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The coming hit to hospitals

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. An excerpt from today’s Capitol News Illinois story about pending Medicaid cuts

Like many states, Illinois levies special taxes on certain health care providers, including hospitals. The money those taxes generate is used to draw down additional federal matching funds, then is paid back to the providers in the form of directed payments to increase their overall reimbursement rate and to reward them if they meet certain performance or quality standards.

Currently, IHA estimates the hospital tax generates about $2 billion a year in revenue. This past session, lawmakers passed a bill to increase the assessment in order to fund a 54% increase in hospital payments, subject to federal approval of the state’s plan. But state lawmakers passed that bill before Congress passed Trump’s domestic policy bill, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

Prior to passage of the new federal law, the tax rate states could levy was effectively capped at 6% of a hospital’s net patient revenue. But under the new law, for states like Illinois that expanded Medicaid under the ACA, that cap will gradually be lowered by half a percentage point each year starting in 2028 until it reaches 3.5% in 2032.

In addition, Wilhelmi said, the new law imposes a cap on the directed payments that expansion states like Illinois can send to hospitals so that the total does not exceed the maximum allowed under Medicare – the federal health insurance program for seniors, which has a lower reimbursement rate than Medicaid.

“And that will result in a significant reduction in Medicaid reimbursements for hospitals,” Wilhelmi said. “It means literally hundreds of millions of dollars in less reimbursement to hospitals.”

It’s a ways off, so there’s time to plan, or for the hospitals to change the federal law. Also, remember, those two items are part of a much broader Medicaid reduction package.

* Again, keep in mind that the Medicaid cuts are almost all backloaded. From the Sun-Times last week

“The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is also warning that the Medicaid cuts could force the closure or severe service reductions at nine rural hospitals, affecting over 500 inpatient beds and jeopardizing care for 54,000 rural Illinoisans,” Pritzker wrote in the letter. “If H.R. 1 becomes law, many hospitals will be forced to eliminate critical services, cut staff, or even close, creating ripple effects that harm all patients in their communities, regardless of whether they rely on Medicaid coverage.”

The nine rural hospitals at risk of closure, according to the University of North Carolina’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, are OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville, Hoopeston Community Memorial Hospital, Crawford Memorial Hospital in Robinson, Richland Memorial Hospital in Olney, Harrisburg Medical Center, Franklin Hospital in Benton, Massac Memorial Hospital in Metropolis, Hardin County General Hospital in Rosiclare and Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital in Dixon.

* From WTTW yesterday

Medicaid cuts in the massive new federal spending bill have left some so-called safety-net hospitals in limbo. […]

Once Medicaid funding is cut, as many as 330,000 people in Illinois could be impacted, officials said. Advocates say low-income patients don’t have many options if they lose Medicaid coverage and or if their local hospital closes. People could end up not seeking preventative care and pushing off routine check-ups until their conditions become life-threatening emergencies.

Medicaid cuts would hit local hospitals like Mount Sinai Hospital hard; 70% of the hospital’s patients are on Medicaid. Dan Regan, Sinai’s communications vice president, said the cuts will be felt far beyond hospitals’ bottom lines and everyone will feel the effects.

“It’s going to impact everybody because people will still need some place to go,” Regan said. “When safety nets get pushed to the brink, the impact isn’t contained. It’s not just on the safety net; it spreads and this bill will really widen the gap between the people who have access to care and those who don’t. Those gaps are not going to just show up in hospital budgets; they’re going to show up in schools. They’re going to show up in the workplace.”

Loretto Hospital, based in Austin, serves predominantly Black and Brown communities on the city’s West Side. These communities are disproportionately impacted by health care access disparities. At Loretto, 83% of patients are on Medicaid.

* NBC 5

Chicago hospitals wouldn’t be the only institutions impacted if the cuts are put into place. According to estimates by Manatt Health, rural hospitals would stand to lose up to 21 cents of every dollar they receive in Medicaid funding if the bill passes. What’s more, the National Rural Health Association reports that nearly half of all children and one-in-five adults in small towns and rural areas rely on Medicaid or CHIP for health insurance, leaving them in a potentially dangerous position if cuts are enacted.

According to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, of Illinois’ 79 rural hospitals, 23 have seen losses of services in recent years, with 17 at-risk of closing.

Republicans have tried to boost funding for rural hospitals in an effort to swing votes on the bill, with the Senate allocating $25 billion for a rural hospital relief fund, but Democrats say the amount is far short of what those hospitals will lose as part of the spending package.

* WIFR

“People are really worried about living the American dream,” maintained [US Rep. Darin LaHood]. “It’s too expensive to buy a home. Inflation is too high. Cost of energy is too high.”

In response to those concerned about Medicaid’s slashing, LaHood said he was looking out for his district.

“Are there going to be cuts to Medicaid? Yes, but not the ones that are going to affect drastically our hospitals and rural providers,” he commented. “Having a district that’s very rural… we’re keenly aware of this.”

* KWQC

The Senate inserted $50 billion for rural hospitals, but healthcare experts say it won’t be enough to cover the losses. KFF, formerly the Kaiser Foundation, says Medicaid cuts in rural areas will amount to $155 billion.

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SB 328: Separating Lies From Truth

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

For more information, click here.

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Planned Parenthood of Illinois eyes $16M gap if Medicaid cuts proceed: “Closures are not off the table”

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Subscribers got a rundown yesterday. The New York Times last week

When Senate Republicans voted on Tuesday to pass President Trump’s spending bill, abortion opponents came one step closer to stripping Planned Parenthood of federal funding — a move that could jeopardize abortion access for patients even in states where abortion is legal.

The bill imposes a one-year ban on state Medicaid payments to any health care nonprofit that offers abortions and received more than $800,000 in federal funding in 2023. The restriction jeopardizes Planned Parenthood’s ability to keep operating in some states. […]

“This bill threatens to close nearly 200 Planned Parenthood health centers and will create devastating gaps in our health care infrastructure,” Alexis McGill Johnson, the chief executive of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the national umbrella organization, said in a statement.

The bill most deeply affects Planned Parenthood clinics in blue states, including California, Oregon, Washington and Illinois, where abortion is still legal and where there are also large numbers of patients who are eligible for Medicaid reimbursements for other health care.

Planned Parenthood won a temporary injunction on Monday. Click here for Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s filing. Click here for the TRO.

* WTTW yesterday

Nearly 30,000, or more than 40%, of Planned Parenthood of Illinois patients use Medicaid to access health care services at Planned Parenthood’s health centers, according to the organization. Without Medicaid, leaders at the organization said it would need $16 million annually to continue providing services at its current level.

“Losing significant funding, always, is a concern,” [Illinois Vice President of Patient Services Emily Glover] said. “Anytime that level of funding is in jeopardy, additional health center closures are not off the table. It is always a possibility. It is a last-resort option; it’s something we don’t wanna have to do.” […]

Planned Parenthood of Illinois pledged last week to keep providing reproductive care to Medicaid patients in the immediate future despite potential funding cuts.

“What is going through my mind right now is how do we continue letting patients know that we’re here to care for them?” Glover said. “How do we continue to care for our staff who, quite frankly, are asked to respond to ever-changing political cycles and pressures and a very confusing health care landscape at the moment, while caring for patients who potentially can’t get care anywhere else?”

The organization is creating contingency plans and working with elected officials and partner organizations on how it can keep providing care for Medicaid patients, according to Glover.

* Related…

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Pritzker administration lays out impact of budget reconciliation law on Illinois

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gov. JB Pritzker sent out three press releases this week about what the new federal budget reconciliation law does to Illinois. First up, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program…

• Stripping Benefits from Vulnerable Illinoisans: This bill changes eligibility requirements, putting an estimated 360,000 Illinoisans at risk of losing SNAP eligibility, removing work requirement exemptions for 23,000 unhoused, veterans, or youth aged out of foster care in Illinois, and costing Illinois tens of millions to support the additional administrative burden of policy implementation.
• Damaging Local Economies: SNAP supports more than 18,000 jobs in Illinois, across both the grocery and other supporting industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and municipal services. According to the National Grocer’s Association, SNAP supports nearly $1 billion in Illinois wages. The extreme cuts will have far reaching consequences for grocery stores and jobs as fewer SNAP dollars circulate in local economies.
• Destabilizing the Current Funding Framework: This bill would implement a state cost share of food benefits (which have historically been 100% federally funded). Calculated based on the State’s Payment Error Rate (PER), Illinois’ required contribution to SNAP will go from $0 (currently) to $705 million annually.

No commitment was made in the press release to try to lower the state’s high payment error rate.

* Medicaid…

• Medicaid Coverage Loss for 330,000 Illinoisans: According to Manatt Health, about 11% of current Medicaid enrollees in Illinois will lose coverage over the next decade.

    o Illinois currently has 3.4 million Medicaid enrollees:

      * 44% are children
      * 9% are seniors
      * 7% are adults with disabilities

• Out of Pocket Expenses Expected to Rise for Medicaid Enrollees: ACA expansion adults - childless, nondisabled adults ages 19 through 64 enrolled in Medicaid - with incomes over 100% of the federal poverty level will be subject to cost-sharing for most healthcare services. For instance, an Illinois couple earning just over $21,000 per year could be subject to over $1,000 in higher out-of-pocket medical costs each year.
• Premiums will Increase 75% for Working Families with ACA Marketplace Coverage: Illinois families with ACA plans will pay an average of $1,032 more per year in premiums. Rural Illinoisans will be even harder hit, with an estimated increase of $1,700. Even those not on ACA Marketplace plans like employers and privately insured individuals will face rising costs and fewer provider options due to market instability and growing uncompensated care burdens on hospitals.
• Rural Hospitals and Nursing Homes in Jeopardy: 9 rural hospitals and over 90 nursing homes could face closure in Illinois, leaving entire communities and counties without access to care and an economic engine.
• Over $50 Billion in Medicaid Funding at Risk for 3.4 Million Illinoisans: Manatt Health estimates that the bill would force Illinois to lose about $52 billion in Medicaid funds over 10 years and put the coverage and benefits for all 3.4 million Illinoisans on Medicaid at risk. Freezing current provider taxes, reducing the hold harmless threshold for provider taxes in expansion states, and restricting state directed payments would be detrimental to not only the state budget but the hospitals, health systems, and approximately 240,000 providers who rely on payments from HFS for the care they provide to Illinois Medicaid customers.
• New Barriers to Coverage Through Work Requirements, Frequent Redeterminations, and Repealing Rules that Simplify Eligibility and Renewal: the bill imposes frequent and administratively burdensome eligibility checks and new work requirements. Illinois would face millions in IT costs and need to hire hundreds of new staff members to implement burdensome systems, draining state resources and harming access for eligible enrollees. Additionally, by changing enrollment rules, including implementing short enrollment periods and additional onerous requirements, Illinois’ most vulnerable eligible families will face an uphill battle to successfully navigate the system’s new red tape and enroll in benefits they are owed. Ultimately, these barriers will push more people to be uninsured, shift costs to hospitals and other providers, and lose the progress made under the ACA.
• Gutting of Reproductive Healthcare: Effective immediately, the bill also prohibits federal Medicaid matching funds for family planning and other reproductive healthcare services provided to Medicaid customers by Planned Parenthood clinics across the state.

* Education…

K-12

The federal spending bill defunds programs that support working families with school-age children by:

    • Eliminating SNAP-Ed, the national education and obesity prevention grant program, which works with state and community partners to deliver nutrition education lessons,
    • Reducing access to healthcare and meals for public school students by cutting Medicaid and SNAP benefits for their families,
    • Creating a new tax credit refund that benefits private school donors who pay for tuition vouchers, potentially reducing state and federal funding for public schools that experience a decline in student enrollment, and
    • Rescinding funding to address air pollution in schools through U.S. EPA.

The State of Illinois has substantially improved K-12 adequacy levels and increased funding to EBF by $2.1B since Governor Pritzker took office. Additionally, through the Teacher Vacancy Pilot Program, Illinois is closing the gap to improve teacher recruitment and retention.

Higher Education

This federal spending bill aims to threaten college affordability for working-class students across Illinois by:

    • Reducing annual limits for graduate and parent loans

      o Non-professional graduate students (MA, PhD) will be limited to $20,500 per year in unsubsidized Stafford loans, and professional students (JD, MD, DO, DDS) will be limited to $50,000 per year in unsubsidized Stafford loans.
      o Grad PLUS loans, which do not require a co-signer and often help students cover the full cost of attendance, will be eliminated beginning July 1, 2026. Nearly 23,000 Illinois graduate students currently utilize Grad PLUS loans.
      o Parent PLUS loans, which currently have no limit and allow parents to borrow to alleviate college expense for their students based on cost-of-attendance, will now be limited to $20,000 per year for each dependent student.

    • Slashing options for student loan repayment:

      o This bill reduces student loan repayment plan options from seven to only two. Many Illinois borrowers could end up paying more than expected on their loans under these plans.
      o Illinois student loan borrowers who are unemployed or suffering an economic hardship will no longer be eligible to defer student loan payments. Without the ability to defer payments during tough times, more borrowers may fall behind on their loans, leading to defaults and negative impacts on their credit scores, home-buying, and employment opportunities.

Discuss.

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RETAIL: The Largest Employer In Illinois

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Retail creates more jobs in Illinois than any other private sector employer, with one out of every four workers employed by the retail sector. Importantly, retail is an industry in which everyone, regardless of credentials, can find a viable career path.

Retailers like Brad in Peoria enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.

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Open thread

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* What follows is my late paternal grandma Lucille, my dad Rich I, and my niece Rosalee (Isabel’s older sister) at my brother Devin’s house more than a quarter century ago. I wish this video could go on forever

As I’ve always said, I love all my nieces to pieces (and my nephews). And I sure do miss my grandma.

What’s up by you?

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Audit finds state agency fell short on social equity initiatives outlined in Gov. JB Pritzker’s landmark climate bill. Tribune

From June 2022 to June 2024, the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity failed to implement programs designed to assist clean energy contractors in underserved areas and to deliver clean energy jobs training to people exiting Illinois prisons, two social equity elements that were part of one of the country’s most ambitious climate bills, the audit found. […]

For example, the law designates the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program as a “central small business support program” to provide services including “low-cost capital, training, mentorship” and networking at certain sites in Illinois communities, according to an October 2023 press release. Pritzker at that time said DCEO would award $21 million for the program.

While the department said it selected some sites for awards, “no grants were executed by the end of the examination period,” the audit said.

* The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition sent this statement pushing back on the Tribune’s story…

CEJA is a massive piece of first-of-its-kind legislation that will transform Illinois’ entire power sector to deliver clean, affordable power for Illinois’ future. It takes time to implement that policy equitably and effectively. Building our clean energy economy will require a lot of labor - from the administrative staff required to implement the policy itself, to the tens of thousands of good jobs being created now across the state bringing clean power online. Though it has taken time to fully staff up the agencies and programs on deck to support CEJA’s implementation, largely due to hiring delays related to COVID-19 and administrative red tape, we are now seeing tremendous success in policy implementation. We’re pleased to see DCEO working diligently to ensure we meet CEJA’s clean energy goals and keep Illinois moving forward. This leadership from Illinois is more important than ever, with our federal government doing everything it can to reverse the progress our country has made toward clean, affordable energy.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* ABC Chicago | New Chicago police support center will monitor crime on CTA: According to CPD’s latest numbers, there is a slight increase in reported CTA crimes this year compared to this time last year. […] According to CPD’s latest numbers, there is a slight increase in reported CTA crimes this year compared to this time last year.

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago Public Schools facing cash crunch as it works to close $734 million deficit: At its rally Wednesday, the teachers union demanded that Gov. J.B. Pritzker call a special legislative session in order to allocate more state funding to education funding in light of potential federal funding cuts. Several states, including New Mexico and Colorado, are considering calling special sessions in response to President Donald Trump’s tax bill that imposes cuts to social safety net programs. The state created a new funding formula in 2017 that provides more money to all districts across the state, but prioritizes additional dollars to those with higher needs. Illinois lawmakers set a goal to fully fund all districts by 2027, but projections indicate they won’t make that deadline.

*** Statewide ***

* WTTW | Safety-Net Hospitals Face an Uncertain Future With Planned Medicaid Cuts: Once Medicaid funding is cut, as many as 330,000 people in Illinois could be impacted, officials said. Advocates say low-income patients don’t have many options if they lose Medicaid coverage and or if their local hospital closes. People could end up not seeking preventative care and pushing off routine check-ups until their conditions become life-threatening emergencies. Medicaid cuts would hit local hospitals like Mount Sinai Hospital hard; 70% of the hospital’s patients are on Medicaid. Dan Regan, Sinai’s communications vice president, said the cuts will be felt far beyond hospitals’ bottom lines and everyone will feel the effects.

* Tribune | State Farm to raise Illinois homeowners insurance rates by 27.2% in August: As Texas grapples with the massive flooding that struck Hill Country and killed at least 119 people during the July Fourth weekend, many Illinois homeowners will soon see their home insurance rates skyrocket due to the increase in such extreme weather events. State Farm is raising homeowners insurance rates in Illinois by a whopping 27.2% beginning Aug. 15, according to a filing with the state last month. The rate hike, one of the largest in the state’s history, will affect nearly 1.5 million policyholders. New policyholders will pay the higher rates as of July 15.

* WICS | Illinois law enforcement adjusting, building off of new mental health trainings: Law enforcement agencies across Illinois are adapting to new mental health training requirements mandated by the SAFE-T Act, which took effect in 2022. The act, enforced by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB), requires officers to complete annual mental health and wellness training. Champaign Police Chief Timothy Tyler emphasized the importance of mental health maintenance, stating, “Just like any valuable equipment, it needs maintenance and the most important thing that we have is our mind.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Lake County News-Sun | Illinois Pollution Control Board denies stay to NRG Energy: ‘They are going to … remove the coal ash ponds from our lakefront’: Shortly after NRG announced its proposal in December of 2021, state Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, and state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, introduced legislation to require that all coal ash ponds along Lake Michigan in Illinois be removed. Easily gaining approval in the state Senate in early 2022, Mayfield did not bring the bill to the House floor because she said she was several votes short of a majority. She reintroduced the bill in 2023, and again this year. It remains a few votes short of the majority, she said. She said NRG has lobbied hard against it.

* Kane County Chronicle | Geneva’s Dan Ugaste a no-go for governor after all: After two weeks of consideration, State Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, decided not to make a run for Illinois governor, but to seek a fifth term instead. Ugaste announced his decision in a news release, saying he wants to continue his fight “for Illinois families and restoring fiscal sanity in Springfield” from the State House.

* Herald-Whig | Davidsmeyer announces reelection effort for Illinois 100th District: “I first ran for office on the promise that I would remain a good person, that I would fight against big-government intrusion, and that I would work to create a better future for the next generation of Illinoisans,” Davidsmeyer said in a statement announcing his reelection campaign. “I have remained true to that promise, and I have become a stronger voice than ever against the Democratic majority that wants to take away our God-given rights.”

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Walter Burnett Is Leaving His Job As Alderman — And His Son Wants To Replace Him: One of Chicago’s most influential aldermen is stepping down by the end of the month to lead the Chicago Housing Authority — or retire from politics entirely. […] “My wife told me she’s been at home by herself for 30 years,” Burnett said. “She said, ‘You put in your time. Now, come home.’”

* Tribune | Harvey Ald. Colby Chapman declares victory after charges dismissed: Harvey Ald. Colby Chapman formally learned Wednesday a felony charge of aggravated battery to a police officer against her was dismissed, but she was not in an overly celebratory mood. It was the second time in recent months the alderwoman, who represents Harvey’s 2nd Ward, had faced charges she alleges stem from a political dispute with Mayor Christopher Clark. Chapman was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer charges following a City Council meeting April 28. Clark ordered Chapman be removed from the meeting.

* Daily Herald | What’s in Bears stadium survey? Seating chart, ticket prices and ‘VIP tailgating’: A survey sent to some Bears season ticket holders this week sheds light on possible seating options, ticket prices and amenities in and around a potential new Arlington Heights stadium. The Bears’ questionnaire seeking thoughts on a “state-of-the-art stadium that will serve all of Chicagoland and the state of Illinois” doesn’t mention the NFL franchise’s 326-acre Arlington Park property specifically. But the online survey ticket holders reported receiving Tuesday comes nearly two months after the team formally reshifted its stadium focus back to the sprawling suburban site it purchased in 2021.

* WBEZ | Richard Hunt’s life is on exhibit in Chicago — and it’s a walk through Civil Rights history: The monument speaks to Black history and the Civil Rights Movement, two themes persistent in the work of the late sculptor, who died in 2023 at age 88. Now, a new exhibition aims to tell more of his story. Freedom in Form: Richard Hunt, which opens Friday at the Loyola University Museum of Art, explores his 70-year career, starting with his early days as a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

* WBEZ | CPS wants more students from all backgrounds to get the chance to skip a grade: “Our goal with this revision is to expand access to acceleration and remove unnecessary barriers for students to be able to access this opportunity,” said Errika Baker Perkins, executive director of advanced learning & speciality programs for CPS. CPS wants to add this statement to the front of the policy: “The district affirms that all students possess unique strengths and potential. Accelerated placement decisions will be made through a strengths-based lens that accounts for the community context and avoids reinforcing bias or deficit-based assumptions.”

* Sun-Times | Putrid smells from South Side plant enrage neighbors: “Near the entrance of the facility, we experienced a very strong odor that could best be described as rotting fish/decay of flesh. This odor made us not want to breathe and made us nauseous,” inspectors said in their report. Ald. Peter Chico (10th) said that he alerted both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Chicago Department of Public Health about the nuisance after getting complaints from residents. Chico said he asked for an investigation and contacted company officials. “It’s unbearable,” Chico told the Sun-Times. “You can’t even take your dog for a walk or keep your windows open.”

* Sun-Times | Amid East Coast spike in tick diseases, Chicago doctors urge caution as bug’s season ramps up: Eastern states like New York and Massachusetts have reported a spike in tick bites and Lyme disease cases. On Monday, Michigan’s Lenawee County Health department issued an advisory on an increase in tickborne infections. The Chicago Department of Public Health has not seen an increase in Lyme disease cases compared to last year, according to the department spokesman Jacob Martin. “However, ticks tend to be the most active from April through September and so we’d expect that both the number of ED visits due to tick bites and the number of tick-borne disease cases to increase during the summer,” Martin said.

* Tribune | Crumb rubber: How NASCAR recycles the thousands of tires it used over the Chicago race weekend: During a weekend of hot, high-speed friction against the asphalt of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race course, thousands of tires burn out and wear down. After a few dozen laps, they lose their grip and become obsolete. But their life cycle doesn’t end there. Each NASCAR race weekend, most of the 3,000 tires provided by Goodyear Racing become a fraction of the tens of thousands recycled annually by Liberty Tire Recycling. Before state laws prohibited it, used tires would be landfilled or stored in stockpiles, said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear’s product manager for NASCAR.

* Tribune | There are few memorials for Chicagoans who died from heat in 1995. But there are remnants.: ike many of the 739 Chicagoans who died of heat that summer, many elderly, many people of color, he was forgotten for years. His grave is one of two places in the Chicago area where you are even reminded of what happened. Thirty years ago, on July 13, 1995, the temperature in Chicago was 106 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat index — what it actually feels like outside — reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Melrose Beach was packed long after dark with families lingering on blankets. Supermarkets humored customers who came to buy milk and eggs and stayed for hours, lulled by cheap air conditioning. O’Hare International Airport — six years before our current TSA checkpoints — welcomed those without travel plans, who loitered away days, curled up in books, paying for airport food.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Press Release | IL-8 Candidate Junaid Ahmed Raises nearly $350,000 in less than a Month: In a powerful show of grassroots energy and early momentum, Democratic congressional candidate Junaid Ahmed announced today that his campaign has raised nearly $350,000 in under four weeks. Junaid officially launched his bid for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District on June 3, 2025, and is quickly building robust support across the district. “I’m humbled and energized by the outpouring of support we’ve received in such a short time,” said Junaid Ahmed. “This campaign is about delivering for working families who are being crushed by the rising cost of living—from housing and groceries to healthcare and student debt. People in this district are working harder than ever, and they are ready to send a fighter to Congress who will make their life more affordable and help them thrive.”

* Press Release |
Sandy Hart Announces Candidacy for 10th District Democratic State Central Committeewoman
: Sandy Hart, Chair of the Lake County Board, announced her candidacy today for the 10th District Democratic State Central Committeewoman for the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI). Sandy has been helping to elect Lake County candidates and fighting for the Democratic values we share for many years. “I look forward to working with DPI to continue to recruit, support, and elect Democrats in the 10th District,” said Sandy. “Thanks to the hard work of Democratic volunteers and

* Elgin Courier-News | DuPage sheriff’s officer from Elgin convicted of having sex with jail inmate: The bench trial conviction against Ricardo Hardy, 54, of Elgin, was announced Wednesday by Judge Joseph Bugos about a month after the case was heard, a news release from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office said. Hardy was found guilty of five counts of custodial sexual misconduct and five counts of official misconduct, all class 3 felonies. Hardy was assigned to the county’s corrections bureau when officials learned in May 2023 that he’d had sexual intercourse and other sexual contact with a female inmate on at least two occasions in the woman’s cell and in the shower/bathroom area between March 13, 2023, and April 26, 2023, the release said.

* ESPN | Michael Jordan’s former Chicago-area estate listed on Airbnb: The two-story estate, which was built in 1995, has seven bedrooms and 17.5 bathrooms. Amenities include a full-size basketball court, putting green, tennis court, cigar room and infinity pool. Its signature feature is a giant entrance gate with a 23, Jordan’s jersey number from his Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards playing days. Booking the mansion requires a minimum seven-night stay, and it is limited to 12 guests. Guests must sign a liability waiver and nondisclosure agreement and pay a $25,000 security deposit.

*** Downstate ***

* Press Release | “A Devastating Blow”: Boys & Girls Clubs of Central IL Warns Families Will Pay the Price: The Trump administration is withholding more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs. This is a devastating blow to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Illinois. (BGCCIL) Among the grant programs being evaluated is the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative. This is the only federal funding stream dedicated to after-school and summer learning programs, helping to sustain over 10,000 local programs across the country, based on data from the Afterschool Alliance. Each state administers its own competitive process to award these funds, which amounted to $1.3 billion in the current fiscal year. The BGCCIL, which relies on roughly $3M in 21st Century Funding, was expecting it to be distributed July 1, but an U.S. Department of Education notice sent last week announced the funds would not be released while the programs are under review. The department did not provide a timeline and warned that “decisions have not yet been made” on grants for the upcoming school year.

* WCIA | U of I researcher honored for his work in making crops more resilient: Stephen Long, the Ikenberry Endowed Chair Emeritus of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences at the U of I, was named a 2025 Top Agri-food Pioneer (TAP) by the World Food Prize Foundation. 39 innovators around the world were chosen, representing 27 countries. Each of the nominees worked to transform food systems, and work in fields related to food or agriculture. Long’s research showed that by engineering crops to improve photosynthesis, it leads to better productivity. His work offered solutions to make crops more resilient in the face of climate change. He also led Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project, from 2012 to earlier in 2025.

* WCIA | Danville seeing increasing costs for bus repairs: City officials with Danville Mass Transit claim the current presidential administration’s tariff policy is increasing costs for their bus repairs. Danville Public Transportation Director Steve White said the price of a motor increased $7,000 in the past four months. Danville Mayor Rickey Williams said he has noticed prices increase by 10% despite buying American products. “The thing is we’re buying from American dealers but there are parts and components of the piece that we are buying that come from overseas,” Williams said.

* WCIA | Champaign Co. Sheriff announces candidacy for third term: Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman has announced he is running for a third term as the top law enforcement officer in the county. Heuerman announced his candidacy in a news release on Wednesday. He was first elected Sheriff in 2018 and was reelected in 2022. […] Heuerman also highlighted accomplishments and successes that include navigating the county through COVID-19, the implementation of the SAFE-T Act, modernization projects at the Sheriff’s Office headquarters and the Champaign County Jail and enhancing the use of technology for operations.

* WGLT | Rep. LaHood supports Medicaid cuts and SNAP reductions in the GOP megabill: U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood is voicing full-throated support for the massive Republican tax and spending bill, despite past opposition to Medicaid cuts and concern over the mounting federal budget deficit. Critics of the measure say it will grow the federal budget deficit by trillions of dollars. LaHood, a Republican, has based support for things like cuts to the Agency for International Development, scientific research and ag research on the idea the budget deficit is unsustainable, yet most estimates project the GOP megabill substantially worsens the deficit.

* WGLT | Metcalf School sixth-graders design, build and donate a tiny house to homeless shelter village in Bloomington: Thomas Metcalf School sixth-graders designed and built a tiny house in their makerspace class that Home Sweet Home Ministries [HSHM] will put in its new shelter village. Makerspace teacher Kristi Sutter said her students came up with the idea in January, before hearing about the shelter village HSHM was already planning. “The kids put together a pitch to Home Sweet Home and Salvation Army and offered it as a donation, and Home Sweet Home accepted it,” Sutter said. “We kept our [tiny house] pretty basic right now so that it would fit in with the rest of the community that Home Sweet Home had already envisioned.”

*** National ***

* Washington Monthly | The Broadband Story Abundance Liberals Like Ezra Klein Got Wrong: When the New York Times columnist told the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart about out-of-control regulations ruining a Biden administration rural broadband program, the clip went viral, with Elon Musk’s help. But the story wasn’t true—and the telecom monopolies who were the real saboteurs are still laughing.

* NYT | A.I. Is Making Sure You Pay for That Ding on Your Rental Car: The next time you rent a car, that ding on the door might not slip under the radar. Powerful new A.I.-driven tools are helping Hertz and other companies catch every little scratch, and puzzled renters are being asked to pay up. Hertz, one of the world’s largest car rental companies, debuted the technology last fall at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and it’s now in use at five other U.S. airports, said Emily Spencer, a Hertz spokeswoman. Developed by a company called UVeye, the scanning system works by capturing thousands of high-resolution images from all angles as a vehicle passes through a rental lot’s gates at pickup and return. A.I. then compares those images and flags any discrepancies.

* AP | Trump administration pulls back on plans to rewrite Biden-era asbestos ban: The Environmental Protection Agency said in a court filing Monday that it will now defend the Biden administration’s ban of chrysotile asbestos, which is used in products like brake blocks and sheet gaskets. The carcinogenic chemical has been mostly phased out in the U.S., but last year, the agency under former President Joe Biden sought to finish the decadeslong fight with a comprehensive ban. The EPA in 2024 said “exposure to asbestos is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer, and it is linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.”

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