Illinois state Rep. Nick Sauer (R-Lake Barrington) resigned on Wednesday amid allegations of creating a fake Instagram account and using it to post nude photos of his ex-girlfriend. Sauer’s ex Kate Kelly filed a formal complaint with the Office of the Legislative Inspector General and a police report with the Chicago Police Department alleging Sauer used the account “to catfish other men using my privately shared naked photos. Nick would use this account to direct message men with my photos to engage in graphic conversations of a sexual nature. The men believed they were communicating with me and Nick shared private details of my life.” In her complaint, Kelly said Sauer confessed to her of sending photos to at least eight men over two years. (Politico)

Cook County Commissioner and Democratic Congressional candidate Jesús “Chuy” García said he wants to replace the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on Wednesday at a community meeting in Brighton Park. Garcia, who was tapped to run to replace retiring Congressman Luis Gutierrez, called the agency “racist” and “repressive,” but stopped short of calling for the total abolition of it saying that Democrats “need to go beyond just a slogan.” “We need to change what ICE has become,” Garcia told the crowd when asked if he supported abolishing the agency. (Sun-Times)

Former President Barack Obama endorsed six Illinois candidates running for office on Wednesday, along with a host of other Democrats across the country. “I’m proud to endorse such a wide and impressive array of Democratic candidates – leaders as diverse, patriotic, and big-hearted as the America they’re running to represent,” Obama said in a statement. At the top of the list of Illinois candidates is billionaire gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker. Obama also endorsed Kwame Raoul for Attorney General and three candidates for the U.S. House, Sean Casten (IL-6), Brendan Kelly (IL-12), and Lauren Underwood (IL-14). (NBC5)

The family of a 24 year-old father of two shot and killed by Chicago Police in June has filed a wrongful against the city and the department. Maurice Granton was shot and killed in the Bronzeville neighborhood after fleeing from police when stopped during a drug investigation. Police allege Granton pulled a gun on them, and produced a weapon they say was found 25 feet away from his body. Body camera footage released shows Granton attempting to scale a fence when an officer shoots him. Granton falls to the ground, writhing in pain, yet no medical attention was provided. The family disputes the police narrative, saying he was not armed. “Nowhere on the videos do you see my son armed, and nowhere on the videos do you see a confrontation,” Granton’s father told reporters. “My son was running away.” (CBS)

At least one of Rahm Emanuel’s potential challengers in the Chicago 2019 mayoral race has withdrawn her bid to unseat him. Though she had assembled a full campaign staff, Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer said she will not run in an announcement over the weekend. “I’m always looking for the best way to serve Chicago,” Gainer said. “Running for Mayor is one way. After exploring, I’ve determined that it’s not the only way.” Though Gainer managed to raise $843,265 in campaign funds, polling commissioned by her campaign along with other polls commissioned by the Emanuel and Lightfoot campaigns showed she had little traction, and have suggested former Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy the likely candidate to push Emanuel into a runoff. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Organizers of an anti-violence march scheduled to take place Thursday say they don’t need Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s backing and are willing to take arrests to get out their message. Rev. Gregory Livingston, one of the organizers of the march, said it would be “ridiculous” to seek the Mayor’s backing, like Father Michael Pflager did when hundreds of people shut down the Dan Ryan Expressway last month. Among other things, Livingston is calling for Emanuel, along with Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, to resign. “The call of the people is ‘Resign Rahm,’” Livingston said. “So how, then, can you back your own regime change? How do you sanction your own termination?” Chicago Police say they’ve met with at least some potential participants to discuss the size and scope of the march. “In the end, CPD will protect individuals’ right to demonstrate but we also have a responsibility to balance the potential public safety and traffic implications of the event,” said spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.” (Chicago Tribune)

President Donald Trump will make an appearance in Granite City, Illinois Thursday afternoon to take credit for an idle steel plant reopening its doors after he imposed increased tariffs on imports. “Our community is excited to have the president come, and we’re especially excited to see jobs coming back to Granite City,” said James Amos, the city’s economic development director. Not everyone is happy about the President’s tariffs, however, as the increases have caused job losses in other economic sectors and industries. Despite appearing at an event with Vice President Mike Pence earlier this month, Governor Bruce Rauner is making himself scarce during Trump’s visit, saying he’d already visited the town last week. Rauner’s gubernatorial rival, JB Pritzker, wondered what the “real reason” was for his absence. “Bruce Rauner is ditching his partner in crime on his first presidential visit to Illinois, and he’s pretending it’s a scheduling conflict,” said Pritzker campaign spokesperson Jason Rubin in a press release. (CBS)

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner remains the third least popular governor in the country, according to a new survey by Morning Consult. Some 60 percent of Illinoisans disapprove of Rauner, about the same amount as a previous Morning Consult poll released in April. Just 27 percent approve of the job Rauner’s doing, a single percentage point up from the April survey. (Morning Consult)

Community members and other activists confronted 5th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston Tuesday evening over the shooting of Harith Augustus, a 37 year-old African American barber from South Shore, at a monthly Ward meeting in the neighborhood. “You were nowhere around Leslie, you need to let these officers know that their actions were unacceptable to the 5th Ward,” said one attendee. Harriston said she wasn’t “the enemy,” and despite residents attending multiple demonstrations for Augustus in the neighborhood – which went on for a week straight – she accused them of not being from the area. Community members, along with Black Lives Matter Chicago are demanding the release of other police bodycam footage not already given to the public, greater transparency and accountability in cases of police shootings. (Fox32)

A pop-up bar themed after the television show ‘The Office’ opens its doors on Friday, July 27th at Replay in Lincoln Park. The bar will host regular trivia and karaoke nights to pay homage to the show, along with an Office Olympic Games, themed drinks, and other Easter eggs for fans of the show. Replay Chicago regularly creates pop-up bars, and in the past has paid tribute to Star Wars, Pokemon, and Rick and Morty. The Office themed pop-up will run until August 20th. (NBC5)