Good morning. It may not be sunny today, but at least tornadoes and severe winds aren’t on the forecast. Start your Wednesday with WTTW News.
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Dr. Erik Mikaitis appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Aug. 10, 2026. (WTTW News)
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Across two hospitals, 16 community health centers and Cook County Jail, Cook County Health aims to provide healthcare to patients, regardless of their ability to pay. But with federal policy changes looming, the health system’s budget is facing new challenges.
In 2027, Cook County Health is anticipating a $138 million drop in patient revenue. At the same time, charity care costs are expected to rise by $100 million.
Dr. Erik Mikaitis, the CEO of Cook County Health, joined “Chicago Tonight” to discuss the health system’s $4.7 billion budget, its $40 million request and how Medicaid cuts are affecting the bottom line.
On Medicaid cuts:
“In Illinois, we’re anticipating 400,000 people will lose their coverage … and half of them live right here in Cook County.”
Mikaitis said that after enhanced tax subsidies under the Affordable Care Act ended earlier this year, about 90,000 Illinois residents chose to forgo health insurance. In October, a re-definition of aid eligibility will remove benefits from specific immigrant populations, including refugees, asylum seekers and victims of domestic violence. But the largest group of people will be impacted by the work requirements put in place to receive Medicaid. Keeping patients up to date on how they might be impacted is a big focus of the health system.
On the upcoming budget:
“After the election in 2024, we knew we probably had to prepare for some leaner times. We started work then to reduce expenses, to really improve our operations, and I’m really proud of the team. They’ve actually been able to remove $315 million out of expenses during that time frame.”
On service impacts:
“We have not had to do any service reductions or layoffs, we’ve done a lot of the belt tightening and that fiscal discipline. We do have right now $40 million additional that we’re asking the county to supplement so we don’t have to consider reductions in the coming year.”
On safety-net hospital closures:
“That’s the big unknown. We’ve already seen two hospitals close in the last year, and we know that several more are struggling right now. So the question then becomes: What happens to the broader safety net as all of these federal cuts come into play?”
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Mayor Brandon Johnson addresses the news media on Aug. 11, 2026. (WTTW News)
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Mayor Brandon Johnson called Tuesday for a temporary moratorium on data centers, signing an executive order that calls on the Chicago City Council to adopt new rules to prevent the city’s air and water from being polluted by the insatiable demand for electricity.
“Chicagoans have been absolutely clear: They do not want data centers expanding across our city without strong protection for their communities, their utility bills, their air, water and their quality of life,” Johnson said at Northerly Island just before signing his 24th executive order.
The City Council must approve the moratorium for it to take effect.
More context:
Johnson said he welcomed the new jobs and economic activity created by data centers, but not at any cost.
“Chicago is a tech hub that embraces innovation, but never at the expense of our health, safety or our natural environment,” Johnson said.
According to Johnson, Chicago must block the construction of new data centers until officials update the city’s “outdated regulatory framework” that does not include the “modern protections” he said Chicagoans deserve.
The city should prevent data centers’ diesel backup generators from polluting neighborhoods and impose new regulations to stop the centers’ cooling systems from creating a noisy nuisance, according to the executive order.
New proposals for data centers should also undergo a more rigorous review from all city departments to ensure officials evaluate any potential “cumulative environmental burdens” on city neighborhoods, the order said.
The executive order gives the Chicago Department of Environment 90 days to develop those new rules and creates a task force to keep tabs on the push.
In most commercial areas of the city, data centers can start operating without special permission from city officials, records show.
There are 39 data centers in Chicago, according to city officials. A proposal to transform the lower half of the 12-story office building at 300 W. Adams St. into a data center advanced earlier this month, after it cleared an initial review by the staff of the city’s Commission on Landmarks.
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A Chicago Police Department vehicle is parked on Clark Street near Daley Plaza on June 15, 2026. (Victor Hilitski / WTTW News)
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A Chicago police officer and sergeant repeatedly accused of improperly stopping and searching Black men should be suspended for a combined 149 days for their actions during two traffic stops, Chicago Police Department leaders and the agency tasked with investigating police misconduct agreed, records show.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability determined that two members of the tactical team that had been assigned to patrol the Near North (18th) Police District improperly stopped and searched drivers and their cars in March 2023 and October 2024, according to records published last week.
Both stops — which violated several CPD rules, the agency better known as COPA concluded — prompted lawsuits that were settled by the city with payments totaling $100,000, according to records obtained by WTTW News.
Former Supt. Larry Snelling agreed to suspend Sgt. Erick Seng and Officer Joseph Vecchio for 60 days each in connection with their actions during the Oct. 21, 2024, traffic stop, the most serious discipline they have received as investigators probe more than 50 misconduct allegations.
Some backstory:
That incident began when Eddie Wilson stopped to pick up food in the 200 block of East Ontario Street, in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Vecchio and Seng told investigators they prevented Wilson from leaving because he parked more than 12 inches away from the curb, in violation of the city’s municipal code.
Vecchio ordered Wilson, who is Black, out of the car, searched him, handcuffed him and searched his car before releasing him without a citation, while Seng supervised the interaction.
Vecchio violated Wilson’s “constitutional right against unlawful search and seizure, treated (him) in a highly disrespectful manner, and exposed CPD to civil liability,” COPA’s report concluded.
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: August 12, 2011 - Steve James’ “The Interruptors” Releases in Chicago
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The local filmmaker Steve James is a prolific documentarian who often focuses on his home city of Chicago. With his 1994 film “Hoop Dreams,” which followed two aspiring basketball players on the South Side, he won widespread acclaim and awards at the Sundance Film Festival. On this day 15 years ago, another of his films, “The Interrupters,” had its Chicago premiere at the Gene Siskel Film Center. The doc, a collaboration with author Alex Kotlowitz, tracks the lives and work of three
“violence interrupters” who work with the organization CeaseFire (now CureViolence) to stop conflict and violence before they arise in their neighborhoods. The film was well received, with Roger Ebert calling it James’ “most important film, telling the story of ex-convicts who go daily into the streets of Chicago to try to talk gang members out of shooting at one another.”
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Chicago-Area Live Music Recommendations for Aug. 12-18
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Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.
Wednesday, Aug. 12:
Oneida, Kinski, BCMC at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Expect heady, improvisational folk rock in Ukrainian Village.
Modest Mouse, Califone at Salt Shed. Tickets.
The indie rock lifers play a big club.
Thursday, Aug. 13:
Big Thief, Ben LaMar Gay at Salt Shed. Tickets.
See one of indie music’s most acclaimed acts by the riverside.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra: “The Music of Quincy Jones” at Ravinia. Tickets.
Take the Metra to see the CSO pay tribute to an American songwriting legend.
Holy Wave, Surgery Boys, Fast Preacher at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Psych-rock on the West Side.
Friday, Aug. 14:
American Football, Rainer Maria, Afternoon Bike Ride at Salt Shed. Tickets.
Emo icons play the indoor room at one of the city’s best big venues.
Tori Amos, Bartees Strange at Auditorium Theatre. Tickets.
Two generations of excellent songwriters team up in the Loop.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra: “Brahms X Radiohead” at Ravinia. Tickets.
Classical merges with alt-rock at this unique mashup symphony show.
Fiddlehead, Narrow Head, Knumears, the Sissy Boys at Thalia Hall. Tickets.
Head to Pilsen for a packed night of punk rock.
Saturday, Aug. 15:
Just Penelope, Starcharm, Current Union TM at GMan Tavern. Tickets.
Get there early for Chicago’s most explosive and exciting young rock band.
Consensus Madness, The Hell, Bungee Jumpers, Navaja at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
The local punks are celebrating their debut LP called “Endeavors.”
moe., Umphrey’s McGee at Ravinia. Tickets.
Jam bands invade Highland Park.
Sunday, Aug. 16:
Rodeo Boys, Rust Ring, Budget Cut at GMan Tavern. Tickets.
The self-described "Blue collar queer rock n' roll band from Lansing, MI" takes over the Lakeview dive bar.
Tuesday, Aug. 18:
Steve Earle at Cahn Auditorium. Tickets.
The alt-country icon is celebrating “51 years of songs and stories.”
Citizen, Anxious, Hotline TNT, Rocket at Thalia Hall. Tickets.
Loud, riff-heavy American rock music in Pilsen.
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What’s your favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago? Tell us why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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