Gov. J.B. Pritzker told NBC Chicago he uses AI daily, opposes a federal ownership stake and has paused new Illinois data‑center tax incentives pending guardrails.

Early voting in Anderson County runs July 17–Aug. 1 for the Aug. 6 state primary and county general election. Hours, sites and the local races to watch are outlined here.

KCK commissioners voted 6-3 to let staff explore a property‑tax increase that could add up to $11 million next year. Budget preview and hearings are scheduled in August.

DHS will narrow the Maui Relief Program to households with minor children starting Aug. 1 as state-added funds run low. MEO, Maui Recovers and 2-1-1 are listed as next steps.

Texas hit a record 14.47M nonfarm jobs in June after adding 43,400 payroll positions, leaving it the top state for monthly gains.

A 7Air cargo jet left Miami with the first consignment tied to a U.S. $100M humanitarian package for Cuba, with Catholic partners slated to handle deliveries. The move comes as tensions between Washington and Havana spike.

Rutherford commissioners voted to condemn 52.7 acres for a $375M jail campus near the Correctional Work Center, setting up years of design, financing and debate. The vote was split and contentious.

A UH draft would remove roughly 100 courses from the school’s 42‑credit core under Texas’ SB 37, narrowing general‑education options and drawing sharp faculty pushback.

The Office of Special Counsel says the Education Department violated a federal injunction while pursuing Title IX probes tied to gender identity, and it urges audits and discipline.

Woodland Park told Merit Academy it will end the equal monthly payments that smoothed the charter’s cash flow. The decision arrives amid an audit disclaimer and a lost local sales tax that have tightened the district budget.

Small gifts to a national legal fund for AG Letitia James were redirected after reporting raised ethics concerns, reigniting debate over disclosure rules in Albany.

Independence has launched a national search for its next police chief; interim Chief Doug Brinkley will stay in place and applications are due Aug. 17.

HUD has frozen further disaster‑recovery funds to the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority after auditors and prosecutors flagged weak fraud controls and alleged corruption tied to post‑2017 hurricane money.