Daywatch: Surging data centers could lead to water shortages

Good morning, Chicago.

Data centers require massive volumes of water to operate, and the growing use of artificial intelligence means more of these centers are popping up in water-abundant regions such as the Great Lakes. However, despite their access to the vast bodies of water, not all communities in or near the Great Lakes basin have the capacity to sustainably support this industry, experts say.

A recent report warns the region is not prepared for the unprecedented, growing demand from data centers and other water-heavy users — which, if not addressed, could lead to shortages and conflict. The report also points to agriculture as a growing stressor.

Every Great Lakes state has passed tax incentive legislation to encourage data centers to locate there. But these incentives are not “reflective of where water is available — and where it isn’t,” said Helena Volzer, author of the report and senior source water policy manager at the nonprofit Alliance for the Great Lakes.

In addition, data centers are not required to report their water consumption.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Adriana Pérez.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including the latest in Trump’s immigration crackdown, which “eatertainment” business filed for bankruptcy and 5 pressing questions facing the Bears after their Week 1 loss.

Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History

Immigration enforcement subdued as local officials brace for Trump’s ‘Operation Midway Blitz’

A day after President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security launched “Operation Midway Blitz,” its latest immigration crackdown, area politicians and immigrant rights groups said it was relatively subdued on the ground yesterday with minimal arrests.

But they’re preparing for more.

Speaking before more than a dozen cameras on a quiet street in Pilsen, Gov. JB Pritzker yesterday said the federal immigration enforcement agency has plans to send in more than 200 agents and 100 vehicles in its Chicago immigration “blitz.”

Republican Darren Bailey, who lost governor’s race in 2022, seeking rematch against Gov. JB Pritzker

Darren Bailey, the downstate Christian conservative farmer and former state lawmaker who was the Republican Party’s unsuccessful 2022 candidate for governor, will seek the nomination next year to once again challenge Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, Bailey’s planned running mate said.

Aaron Del Mar, the Cook County Republican chairman who also had been considering a bid for governor, said he had agreed to serve as Bailey’s lieutenant governor candidate. Del Mar said the two will be campaigning more as a “regional partnership,” with Bailey focused south of Interstate 80 and Del Mar concentrating on Chicago and the collar counties.

Bowling and restaurant chain Pinstripes files bankruptcy amid downturn in ‘eatertainment’ business, closes Chicago site

The publicly traded company, which owes $143 million in secured debt, abruptly closed 10 of its 18 locations Monday — including one in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood — and will look to sell its remaining assets at a bankruptcy auction next month.

Trump’s Department of Justice allowed to argue against Illinois assault weapons ban case this month

The Trump administration isn’t a party to the case, but the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has allowed the Justice Department’s top official in charge of civil rights, Harmeet Dhillon, to deliver oral arguments for five minutes when the panel hears arguments later this month over whether the 2023 law violates the U.S. Constitution.

Former Northwestern University leader Henry Bienen named interim president

Henry Bienen served as the university’s 15th president from January 1995 to August  2009, and will step into the role again effective Sept. 16.

The move follows the Thursday exit of Michael Schill, whose challenging three-year term was bookended by an unprecedented $790 million federal funding freeze.

5 pressing questions facing Chicago Bears after Week 1 loss, including where did Caleb Williams’ accuracy go?

Quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears offense struggled in the second half Monday night in a 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears blew an 11-point lead during the fourth quarter of Ben Johnson’s head coaching debut.

Tribune Bears reporters Sean Hammond and Phil Thompson tackle five pressing questions facing the team after Week 1.

Chicago Bulls are keeping Josh Giddey, agreeing to a 4-year, $100 million deal with the point guard

Josh Giddey is staying in Chicago for the long term.

The Bulls have reached an agreement to re-sign the 22-year-old point guard to a four-year, $100 million contract, sources confirmed to the Tribune.

Giant penguins and the world’s longest snake: Field Museum digs into the era that followed the dinosaurs

When people think of prehistoric life, they tend to jump to two behemoth bookends — the towering dinosaurs of the Mesozoic era and then the woolly mammoths of the ice age. But what about the millions of years in between?

The new exhibit “After the Age of Dinosaurs” at the Field Museum shines a spotlight on this oft-overlooked chapter: the Paleocene, the period immediately following the asteroid impact that wiped out non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

Free Far South Side food truck festival hopes to encourage investment in historically overlooked neighborhood

A new food truck festival is pulling up in Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood, aiming to foster community engagement and economic growth in an area organizers say is often overlooked.

Column: A fall visit to American Players Theatre brings notes of sadness and hope

Director Shana Cooper’s truly gorgeous production of “The Winter’s Tale” is in many ways the consummate American Players Theatre experience, writes Tribune theater critic Chris Jones. The Bard’s plays were mostly written for an outdoor theater and Shakespeare was very much aware of the position of the sun in the sky and the coming of dusk.