* Some people will believe just about anything as long as it feeds their bizarre outrage addiction…

Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said Thursday a group of residents suspicious of fraud and fearful of liberal influences in local elections are “indoctrinated” and “sociopaths.” But at the same time, Cunningham announced he will work toward a key change those same people have been calling for.

The group, which has included Kane County GOP Chairman Andro Lerario, spent the past several months calling for a return to paper ballots and the hand-counting of votes. They also want Cunningham to return a $2 million grant from the Center for Technology and Civic Life.

Opponents of the grant believe the money is coming from “Silicon Valley Billionaires” and is a liberal Trojan Horse because the grant was bestowed by a Chicago-based nonprofit with Democratic ties. […]

“Since these groups have gotten involved with misinformation, the Republican Party has become the minority party. Wake up.” [Cunningham said]

Cunningham, who is a Republican, said he will use the $2 million to hire police officers to work at polling places on Election Day. He will also create an educational program designed to address the claims of people questioning election integrity. He said neither his office nor the county board has accepted or will accept any money in trade for compromising local elections.

* Subscribers have so far received two updates on Rep. Rashid. Politico…

State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid and his family were caught up this week in violence in the West Bank. Rashid and his family were visiting relatives when hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed the town of Turmus ‘Ayya, where they were staying. The Israeli settlers set fire to cars and homes “to avenge the deaths of four Israelis killed by Palestinian gunmen the previous day,” according to The Associated Press, which documented the attack. Palestinians say one person was killed in the violence. A spokesman for Rashid said the family witnessed the violence and are currently sheltering in place.

* IDES…

Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in all fourteen metropolitan areas for the year ending May 2023, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, the unemployment rate increased in seven metropolitan areas, decreased in four, and was unchanged in three. […]

The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Bloomington MSA (+3.2%, +3,200), the Peoria MSA (+2.9%, +4,900), and the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+2.7%, +3,200). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metro Division were up +1.6% or +61,500.Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Government (fourteen areas); Education and Health Services, Leisure and Hospitality, and Other Services (eleven areas each); Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (nine areas); and Manufacturing (eight areas).

The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Danville MSA (+0.5 point to 5.2%), the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (+0.5 point to 3.9%), and the Lake-Kenosha County IL-WI Metro (+0.4 point to 4.1%). The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Chicago Metro (-1.3 percentage points to 3.2%), a record low unemployment rate for the month of May, followed by the Rockford MSA (-0.3 point to 5.9%) and the Carbondale-Marion MSA (-0.2 point to 4.0%).

* ISP…

The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Special Investigations Unit (SIU) continues to combat public corruption with the latest case involving charges against a former township official. ISP worked with the Jackson County State’s Attorney to bring charges against 70-year-old Danny D. “DD” Williams of Makanda, Illinois.

On April 21, 2022, Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez requested an ISP investigation into alleged inappropriate actions by Williams, the former Makanda Township Road Commissioner. After a thorough investigation, ISP identified several instances where Williams used his official position to steer contracts toward a contractor who would pay him in return.

On May 4, 2023, the Jackson County Grand Jury returned a true bill to indict Williams on the two counts of Pecuniary Interest in Contract and Williams appeared in court on June 14, 2023. No further information is available at this time.

* Rep. Sanalitro…

State Representative Jennifer Sanalitro is announcing the successful completion of her inaugural May Diaper Drive. The event is planned to take place every year and aims to help local families in need, especially those with babies and toddlers.

Thanks to the community’s generosity, the Diaper Drive collected a significant amount of diapers and essential baby items. Everything collected was donated to the Breakfast with a Baby Foundation. This local organization helps over 100 families by providing necessary items like clothing, toys, and diapers. Additionally, they offer a free breakfast during their monthly event at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Carol Stream.

Every month, the Breakfast with a Baby Foundation highlights a different organization that is working hard to help families in need throughout the community. The Diaper Drive, led by Rep. Sanalitro in partnership with Our Savior Lutheran Church, has made an important contribution to the Foundation’s efforts.

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois consumer advocates, utilities spar over potential energy price increases: All told, electric utilities have asked to raise rates by a combined $2.8 billion over four years, while gas utilities have requested $890 million in increases next year. It’s an “unprecedented” number of proposed rate increases for one year, according to David Kolata, the former longtime head of the Citizens Utility Board, or CUB, a nonprofit organization created by the General Assembly in 1983 to represent consumers in cases like these.

* Center Square | ‘Death date’ approaching for many Chromebooks: The Illinois Parent Teacher Association has joined the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) in asking Google to extend the life of 13 Chromebook models whose software will expire in less than three months.

* Crain’s | Kwame Raoul, 5 other AGs join feds’ suit to block $28 billion Horizon-Amgen deal: In the lawsuit, filed May 16 in Illinois federal court, the agency argues the acquisition would allow California-based Amgen to use its market power to pressure insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to favor two key Horizon drugs: Tepezza, used to treat thyroid eye disease, and Krystexxa, which treats gout. Right now, neither has competition, but rivals are expected to come to market over the next few years.

* WMBD | Volunteer firefighters in Illinois to get state tax credit: The measure, announced by State Sen. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City), will take effect in the 2023 tax year and could be used when people file their returns next year. The Gibson City Republican said the proposal was part of a larger, bipartisan legislative package recently signed into law.

* Center Square | New Illinois law could curb recidivism by connecting inmates, communities: House Bill 1496, which takes effect in January, was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this month. The measure strengthens community connections for Illinois inmates by requiring the departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice to record each inmate’s last-known street address and demographic data. That information is then passed on to the U.S. Census Bureau, which can direct resources to communities based on accurate population data.

* Sun-Times | Firm that brought Bally’s to Chicago casino deal stood to profit from another Bally’s deal: But even as Bally’s was successfully seeking Lightfoot’s blessing, it also was working on a separate, $2.6 billion deal. That was to buy an online British gaming company called Gamesys. As part of that deal, Bally’s would pay off Gamesys’s lenders, according to documents Bally’s filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

* Sun-Times | New summer program for students tours Chicago pollution hotspots: Altgeld Gardens was the first stop on a daylong tour – followed by visits to the Calumet Water Reclamation Plant and the Wild Mile, which is a floating island ecosystem on the North Branch of the Chicago River. The field day is part of a new, two-week long summer program called the Environmental Justice Freedom School, which is designed to provide Chicago Public Schools students with a hands-on environmental and climate justice education.

* WICS | FDA releases guidance on researching psychedelic drugs for mental health treatments: The administration said psychedelic drugs may produce psychoactive effects like hallucinations and mood and cognitive changes. This presents the potential for abuse of these drugs, which is a safety issue that requires careful consideration to prevent misuse in clinical development.

* NYT | Why Some Americans Buy Guns: Some 22 million guns were sold that year, 64 percent more than in 2019. More than eight million of them went to novices who had never owned a firearm, according to the firearm industry’s trade association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

* Tribune | ‘The last maestro’: Conductor Riccardo Muti steps down at the CSO and ends an era. But he’s not leaving just yet.: On Friday, the CSO made official what most already knew, or have assumed: Though his tenure as the orchestra’s music director formally ends this month, Riccardo Muti will lead the orchestra in Orchestra Hall and on tour for six weeks — about half his current season commitment — for the next two seasons. The arrangement cushions the orchestra from artistic free-fall during its director search and allows Muti, turning 82 next month, to maintain a privileged relationship with the orchestra without quite so much back-and-forth between here and Ravenna, his home in his native Italy. Details after 2025 are still being finalized, but the CSO hopes to keep Muti a regular presence here, likely into the leadership of the next music director.

* Crain’s | Swarms of Taylor Swift fans helped boost CTA ridership: On Tuesday, the CTA reported that Swift’s Sunday, June 4, show “generated more than 43,000 additional bus and rail rides at the Roosevelt station and on the #146 Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Express route.” Alongside city festivals, great weather and a pair of Wrigley Field shows by Dead & Company (featuring surviving members of the Grateful Dead), those CTA-going Swift fans helped the agency tally 5.63 million riders the week of June 4 through June 10, the agency’s highest weekly total since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

* Block Club | Chicago Pride Organizers Doubling Down On Security As Anti-LGBTQ Threats Mount: ‘We Won’t Let This Stop Us’: Hate crimes against queer people have spiked in recent years across the country, the New York Times reports, citing an upcoming report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University. The change comes as anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeps the nation.

* Herald-Whig | JWCC keeps tuition flat for upcoming school year: “For more students to access higher education and to build enrollment, our goal must be keeping tuition as affordable as we can,” JWCC President Bryan Renfro said. “Starting at John Wood is the best bet for students to start or complete their college degree with limited debt. Keeping tuition low, investing in more student scholarships, and developing and enhancing academic and workforce programs are key components of this budget and the future of our college.”

* Naperville Sun | Naperville declared the No. 1 fittest town in Illinois, No. 18 in the country, new survey finds: Research found 92.2% of Naperville’s adult residents describe their state of health as excellent, very good or good, and 82.5% say they undertake some measure of physical activity in their spare time, such as walking, gardening, golf, running, calisthenics or other forms of exercise.

* Sun-Times | White Sox fan who had a wild ride in a car’s sunroof looks on the bright side: “In a way, falling through the sunroof might have been a good thing,” said Janczy, 64. “If I had just rolled right off and slammed into the pavement, who knows what could have happened to me, right?”