* ICYMI: Illinois sees 16% drop in SNAP enrollment one year after food program overhaul. Sun-Times…

- By June, the number of SNAP recipients had fallen to nearly 1.6 million, down from nearly 1.9 million last year, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services.
- IDHS estimates 148,000 people lost SNAP because of the work requirements. State officials had initially estimated 400,000 people would lose benefits
- Nearly 97% of the people still receiving SNAP were exempted from the expanded work rules because they meet certain requirements, such as living with a physical or mental condition or having a child who is 13 years or younger, according to the state.

* At 9 am, Gov. JB Pritzker will deliver remarks at the National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit. At 9:30 am, he will participate in an NCSL panel. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Fox 2 Now | Judge blocks Illinois from offering in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants: On Friday, Judge David W. Dugan ruled Illinois’ RISE Act and DREAM Act policies as “unconstitutional and invalid” as applied to undocumented students. Dugan ruled that the policies violate federal law by providing residency-based college benefits to undocumented students while not extending the same benefits to all U.S. citizens who live outside the state. The order, however, is on hold for 14 days while the state decides whether to appeal the case.

* Maria Pappas | Homeowners blast property tax increases, but only 20% vote when given a chance to reject them: Suburban governments and school districts asked voters to approve 20 binding property tax referendums to upgrade schools, buy new emergency and rescue equipment, renovate libraries and rebuild aging roads. Voters approved 15 of them and rejected the other five during the April 2025 consolidated election for local government offices and the March 2026 primary for federal, state, county and township governments. Turnout for those referendums averaged 20.1%, with the fate of four each determined by less than 10% of voters. That low-turnout trend, which is particularly acute in local and primary elections, was first identified in a March 2024 Treasurer’s Office report and again in follow-up report one year later.

* Crain’s | Giannoulias’ money is reshaping the Chicago mayor’s race — before he’s even entered it: Giannoulias wanted to know he would have support if he ran for mayor, Poulos said, and if he decides against a run, “there’s an expectation out there that the money would be returned.” “This guy could sit back, ride it out, do a great job as secretary of state, and when JB’s done running out a third term, he can run for governor,” Poulos said.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WBEZ | A new Illinois law keeps hospital finances hidden from the public: A new law in Illinois requires hospitals to file more financial information with state regulators, giving them a deeper look into whether medical centers are struggling. But these records will be hidden from the public, the law states, limiting how much patients, their doctors and even community leaders like city councils know about hospitals in their back yards. This is one piece of a broad law Gov. JB Pritzker signed in June “to support at-risk hospitals, strengthen our statewide care infrastructure, and defend the interests of patients and taxpayers,” he said in a news release at the time.

* 4 the Record | Independent Gov candidate Corbett takes aim at Illinois regulations: Collin Corbett talks about expanding the Illinois economy by making it easier to do business in the state, specifically saying he would get rid of unnecessary regulations on businesses. what regulations would you try to eliminate with help from state lawmakers? “This has to be a full effort,” Corbett said. “There are so many things that are requirements that a bigger business has no trouble handling because they’ve got a big accounting department. They’ve got a big legal department, and they can keep up with all the changes. Who this hurts the most is small businesses.”

* Center Square | GOP makes political push in House races amid lawmaker controversies: The Republican organization also began running an ad against Speaker of the House Emanuel “Chris” Welch, in which they questioned Welch’s ability to remain in his role after he allegedly delayed taking action on complaints against Benton. Another potentially tight race, which Republicans are making a push for is downstate in the 104th district. Mary Catherine Roberson, D-Danville, is running for the seat against Rep. Brandun Schweizer, R-Danville, who is completing his first term this year.

* Evanston Roundtable | Lieutenant governor candidate joins annual Evanston Democrats meeting: Mitchell shared some of his priorities with the RoundTable in an interview before he spoke at Sunday’s event. “I believe in organizing fundamentally,” he said. “I believe in going door to door and talking to people. I’m grateful that folks are doing that here.” While that door-to-door organizing happens in Illinois, Mitchell said efforts modeled after Operation Swing State — where local Democrats traveled to places like Wisconsin and Michigan ahead of the 2024 election to support Democratic candidates there — are also important moving forward.

* Tribune | Thomas Nolan, longtime Springfield social service lobbyist, dies at 83: “He was a quintessential Irishman, always a twinkle in his eye and a story to tell,” said Judy Erwin, a retired state lawmaker from Chicago who formerly served as a top staffer for the late Senate President Philip J. Rock. “He was always a welcome sight in Springfield, where there were some people you might want to avoid,” she said. “Tom was one of those people who could put a smile on your face whenever you saw him around the rail.”

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | Chicago renters’ rights are at stake in dueling City Hall proposals: Currently, property owners who live in their building with six or fewer units are considered small landlords, and that building is exempt from most of the city’s renter laws — a definition maintained in the proposal from the mayor. FAIR, the proposal from City Council, would create three tiers of landlords. Small landlords could own up to 12 rental units throughout Chicago and need not live in any of the buildings.

* Tribune | In historic shift, Latino officers soon to be largest racial group in Chicago Police Department: As of June 2026, CPD employed 4,403 white officers, a sharp decline from the 6,217 on payroll in August 2017. The number of Latino officers, meanwhile, has increased by more than 40 percent since then, now totaling 4,158, records show. There are about 2,300 Black CPD officers, approximately 20 percent of the department, and that figure has largely held steady over the last decade.

* Crain’s | Why one Chicago accounting firm is saying no to the private equity wave: Mowery & Schoenfeld, which provides wealth management services, technology consulting and investment bank advisory in addition to its core accounting services is laser-focused on its long-term growth strategy of recruiting good clients. Remaining independent is an attractive point of differentiation on that front. […] More than 60% of the firms on Crain’s list of the 25 biggest accounting firms in Chicago have received some form of private equity investment since the first one was made in 2021, according to Allan Koltin, CEO of Chicago-based Koltin Consulting Group, which advises accounting and financial firms.

* Sun-Times | John Prine mural adorns Old Town School of Folk Music: In white are tributes to Prine’s life, much of it referencing his job as a mail carrier before his musical career took off. “Maywood, Illinois,” his hometown, is written in postcard lettering on one side of the mural. The postcard appears to be flipped on the side and features Prine’s signature and two stamps — one showing his own face and one of his friend and fellow Chicago musician, Steve Goodman. While Goodman was not a mail carrier, a Lake View post office is named after him.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Three Northwest suburban hospitals accused of not properly providing pricing information: Streamwood Behavioral Healthcare System was sent a letter of warning from the federal government over the issue, while Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in Hoffman Estates and Chicago Behavioral Hospital in Des Plaines were sent more severe requests for plans to provide transparent pricing. Failing to comply can result in penalties of up to $2 million annually. A Daily Herald review of the three facilities’ websites revealed all offer price guides for standard services.

* Tribune | Vernon Hills toy manufacturer sues Trump administration again over new round of tariffs: The lawsuit, filed Friday in the U.S. Court of International Trade with co-plaintiff HMTX Industries, a Connecticut-based flooring company, challenges the 10% to 12.5% tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on top trading partners for alleged forced labor practices. The tariffs levied Friday by the Trump administration invoke Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which empowers the president to implement tariffs on countries that engage in unfair trade practices. The Office of the United States Trade Representative cited forced labor in global supply chains at the top 60 trade partners covering 99.4% of U.S. imports.

* Daily Herald | Roosevelt University, Schaumburg launch business incubator for suburban entrepreneurs: Schaumburg Economic Development Director Matt Frank said the idea of a business incubator was part of the village’s strategic plan to overcome economic setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It became the desired use for a federal Community Development Block Grant and fell to Roosevelt University, the village’s favored partner, to implement it. The program initially called for participants to be of low- to moderate-income to qualify.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | FUSE program has led to fewer arrests among people with mental illness, substance use disorders: A McLean County program for people struggling with substance use and mental health has resulted in fewer brushes with the criminal justice system. […] The voluntary program enrolls people affected by mental illness and substance abuse who frequently interact with McLean County’s criminal justice system, emergency rooms and homeless shelters. FUSE is funded by an intergovernmental sales tax agreement between McLean County, Bloomington and Normal collected to pay for public safety and mental health initiatives.

* Illinois Times | Mental Health Board seeking executive director, lawyer: Board chair Steve Nardulli said while the process can be somewhat fluid, he wants to finalize the executive director position by the end of September. Whoever is hired will be tasked with organizing the board’s priorities and long-term funding plans. The position has a wide pay range of $80,000 to $150,000, “commensurate with education and experience,” according to the job description. Interested applicants need to apply by Aug. 7 at 5 p.m.

* WCIA | Coles Co. Fair kicks off with new facilities following destructive June tornado: The fair board had one month to get repairs done before opening day, which meant they had to work fast to resurrect the property. Coles County Fair Board President, Mark Grant, said rebuilding the hog barn, show ring, and replacing the roof on the art hall was all thanks to the community wrapping their arms around him when he needed it most. “Really happy that it all came together and we got it done,” Grant said.

*** National ***

* Stateline | Crime continues historic decline as homicide rates approach century lows: A new analysis from the nonpartisan think tank Council on Criminal Justice found that nine of 13 crime categories tracked in 36 cities declined compared with the first six months of 2025. Homicides fell 18% in the first half of the year, with 215 fewer killings among the 30 cities that reported data for the offense.

* Bloomberg | Trump Mail Vote Plan Blocked as Appeals Court Favors States: A three-judge appellate panel said it would not pause a lower court ruling that barred federal agencies from immediately enforcing Trump’s executive order in almost two dozen states and the District of Columbia where Democratic officials sued. […] The Justice Department signaled in earlier court filings that it would consider taking the fight to the US Supreme Court. While the Boston judge’s injunction doesn’t apply nationwide, it’s considered a significant impediment to the administration’s ability to carry out Trump’s executive order for the November vote.

* Bloomberg | Why wildfire smoke still catches cities off guard: NOAA’s current smoke prediction model makes forecasts 48 hours ahead, but the agency is implementing a new model that will forecast 84 hours into the future. It will be operational this fall, according to Ahmadov. The advance was made possible by improvements in computer modeling, but better observational data from satellites will be key for further progress.

* CNN | Cyclospora outbreaks start with human contamination. Nobody has ever been able to figure out how: Cyclospora outbreaks are difficult to investigate in large part because of the parasite itself. People who ingest tainted food or water don’t get sick right away. It can take up to two weeks for the cramping, nausea, watery diarrhea and bloating to start. By the time people realize that their symptoms aren’t going away and seek medical attention, it may be three weeks to a month after exposure.