* Have at it…

* Tribune | Arson. Vandalism. Threats. Abortion clinics, abortion opponents face violence after the fall of Roe.: Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, reproductive rights organizations and anti-abortion groups alike are reporting unprecedented levels of threats, vandalism and acts of destruction. For 12 years, Carol Tobias has served as the president of the Washington -based National Right to Life. While she said groups opposing abortion have always faced threats and risked reprisal, Tobias said “the assault, the violence against pro-life facilities has greatly escalated” since the fall of Roe.

* Daily Herald | Murphy appointed assistant majority leader of Illinois Senate: “I am honored to take on the role of assistant majority leader,” Murphy said in an announcement Monday. “It’s a privilege to be entrusted to represent my colleagues in this capacity, and I look forward to working with them to advance legislation that brings positive change to our great state.”

* Sun-Times | Lemont Mayor John Egofske chosen to replace Republican Jim Durkin in state House: Lemont Mayor John Egofske was chosen Sunday to fill the 82nd District Illinois House seat left vacant by last month’s resignation of former House Republican Leader Jim Durkin. Egofske, who will continue to serve as mayor, said he intends to use his experience as a municipal leader and certified public accountant to address economic and quality-of-life issues while in the state Legislature.

* Chicago Reader | How Chicago fell for crypto: Via Freedom of Information Act requests, the Reader obtained more than 2,100 such complaints that Illinois residents filed with the FTC and other regulatory agencies between January 2017 and June 2022. Complainants alleged that they lost more than $45 million to cryptocurrency scams. In 2022, multiple major cryptocurrency entities toppled, including Voyager, Celsius, BlockFi, and FTX, the latter of which had an office in the West Loop.

* WAND | Illinois State Police expands crisis intervention training: The Illinois State Police is rolling out 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team training for all ISP officers starting this month. ISP said CIT programs create connections between law enforcement professionals, mental health providers, families, and consumer advocates.

* Crain’s | Vallas speaks at FOP event amid criticism from mayoral opponents: Paul Vallas was speaking at a luncheon Monday for retired police officers alongside the controversial head of Chicago’s largest police union as other candidates for mayor continue to attack him as too conservative for Chicago. Vallas was to speak at an 11 a.m. lunch at La Villa restaurant and banquet hall on the city’s Northwest Side.

* WBEZ | Paul Vallas gets help in Chicago mayoral bid from ex-officer in Laquan McDonald scandal: The Vallas For Mayor political fund reported getting a contribution of $5,000 from former cop Richard E. Hagen on June 30, according to campaign finance disclosure reports. Hagen has also publicly supported Vallas on Twitter.

* Daily Herald | What suburban school districts are paying to attract substitute teachers: Dozens of suburban school district administrators acknowledged they are paying more for substitute teachers than they were a year ago, yet still often struggle to find enough subs to fill holes left by teacher absences.

* Sun-Times | Chicago investment advisor charged with stealing $683,000 from clients, including 2 elderly men with dementia: David S. Wells, 32, is accused of falsely telling the clients he would invest their money in publicly traded companies. Instead, he allegedly spent some of the money on personal use and lost the rest on risky trades.

* Streets Blog Chicago | The dogs used for CTA’s $31M K-9 unit contract are basically very expensive decoys: Last August 22, the CTA announced it had inked a $31 million contract with a private security firm to provide up to 50 K-9 teams, consisting of two unarmed guards and a dog, to patrol the ‘L’ system. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to find out exactly what the purpose of the dogs is, and the transit agency has been stonewalling me.

* The Triibe | Is Chuy out of step with the progressive movement? Black and brown leaders weigh in: The People’s Unity Platform is a multi-racial coalition of neighborhood community organizations and labor unions that have worked on issues such as violence prevention, public health and safety, housing, public education, environmental quality, community safety and worker’s rights. Some groups under the platform’s umbrella are GoodKids MadCity, Chicago Torture Justice Center, Defund CPD, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, Treatment Not Trauma and Grassroots Collaborative, to name a few.

* WAND | Budzinski announces Decatur resident as first State of the Union guest: Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski announced her guest for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address will be Andrea Kelly of Decatur. Kelly is a graduate of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) pre-apprenticeship program currently working as a Construction Wireman.

* Press Release | Faraci responds to resignation of two University of Illinois Board of Trustees: “My hope is that the governor will put forth candidates for the appointments who not only reflect the diversity of our community, but understand the needs and priorities of the University of Illinois and our region,” Faraci said. “The University of Illinois provides students with an excellent education and serves as an economic driver for the state. We need to ensure our board is made up of trustees that will make decisions to protect the rights of our students, faculty and staff.”

* Crain’s | 50 aldermen may be 40 too many. Here’s why.: “One City, 50 Wards: Does the City That Works Actually Work?“, a joint series from Crain’s Chicago Business and the University of Chicago Center for Effective Government, explores the connections between how Chicago’s city government is designed, how it functions, and how it performs.

* AP | ChatGPT bot channels history to pen State of Union speech: If you’ve heard it once in a president’s State of the Union speech, you’ve heard it 100 times: There is nothing the American people can’t do when they pull together. But you haven’t heard that thought in a State of Union address from William Shakespeare: “Lo,” said the bard. “With kindness, love, and understanding clear, we shall conquer all, and have naught to fear.”

* Eater | A Chicago Hotel Hopes Augmented Reality Doesn’t Bite: Le Petit Chef at Fairmont Chicago utilizes augmented reality (AR) to digitally project animated characters, settings, and foods right onto tables and plates. Diners experience a five-course dinner while an eponymous 2 ½-inch-tall chef (yes, like in Ratatouille) appears in 3D to prepare the meals while whisking them away across time and space to tell the story of the meal’s history and ingredients.

* NBC Chicago | Art Institute Announces New Salvador Dalí Exhibit Coming This Month: Salvador Dalí: The Image Disappears is scheduled to run from Feb. 18 to June 2. Art Institute members will be able to preview the show on Feb. 17. The collection features 25 paintings, drawings, and surrealist objects created by Dalí at the height of his career.

* Vox | Is CBD in trouble?: The limited research into the medical benefits and risks of CBD doesn’t support most of these cure-all assertions. But CBD’s rise in popularity — which began exploding in 2019 due to a confluence of consumer trends, including a boom in herbal supplements and the spread of marijuana legalization — was bolstered by the coronavirus pandemic as people sought out ways to alleviate the unique stresses of recent years. US sales reached $4.17 billion in 2022, and forecasts predicted that the market could quadruple by 2026.

* Nun who ‘made the disabled visible’ retires from the Archdiocese of Chicago: A native of Montana, Harrington’s father was injured as a mine worker. She said her first memory at 4 years old was holding up orange juice for her father. “From then on, you know, you knew if somebody couldn’t do stuff, you had to step up,” she said. Harrington continued to step up to help those who needed it, and when a priest needed assistance in bringing disabled parishioners to Mass, Harrington jumped on that opportunity.

* WGN | Indiana Senate passes bill to legalize throwing stars: Senate Bill 77 “actually came from a constituent who owns a putt-putt golf course called Ninja Golf,” explained Rogers. “Nearly everyone that I spoke with said, ‘Hey, look, if we can throw axes, we can certainly throw throwing stars.’”