WEEK IN ILLINOIS

IN THE NEWS

State Farm ups home rates 27%

Citing an increase in losses from extreme weather events, State Farm is raising homeowners insurance rates in Illinois by 27.2% beginning Aug. 15, according to a filing with the state. STRATTON: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton's campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2026 on Monday confirmed that it will not accept contributions from corporate political action committees. CLIMATE: Gov. JB Pritzker's economic development agency fell short in implementing elements of the governor's landmark climate bill aimed at ensuring social equity in the effort to move the state toward a carbon-free future, Illinois' auditor general said in a report released this week. ABORTION DOCTOR: A Champaign abortion provider accused in a lawsuit of perforating a patient's uterus and leaving half a fetus inside her body has been reprimanded and fined in connection with that case by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, according to records obtained by the Chicago Tribune. POPE'S HOME: Dolton has closed on the $375,000 purchase of Pope Leo XIV's boyhood home in the village, but what will happen with the modest brick building is up in the air. MEXICO FLIGHTS: American Airlines will start flying from O'Hare International Airport to Mexico City late this year, the carrier announced Thursday. BODY FOUND: It took 88 days and teams of volunteers to find the body of a Chicago man who went missing April 3 when a boat capsized in the Wisconsin River in Wisconsin Dells. THEY SAID ... The people who have the means to go buy a Rivian or a Lucid are still going to go do that. The impact, like so much of the rest of this bill (President Donald Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,' which kills EV tax credits), is inordinately going to be paid for by lower-income Americans." — EV industry analyst Ingrid Malmgren I see it (forming a police task force) as a no-brainer. Human trafficking is real. It's all over rural and urban areas. Decatur's not immune to it, Central Illinois's not immune to it." — Decatur Police Chief Brad Allen ODDS AND ENDS O'LEARYS: Descendants of

Catherine O'Leary

(Mrs. O'Leary of Chicago Fire legend) and her son, wealthy South Side gambling boss James "

Big Jim

" O'Leary, are trying to fine an appropriate new home for the family's antique grandfather clock. ALERT TODDLER: An observant Marion 18-month-old was hailed as a hero for spotting a fire on the family house's back porch and alerting grown-ups. MICHAEL JORDAN: The former Highland Park home of basketball great Michael Jordan is now available for rent on Airbnb, but stays require a one-week minimum. THE WATER COOLER HOMELESSNESS: Homelessness in Illinois increased by 116% last year, advocates say, but the $55.1 billion fiscal 2026 budget reduces total funding for housing programs by more than $14 million. SNAP: Officials estimate 360,000 people in Illinois are at risk of losing SNAP federal food assistance under 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' changes shifting more costs to states. TRAFFIC STOP: An Illinois university police officer and his wife are suing the Saline County, Nebraska, sheriff's office over a traffic stop and vehicle search that they say was motivated because he is Black and she is Hispanic. IN THE NEWS

Task force aims at trafficking

A multiagency task force led by the Illinois State Police is being formed to combat human trafficking in Central Illinois and will base its operations in Decatur. PREGNANCY: Northwestern Medicine has launched a program to help patients who have concerns related to obesity and are planning a pregnancy. HOMICIDE, FIRE: A 4-year-old boy died after a woman used a knife to attack multiple people inside a Logan Square apartment before setting the home on fire July 4, according to Chicago police. BODY IN LAKE: Two men kayaking on a lake in Frank Holten State Park on July 4 saw the body of an East St. Louis man in the water, but the family wonders how he got there. SKYDIVING DEATH: A dentist from East Peoria died in a skydiving accident at Skydive Chicago on Monday evening near Ottawa. UNFIT FOR TRIAL: A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that former Chicago Alderwoman Carrie Austin is medically unfit to stand trial on corruption charges. MOWING: The Illinois Department of Transportation is asking people to slow down on roadways where mowing, now at its peak to encourage new growth for pollinators like monarch butterflies, is taking place nearby. PLANNED PARENTHOOD: Planned Parenthood Illinois expects Wisconsin women in significant numbers to continue crossing the state line into Lake County in search of abortions, despite a recent court ruling striking down the Badger State's centuries-old abortion ban.