* WBEZ has a report on “trend” meetups in the city, which have sometimes turned violent. Here’s some of it…

[Vondale Singleton, who heads C.H.A.M.P.S] said part of the reason why young people are attracted to these events is because there isn’t a lot to do in their own neighborhoods.

“If you ask a young person on the Southwest Side, ‘Hey, do you go to your local park?’ They say, ‘… [The] reason why I don’t go [is] because I don’t feel safe,’” Singleton said.

A recent WBEZ analysis shows many places of amusement like arcades and bowling alleys in Chicago are mostly located in and around downtown.

After Seandell Holliday was fatally shot last year, the city expanded its citywide curfew hours and increased police presence downtown. But some have questioned how effective the city’s measures have been and who they protect.

Groups like C.H.A.M.P.S and My Block, My Hood, My City have been countering “trend” events with their own organized youth gatherings. And public safety experts and youth advocates have pitched ideas for how to keep the city safe.

* Center Square…

A Northwestern Medicine study is shedding light on the impact long COVID-19 has on patients. The study looked at COVID-19 patients cared for in-person and through telehealth since May 2020. Researchers found that among those tested, 85% reported decreased quality of life and 51% said they had cognitive impairment. Long COVID occurs in about a third of COVID survivors and is now the third leading neurologic disorder in the country.

And yet.

* Press release…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) launched $10 million in funding for the third round of the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program. The Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program provides training opportunities, expands the talent pipeline, and boosts diversity in the construction industry and building trades. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process.

* New flaks…

Governor JB Pritzker announced the following staff transitions on his communications team.

Kamaria Morris will begin a new role as Deputy Communications Director. Morris previously served in Governor Pritzker’s office as Assistant Communications Director, a role she’s held since March of 2022. Prior to her time with the Governor’s Office, Morris was a Public Information Officer for the Illinois Capital Development Board. She also previously served as Assistant Director of Communications/PR at the Erikson Institute; Public Relations Manager at Lyric Opera of Chicago; and Media Coordinator at WCIU-TV. She is a native Chicagoan, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Master of Arts in Communication from Northern Illinois University.

Alex Gough will begin a new role as Press Secretary. Gough previously served in Governor Pritzker’s office as Senior Deputy Press Secretary, a role he had held since March of 2022. Prior to that, Gough served as member of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus communications team and as a member of the Illinois Senate Democratic Fund’s political team. Gough began his career in politics as a field organizer on Deputy Gov. Andy Manar’s 2018 state Senate campaign. He is a native of Quincy and graduate of Illinois State University.

Olivia Kuncio will serve as Senior Deputy Press Secretary. Kuncio is currently Deputy Press Secretary in Governor Pritzker’s office, a role she has held since March of 2022. Previously, she served as Public Relations Representative for Chicago Public Library. Kuncio is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Communication.

* At least he’ll be out of the gene pool for four years…

JUST IN: Kevin Lyons, of Chicago, sentenced to 51 months in prison for entering Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Jan. 6, stealing a staffer’s wallet and a photo of Pelosi with civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis.
He texted his friends, “I took this off Pelosi’s f***ing desk!” pic.twitter.com/w2CQ3IeYix

— Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) July 14, 2023

* Shot from the AP…

The U.S. House on Friday approved a sweeping annual defense bill that provides an expected 5.2% pay raise for service members but strays from traditional military policy with political add-ons from Republicans to block abortion coverage, diversity initiatives at the Pentagon and transgender issues that deeply divided the chamber.

Chaser from the NRCC…

Today extreme Democrat Eric Sorensen voted against the National Defense Authorization Act, going on record to block funding for the United States military.

Voting against pay raises for our troops and the safety of our country over taxpayer funded late-term abortions and woke transgender ideology is extreme and dangerous.

“Eric Sorensen is following an extreme and dangerous agenda led by the fringe elements of his party that is entirely out of touch with the American people. He needs to answer for why he is willing to put our national security risk for his woke agenda.” — NRCC Spokesman Chris Gustafson

* Probably gonna need a kitty litter box in that laundromat…

A person was seen breaking into a laundromat in Illinois while wearing a bunny suit.

The break-in happened early Thursday at Winners Wash Laundromat in Quincy.

* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…

* Sun-Times | Father of accused Highland Park parade shooter gets a trial date: The father of the alleged Highland Park parade shooter will go on trial Nov. 6 on charges of reckless conduct for signing his son’s application for a firearm owner’s identification card. Lawyers in the case said Friday that they expect the trial to last about one week.

* WBEZ | Former ComEd CEO says her bribery conviction shouldn’t lead to sanctions against her law license: In a new filing with the Illinois Supreme Court, Pramaggiore contends she engaged in no wrongdoing despite a jury’s unanimous verdict against her in a nine-count criminal indictment, and she urged no action until her appeal runs its course.

* Tribune | Illinois awards 55 social equity marijuana store licenses, though previous winners have struggled to open: The latest lottery drew nearly 2,700 applicants, showing demand for the businesses is far higher than the capacity set by the state.

* Biz Journals | Belle Tire buying vacant land to expand in Chicago market: The Michigan-based company said it plans to open 60 Illinois locations in the next three years.

* Tribune | Lingering long COVID looms even as Chicago hospital admissions decline, Northwestern research shows: The directors of the hospital system’s Comprehensive COVID-19 Center released a study Thursday on “long COVID” symptoms. It showed thousands of patients have suffered from a wide array of serious medical issues that highlight the illness’s lasting harm and the importance of a treating long COVID with a multidisciplinary approach, they said.

* Sun-Times | Chicago man who stole prized photo from Nancy Pelosi’s office during Capitol riot gets more than four years in prison: Federal prosecutors say Kevin Lyons drove through the night to arrive in Washington, D.C., on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021. He’d posted his driving route from Chicago on Instagram with the comment, “I refuse to tell my children that I sat back and did nothing. I’m heading to DC to STOP THE STEAL!”

* Block Club | CTA’s Top Leaders Rarely Used Public Transit, Records Show. Now, Officials Call For President To Be Fired: Eight of the CTA’s top leaders, among the agency’s highest paid, used their unlimited work cards to swipe onto the system on less than 50 days each in all of 2021 and 2022, CTA records show. One executive never used her pass in two years. Block Club obtained the records through Freedom of Information Act requests.

* Sun-Times | Lori Lightfoot, Ald. Jim Gardiner accused of ethics violations that could trigger fines: In the past 10 years, Chicago’s inspector general has asked the Board of Ethics to find probable cause of an ethics violation only 13 times. Three of those findings were in the last quarter alone. And the targets were former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, newly reelected Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) and a member of the public who allegedly tried and failed to bribe a city inspector.

* Sun-Times | City Council committee tiptoes toward sidewalk snow removal mandate: The City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety on Friday gave a handful of city departments — led by Streets and Sanitation, Transportation, and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities — 60 days to create a working group to study sidewalk snow removal and determine where and how to test the new service, the cost and how to pay for the pilot.

* Crain’s | Kraft Heinz to open $400 million distribution center in DeKalb: The Chicago-based maker of Jell-O, Heinz ketchup and Oscar Mayer hot dogs said it will move into the 775,000-square-foot warehouse in the ChicagoWest Business Center, a 1,200-acre business park in DeKalb, about 65 miles west of Chicago. Expected to open in 2025, the highly automated facility, which will include rail access, will allow Kraft Heinz to speed up delivery of its products to retail and food service customers.

* News Channel 20 | Rep. Ammons leads healing retreat for women impacted by gun violence in Champaign: Ammons said prospective attendees are encouraged to register as soon as possible. The retreat will be hosted at The Church of the Living God in Champaign.

* WBEZ | The county’s first Black trans appointee talks public office, preserving Lake Michigan and her historic first: “I was inspired by former Commissioner Deb Shore. She’s now the Regional Director at the EPA. She was the first lesbian elected in Cook County and represented the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District for so many years. And I feel like I stand on her shoulders, as an environmentalist, as a Black trans woman, with the importance of protecting Lake Michigan, which is a part of the largest body of freshwater on Earth.”

* Block Club | What Happened To Migrants In Police Stations? Volunteers Demand Answers After Cops Accused Of Sexual Misconduct: It’s been a week since a city oversight agency launched an investigation into allegations West Side cops engaged in “improper sexual relations” with migrants. Since then, there’s been silence from the agencies involved.

* Sun-Times | Illinois’ biggest consumer bankruptcy firm DebtStoppers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy: The Semrad Law Firm, which advertises as DebtStoppers, got millions in taxpayer-backed PPP loans while cutting U.S. staff and employing a Bulgarian company in which the law firm’s leaders have an ownership stake.

* NYT | Education Dept. Cancels $39 Billion in Student Debt for 800,000 Borrowers: The relief will go to those who have federal loans owned directly by the Education Department and who enrolled in income-driven repayment plans or would have qualified for loan forgiveness if they had done so. Those plans cap the payments that borrowers owe to a percentage of their income. Under those plans, borrowers must make payments for a term that is typically 20 or 25 years. At the end of that period, any remaining balance is forgiven.

* WAND | Macon County Conservation District to recognize July 15 as Unplug Illinois Day: MCCD will host a “unplugged” afternoon at Rock Springs on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The MCCD says the event is a chance for families to ditch their electronics devices for the day and enjoy an unplugged afternoon.

* WCIS | Unplug Illinois campaign this Saturday, free admission to many Springfield Park District facilities: The event will be this Saturday and include free admission to Nelson Center for swimming and skating, free admission to the Henson Robinson Zoo, public swim at Veterans Memorial Pool as well as free pitch hit and run at Robin Roberts Stadium.

* ABC 7 | 11 Chicago area tornado touchdowns confirmed, including at O’Hare, as residents clean up: The NWS said the Elgin tornado was an EF-1 with maximum wind speed of 100 mph and a track roughly started east of Rt. 47 and ended near the railroad tracks west of Villa Olivia Golf Course.