* Central Ill. police chief dies in car crash

* Firefighter dies while battling West Loop restaurant fire

* Firefighter hurt battling blaze at Loop restaurant dies

* CPS to use reserve funds to balance budget

Much could still change, especially if teachers agree to forgo contractual 4 percent raises or if a federal jobs bill passes that could mean up to $80 million for the school district. But after starting the season with an estimated $1 billion deficit, a battery of layoffs, efficiencies and state actions has enabled school officials to release a balanced budget Monday.

Schools chief Ron Huberman said that completely drawing down the $190 million reserve to balance the budget is necessary because the state still owes the district $236 million from last fiscal year. The district is counting on the state to come through with those payments to replenish the reserve fund.

* A balancing act for Chicago Public Schools

* Clout allegations cost Chicago official his job

Gilberto Quinones, who oversaw CDOT’s Division of Administration, resigned his $122,940-a-year job effective July 26.

If Quinones hadn’t resigned, he risked being fired. Sources said Inspector General Joe Ferguson recommended Quinones’ termination for allegedly muscling his son into “three successive” full-time jobs with three different engineering firms holding Transportation contracts.

* City Colleges mulling tougher admissions, chancellor says

* Chicago Police go high-tech to pinpoint crime hot spots

The process — called predictive analytics — is to analyze every violent incident and gang interaction with police to extrapolate and identify future problems. The numbers will be analyzed by experts at ITT.

* Tribune: Cook County property taxes: Show us the damages

* Stroger names new chief of staff as term nears end

Karen Crawford, 47, the former head of the county’s troubled job-training program known as POET, has been appointed to take over after current chief of staff Joseph Fratto leaves in September for a job with the Cook County treasurer.

* Ill. insurance dept. offers help to flood victims

* West Side groups and state lawmaker want more help for flood victims

* FEMA To Tour Cook, DuPage Homes for Flood Damage Today

* Kadner: Women in crisis need help from lawyers

* Headstart in Illinois faces new problems in serving migrants

* Kadner: Restaurant boss battles Burbank

He says that on July 21, “a Burbank Police Officer told him that in order to stop further trouble with the City of Burbank Building Commissioner, Mr. Frank Kainrath, I should inform the City whenever I do any repair to a refrigeration unit or turning a screwdriver to make an adjustment on a cooler. I do not have this requirement from any other city I work in.”

I talked to Simandirakis over the phone, and he said it would be virtually impossible for him to comply with such a requirement.

“I often get calls on weekends or at night that some freezer is malfunctioning, and I don’t have time to check in with a building department,” he said. “It’s an emergency. I don’t know what’s wrong until I get there and then I make the repair. The business stands to lose thousands of dollars in merchandise if the problem isn’t fixed right away. I just fix the problem.”

* Southtown Star: $3 million, 23 years, no results:
For 23 years, residents in Chicago Heights awaited a governmental overhaul that at times seemed an improbable fantasy. Taxpayers over the years have shelled out more than $3 million in legal fees - largely to the law firm of Anthony Scariano, the attorney representing Chicago Heights - to settle an ongoing voting rights lawsuit and thus far have nothing to show for that multimillion dollar drain.

* Kendall launching budget review this week

* Elgin shelter braces for more budget cuts

* QC Times: Let all Q-C pitch in on rail depot

* R.I. council to vote on new contract with police union

* Quincy plans to offer Adams County residency requirement to all employees

* New Plans for Peoria’s New Museum

* Officials: [Normal] Transportation hub will help economy

* [McLean] County officials searching for funds to fully pay attorneys

* Andy Van Meter: [Springfield] Board seeks guidance on sales tax hike

* Affordable Living Springfield Makes Kiplinger List

* Crossroads expansion on track

* Belleville may add municipal court for ordinance violations

* O’Fallon aldermen worry tax district will cause traffic, money problems

* East St. Louis schools are an easy mark for thieves: Burglaries may have cost district more than $1 million

* East St. Louis firefighters union rejects plan to rehire some laid-off members

Members of the firefighters union rejected a city proposal on Friday night that would have restored eight jobs in return for wage cuts.[…]

The union says its members have endured wage freezes for three years, furloughs and getting paid straight time instead of overtime. The starting annual salary for a firefighter after serving a probationary period is about $43,000.

* SIUC receives more than $1M to help solve Asian carp problem

* Second Annual Survey of Chicago Area’s Online News Ecosystem