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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Aug 14, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * My favorite version… Well, if you ever plan to motor West
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Aug 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Good news for Belvidere. Crain’s…
Gov. JB Pritzker…
* Press release | Illinois Housing Development Authority Releases Plan to Create and Preserve Affordable Housing: The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) has published its 2027-2028 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP), which establishes the rules and criteria governing Illinois’ Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, the state’s primary tool for financing the creation and preservation of affordable housing. The new QAP is part of Governor Pritzker’s broader housing strategy to address Illinois’ housing from multiple facets: maximizing limited federal resources for affordable housing while also supporting the conditions needed for more homes of all types to be built in communities across the state. Together, these efforts advance the goal of ensuring every Illinoisan has access to safe, stable, and affordable housing. * Tribune | Trial lawyer Victor Henderson makes his case for Chicago school board president: Victor Henderson, a longtime white-collar civil litigation attorney, points to his time on the board of Urban Prep Academies. The troubled charter school network was on the brink of closure in 2023 amid allegations of financial mismanagement and sexual misconduct. But Henderson said he saw another side to Urban Prep, which serves Black boys at two high schools on the South Side. One student, he recalls, told him his school “saved his life.” He stood alongside other Black business and civic leaders at a press conference calling on City Hall to step in. * Sun-Times | Chicago’s Austin neighborhood was christened ‘Soul City.’ It’s still waiting for its landmark: Since 2020, residents of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood have been waiting for the city to erect a gateway arch at the entrance of its Soul City Corridor, the stretch of Chicago Avenue from Austin Boulevard to Cicero Avenue. They were thrilled when an artist, Bernard Williams, was selected and renderings were drawn up. And last year, Illinois designated a larger segment of Austin as Soul City, one of 15 official cultural districts in the state, paving the way for $200,000 in additional monies to boost the neighborhood. But the gateway construction has stalled, leaving the burgeoning development of Black business, arts and culture unidentifiable to those driving from the west suburbs into the city. The delay over a single symbol illustrates how bureaucratic the process to create a cultural district in Illinois can be. * Block Club | What’s Going On With Harold’s Chicken? Your Questions (Mostly) Answered: “We are asking that you do not support these locations because we cannot ensure that the quality will be the same, since they are not authorized. We would hate for your supporters to spend their hard-earned money and not receive the authentic Harold’s Chicken experience our family has worked so hard to protect,” the statement read. The statement mentioned nine locations, including one in Zion, Illinois. Yet, on Instagram, the owners of the yet-to-open Zion location disputed Harold’s claim, insisting it is “an ‘authorized’ retailer.” * Tribune | Obama Presidential Center digital library access across the US was unintentional, CPL says: People around the country similarly tried to access what was erroneously referred to online as “free library cards.” At the same time, Chicagoans hunted for physical library cards with renderings of the Obama center. However, the Chicago Public Library did not intend for people to register across state lines on Libby, Patrick Molloy, director of government and public affairs at the Chicago Public Library, wrote in an email to the Tribune. He also wrote there wasn’t actually a digital library card, and people were referring to a small collection of e-books and audiobooks. * Oak Park Journal | As planned, OPRF draws down cash reserves in new budget: The tentative budget for the 2027 fiscal year, ending June 30, 2027, that was unveiled at the Aug. 6 meeting of the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Board of Education projects an operating surplus of a little more than $900,000 but when all funds, including capital expenditures for construction are taken into account, a total net deficit of nearly $7.5 million. The school’s overall cash reserve is projected to decline to approximately $38 million from the approximately $45.5 million cash on hand as of June 30 of this year. That decline in the school’s cash balance is expected since OPRF has been spending down its once abundant reserves by using $44.2 million in cash reserves to help pay for the nearly completed mostly new physical education wing in the southeast corner of the building called Project 2. * Lake County News-Sun | Grant program teaches Waukegan-area small businesses to thrive: ‘We learn a lot from each other’: Thompson is one of 17 participants in the Lake County Community Foundation’s Small Business Growth Initiative from May 18 through Sept. 21, educating entrepreneurs with businesses in Waukegan, North Chicago and Zion. Courtney Combs, the Lake County Community Foundation’s director of strategy and community impact, said the program is operated in partnership with the Chicago-based Allies for Community Business. * Daily Herald | ‘Almost a finished building’: Buffalo Grove’s new fire station nearly ready for unveiling: “We’re going to see a more modern facility, something that’s way better for our firefighters, better for their health, better for their welfare, as well as better for response times,” Kane said. With the old building, there were areas where, during winter, when the wind hit the right way, it felt like being in a wind tunnel, officials said. * Aurora Beacon-News | Kane County now looking to plant elm tree initially meant for America’s 250th celebration at Judicial Center: America’s 250th anniversary festivities have come and gone, but Kane County is still mulling over what it will do with an elm tree and plaque from the local Daughters of the American Revolution that had initially been central to the county’s plans for celebrating the country’s semiquincentennial. After plans to plant the tree outside the Geneva courthouse were shot down, the county is now looking at a new location, this time outside of the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles. The county initially accepted a historical marker and “Liberty Tree” from the Elias Kent Kane Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, meant to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday, in November. * WCIA | DACC Adult Education program will lose funding, end operations: State and federal grant funding for the Danville Area Community College’s Adult Education program has been eliminated, and the 60-year program will cease operations at the end of next month. This comes after an investigation into discrepancies in both money and test scores within the program. DACC conducted an internal investigation, officials said in April, and then notified the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). The ICCB investigated, and officials announced on Thursday the decision to eliminate the college’s funding. The same day, the ICCB released its report from the May 27 Monitoring On-Site Review. * WGLT | McLean County communities and governments are reducing carbon emission levels: The nonprofit Ecology Action Center [EAC] in Normal has released its third study of greenhouse gas emissions in McLean County, finding those emissions have decreased over the last decade. EAC used 2022 as its data year for the most recent publication, which said the county decreased greenhouse gas emissions by about 10% since 2008, the study’s first year. A second publication measured levels in 2015 in the county. * Unraveled | Chicago ICE team seen threatening drivers has roamed from Illinois to Minnesota to Virginia: Unraveled has verified the agents in Molina’s videos were far from their usual base of operations. The team has been recorded inflicting violence on immigrants, protesters, and observers in the Chicago area since last summer, including outside the region’s ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois that became the epicenter of anti-deportation protests during Operation Midway Blitz last autumn. Members of the same team were also recorded intimidating and threatening drivers in the Twin Cities in mid-January—in the brief period after federal agents killed Renée Good, and before U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents killed 37-year old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti.
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Drip, drip, drip
Friday, Aug 14, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * You may recall this from yesterday when Rep. Kelly Cassidy countered Speaker Welch’s claim that he had no idea his online behavior could cause someone to be uncomfortable…
The House met at the Springfield convention center during the pandemic, and was there during the transition between Speaker Madigan and Speaker Welch in January of 2021. * Sources have confirmed that those same screen shots which were passed around by House Dem members in early 2021 somehow eventually wound up in the hands of the House Republicans, who used those screen shots in their online ad that we showed you a few weeks ago… I was wondering why all those screen shots predated Welch’s ascension. It finally occurred to me to ask some folks today if those were the same ones passed around at the BoS Center. Yep.
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Pritzker on storm response: National Guard ‘isn’t just the be-all and end-all answer to problems’
Friday, Aug 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Gov. Pritzker was asked today if he intends to call up the National Guard to help with storm cleanup in the suburbs…
* Indiana was hit hard and it’s struggling to recover. CBS Chicago…
* Meanwhile, WGN…
* Back to the governor…
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Pritzker on Bears: ‘They have not come forward with the bill that they would like to ask the legislature to pass’
Friday, Aug 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * At an unrelated event today, Gov. JB Pritzker was asked a few questions about yesterday’s Bears press conference…
* Have the Bears given up on Illinois?…
Please pardon any transcription errors. * WVIK will have Rep. Kam Buckner on tonight…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Aug 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois sues Trump admin over its demands for CDL database information. Sun-Times…
- The lawsuits claim the Trump administration is violating both state and federal law by creating its own version of the database without guardrails for the handling of sensitive information, such as social security numbers. - Illinois and California state law require written permission from each state for the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators to share information it has collected from the states, according to the lawsuit. * At 10 am, Gov. JB Pritzker will sign legislation to deliver flood damage relief to Illinois families. At 12 pm, the governor will tour storm damage in Lansing. Click here to watch. * KWQC | Tyson announces Joslin plant closure; employees told Thursday was last day: Illinois officials said about 2,500 union workers lost their jobs with the closure. […] “The old CEO stepped down, a new CEO stepped in. He came here and evaluated our plant and he chose to close our plant without any notice for us, any notice for our union people. It’s just devastating. All these people without jobs,” said Rita Newton. In an online statement, Tyson also said they will be closing its Eagle Mountain, Utah, facility and are planning to sell its Pasco, Washington facility. * QC Times | Local leaders respond to closure of Tyson plant in Joslin: “I am stunned and saddened by the news that Tyson Foods is closing after 43 years in Joslin. This is devastating to our region, to the families that depend on the income they receive from this factory, and to the communities who will bear the downstream impacts of this closure. I have asked Tyson Foods and others to work together to analyze potential repurposing of this facility for preserving jobs.” * Farm Week | Pritzker speaks on supporting FFPA this legislative session: Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday morning he wants the Family Farm Preservation Act (FFPA) passed this legislative session, voicing his support at the opening day of the Illinois State Fair. “Whenever the legislature is in session, I’ve got a list of things that I want to make sure get through, and so I’m going to work hard to get that agenda passed. That is among the things that we need to get passed,” he told FarmWeek when asked if the FFPA would pass during the November veto session. * Capitol News Illinois | DCFS: ‘Significant miscommunication’ within the agency led to missed court dates: Gov. JB Pritzker told CNI on Wednesday he’s received assurances that the agency won’t miss a third upcoming court date on Sept. 9. “Either through the notification process or some mix-up, they did not know about the court date,” Pritzker said. “And, so, they absolutely want to show up. It’s not like they’re avoiding it. We’ve got a great director there who is trying to do the right things.” Capitol News Illinois sued the agency in March after it declined to release personnel files of two caseworkers and one supervisor who were responsible for monitoring Mackenzi Felmlee, a teenage girl who died while in foster care. * Journal-Courier | Video: Interview with Darren Bailey, Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate: * Crain’s | Johnson says Chicago will make full advance pension payment: The announcement was made at the city’s annual investor conference and comes after the mayor was non-committal to making the $130 million payment last month and during significant turnover among his financial team. “We are resolute in our commitment to continue that practice this year,” he said during a speech ahead of a panel with the leaders of the mayor’s budget task force, Loop Capital’s Jim Reynolds and Karen Freeman-Wilson, president of the Chicago Urban League. * Tribune | Chicago school board puts two revenue questions on the November ballot: The first referendum is whether Illinois should impose a surcharge on millionaires to raise public school funding. The second will ask whether Chicago should charge financial penalties on owners of underdeveloped or vacant lots to funnel money to CPS. Both questions approved Thursday are nonbinding, meaning they don’t enact laws and instead serve as signals to legislators as they make policy decisions. * Tribune | SEIU puts $1.1 million into school board race effort as feud with CTU escalates: The budget has emerged as a dividing line between those candidates and the two unions. The CTU-aligned majority of the Chicago Board of Education passed a $10.11 billion budget last month with a surprise amendment to include $150 million in unconfirmed state funding. District leaders warned that the move could leave CPS vulnerable to midyear cuts if the money doesn’t materialize. While CTU supported the plan, SEIU has called it a “gamble” that is “dependent on state funding that does not exist.” Then, the dispute spiraled into an online spat this week between Driver and Potter, the CTU vice president. * Sun-Times | Mike Quigley says he’s ‘willing to risk the job to save the city’ if elected mayor: Quigley’s decision to run for mayor and reelection to Congress simultaneously looks more like playing it safe than risking it all. But the 17-year veteran North Side congressman claims the opposite is true. […] “The next mayor has to be willing to risk the job to save the city. … You have to be willing to say, ‘This is going to be my last job.’ You have to be willing to risk it all, because we’re out of runway,” Quigley told the Chicago Sun-Times. “This is my last and biggest fight. I have nothing to lose. I’m only in this race for Chicago.” * Tribune | Services delayed by discovery of 56 bodies at funeral home finally held: ‘Right a wrong’: The Young family had initially planned Keith’s visitation a week ago, his funeral the day after. They had hired South Chicago Chapel to handle the services. But as the visitation approached, the family grew anguished. They called the funeral home director, who told them there was police activity in the neighborhood blocking the way but she promised to deliver Keith. Instead, his body was among those that authorities recovered from South Chicago Chapel. * ABC Chicago | 2 renovated American Airlines gates reopen at O’Hare airport in $300-million project: Gates K1 and L2A reopened with four baggage claims, signaling the revamp of Terminal 3 is almost complete. The $300-million project dubbed ElevateT3 is part of Chicago’s vision to transform one of the busiest airports. The project includes an expanded passenger corridor between Concourse K and Concourse L, upgrades to the baggage claim area, approximately 10,000 square feet of new space for concessions and amenities, and an updated American Airlines Admirals Club. * Sun-Times | After six months in ICE detention, a Chicago tamale vendor rebuilds her life: Murillo returned to Chicago in March, among the small number of immigrants who have been released as a result of a court order rather than deported. She says she’s in the process of obtaining legal status. In the meantime, Murillo is making more room for her daughters and accepting their growing independence. And she’s trying to rebuild a new identity around a newfound appreciation for her city, a slower pace of life, her faith and the people she loves. * Tribune | Developer proposes replacing now-shuttered Ford City Mall with warehouses and distribution buildings: “It’s frustrating that the local community doesn’t have a voice or a say in what could be a huge development that benefits the Southwest Side,” said Adolfo Castrejon, president and founder of the West Lawn Conservation Club. Castrejon said he and other community residents don’t oppose replacing the old mall. But instead of a quick industrial development, they prefer a long-term planning effort focused on attracting multifamily housing, updated retail, a park and perhaps a transit hub with a new CTA Orange Line stop. * Sun-Times | White Sox starter Davis Martin ejected after hitting Reds’ Sal Stewart with pitch: That’s when the benches and bullpens emptied. No punches were thrown, but a lot of words were exchanged. Video showed -Suarez approaching Martin, saying, “That’s not right, that’s not right. Come on, now.” “I thought that was extremely blatant,” Reds manager Terry Francona said afterward. “You can’t throw two balls like that head-high. You kill somebody. I thought that was terrible.” * Daily Herald | Mayor still hopeful Bears will ‘reverse this ship back toward Arlington Heights’: Officials in Arlington Heights remain optimistic the Chicago Bears may again turn their attention toward the Northwest suburbs, even after team brass said Thursday they are focused on a new stadium in Northwest Indiana. “What I didn’t hear today — there are people on the radio talking about, ‘You know, it’s going to be a big earth-shattering announcement. They’re going to change their name to the Hammond Bears, and everything is moving full speed ahead.’ And none of that is happening,” Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia said. * Tribune | Ex-Assessor’s Office employee who wired up for feds gets probation: Over the next several years, Memisovski operated undercover, secretly recording nearly 100 in-person meetings with associates — including some who claimed to have ties to organized crime — and over 400 phone calls, his lawyers said in a recent court filing. His cooperation helped the feds charge former colleagues in the assessor’s office, crooked developers, and even his own cousin. * Daily Herald | Kane County sheriff remains away from work, and no one is saying why: For more than seven years after his election as Kane County sheriff in 2018, Ron Hain was among the most accessible, outgoing and public-facing figures in suburban law enforcement. That came to an abrupt end this spring, when Hain vanished from the public eye. Months later, the circumstances of Hain’s ongoing absence from the sheriff’s office remain shrouded in mystery. On April 10, members of the sheriff’s office received a memo from Hain’s second-in-command, Undersheriff Amy Johnson, addressing “recent rumors regarding the Sheriff’s health.” * WCIA | Naturalization ceremony taking place at Illinois State Fair: The event will take place Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. in the Orr Building, and will include 309 people from around the world. In a release, the United States District Court of the Central District of Illinois said this ceremony will mark the “culmination of their journey to embrace the rights and responsibilities” of United States citizenship. * PJ Star | He spent six days in jail without being charged. His attorney blames Peoria police: Ronnie Common Jr. spent nearly a week in jail and lost his job partially because of two investigations in which he was never charged, including one he had no involvement with whatsoever. * Muddy River News | Adams County Board approves Quincy Solar One project, coroner facility funding: The Adams County Board approved a special-use permit for a 2.5-megawatt solar energy facility Tuesday night while also signing off on funding for a new coroner’s facility and beginning a broader discussion about how the county could pay for future public-safety needs. The board voted 13-6, with one member voting present and one abstaining, to grant Quincy Solar One LLC a special-use permit for construction and operation of a 2.5-megawatt commercial solar energy facility in Riverside Township. * KFVS | SIU, IDOT launch $40M partnership to protect southern Illinois wildlife: Before heavy equipment moves in at future construction sites, SIU researchers will survey for wildlife as part of the new partnership. The researchers will look for endangered animals and plants, along with bats, turtles and snakes. The goal is to keep construction projects from harming local ecosystems. Brent Pease is the new director helping establish the Roadside Ecology Center. * AP | Flock announces changes to its license plate reader network after reported abuse by members of law enforcement: In an interview, Flock CEO Garrett Langley said many of the product changes will make what were once optional guardrails mandatory for its users to implement by Jan. 1. Among them: All law enforcement customers will have to implement an audit tool that’s intended to flag abnormal search behavior. When the system detects abnormal behavior, the user would be locked out pending an internal review, the company said in a description of the changes provided ahead of Thursday’s announcement. * Reason | She Spent 7 Months in Legal Hell After Cops Used Flock Surveillance To Identify the Wrong Car: Witnesses said the speeding car was a Dodge Durango. Police found that a Flock camera—a type of automated license plate reader (ALPR)—had spotted a Durango nearby at the time, and they arrested the owner, 23-year-old Lindsey Isaacs. But Isaacs wasn’t involved in the crash, and officers had enough information at the time to exclude her as a suspect. Yet she still spent two weeks in jail and faced the threat of life behind bars for months because police didn’t use basic scrutiny to be sure their cameras implicated the right person.
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Good morning!
Friday, Aug 14, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * Gov. JB Pritzker earlier this week…
He kept saying “rout 66″ until the final sentence, when he called it “root 66″ like it’s supposed to be pronounced. Dude is just not hip. * Whatever. Ray Charles… Won’t you get hip to this timely tip? This is an Illinois open thread.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign update
Friday, Aug 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Aug 14, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Aug 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Press release Giannoulias Joins SEIU to Mark Historic Expansion of Workers’ Rights for Rideshare Drivers: Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias today joined SEIU leaders and rideshare drivers to celebrate House Bill 5090 becoming law. This landmark legislation gives more than 100,000 rideshare drivers across Illinois the right to organize and collectively bargain for better pay, stronger protections and a voice in company decisions that affect their livelihoods. Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 5090, the Transportation Network Driver Labor Relations Act, into law on August 7. The law creates a statewide framework that allows rideshare drivers to form or join a driver organization, select a representative and bargain collectively with transportation network companies. * LGBTQ Nation | MAGA candidate spoke at Christian conference alongside child rapist & hate pastors: Bailey also spoke at the conference alongside Richard Jones, a registered child sex offender who was charged with two counts of sexual assault against 15-year-old male victims in 1990 and 1997, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. In 1997, a court sentenced him to be imprisoned for six years over the charge. * WCIA | GOP candidate for Illinois Governor hosts meet and greet in Champaign: “The goal and the hope is to energize people that, you know, my voice isn’t the only voice resounding this message of, get out and vote, and let’s change and fire JB Pritzker. That everyone steps out of here tonight, energized, feeling… okay there is hope that yes, we can win,” Bailey said. […] Bailey also discussed his apprehension to Flock cameras in the state, while also acknowledging the role they play in assisting police.
* Board Rule | The Rundown on the Vote for a New Chief Lobbyist: When the board turned to the vote on the chief of IGA, it became clear the proposed appointee was Iris Millán, the associate vice chancellor of government affairs and civic engagement for City Colleges of Chicago. […] Board Member Carlos Rivas (3b) noted that Millán had been interviewed back in February. He expressed frustration that the board had waited “a whole legislative session” before bringing a candidate to a vote. “I was really hopeful to be able to have this person hit the ground running, because they have a monumental task of finding in Springfield $150 million that the majority of this board believes is coming,” he said. * NBC Chicago | Bears’ owner asked about possible name change if Indiana stadium is built: Bears Chairman George McCaskey was asked that very question on Thursday, and he was extremely matter of fact on the issue. “No, we will be the Chicago Bears, whether we’re in Arlington or whether we’re in Hammond,” McCaskey said. * The North Shore Record | Skokie 911 dispatchers can now route some mental health calls to 988 crisis line: When residents call 911, Skokie dispatchers “will continue to assess each call carefully” and send police, fire or emergency services personnel to any call “involving an immediate threat to life or safety, such as a weapon, crime, or serious medical emergency,” a village webpage states. But local dispatchers may now transfer calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a separate agency that will coordinate with Trilogy, a Chicago-based nonprofit that can send a mobile crisis response team consisting of a behavioral health clinician and peer specialist into the field. * Daily Herald | DuPage County Board rejects proposal for referendum on eliminating elected coroner position: The county board’s six Republicans were the only ones who supported a plan to put the question on the November ballot. Eleven Democratic members voted against it. The vote came after Republicans roundly criticized how Democrat Judith Lukas, who was elected in 2024, is running the coroner’s office. Board members critical of Lukas pointed to remarks she made during a July committee meeting. At that meeting, Lukas defended a request for an additional employee by saying the coroner’s office was not thorough enough in its investigations. * Daily Herald | Who’s on first at Metra? Directors coming and going as transit reforms gel: Multiple Metra directors signed off at their final board meeting Wednesday as turnover related to transit reform legislation starts materializing. Six newcomers will sit on the 11-person board in September. Hanover Park Mayor Rod Craig joined Metra in 2014 as the agency regrouped after a patronage scandal and front-office turnover. “The last 12 years have been unbelievable, and I’m proud of having served,” the outgoing director said. * Tribune | Contractor who paid bribes to McCook mayor sentenced to 5 years of probation: A former suburban contractor was sentenced to five years of probation Thursday for paying bribes and acting as bagman for corrupt McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski in exchange for lucrative contracts with the village. In sparing Simo “Sam” Krneta from prison, U.S. District Judge April Perry noted he’d turned his life around in the seven years since the case first started, and that serious health issues would make it difficult for the Bureau of Prisons to manage his care. * WTTW | Dozens of Incarcerated Men at Lawrence Prison Begin Hunger Strike Over Restrictive Housing Conditions: Per IDOC’s internal policy, a minimum of 10 hours of recreation should be provided per week, inclusive of no fewer than one hour of exercise outside of a cell five days per week. The Illinois Department of Corrections did not respond to a request for comment on the strike or conditions at the prison. Schult said that Lawrence only has one mental health professional for the restrictive housing unit. On average, about 85 men are in the restrictive housing unit on disciplinary tickets, according to the department’s end-of-month count. * WAND | Urbana mayor touts city-wide progress during State of the City address: According to the City of Urbana, property crime dropped 28%, while violent crime fell 8% through July 29. The city will also put money into prevention, including a new community engagement and violence prevention office. “Through coordinated investigations and strategic enforcement, officers recovered 90 firearms connected to 63 incidents between May 2025 and July 2026. Behind every number is a decision to prevent harm and protect our neighbors,” Williams said. * WAND | New facility offers hope as Champaign Co. faces 8-year skilled nursing bed shortage: The crisis began after the closure of one of the county’s main nursing homes, leaving the county with an estimated deficit of about 300 beds. “Champaign County closed its nursing facility and sold it to a private individual who then closed the entire facility along with two other facilities, leaving us with the biggest deficit by a long shot in the state of Illinois,” said Laurie Reynolds of Advocates for Aging Care. * BND | After E. coli found, metro-east water providers cited for low disinfectant: Eight of the chlorine deficient samples came from Illinois American’s water and one came from the city’s water, according to Gardner. She said the Illinois EPA collected a total of 19 water samples from homes served by Illinois American and two water samples from homes served by the city. The water from one home served by Illinois American also tested positive for total coliforms, a group of bacteria common in the environment, according to residents’ lawyers. Regulators say they are generally not harmful, but their presence signals a potential problem with equipment or treatment systems. * River Bender | Local Artist to Debut Miles Davis Tribute Sculpture Made Out of 1,000 Trumpets: He is currently seeking trumpet donations. He has about 65 trumpets that have been donated to him so far, and he is grateful for those donations. It’s important to Snider to collect trumpets from people instead of buying his own. He wants to build a sense of community through the sculpture. […] “Over the years as it accumulates trumpets, people will be able to witness it grow as it gets bigger,” he added.
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Rep. Cassidy on Speaker Welch claim: ‘Patently false’
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * Last week…
* Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) was on Ben Joravsky’s show this week and said Welch was told he had a problem with his social media presence years ago before he was elected House Speaker…
* Cassidy on Speaker Welch inviting Harry Benton’s former staffer via the encrypted Signal app to meet at the bar in Gibson’s…
* On updating procedures and Speaker Welch’s “investigation” into the Benton matter…
* And at the end, Ben makes note of something very important about this state…
Please pardon any transcription errors.
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Another Bears click-bait and switch? (Updated x2)
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Lots of rumors were being spread by the usual suspects in the past days about a big Bears’ announcement happening today…
…Adding… Oops!…  * Sun-Times reporter Patrick Finley…
* And about that second stadium site being touted…
* Governor JB Pritzker was asked today if he was given a heads up about the press conference…
* Gov. Pritzker was also asked today if his staff has been in contact with the Bears…
The Bears press conference is scheduled to start at 12:15. Click here to watch. …Adding… WGN’s Tahman Bradley…
* Bears CEO Kevin Warren was asked if the Bears made any mistakes in Springfield…
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Bally’s lender said on earnings call that Chicago video gaming was already factored into underwriting, pointed to existing sweepstakes games
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * iGamingToday…
* But…
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Pritzker says DCFS was unaware of hearing as judge threatens fines in child death records case
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Gov. Pritzker was asked at an unrelated news conference yesterday why DCFS failed to appear…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Colleges scramble after court strikes down in-state tuition for Illinois undocumented students. Sun-Times…
- The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights estimates that 7,000 to 10,000 undocumented students “could lose vital educational support for the upcoming academic year as a direct result of this ruling,” - Judge David Dugan of the Southern District of Illinois paused the implementation of the ruling for two weeks to allow state officials time to appeal, but it is unclear if they will do so. * Gov. JB Pritzker has five public events at the State Fair today…
- 10:45 am: The opening of tents ceremony - 11:15 am: Conservation World ribbon cutting ceremony - 11:30 am: Gov. Pritzker will present the “County Fair Person of the Year” Award - 12:00 pm: Gov. Pritzker will take photos with the 2026 County Fair Queens Click here to watch. * Tribune | Illinois audit: State agency paid staffing firm $78.5M for contractors not actively working: The report released Tuesday from Illinois Auditor General Christopher Meister’s office found the Illinois Emergency Management Agency-Office of Homeland Security did not provide proof to auditors that it could determine how many contractors it needed or to verify that its contractors were billing the state accurately. The agency has been responsible for helping coordinate the state’s response to major emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the influx of migrants three years ago to the Chicago area. The $78.5 million in standby billing — a practice known as “standdown,” under which contractors are paid even when not actively working — came from Favorite Healthcare Staffing, a national employment agency based in Kansas that also helped Chicago respond to the migrant influx and contributed to the city’s multimillion-dollar costs for housing new arrivals. * NBC Chicago | Hammond mayor says Chicago Bears are expected to ‘make announcement’ Thursday: The mayor of Hammond, Indiana, says the Chicago Bears have informed him they plan on making an announcement Thursday. Mayor Tom McDermott told NBC Chicago the Bears told him “there would be an announcement [Thursday],” but he was not informed on what exactly the announcement was about. The Bears have not yet publicly said any announcement is coming. * More from CNI’s Brenden Moore…
* WGN | GOP candidate for Lt. Governor defends abortion comments: ‘I was expressing my personal feelings’: In an interview with WGN political editor Tahman Bradley, Del Mar defended the remarks, saying he was expressing his personal feelings. […] “Illinois has spoken. The legislature has spoken,” Del Mar said. * WRAM | Kermit Thomas Outlines Platform in Bid for Illinois State Representative: Kermit Thomas is running for State Representative of Illinois’ 71st District on the Democratic ballot. Thomas, who resides in Moline, IL, explains his platform in running for office: “I want to do what I can on a state level in Springfield; affordability, affordable housing, gas prices, food, and education. It puts kids to have access to the education; I definitely want to work with that. I am not just talking about formal education of four years of college; I am talking about trade schools and things that kids can actually become a CNA or a welder before they even graduate high school. Then they can go straight to work and there won’t be a four-year gap in their income, they can go straight to work and become a productive citizen,” says Thomas. * Illinois Times | State Board of Elections pays off-duty SPD officers to oversee records examinations: The Illinois State Board of Elections has been paying off-duty Springfield police officers to provide security for records examinations, including the validation of candidate petitions. […] Bernadette Matthews, who has served as executive director of ISBE since 2022, informed Illinois Times the state agency has been utilizing some means of police security for at least a decade. In the past, it was mostly officers from Illinois State Police and the Department of Homeland Security, but the state agency began contracting with SPD in 2025. Matthews said DHS stopped offering support after the 2024 election cycle. * Obituary: Donald E. Arnell: Don’s commitment to public service was evident throughout his career. In 1961, he was elected Bloom Township Justice of the Peace and served as Circuit Court Magistrate from 1961 to 1965. He was elected twice as Bloom Township Supervisor in 1965 and 1969, serving with distinction during a period of growth and change in the community. In 1972 and again in 1974, he was elected Illinois State Representative for the 10th District where he worked diligently on behalf of his constituents and the State of Illinois. * Sun-Times | Bally’s is using video gambling battle to slow construction at casino site, alderpersons say: The letter demands that Johnson enforce the agreement and ensure that Bally’s “delivers the complete project it committed to build.” If Johnson refuses, the City Council majority says it will do it for him — by summoning Bally’s executives to a public hearing and perhaps filing a lawsuit against the gambling giant. * Sun-Times | CTA deploying violence interrupters, mental health clinicians on trains this fall: The Chicago Transit Authority board on Wednesday approved a $10 million, yearlong Crisis Intervention Safe Ride Specialist Pilot program designed to complement the recent boost in security and police on trains and buses. The specialists, drawn from contracts with four local groups, will don colorful vests while they provide mental, behavioral and drug-use treatment services to those who need it, Nora Leerhsen, the CTA’s acting president, told the board. * Tribune | SEIU puts $1.1 million into school board race effort as feud with CTU escalates: While CTU supported the plan, SEIU has called it a “gamble” that is “dependent on state funding that does not exist.” Then, the dispute spiraled into an online spat this week between Driver and Potter, the CTU vice president. When Driver posted on Facebook condemning the spending plan, Potter commented, “Not sure what your interest is in school finance suddenly.” He questioned why the district shouldn’t budget on unpromised state funding while assuming tax increment financing dollars, which rely on City Hall. * Sun-Times | Potential class-action lawsuit filed against South Deering funeral home for mishandling 56 bodies: Criminal charges haven’t been filed. Illinois State Police are still investigating the Chicago Heights situation while Chicago police sort through the latest ordeal. The Cook County medical examiner’s office is still working to identify all the deceased as well as the cremated remains of at least 56 more people. South Chicago Chapel “failed to properly affix identifying information to the bodies in its possession, including that of Mr. Fallie, despite knowing the same would be necessary in properly identifying the bodies,” the new suit claims. * Crain’s | Ford to shift Lincoln production from China, potentially boosting Chicago plant: In a press release announcing the shift, Ford noted that Lincoln currently assembles the Navigator in Louisville, Ky., and the Aviator at the company’s Chicago Assembly Plant on the Far South Side. “This expansion builds on that existing U.S. manufacturing base and Ford’s commitment to American manufacturing,” the company said. “The company expects the increased production to generate thousands of direct and indirect U.S. jobs.” * Daily Herald | Lisle data center faces renewed scrutiny over diesel generators and ongoing construction: Neighboring residents raised questions last week after noticing several diesel generators running at the CSquare facility. In an email Monday, a CSquare executive said the company currently is operating one diesel generator, which the company says is allowed by the village under a temporary permit. The facility, which has been in operation since the 1970s, also has nine permanent back-up generators, which are permitted and have been on site for some time. Additionally, CSquare is working with the village on permitting for four other temporary generators on site and needed to power critical workloads. * Daily Herald | Lake County forest preserves to spend $30 million to buy more land: The general obligation bond issue will be the second batch of $155 million authorized by voters in late 2024 for land acquisition, development and restoration. The forest district board plans to spend $65 million of it for land preservation and acquisition, and $90 million for habitat restoration and public access improvements. A bond issue last year generated about $25 million in proceeds, with $10 million allocated for development and $15 million for land acquisition. * Daily Herald | With an assist from AI, Donald E. Stephens comes back to life in new Rosemont museum: The robotic mayor — seated at what was his real wooden desk kept in storage all these years — tells the story of the area’s transformation from septic fields and pungent odors before its 1956 incorporation, into an economic engine with a convention center and sports arena that grew alongside O’Hare International Airport. “They called me a dreamer, and to a degree, I am a dreamer,” says the android, speaking from a 4-minute prerecorded script, but with all the right inflection, cadence and tone. “You have to be, to do what I do. And if it’s better than when I got here, then I did what I needed to do. From the boy mayor to the old man, I’m glad I got to grow with Rosemont.” * Capitol News Illinois | 2026 butter cow: ‘Miles of Smiles’ is State Fair’s theme in celebration of Route 66: The butter cow will remain on display in the Dairy Building throughout the fair, which opens at 7 a.m. Thursday, with the annual Twilight Parade scheduled for 5:30 p.m. that day. The fair runs through Aug. 23 from 7 a.m. until midnight each day. The sculpture is made of 800 pounds of unsalted butter spread across a wire frame. As was the case in previous years, much of the butter is “recycled,” meaning it is reused each year, rather than discarded. It was sculpted once again by Iowan Sarah Pratt. * Capitol City Now | Even the butter cow has the spirit of 66: For the tenth year in a row, the butter cow sculptor is Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines, IA. “As I explored the history of Route 66, I was drawn to the many iconic ice cream stops that became part of the journey for generations of travelers. That made ice cream a natural feature of this year’s sculpture,” Pratt said in a news release. “We hope fairgoers enjoy the whimsy of the display, share memories of their own Route 66 adventures, and remember the important role dairy has played in so many of those journeys.” * WCIA | Urbana School District Superintendent announces retirement after 2026-27 year: The Superintendent of the Urbana School District announced that this school year will be her last after over three decades in education. On Wednesday, Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Ivory-Tatum said she will retire at the end of the 2026-2027 school year. This will mark the end of nearly two decades of service as a leader and administrator in Urbana, and 34 years in education overall. * Smithsonian Magazine | An 11-Year-Old Boy in a Small Midwestern Town Just Became the Guinness World Record Holder for Being the Youngest Museum Curator: Anderson Taylor, now 11, was recently awarded the Guinness World Record for being the youngest male curator of a museum, the first to ever hold the title. He opened the Cambridge Natural History Museum in Cambridge, Illinois, on August 10, 2024, when he was just 9 years and 340 days old. […] Throughout his childhood, he collected more fossils. Some were from the Cambridge area, and some from his family trip to Scotland, where he found inspiration in a small museum not unlike his own. At his school, he and his friends often dig through a limestone gravel playground to find treasures.
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Good morning!
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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