* Capitol News Illinois…

The Illinois Department of Public Health is not adopting new federal child vaccine guidelines and will continue following recommendations by a leading pediatric medical group.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that calls for giving the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, better known as MMR, in three separate shots at three different appointments. It also lowers recommendations for several vaccines such as Hepatitis A and B, meningococcal disease, the flu and COVID-19 into recommend for “certain high-risk groups” or “based on shared clinical decision-making” rather than for all children. […]

Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement the executive order is a “thoughtless piece of paper” that “does not reverse decades of research and scientific evidence about protecting kids.”

Instead, Illinois will continue following guidelines outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which the state’s Immunization Advisory Committee previously unanimously adopted in February. […]

Illinois has taken several steps since Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took office and set their sights on changing the nations vaccine policies to conform to their views.

Pritzker signed a new state law in December, which allows IDPH to create more of its own vaccine guidelines for Illinoisians. Pritzker signed a similar executive order in September.

*** Statewide ***

* Cook County Record | Lawsuit powered down vs Samsung over Gallery app face scans: People trying to sue phone makers under Illinois’ biometrics privacy law need to do more than merely accuse the companies of installing a camera and an app to process the photos on a mobile device, a federal appeals court has ruled. On Aug. 7, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals sided with device making giant Samsung, which is defending itself against an attempt by trial lawyers to extract a potentially massive payout using a class action lawsuit lodged under the law known as the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

*** Statehouse News ***

* WCIA | ‘We are at the tipping point’: Illinois’ largest teachers union calls for special session to address funding issue: “Time after time, we’ve been left behind, and this has not been addressed at all, which is why we really do want to put the pressure on. Because by our own funding model, we’re not meeting the needs. And when you combine that with the federal cuts, we are at the tipping point for what should be a priority for the lawmakers and our governor here in the state of Illinois,” said IFT Executive Vice President Cyndi Oberle-Dahm.

* Press release Rep. Stephanie Kifowit Elected President of NCSL Women’s Legislative Network: “I am honored to have been selected by my fellow women legislators to serve as President of the NCSL Women’s Legislative Network,” said Kifowit. “This organization creates an invaluable space for women in public service to learn from one another, strengthen our leadership skills and build relationships across state and party lines.” Kifowit was formally elected during the Network’s July 28 business meeting at the 2026 NCSL Legislative Summit in Chicago. She previously served two one-year terms as Vice President of the Network and, prior to that, served on its board as Midwest Regional Director.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | City Council demands Bally’s restart casino construction: The letter, sent a few days after the construction pause, says aldermen are “deeply concerned by Bally’s decision to slow or suspend construction of significant non-gaming portions of the permanent Chicago casino development while continuing construction of the casino itself.” The group argues the host community agreement Rhode Island-based Bally’s signed with the city in 2022 binds the company to deliver an entire casino campus, including a planned hotel, restaurants, bars, and other entertainment options, “not simply a gaming floor.”

* CBS Chicago | Lobbyist, mayoral candidate John Kelly says Chicago has had enough of career politicians: Kelly is a lobbyist who owns All-Circo Inc., and represents the Bally’s casino currently under construction in Chicago. He is also co-founder of Sentinel Security, a private security company. […] Kelly has spent his career as a lobbyist representing special interests. But he emphasized that this would not affect how he would handle being mayor. “For 28 years I’ve done lobbying, we’ve never had an ethical concern. It’s something that’s very important. I’m prepared to tell former clients and friends and family no as mayor of Chicago, and that’s what Chicagoans want,” he said. “You’ve got to put Chicagoans first, and when you’re mayor, you have to tell a lot of people no, because the number one job of mayor is to have clean and safe streets for the city of Chicago and for the residents.”

* Block Club | Broadway Antique Market, The Beloved Edgewater Vintage Store, Is For Sale: The steady increase in the building’s property taxes was also a factor in the owners’ decision to retire, Cerny said. Cook County records show the building’s taxes have more than doubled from 2020 to 2024, when the building owners paid over $101,000 in property taxes. “It’s over six figures, and that’s just not sustainable,” he said.

* Block Club | Data Centers Are Popping Up Everywhere In Chicago. Here’s Where — And Why They’re Controversial: Chicago is home to 39 data centers, most of which are in or near Downtown, according to a city report released last month. Cook County has 109 data centers, with 12 more planned, according to the Illinois Data Center Map. Seven of Cook County’s 25 largest operational or planned facilities fall within the city of Chicago, including three centers that are open now.

* Sun-Times | Former charter operator Aspira declares bankruptcy, could keep profit from sale of taxpayer-funded building: Aspira Inc. of Illinois got $27 million from the state to build a modern school just 11 years ago. Now the nonprofit has declared bankruptcy and wants to sell the building for $11 million — and pocket some of the proceeds for its own operations.

* Chicago Reader | Soul pioneer Harold Burrage died before he could become a star: “He really should have been credited as one of the great Chicago early rock ’n’ rollers,” Cohen says. “Maybe if he were on Chess Records instead of Cobra, he would have been.” “What I like about Harold is his evolution,” Porter adds. “He transitioned from jump blues to soul in a natural way. You hear his later soul sides like ‘You Made Me So Happy,’ and you don’t get the impression that he was a 50s relic trying to keep up. I’d like to think that if he’d lived until the early predisco 70s, he would have broken ground there as well.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | ICE agent pleads guilty to battering a protester at Brookfield gas station: An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of battery for throwing a protester to the ground while he filmed the agent on his phone. Adam Saracco, 41, entered the plea during a court appearance in Maywood and was sentenced to one year of supervision. Saracco is thought to be the first and only immigration agent charged in Cook County in connection with conduct toward protesters and civilians during Operation Midway Blitz. He was off duty at the time of the confrontation.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Kane County Board OKs roughly $2.3 million property tax levy hike for next year’s budget: At its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, the Kane County Board OK’d measures setting the tax levies for its various funds — for taxes to be paid in 2027. The bulk of the increase above last year’s levy will go toward the county’s general fund, its main operating fund. This approval comes just a week after the board OK’d a $402.9 million budget for the new fiscal year starting Dec. 1. The approved budget relies on the now-approved property tax hike to be balanced.

* Lake County News-Sun | After first year, Rebuild Waukegan program expanding: ‘We had to rebuild for tomorrow’: Starting more than a year ago as a plan to revitalize Waukegan’s aging streets, sidewalks and sewers, Mayor Sam Cunningham’s Rebuild Waukegan campaign has evolved into a way to help individuals restore their homes and motivate private developers to do projects in the city. As he campaigned in early 2025 to regain the job he lost in the 2021 mayoral election, Cunningham listened to what people had to say about the city. He heard positive comments but also a lot of negative ones, too.

* Pioneer Press | Evanston City Clerk Stephanie Mendoza announces bid for mayoral seat: Mendoza was first elected to the role of city clerk in 2021, having been the only name to appear on the February primary ballot alongside several write-ins. She was re-elected to the position in 2025. Making history as the first Latina elected official following her initial city clerk win, Mendoza would also become the first Latina mayor in Evanston if elected by voters in April 2027.

* Daily Herald | County approves application for waste transfer facility to replace Grayslake landfill: The approval is necessary before Waste Management can receive a permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, said Walter Willis, executive director of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County. […] State law requires any party that wants to develop, build or operate a new pollution control facility to submit a written request and comprehensive application outlining how the plan complies with nine criteria, including the need for the facility. Tuesday’s approval includes 13 special conditions, including specified operating hours for the transfer station as well as a recycling center planned as part of the project, Willis said.

* Crain’s | Capital One cuts another 431 jobs from Discover operations: The latest round of cuts includes 243 employees who work at Discover’s former headquarters in Riverwoods, 23 Illinois residents who work remotely and 165 non-Illinois residents who report to teams based in Riverwoods.

*** Downstate ***

* WCBU | Tazewell County committee recommends removing agricultural land from possible data center sites: If a data center is built in Tazewell County, it could only be in an area zoned industrial. That was the key recommendation from the Tazewell County Board land use committee’s initial dive into a proposed data center ordinance, which ultimately must be approved by the full board. A first draft of the ordinance — handed out to committee members just before the start of Tuesday’s meeting — had also allowed a data center in an area zoned agricultural.

* WHBF | Clinton to hold public meetings on proposed data center: Clinton Mayor Scott Maddasion and members of the City Council reviewed the timeline for the proposed 1,100 acre hyperscale data center project ordinance for the city during Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. Council members supported devoting more time for study on the project, slowing down the process and providing additional opportunities for public input. Twenty members of Clintonians Against Data Centers spoke during the August 11 City Council meeting audience comments section, sharing concerns and perspectives about the proposed ordinance and the city’s approach to data center development. Concerns included a lack of transparency, how decisions are made, clean air, clean water, consideration of a new moratorium and increasing citizen involvement. About 40 members of the organization were present.

* WAND | Eagle Rock halts plans for data center in Christian Co.: Eagle Rock Partners said uncertainty surrounding delivery of power infrastructure to the data center is why it’s no longer moving forward with the project. The nearly $9 billion project was expected to create thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs in the county. But many residents and some elected officials were concerned about the data center’s impact on the county. Concerns included water usage, disruption to wildlife, and environmental and farming impacts.

* Heartland News | SPARK 618 wins $100,000 grant to build Carbondale skilled trades lab: SPARK 618 will use the funding to modify an existing space at the community center into a jobsite-style training facility for construction, electrical, HVAC, clean energy, and other trades. The improvements will include secure tool storage, workbenches, training stations, safety infrastructure, and professional equipment, along with ventilation and electrical upgrades.

* WCBU | Peoria City Council gives initial OK to South Side supportive housing complex: Mayor Rita Ali said during Tuesday’s regular meeting the 48-unit Phoenix Manor development at the site of the demolished Harrison School is a key step toward revitalizing the area. “We have to repopulate this area in order to sustain grocery stores, retail stores, pharmacies. We have to have the population, which means housing comes first,” said Ali. The council on Tuesday voted 8-2 to approve a rezoning and special use allowances needed for the controversial development to proceed toward construction at the site on Krause Avenue, across from the Annie Jo Gordon Community Learning Center.

* Daily Egyptian | The iconic Carbondale staple is expected to be back and operating as The Park by the end of September: “It’s going to be The Park,” Edwards said. “We’re doing a face-lift on the inside — it’s been pretty much completely gutted. The outside, over the next week and a half, should see a huge face-lift. All the windows are coming down, garage doors are going in. We’re trying to open it up a little bit and get some new lighting on the outside.”

*** National ***

* Big Think | The strongest experimental hint that gravity is quantum in nature: There are so many subtle quantum effects that not only pop out of our equations, but also have been physically verified, that it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of them all. For example, in the classical Universe, if you have a charged particle in motion, it can be affected by both the presence of electric fields and magnetic fields.

* WSJ | America’s Mortgage King Lost $600 Million and Needed a Rescue: [Billionaire Mat Ishbia] surprised investors last week when he revealed that an ill-timed wager had left his company, United Wholesale Mortgage, with a $600 million hole. The Pontiac, Mich., company said it was suspending its common-stock payouts and getting financing from Oaktree Capital Management, a lender to distressed companies. Shares tanked 35%, leaving them down about 70% this year.

* Tribune | Doctors say Trump’s vaccine order will raise fears, cause confusion and endanger kids: Trump repeatedly suggested the number or timing of vaccines could play a role in rising rates of autism spectrum disorder, even though decades of studies have firmly concluded there is no link. He also strongly suggested that the MMR vaccine could be harmful or even deadly. Dr. Paul Offit, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia vaccine researcher and former government adviser, said the recommendations by Trump and Kennedy “are just not science based,” and it’s irresponsible to cast doubt on a vaccine that protects against measles when the nation is facing its biggest epidemic in more than 30 years.