* ICYMI: Students without permanent legal status navigate Illinois in-state tuition changes. Tribune…

- Thousands of students across Illinois lost access to in-state tuition rates and financial aid after a federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump ruled in August that the state’s residency requirement cannot apply to students without permanent legal status.
- The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights estimates that 7,000 to 10,000 students across the state could be affected by the change.
- Illinois students without legal status could once again be eligible for in-state tuition rates during the 2027-28 school year. In anticipation of the court ruling, a law passed by the Illinois General Assembly in June modifies the state residency requirement that applies to students without permanent legal status.

* Related stories…

• Inside Higher Ed: Undocumented Students Grapple With Loss of In-State Tuition
• Sun-Times: Colleges scramble after court strikes down in-state tuition for Illinois undocumented students

* At 11 am, Gov. JB Pritzker will attend a ribbon cutting celebrating the College of Engineering at Illinois State University. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois regulators propose expansion to self-exclusion program for compulsive gamblers: Illinois gambling regulators are looking to make it easier for compulsive gamblers to ban themselves from legal gambling under rules proposed Thursday afternoon. The changes proposed by the Illinois Gaming Board, which could take years to fully implement, would expand the enrollment options for the self-exclusion list. Nearly 16,000 people have signed up for the list, which allows people to bar themselves from sports betting, casinos and other forms of legalized betting.

* Sun-Times | Lincoln’s blood-stained gloves from his assassination resurface in California museum: The gloves once were envisioned to be part of the permanent collection at Abraham Lincoln’s presidential museum in Springfield. But they instead were auctioned for $1.5 million to a mystery bidder amid concerns the public might never see them again.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Illinois law aimed at wrongful abuse claims follows years of debate between advocates and doctors: Under the new law, when the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services requests a professional’s “medical or forensic opinion” during an investigation into whether a child’s injury or illness may stem from abuse or neglect, DCFS must make reasonable efforts within 24 hours to tell the child’s parent or guardian that the opinion will be weighed in the case, and disclose “the professional’s specialty and any subspecialty.”

* KSDK | Illinois GOP lieutenant governor candidate defends machine gun video, calls abortion a ‘moot issue’: Asked about the video, which he posted from an Illinois State Rifle Association event, Del Mar said the weapon was not his. “That was theirs,” he said, adding, “I had never shot one before.” Machine guns are generally illegal to possess in Illinois under state law, with narrow exceptions for law enforcement, the military and licensed manufacturers. […] On abortion, Del Mar was pressed on two statements he made 30 days apart: telling WBEZ in July the campaign was not talking about abortion, then telling a Springfield rally in August that Pritzker is willing to murder millions of babies. Del Mar said his views are personal, not a legislative agenda. “I think two things can be right at the same time,” he said. “I could have my own personal beliefs, but I think two, I can also govern Illinois by the way that the people of Illinois want to be governed, and 78% of Illinois thinks that we should have access to abortion.”

* Comptroller Susana Mendoza | Illinoisans who mishandle human remains must face more consequences: Second, it’s time for a civilian oversight board with real authority, and that board must include a representative of families who have been directly harmed by death care misconduct. These families have been failed by the regulatory system once already. They deserve a permanent seat at the table where reforms are designed and enforced. Government bodies should have more power to oversee this industry and accountability to the people most affected by its failures.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Justin Ishbia reveals vision for Sox stadium and massive riverside development: Justin Ishbia has unveiled his concept for a White Sox ballpark-anchored campus along the South Branch of the Chicago River, the first detailed look at an ambitious plan from the team’s billionaire owner-in-waiting as he faces community pushback to the megaproject’s critical first step. Billing the proposal as a once-in-a-generation catalyst for economic growth, Ishbia today revealed conceptual renderings and plans for The Railyards, a mixed-use district that would transform more than 80 acres of existing Amtrak and BNSF tracks on the western edge of the river south of Roosevelt Road.

* Block Club | Future White Sox Owner Unveils Plans For South Loop Stadium As Part Of New ‘Railyards’ Development: Renderings show a ball park built in a vintage style with brick facade that abuts the Chicago River, with a riverwalk along its eastern perimeter. A public plaza is show to the park’s north, next to a commercial building that is connected to the stadium via a skybridge. A mix of other new mid and low-rise buildings at the site will include commercial, retail, health care and residential uses.

* Crain’s | Uber is cutting more than 350 jobs in Chicago: Uber Technologies plans to lay off 363 employees in Chicago later this year as part of a major restructuring at the rideshare and food-delivery service. The Chicago cutbacks amount to 11% of the 3,300 job cuts announced earlier this week by CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in an effort to slash bureaucracy and costs at the company.

* Tribune | Inch by inch, this Chicago diver scours Lake Michigan’s floor for our lost stuff: ‘The guy everybody calls’: A particularly high-profile search was for a wedding ring belonging to former Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo in 2020. The player had lost some weight and, as he washed his hands at a fuel dock, the ring flew into Belmont Harbor, Yamada said. Rizzo spoke to harbor employees and was directed to Yamada, who found the ring in about an hour and a half.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Aurora Beacon-News | Oswego salutes state Sen. Linda Holmes with honorary street name designation: Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman read a proclamation recognizing her contributions and accomplishments over the past 20 years, saying Holmes has served Illinois residents and Oswego with “compassion, integrity and thoughtful leadership.” “Throughout her Senate career, Senator Holmes championed healthcare protections, and helped lead a bipartisan agreement to restore the state unemployment insurance trust fund, bringing together business, labor and both political parties to reach a historic consensus,” he said.

* Daily Southtown | Will County yet to disburse approved grant for immigration services group: A Will County Board member is expressing frustration that funding for an immigration services group has not been disbursed, but the county executive’s office claims there is not sufficient documentation to award the grant money. Board member Destinee Ortiz, a Romeoville Democrat, said the Will County Board voted 12-10 last November to give $200,000 to Illinois Workers in Action for immigration services using a portion of its cannabis tax revenue.

* Tribune | Lake Forest College sees new academic year start with largest incoming class in its history: This year’s 1,794-member student body includes 423 first-year students and 116 who are transferring from other institutions. In comparison, there were 394 freshmen and 89 transfers on the first day of class last fall and 422 and 92 in 2024.

* Daily Herald | Medinah, suburbs anticipating massive economic impact from Presidents Cup: The PGA Tour’s Presidents Cup tournament coming to Medinah Country Club this month could have a $175 million economic impact for the region, according to the man who’s been overseeing its preparation for the past 3½ years. And a great part of that will be felt in the suburbs surrounding Medinah, where out-of-town visitors will stay, dine and occupy their free time with some golfing or other recreational activities of their own, tournament Executive Director Joie Chitwood III said.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | With Logan Correctional Center set to close, Lincoln mayor urges state to not leave another mess: When the state told Mayor Tracy Welch it planned to close Logan, he implored officials to avoid leaving “another eyesore in our community.” “If you’re going to close the facility down, remediate the property now while those of you who made the decision have the power and ability to do so. Don’t leave it for somebody else, and don’t leave it for us.”

* Illinois Times | Business affected by downtown water line break seeks to recover damages: The basement was flooded with at least five feet of water. Images posted on the business’ Facebook page show water nearly reaching the top of the stairs leading to the basement. The building remains without power since the electrical panels, located in the basement, were ruined.

* Illinois Times | Hazardous levels of lead found in Taylorville park: IPDH’s Sept. 1 report, published with the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, warns of elevated lead exposure for children and summer league baseball players who played on Field One of Manners Park prior to 2023. Lead poisoning is a life-threatening affliction. A 2015 National Institutes of Health paper explains, “there is almost no function in the human body which is not affected by lead toxicity.” The IDPH report states the rest of Manners Park is safe to use, but also recommends the Taylorville Park District complete soil remediation of the superfund site. IPDH will host an open house from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the University of Illinois Extension Service office, 1120 N. Webster St., Taylorville.