* Governor Pritzker was asked today whether he’s financially supporting the Texas Democrats in Illinois…

Pritzker: I know that you’re all interested in whether I’m writing checks… Let me be clear, I have stood with the Texas House Democrats. We have been in consultation for weeks and weeks. This possibility was always something that we feared. And I made it clear to them that we do everything that we could logistically and otherwise to try to support them.

I have not written a check or supported them financially, though I am not reticent to do that, but I have not done that. But lots and lots of people around the country have.

* Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson walked back a comment he made yesterday…

Transcript…

I’m glad that folks are standing up to authoritarianism and standing up to the tyrannical style of government that this president has put forward. In fact, I’m grateful that this governor is demonstrating leadership in this moment.

* The Illinois Gaming Board…

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) adopted new rules that expand existing restrictions on advertising, marketing and promotions for licensed casino, video gaming, and sports wagering operators including a ban on advertising on college campuses and new requirements to protect the public, especially young people and problem gamblers. […]

While previous IGB rules placed restrictions on advertising and promotional content which included prohibitions against false or misleading claims and other restrictions, the new rules go farther to ensure advertisements are not placed in locations where they are likely to be seen by underage or vulnerable populations. The expanded rules also require operators to maintain advertising records and include prominent, responsible gaming messages in advertising, marketing and promotions. […]

The rules feature requirements for Illinois operators including:

- Prohibition from having advertisements or promotions published, aired, broadcast, displayed, or distributed on any college or university campus, or college or university media outlets such as college or university newspapers and radio or television broadcasts, or any sports venues used primarily for college and university events.
- Prohibition from depicting college or university students, colleges or universities, or college or university settings.
- Retention of copies of all advertising and marketing materials including a log of when and how those materials have been published, aired, displayed, or distributed.
- Allowing patrons the option to unsubscribe or opt out of advertising, marketing or promotional materials. Additionally, operators should comply with any patron request to unsubscribe or opt out of receiving materials as soon as practicable.
- Prohibition on entering into agreements with third parties to conduct advertising or marketing on behalf of, or to the benefit of, the Illinois operator when compensation is dependent upon, or related to, the volume or outcome of wagers.
- Include problem gambling text as determined by the Illinois Department of Human Services in all advertising and marketing materials.

* Former State Rep. Dan Caulkins is running for Macon County Board. Press Release…

Former State Representative Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) is formally announcing his candidacy for the 2-year term on the Macon County Board in District 2.

“The Macon County Board is ground zero for the proposed rapid growth of solar generator fields as well as the possible siting of a data center,” Caulkins said. “My experience serving on both the Energy and Public Utilities committees as a State Representative will be helpful as we navigate these issues.”

Caulkins brings a strong record of public service, having served 4 years on the Decatur City Council and 6 years as a State Representative. He is a small business owner.

As a State Legislator, Caulkins opposed measures in Springfield stripping county governments of local control of wind and solar farms. He fought for property tax reforms and opposed tax increases.

“I have always stood up for taxpayers,” Caulkins said. “As a fiscal conservative and defendant of our Constitutional rights, I will always be an advocate for common-sense policies that prioritize taxpayers, and I am looking forward to continuing to serve as a member of the County Board.”

* Capitol News Illinois | Billions in profits, millions in unpaid claims: Medicaid insurers leave Illinois providers struggling, patients losing care: The five MCOs currently overseeing Illinois’ Medicaid system were awarded state contracts in 2018. The state will soon begin accepting proposals for new contracts, set to take effect Jan 1, 2027. For providers like Stone, the upcoming shake-up raises urgent questions: Will the next round of contracts fix the system’s failures? Or will the same issues persist, leaving providers — and their patients — fighting for care? For now, Stone refuses to turn patients away. “We weren’t going to make them suffer,” she said. “I’m gonna fight.”

* John Curran | Illinois Democrats’ delivery tax is a short-term cash grab paid by those who can least afford it: Data from Colorado, the only state that has enacted a broad delivery tax — 28 cents per motor vehicle order, a far cry from Illinois’ $1.50 — validates their concerns. A survey of Colorado residents highlighted the tax’s disproportionate impact on people with disabilities and low-income households. The share of the tax relative to income was over four times higher for households earning less than $25,000 per year compared with those earning $200,000 or more. The tax increased take-out prices across the board, leading to more than hundreds of thousands of fewer delivery orders, millions in lost revenue for local businesses, and revenue and job losses for restaurant and delivery workers. The increased prices and reduced sales are especially burdensome for small businesses that already operate on razor-thin margins.

* WAND | New law will allow Illinois municipalities, fire districts to charge lift assist fees for congregate care facilities: Every Illinois municipality and fire protection district will soon have the ability to charge fees for lift assist services to help deter non-emergency lift assist calls and recover associated costs. Many home rule governments already charge people fees when first responders are called to help lift someone, but other communities have struggled with the cost.

* Shaw Local | Measure led by State Sen. Joyce that expands hunting permits to landowners signed into law: House Bill 2340 allows landowner deer, turkey and hunting permits to be issued without charge to Illinois landowners who own at least 20 acres in a county where there are positively identified chronic wasting disease cases in the deer herd, resident tenants of at least 20 acres of commercial agricultural land where they will hunt or an owner, shareholder or partner of a business that owns at least 20 acres of land.

* NPR Illinois | Behind the headlines with the reporter covering Illinois’ most powerful stories: Hannah Meisel is the Statehouse and Chicago Reporter at Capitol News Illinois. She is a graduate of the UIS Public Affairs Reporting program and previously worked at NPR Illinois as the Statehouse Editor. She spoke with Community Voices about her journey through journalism, her approach to reporting on government and politics, and her experience covering the Michael Madigan trial. She also shared thoughts on how reporters can improve their coverage and discussed the future of citizen journalism.

* Mayor Brandon Johnson’s senior advisor Jason Lee has been a City of Chicago employee since May 2023, but cast a Texas ballot in the 2024 November election…

* Block Club Chicago | Mayor Says COPA Should Investigate If Police Assisted ICE With Immigration Raid: The Mayor’s Office has now said that agency should be the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the Police Department watchdog that investigates police violence and misconduct. The office conducted an internal review to make that determination, releasing the results to Block Club Monday. The controversy stems from a June 4 raid in which federal agents detained at least 10 people who had been told to check in to a monitoring program at 2245 S. Michigan Ave., officials and immigrant advocacy groups said. A crowd gathered, with people protesting the detainments and trying to protect immigrants, and Chicago police arrived.

* Block Club Chicago | Logan Square’s Massive Milwaukee Avenue Traffic Overhaul Project Is Halfway Over: “I know overall this project was almost over a decade coming, from concept all the way to delivery, but the end is near,” said Omer A. Rehman, vice president at Engineering Services Group Engineering Services Group, which is working on the Milwaukee Avenue Streetscape Project under the Chicago Department of Transportation. “So about a year from now, we’ll be gone, the cones will be gone, there will be no traffic, no dust, none of that. But we need another year.”

* Block Club | The Payoff Of Investment In Pullman: $1.5 Billion In Economic Impact, Study Finds: Research firm Anderson Economic Group analyzed population, socioeconomic, housing, employment and occupation data from 2010-2023 to see how the Far South Side community benefited from the nonprofit’s work. Researchers estimated the net economic impact of the Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives’ development to be nearly $1.5 billion, with 47 percent of those investments staying in Pullman. The study also found that the nonprofit’s investments created over 7,800 jobs, with 4,571 in Pullman, and helped boost the number of Pullman residents earning degrees in higher education.

* WBEZ | Lidiya Yankovskaya, formerly of Chicago Opera Theater, joins growing list of classical musicians leaving U.S.: Among the ranks of classical musicians leaving the United States, there will soon be another name: Lidiya Yankovskaya, the former Chicago Opera Theater music director who is a familiar presence on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra podium. Around the time Yankovskaya conducts the CSO and violinist Ray Chen at Ravinia on Saturday — her debut at the prestigious summer festival — her things will be halfway across the Atlantic, en route to London, where Yankovskaya is moving with her family.

* The Triibe | Review: Some lyrics and songs hit different when the crowd is mostly white: For example, on Saturday, notable rapper BossMan Dlow used the N-word repeatedly during his afternoon set on the Lakeshore stage. I was happy to see him perform; his songs “Phil Jackson” and “Finesse” are in my regular rotation. But his set reminded me of Bernarr’s courageous and socially-aware choice to take the N-word out of his set. It was an eerie feeling watching an artist repeatedly say the N-word while I stood in a crowd of young white boys who proudly slung around the N-word while reciting the lyrics.

* Daily Herald | Batavia data center gets nod as residents worry about it ‘gobbling up’ energy reserves: Because the data center’s water usage will vary greatly depending on the type of cooling systems employed, the water utility access was removed from the agreement, to be negotiated further and approved in a separate master service agreement. Once a service agreement for water is approved, the development will go on to the design review phase for permitting of construction plans for the facility. […] “This data center is gobbling up the Batavia’s substation reserve margin,” Russo said. “It isn’t a question of whether the substation will need to be upgraded. … The question is when will we need it. This data center will need to pay its share of that cost.” City Administrator Laura Newman said the city has incorporated penalties in past agreements when making an up-front investment, but considering developers will be funding the improvements and $500 million in the building, they are not likely to terminate operations.

* Shaw Local | Joliet to partner with Pace on VanGo program: The city of Joliet plans to make Gateway Center parking spaces available for the Pace VanGo program. VanGo provides vehicles at bus stations that allow public transit riders to travel the extra distance to get to work after taking the bus to a depot.

* NBC Chicago | The Illinois Tollway plans to explore dynamic pricing. Here’s what it could mean for drivers: The tollway’s 20-year strategic plan, which was approved by its board of directors late last month, includes a directive to explore what’s referred to as dynamic pricing. Under this pricing method, which is also called congestion pricing, tolls are continually adjusted according to traffic conditions to maintain a free-flowing level of traffic, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

* Daily Herald | After nearly seven decades in Arlington Heights, Persin & Robbin moves to Deer Park: Founded in 1958 by Irv Robbin and Ben Persin, the shop began as a small storefront operation in downtown Arlington Heights.“I love Arlington Heights, and I love the village. They were wonderful to me and my family for 67 years,” Robbin said. However, the new store at 783 W. Lake-Cook Road, which is nearly double the 4,800 square feet of the old one, demands his full attention.

* WGLT | League of Women Voters to study McLean County election authorities: Elections in McLean County are administered by two separate entities, depending on where a voter lives. Most ballots are administered and counted by the McLean County clerk’s office. Those living within Bloomington city limits have their own election authority: the Bloomington Election Commission. In a statement, the League said this structure creates “known voter and candidate confusion.” They plan to interview experts and stakeholders, reporting their findings at their January 2026 membership meeting.

* WGLT | ISU to digest U.S. attorney general’s message on unlawful DEI: In an email to the ISU campus Friday, University President Aondover Tarhule said university lawyers and the Institutional Resiliency Steering Team are working to digest and understand the obligations the memo lays out and ensure compliance while respecting ISU’s core values. “I recognize the anxiety and confusion some of you may be feeling about the impact of the changing federal landscape on higher education,” said Tarhule. “I suggest that we view this as an opportunity to strengthen our resiliency as an institution.”

* Capitol City Now | City vacancies as communications director, planner join state: Two high-profile city employees, the communications director and the planner, have departed the Municipal Building. […] Sources say both Pritchard and Williams have taken jobs in Illinois state government. In a text message Sunday evening, the mayor said of Williams, “She took a position that is a step up for her from the city. She has asked me to not tell where until her start date of Aug 11, and I told her I would honor her request.”

* The Telegraph | Steel arrives for $500 million Wieland brass mill project in East Alton: The German-based company operates the former Olin Brass Mill. The new $500 million structure is being built on the front portion of the plant’s property and is expected to create 80 new permanent jobs after it is built.

* WCIA | Emails show 5-hour delay in notification of Mattoon’s ‘do not drink’ order; city says why: The emails showed that the City of Mattoon got back positive test results just after 4 p.m. — around five hours before they issued the second order. WCIA talked to City Manager Kyle Gill to see why it took this long to be shared. “When we got that at 4:07 p.m., we had a meeting put together,” said Gill, “It did not say ‘issue the do not drink order’ in that email,” Gill said. “But we got together, we started talking. We had some questions.” This included questions like, “Could this be a wrong measurement?” And whether they needed to reinstate the order.

* WAND | What to know about the new security measures at the Illinois State Fair: New this year are metal detectors and bag checks at all Grandstand entrances. No backpacks, duffle bags or bags/purses larger than 14″x8″ are allowed into the Grandstand.

* Journal Courier | Bessie the Lumberjack can’t quite carve out mini butter cow contest win: “Bessie the Lumberjack” was on a roll, but couldn’t carve out another first-place finish for Pam Martin of Alexander in the Illinois Times’ annual Miniature Butter Cow Contest. The contest, started after the pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 Illinois State Fair, asks people to create miniature butter cow sculptures to be displayed in the Illinois State Fair’s Dairy Building, just across the viewing area from the fair’s official — and much larger — butter cow sculpture.

* CNN | Texas House again fails to move forward on redistricting after Democrats flee state: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he would seek court rulings against state House Democrats who fled the state and don’t return by Friday, “ensuring that their seats are declared vacant.” “Any lawmaker who has not been arrested and returned or fails to appear by the Speaker’s deadline will be subject to aggressive legal action by Attorney General Paxton,” according to the statement from the attorney general.

* Reuters | Trump administration formally axes Elon Musk’s ‘five things’ email: While many federal agencies had already phased out compliance with the weekly email, the move signals the Trump administration is turning the page on one of Musk’s most unpopular initiatives following a falling out between the two men in early June.