* Gov. Pritzker was asked today about the prospect of carbon capture pipelines through Illinois…

Well, that’s something that the ICC is looking at and will be making decisions about. I am watching and listening on the subject of is there danger that really exists for the communities under which these pipelines will run? And so I’m listening to all of the discussion about it. No decision has been made by the ICC. I know the legislature might take action if it doesn’t like what the ICC does. But as far as I’m concerned, it is something we need to watch closely. Those farm communities and people who are engaged in this, this will be a big change for them. And I’m concerned that it will raise the prospect of safety challenges and raise the prospects as we’ve seen in other states, that if there is some sort of leak, that this could be a problem for all of Illinois.

* Kinda on-topic…

An analysis released earlier this year by climate and industry advocacy group Industrious Labs shows that municipal solid waste landfills account for more than half of Illinois’ industrial methane emissions, at 58%. That’s compared to other large industrial emissions from sectors like mining, metal manufacturing and food processing.

Nationally, landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States after livestock and natural gas, according to the federal EPA. […]

Statewide, landfills emitted 9 million metric tons in 2021, which can be translated to 1.9 million gas-powered cars driven for a year, according to the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. […]

Previously, methane gas collected at Countryside Landfill was used to fuel an electrical generation plant with excess methane gas flared at the site: Many landfills burn gas in a flare, a process that converts most of the methane to carbon dioxide, reducing the impact on global warming.

* Pritzker was also asked about tonight’s Republican presidential debate…

It’s going to be a cacophony of crazy, you know, maybe a smorgasbord of extremism. And I think it might be entertaining in some way to watch. But, for goodness sakes, we don’t want any of them running this country.

* WTTW…

Chicago taxpayers paid $91.3 million to resolve lawsuits that named 116 Chicago police officers whose alleged misconduct led more than once to payouts between 2019 and 2021, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

In all, the city spent $197.7 million to resolve lawsuits alleging more than 1,000 Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct — including false arrest and excessive force — in 2019, 2020 and 2021, according WTTW News’ analysis.

Cases that involved at least one officer with repeated claims of misconduct accounted for 47% of the cost borne by taxpayers to resolve police misconduct cases between 2019 and 2021, according to the analysis.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Law, led by Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson Lowry, said the department is in the process of launching a new legal case management system to provide officials with “better data and analysis.” However, that system is not expected to be completed until March 2024.

* WTTW…

Despite warnings by the president of Chicago’s largest police union that the election of Mayor Brandon Johnson would trigger an “exodus” from the Chicago Police Department, the number of sworn officers remained steady during Johnson’s first 100 days in office, according to a WTTW News analysis. […]

However, the size of the Chicago Police Department was essentially unchanged on Johnson’s 100th day in office as compared with his first day in office. CPD had 12,360 employees on Johnson’s first full day in office and 12,363 employees on Monday, according to a city database. The number of sworn officers has also remained steady, with 11,720 officers on duty as of May 1, and 11,722 on the force as of Aug. 1, according to a database maintained by the Chicago Police Department.

* Friday’s Du Quoin State Fair Parade is canceled…

Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure safety of parade participants and spectators, the Du Quoin State Fair Parade is canceled for Friday evening, August 25. The decision was reached after consultation with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and working with forecasts from the National Weather Service. The ribbon cutting ceremony will continue as scheduled at 5:30pm.

“With forecasts projecting a high of 100 degrees and heat indexes between 111 and 117 degrees, we feel canceling the parade is in the best interest of our parade participants,” said Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II. “This is not to take away from people enjoying the fair safely, but to avoid a clustering of families along the parade route and parade participants in costumes and uniforms from overheating. We are working to ensure the safety of all fairgoers and we encourage all to enjoy the Du Quoin State Fair safely. With the exception of Friday, we are very encouraged that the forecast looks to provide comfortable weather for the remainder of the fair.”

Other steps are also being taken to accommodate the extreme weather. The Fairytales on Ice performance scheduled for Friday evening at 7:00pm will be moved from the Grandstand to inside the Southern Illinois Center. Families with previously purchased tickets will be provided preferred seating. Free hydration stations will also be placed throughout the fairgrounds.

* Press release…

State Rep. Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, will be the keynote speaker at the Illinois National Organization for Women (NOW) conference Saturday, Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Community United Methodist Church, 20 Center St. in Naperville. Attendance is free and open to the public. Avelar’s remarks are scheduled to begin at approximately 12:15 p.m. and to last approximately 25 minutes, followed by time for Q&A.

Topics will include reproductive justice, constitutional equality, economic and racial justice, ending violence against women, LGBTQIA+ rights, and the intersection of all of these areas with the ongoing situation involving migrants being sent to Illinois from other states.

* Michael Rabbitt, who ran for the House last year, announces for ward committeeperson against Ald. Jim Gardiner…

Today I’m announcing that I’m running for Democratic Committeeperson to bring active, engaged, and ethical leadership to Chicago’s 45th Ward.

As a longtime Northwest Side community leader and organizer, I have a track record of bringing people together to improve our communities. As Committeeperson, I will advance our shared values and champion the issues that Democrats are fighting for: affordable and accessible health care, reproductive rights, fully-funded public schools, housing affordability, environmental justice, and safe communities.

Under the current committeeperson, Jim Gardiner, the 45th Ward has been without representation in Democratic Party functions for years, due to Gardiner’s scandal-plagued tenure which prompted his removal from all Cook County Democratic Party committees for “repugnant, rude, and vulgar conduct.” This is unacceptable, and we deserve better.

* IDPH…

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced the first Illinois human West Nile virus (WNV)-related death in 2023. Testing by CDC confirmed the case was WNV-related. The individual, who was in their 90’s and lived in suburban Cook County, had an onset of symptoms of WNV in early August and died soon after. IDPH is also reporting 11 non-fatal cases of WNV confirmed to date this year. […]

Of the 12 human cases, seven were reported from Cook County, including two in Chicago. To date, Kane, Macon, Madison, Will and Woodford counties have each reported one human WNV case.

* Chuy Garcia said the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” was his favorite. Sean Casten said his top song was “Getaway Car,” and the comms director for Bill Foster said “Shake it off” was his boss’ fave…

@capitolfax some Illinois members on the spreadsheet with picks

— catedunlap (@catedunlap) August 22, 2023

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Sun-Times | Ahead of first GOP presidential debate, Illinois Republicans tread carefully: “I’m not gonna watch it,” former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar told the Sun-Times. […] For now, Illinois Republicans are treading cautiously into a presidential election that could once again reshape the party after big 2022 losses. Richard Porter, Illinois National committeeman on the Republican National Committee, arrived in Milwaukee Tuesday to attend the debate but declined to comment. Porter published a column last month urging the GOP to move on from Trump and told the Sun-Times he’s supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign.

* Capitol News Illinois | State looks to curb vehicle theft with grants to police task forces: Giannoulias was in Belleville Tuesday to promote the initiative and highlight a $2.5 million grant to the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force, which brings together law enforcement agencies from Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties.

* NPR | Abortion bans are fueling a rise in high-risk patients heading to Illinois hospitals: After the fetal diagnosis, the patient’s Missouri doctors told her that her life wasn’t in immediate danger, but they also pointed out the risks of carrying the pregnancy to term. And in her family, there’s a history of hemorrhaging while giving birth. If she started to bleed, her doctors said she might lose her uterus, too. The patient said this possibility was devastating. She’s a young mom who wants more children. So she chose to get an abortion. Her Missouri doctors told her it was the safest option — but they wouldn’t provide one.

* Solar Builder | Navitas USA to be first U.S.-based Black-owned solar panel manufacturer: In addition to the incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that make deals like this more feasible, Lloyd Wynn of Colby Solar points to the State of Illinois’ Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) legislation as another transformative step for equitable workforce development.

* WBEZ | Could a ‘noise-sensitive zone’ protect abortion seekers from anti-abortion rights protestors?: The ordinance has been on the books in Chicago since 2009, but one lawmaker says it’s time for an update after an uptick in loud protests by abortion rights opponents outside Family Planning Associates in the West Loop.

* Shaw Local | Ascension Joliet hospital will lock out nurses as strike continues: More than 500 nurses were off the job Tuesday morning at Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet in the first day of what amounts to a hybrid strike/lockout. Nurses were joined by Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy and the president of the Michigan Nurses Association at a rally where they voiced their contract demands.

* Sun-Times | City promises Damen Silos demolition will be different than Little Village debacle: “We care about our children, we care about the air we breathe,” McKinley Park resident Erica Montenegro told a panel of city officials at the meeting, imploring them to publicly provide timely air quality data if the demolition is approved and gets underway.

* SJ-R | On move-in day, UIS optimistic about enrollment numbers for the fall: About 185 University of Illinois Springfield freshmen were expected to move into residence halls on Tuesday as the school gears up for the start of classes on Friday. Last year, UIS reversed a five-year downward trend in enrollment, though the 6.4% overall increase was due to the growth of graduate students.

* Sun-Times | Heat got you down? High temps affect mood, work performance, studies show: Higher temps have been linked to lower motivation, higher suicide rates, higher ER visits for mental health reasons and poorer test scores. Other scientists say it’s still unclear how high temps exacerbate brain diseases.

* Tribune | Excessive heat warning spreads across US; Chicago adds ambulances anticipating calls for help: Wednesday marks the first excessive heat warning for the year in Chicago, said Kevin Birk, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Romeoville. He said the weather service issues the warning when the heat index climbs above 110 degrees in the afternoon, with little relief at night.

* WaPo | Justice Dept. brings wave of cases over $836 million in alleged covid fraud: In one of the largest national crackdowns on fraud targeting federal coronavirus aid, the Justice Department on Wednesday said it had brought 718 law enforcement actions in connection with the alleged theft of more than $836 million.

* NYT | How a Small Gender Clinic Landed in a Political Storm: Washington University’s youth gender clinic in St. Louis, like others around the world, was overwhelmed by new patients and struggled to provide them with mental health care.

* Pantagraph | Illinois State University faculty union considered: Tenure and tenure-track faculty members at Illinois State University could join a union for collective-bargaining purposes if a campaign that kicked off Tuesday proves successful.

* WCIA | Farm Progress Show returns to Decatur next week: Showcasing new technologies at the forefront of farming, the event is expected to bring in an estimated 200,000 visitors. The annual event shares its time with Booth, Iowa on even years and Decatur during the odd years.

* Sun-Times | More tales come of northern pike caught on the Chicago lakefront: ‘‘Fishing in Chicago has been a little slow this summer, so I have been making random challenges for myself,’’ Isaiah Jeong emailed. ‘‘I knew [northern] pike were around, so I threw some bigger spinner baits and crankbaits in bright chartreuse colors.’’

* CNN | Rolling Stones appear to tease new album in fake newspaper ad: The cryptic ad, which appeared in the east London-based Hackney Gazette last week, looks at first glance like a promotion for the new business, Hackney Diamonds, but on closer examination it contains references to several of the band’s biggest hits.