* ICYMI: Federal food assistance changes threaten benefits for thousands of Illinoisans. Capitol News Illinois…

- The domestic policy law signed by President Donald Trump last week creates new work requirements that could jeopardize food assistance benefits for 360,000 Illinoisans, according to the state.
- The law also shifts more of the program’s costs onto states, potentially leaving Illinois on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in added expenses.
- While the Congressional Budget Office expects the changes to save the federal government money, it warns most states will face much higher costs as a result.
- Illinois and most other states will have to cover a greater portion of costs for SNAP under the law, including benefits based on the state’s error rate of over- and under-payments on benefits. Beginning in federal fiscal year 2028, which begins in October 2027, the law requires states with an error rate greater than 10% as of at least FY25 to cover 15% of the cost of benefits. States with lower error rates would cover a smaller portion of the benefits. Illinois recorded an 11% error rate in FY24, according to the USDA.

* Related stories…

∙ WGEM: Medicaid cuts threaten rural hospitals in Iowa, Illinois
∙ WGN: Illinois officials express concern over Medicaid, SNAP cuts in new budget law
∙ NBC Chicago: Illinois officials blast Medicaid, SNAP cuts in Trump-led megabill
∙ SJ-R: Here’s why 9 rural Illinois hospitals are deemed ‘at-risk’ of closing

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Press Release | Emergency Press Conference After Homeland Security And Immigration Agents Target Puerto Rican Museum: Community leaders and elected officials will gather tomorrow, Wednesday, July 9 at 10:15 AM at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (NMPRAC) for a press conference to address a disturbing incident involving an unannounced and warrantless presence of at least a dozen Homeland Security officers on museum grounds. The incident occurred around 4:00 PM on Tuesday, July 8, when 15–20 Homeland Security vehicles arrived at the NMPRAC without prior notice or legal documentation. Federal agents entered the museum property and refused multiple requests to present a warrant, badge, or identification. Officers informed museum staff that they were assessing entry and exit points for upcoming events that may draw undocumented attendees. When asked to leave the premises, agents refused and continued to walk the property, further intimidating staff and disregarding legal boundaries.

* Sun-Times | Federal investigation into affordable housing, aldermanic prerogative in Chicago fizzles: Advocates who successfully convinced the federal government that Chicago allows City Council members to illegally block affordable housing say they have given up seeking help from President Donald Trump’s administration. Instead, 10 housing groups say they will try to negotiate an agreement with City Hall directly in hopes of bringing more affordable units to majority-white neighborhoods, including several on the Far North Side.

*** Statewide ***

* WAND | Rail fatalities rising in Illinois: As of July 1, 2025, Illinois had 102 collisions, 20 deaths and 53 injuries. Nationwide, the fatalities stand at 79, with 225 people injured. Illinois’ numbers are currently sixth in the nation. Sometimes drivers will try to beat fast-moving trains across the tracks only to be struck by a train.

* WAND | Cycle Across Illinois returns for its 21st year this weekend: The four-day event will start in Champaign at 6:30 a.m. July 10, and end at the Chicago Police Headquarters July 13. Illinois had nine recognized law enforcement officers and one K-9 die in the line of duty nationwide in 2024. According to Cycle Across Illinois, the event began in 2005 as a memorial and fundraising bicycle ride across the state. Riders and support members are a dedicated group of survivors, police officers and supporters.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Evanston Now | State Sen. Simmons joins congressional race: Simmons has been speculated as a potential candidate, fueled by his attendance at a candidate forum late last month. “I don’t look like the typical member of Congress,” Simmons said in his launch video. “I symbolize everything Donald Trump is trying to erase.”

* Press Release | AG Raoul joins coalition opposing unlawful termination of environmental justice grant program: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 20 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for unlawfully terminating the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program. In their brief, Raoul and the coalition explain that the EPA’s mass cancelation of the environmental and climate justice grant program violates clear congressional mandates and fundamental constitutional principles.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Coach houses return to City Council’s agenda — and reignite a zoning argument: Lawson’s attempt to expand the city’s limited accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, pilot last year fell apart amid strong City Council opposition and disagreement among supporters over whether critics’ concerns needed to be addressed to move the measure forward. In 2021, the City Council approved a test-run of legalizing ADUs, which have been illegal in Chicago since 1957. The return has been limited. Crain’s reported in May that just 373 ADUs had been built in four years, according to an estimate by Chicago Cityscape.

* Tribune | Northwestern Memorial Hospital hopes to build new tower, with more than 200 beds, on Streeterville campus: The new tower would include 208 to 278 beds for medical/surgical use and 18 to 36 intensive care unit beds, according to the application. It would also consolidate oncology services now spread across five buildings on the hospital campus, and include imaging and infusion services and operating rooms. The hospital is asking the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board for permission to spend $56 million for design services alone. The application did not say how much the total project, with construction, would cost, and Northwestern spokesperson Chris King declined to comment on the project Tuesday “given that our application is currently under review by the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board.”

* WBEZ | Health care workers warn parents about knockoff car seats with too-good-to-be-true deals: Across the country, there’s been an increase in recent years of parents who think they are buying safe car seats online when, in fact, they’re getting products that are endangering their newborns, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics’ article. One Chicago area hospital has already caught at least three of these car seats in the past year.

* Block Club | Leo High School’s Choir Wowed The ‘America’s Got Talent’ Judges — And They’re Just Getting Started: “It wasn’t really surprising, but I was happy though,” the teen said of Cowell’s thumbs-up after Bell’s high school choir sang in front of the famously critical Brit and the show’s three other celebrity judges in March. Their performance aired on NBC in June. “It was a surprise to everybody else, but it wasn’t really surprising to me, because I knew he was gonna like it,” Bell said.

* Sun-Times | Sox’ Luis Robert Jr. singles in return from hamstring injury with trade deadline looming: Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. returned to the White Sox’ lineup Tuesday against the Blue Jays, giving himself just more than three weeks to prove his worth to contending teams as the trade deadline approaches. Robert grounded into a fielder’s choice and lined a single to right field against Chris Bassitt before the game was called with two outs in the top of the seventh inning after an 84-minute rain delay to give the Jays a 6-1 victory. They have won 10 games in a row.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Special prosecutor appointed to investigate DuPage clerk’s bidding practices: The DuPage County state’s attorney’s office sought the appointment after the clerk’s office did not provide the county auditor with requested documentation regarding two election-related vendors. Bills from the vendors — one for $113,710 from Prager Moving and Storage, for moving equipment to election sites, and another for $115,997 to Governmental Business System for election supply kits — have not been paid. “The Clerk’s failure to comply with the competitive bidding law may constitute official misconduct,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin wrote in his motion seeking a special prosecutor.

* Daily Southtown | Harvey says felony charge dropped against Ald. Colby Chapman: Harvey officials say the Cook County state’s attorney’s office is dropping a felony charge of aggravated battery to a police officer filed against Ald. Colby Chapman, and Harvey’s police chief is criticizing the decision. Chapman was due to be at the Markham courthouse Wednesday for a preliminary hearing on the charge, filed early last month. She was charged with the felony a day after misdemeanor charges were dropped against her by the state’s attorney’s office.

* Tribune | Cook County clerk trying out a ‘smart’ ballot drop box for next election, expanding language access: The $15,000 tamper-proof drop box features a surveillance camera to record who drops off ballots, an electronic screen to confirm successful deposits and a scanner to record the outside envelopes of the ballots. Clerk officials described it as the first of its kind nationally. During the primary election, the new ballot box is expected to be located at the county’s primary election site at 69 W. Washington St., according to a report from the clerk.

* Patch | Elmhurst Politico Seeks County Office: A DuPage County Board member from Elmhurst announced Monday that she was running for county treasurer next year.
In a news release, Yeena Yoo, a Democrat, said she held a recent campaign kickoff event co-hosted by Democrat Deb Conroy, chairwoman of the County Board, and DuPage County Building Trades.

* Daily Southtown | Cook commissioner says his choice of Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz for Pace board ignored: Commissioner Sean Morrison, who represents the 17th District, described Glotz, elected to a second term as mayor April 1, as a “reform candidate,” and said the mayor’s appointment “would have brought a fresh and accountable perspective to the Pace Board.” Morrison, of Palos Park, said Orland Hills Mayor Kyle Hastings was reappointed to another four-year term, although Cook County Board records show commissioners voted in June to recommend both Glotz and Hastings as the southwest suburban representative on Pace.

* Daily Herald | With council approvals, West Chicago mayor intends to drop court case: Having accrued enough paid time through sick leave and vacation time, after Jan. 31 the city also would pay Guttman $60,000 and he would retire. The city will save $15,000 from his accrued total. With that agreement, Bovey intended to withdraw a Thursday’s court date seeking a declaratory judgment on his appointment powers. The 14-member council passed the Guttman agreement unanimously, as it did with Colin Fleury’s approval to remain chief of police and Tia Messino as interim city administrator.

* WGN | Police intervene after heated arguments boil over at south suburban school board meeting: Issues surrounding those credit card expenses have been a topic of conversation at CCHSD 160 board meetings for months, spurred on by local parents like Sequoia Williams, who first told WGN-TV about these issues back in May. Since then, the CCHSD 160 school board has done little to clarify the hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit card charges that include things like a more than $8,700 stay at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, or a $3,500 bill at Cooper’s Hawk in Orland Park.

* Daily Herald | ‘More than just coffee’: Arlington Heights café recognized for hiring people with disabilities: “It has been an adventure. … The success of Gerry’s is truly our employees, our management and our volunteers,” co-founder Amy Philpott said during a small celebration inside the café Tuesday morning. “It’s time and treasure, but it’s all for the growth and development of our employees.” […] Griffin, a former special education teacher, was frustrated that many of her students weren’t getting hired despite their potential, and the jobs they were getting were actually unpaid internships or volunteer roles. In 2018, the friends formed the Brewing Opportunities 501(c) (3) nonprofit and recruited a group of fellow volunteers to serve with them on the board of directors. They held a series of successful fundraisers — then were delayed by the pandemic — before finally opening the coffee shop’s doors at 1802 N. Arlington Heights Road in August 2023.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Windmill City Festival to begin Friday in Batavia: Thousands of visitors are expected to descend upon Batavia this weekend as the Batavia Park District holds its annual Windmill City Festival from July 11 to 13. The majority of events will take place in and around the Peg Bond Center at 151 N. Island Ave. downtown. The fest will run from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Officials noted the event has a long history, dating back to 1956 when it was known as Boo Boo Days.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Carle begins Health Alliance layoffs: Two of Carle Health’s subsidiary companies — Health Alliance and FirstCarolinaCare — began laying off employees Tuesday. Earlier this year, Carle announced that both healthcare providers would cease nearly all business services by the end of 2025. They also said the decision would result in 612 employees being laid off on a rolling basis starting July 8.

* WAND | OSF to close two urgent care centers in Champaign, layoffs expected: OSF plans to close two on-call urgent care centers in Champaign, according to a June 30 warn notice filed with the state of Illinois. OSF will also close the cardiovascular unit at its Urbana-based Heart of Mary Medical Center and its medical group office in Champaign. The warn notice indicates more than 120 workers will be laid off during the closures and restructuring, with layoffs set to begin Aug. 8.

* WGLT | McLean County Nursing Home doesn’t see threat to elder care in Medicaid cuts — for now: Typically, the nursing home on North Main Street cares for about 100 residents. This year, that number hovers closer to 80 as mechanical, electrical and air handling improvements are made to a section of the building. Of the 78 residents currently staying at the nursing home, Wiley said 33 receive Medicaid benefits. At one time, the proportion of residents on Medicaid was closer to 80%.

* WGLT | McLean County Center for Human Services expects more youth will need support when LGBTQ+ hotline ends: For five decades, MCCHS has operated as the county’s mobile mental health crisis team. It has staff available to every McLean County school to meet with kids undergoing mental health crises, assess them to see what their needs are, and help to meet those needs. “The demoralizing misinformation being put out by our current administration and the pressure and stress can really be crushing for an LGBTQIA kid,” MCCHS director Joan Hartman said on WGLT’s Sound Ideas.

* WAND | Tentative agreement struck on new contract for Champaign workers: After eight hours of negotiations, Champaign County and workers represented by AFSCME Local 900 reached a tentative agreement on a new contract Tuesday evening. The agreement completed more than six months of bargaining and avoided a Wednesday morning strike deadline.

*** National ***

* NH Journal | As 2028 POTUS Candidates Test the Water, Will They Stop in NH?: Yes, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker spoke at the New Hampshire party’s McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club fundraising dinner in April. And U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) had a Granite State visit cut short by the horrific shooting of two legislators in her home state. But those two candidates barely register in national polling, and they lack the ability to grab the political spotlight like Newsom or former Vice President Kamala Harris.

* WIRED | Grok Is Spewing Antisemitic Garbage on X: This is the latest example of Grok making hateful replies in response to user queries on X in recent days. On Sunday, when a user asked if there is “a particular group that runs Hollywood that injects these subversive themes.” Grok answered by saying “Jewish executives,” invoking an antisemitic trope.