

* WGLT | Central Illinois nonprofits meet, explore benefits of partnerships: In these times of economic uncertainty, nonprofits may find leaning on each other is a source of strength and sustainability, said Erik Rankin, who heads the foundation. “Dwindling budgets, smaller staff sizes and still then the request to do the same things you’ve always done. … there’s a real challenge in that,” he said, adding cross-group collaborations are a way for nonprofits to ask, “Is there a way for us to tackle this same problem together?”

* WGLT | Rock City Democrat travels to Bloomington-Normal and beyond in bid for state position from 16th Congressional District: Kevin Lamm of Rock City is seeking a state party position as the Democratic state central committeeman for Illinois’ 16th Congressional District. The seat is currently held by John Daniel, who is not seeking re-election. Each congressional district in the state has two central committeemen, who work as the governing body of the state party. The 34 members elect the executive director and chair of the state party.

* WGLT | 16th Congressional District candidate Scott Best runs as outsider, even from other Democrats : Scott Best of Normal is a worker at Rivian. He’s running in the 2026 election as an outsider, even from fellow Democrats. “It’s the people versus the corporate captured political establishment,” said Best. He said Gov. JB Pritzker has done a lot good for the state, but takes him to task for not doing more for workers.

* WCIA | 400 immigrants become citizens at IL State Fair naturalization ceremony: “It takes dedication, resilience and courage. Many of you balance jobs, families and countless responsibilities while preparing for this moment,” Senator Tammy Duckworth said as she addressed the crowd. Along with Duckworth the crowd was cheered on by Governor Pritzker, Representative Nikki Budzinski, and Senator Dick Durbin.

* Telegraph | Governor JB Pritzker visits Grafton’s military memorial, weighs state aid: According to Morrow, Grafton has already been accepting private donations from veterans and Grafton citizens, starting the campaign in October 2023. The city has collected around $3 million to complete Phase 1 of the memorial. The estimated cost to complete Phase 1 is around $2.5 to $3 million, although Morrow said that he expects that cost to fluctuate.

*** National ***

* WaPo | After CDC shooting, its employees turn their anger to RFK Jr. and Trump: Documents from the shooter’s home showed his discontent with coronavirus vaccines, authorities said. CDC workers want RFK Jr. to denounce vaccine misinformation.

* WIRED | War of the Worlds Isn’t Just Bad. It’s Also Shameless Tech Propaganda: The shameless promotion of tech brands doesn’t end there. Radford’s daughter, Faith, a Georgetown-educated biochemist, somehow has the bright idea of removing a large chunk of debris from her leg—causing near-fatal bleeding. Thankfully, Mark Goodman, her Amazon delivery driver boyfriend, is able to make a tourniquet out of packaging tape because, according to him, he’s a “pro.” Even minor characters get caught up in the Amazon Savior motif. When the world-saving Amazon Prime Air drone overturns on the way to the DHS building, a houseless person only helps to fix it after being rewarded with a $1,000 Amazon gift card.