* ICYMI: SCOTUS ruling could upend federal corruption cases for Madigan, allies. Capitol News Illinois…

An attorney for close Madigan confidant Mike McClain, a longtime Springfield lobbyist who is a defendant in both bribery cases, predicted Wednesday that the ComEd case will have to be retried.

“We will be asking the court to vacate the conviction at a minimum,” attorney Patrick Cotter told Capitol News Illinois.

As for the case in which McClain is a co-defendant with Madigan, Cotter said his legal team would likely challenge the charges that rely on the federal bribery statute and may make other arguments, including that the grand jury indicted Madigan and McClain under an “incorrect” law.

Former U.S. Attorney Scott Lassar, who represents former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, had vowed to appeal the case after the trial concluded last spring, but a delay in the ComEd defendants’ sentencings has prevented that so far.

* Related stories…

∙ Sun-Times: Ed Burke did lots of favors for people, then ‘cashed in the chits’
∙ Sun-Times: Madigan, ComEd bribery cases could be upended by U.S. Supreme Court ruling, defense attorneys say
∙ Tribune: Madigan, ComEd Four cases imperiled by U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakening public corruption law

* The Alton Telegraph reported the sinkhole was caused by a collapsed mine…

ALTON SINKHOLE — Security video from Gordon F. Moore Community Park shows a sinkhole open up at the soccer fields and swallow a massive light pole.

The sinkhole opened Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported. pic.twitter.com/JLxV0CK5b8

— Joe Millitzer (@jmillitzer) June 26, 2024

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Inmate’s death during heat wave ramps up criticism of conditions at Stateville: The Will County coroner’s office did not yet have a cause of death for Michael Broadway, who had earned a college degree while serving a 75-year sentence for a 2005 murder, and a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Corrections would only say the agency is investigating. But his death during a severe heat wave has led inmates and prison advocates to put the blame at least partly on the squalid environment inside Stateville, where accounts from people incarcerated there and others in legislative hearings and elsewhere describe poor ventilation, visible mold, rodent infestations and unsanitary drinking water. The prison’s housing units also lack air conditioning, according to the John Howard Association, a prison watchdog group.

* Tribune | Chicago White Sox shut out for 12th time and fall to 40 games under .500 in front of 1st sellout crowd of the season: The Sox were shut out for the 12th time this season, falling 4-0 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of 36,225. The Sox hosted their first Mexican Heritage Night, resulting in the first weekday sellout for a game that wasn’t opening day or against the Cubs since 2012. Manager Pedro Grifol referred to the crowd as “phenomenal.” “We just couldn’t take advantage of it,” he said.

* Illinois Times | Big plans for future of the State Fairgrounds: IDOA Director Jerry Costello says the master plan refined the concept of a Town Square gathering space and how that can enhance the appeal of the fairgrounds. This builds upon improvements already underway. In the 4 ½ years Costello has been director under Gov. JB Pritzker, the IDOA staff has increased from 299 to 408. In addition, $58.1 million was included in the capital budget in June 2022 for improvements to buildings and grounds to begin to address deferred maintenance. “Governor Pritzker has done more for the fairgrounds than at any time since Governors Thompson and Edgar,” said Costello.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Quantum technology companies set for big tax incentives under new law: Proponents of the legislation, which include a who’s who of business leaders and representatives of organized labor, say it will help attract businesses to the state, encourage growth and generate jobs. The programs will generate an estimated $21 billion in new state revenue over the next 30 years, according to the governor’s office. The largest new program set up in the legislation would designate a “quantum campus” somewhere in the state. Businesses in that area would receive tax breaks on construction, materials purchase and use taxes, similar to an existing enterprise zone program.

*** Statewide ***

* WGN | Illinois said to have ‘momentum’ in ending HIV in state: In 2022, more than 1,300 Illinoisans received an HIV diagnosis, but that number is diminishing, Gov. JB Pritzker said at a Wednesday workshop at the University of Illinois Chicago Student Center West on Wolcott Avenue. “The number of new cases diagnosed statewide has decreased 18 percent. In addition, the national HIV/AIDS strategy established a target to increase rates of care access within one month of diagnosis, to 95 percent,” Pritzker said.

* SJ-R | Illinois gas tax is set to increase on July 1. Here’s what to know: According to the Illinois Department of Revenue, the tax on motor fuel in the state of Illinois will increase to 47 cents a gallon, an increase of 3.5% from the 2023-24 fiscal year. The increase may lead to customers seeing higher prices at the pump, unfortunate timing coming days before the busy Fourth of July travel weekend.

* State Week | The Dobbs decision and Illinois — two years on: This week saw the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down Roe v. Wade. The result has been a patchwork of laws related to abortion. While some states outlawed the procedure or passed restrictions, Illinois has become a safe haven for those seeking abortions and other care.

* CBS | How Illinois soybean farmers deal with the effects of climate change: Michael Langemeier, a professor of agriculture economics at Purdue University, said the weather changes are something farmers are discussing more and more. “I don’t know if it’s directly impacting what the consumers pay to a large degree, yet,” Langemeier said. He and his team have surveyed 400 farmers nationwide. He asked farmers about how worried they were about the changing weather patterns, and about 25% said they were either “very worried” or “fairly worried.”

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | How Can Chicago Make More Money? First Revenue Committee Hearing Offers Few Specifics: “We’re going to continue to support as many options as possible. As you all know, we’ve dedicated an entire subcommittee to find revenue ideas,” [Mayor Johnson] said at a March 20 press conference. But Wednesday’s inaugural hearing of that body served more as a briefing for alderpeople on how the city currently collects taxes and other revenue than a forum for proposals to bring in new funds. Several alderpeople did ask questions about a head tax, a standalone grocery tax and a carbon tax for airlines.

* Crain’s | Service tax? Grocery tax? All ideas on the table as City Hall probes revenue options.: Since it was first created last year, Johnson has pointed to the new subcommittee on revenue, chaired by his ally, Ald. William Hall, 6th, when asked which taxes and fees he still supports to bring in the $800 million in new revenue he promised on the campaign trail. The discussion was more of a Budget 101 crash course on the city’s finances than a detailed presentation of which revenue options are on the table this fall. No votes were taken, and many of the potential taxes will likely never receive a vote because they either need state approval first or are nonstarters for a majority of the City Council.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | ‘Evil and manipulative’: Families outraged after Highland Park suspect backs out of plea deal: Lance Northcutt represents the family of Kevin and Irina McCarthy, whose young son was orphaned after the Highland Park couple was killed at the parade. “What happened today, make no mistake, was nothing more than a re-victimization of that family and every family that has endured this tragedy,” he said.

* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights mayor won’t seek reelection, but believes Bears stadium talks are ‘in a good place’: The uncertain future of the 326-acre Arlington Park property and the NFL franchise’s ongoing stadium search “has weighed on my mind” as he contemplated running for a fourth four-year term, Hayes said. But “I do think we are in a good place with that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be leaving.”

* WGN | Precious Brady-Davis blazing a trail as first Black trans woman to serve public office in Cook County: Precious Brady-Davis may be a first, but she doesn’t want to be the last. Three years ago, the trailblazing Cook County official published her memoir. It’s called, “I Have Always Been Me.” She says she’s always dreamed big and with every challenge, she refused to be refused.

* Tribune | Big Cook County property tax hikes coming for many in south suburbs: More than a dozen Cook County suburbs have median bills that have increased by more than 30%. That includes Dixmoor, where the median tax bill for homeowners jumped from $1,073 last year to $1,950 this year, and Hazel Crest, where the median bill jumped by $1,586 to $5,651.

* Tribune | DuPage: No criminal charges for officers involved in fatal shooting of Carol Stream man: An attorney representing the Goodlow family said they would continue pursuing that case in federal court and that the family “fundamentally” disagreed with Berlin’s decision. Berlin said he had not found that Officer Daniel Pfingston, who shot Goodlow, was justified in his use of force, but that he could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Pfingston had not been justified. According to a village statement, Pfingston has not been employed with the Carol Stream Police Department since May 2.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | IL program helping disadvantaged farmers fills need for local, fresh foods at one Central IL food bank: “We have seen a 90% increase in the number of people seeking our services since 2022 so the need out there is really high,” Amanda Borden, the food bank’s vice president of development, said. In March, Governor Pritzker announced nearly $29 million in grant money for the program to 15 food organizations including the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, which received $1.5 million. They serve about 55,000 people on average every month through 18 counties in East Central Illinois.

*** National ***

* The Atlantic | New, Ominous Signs for Gay Rights Keep Emerging: Now alarm bells are ringing for same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights in general. A new Gallup poll shows that Republican approval of homosexual rights has dropped from 56 to 40 percent in two years, and that support for same-sex marriage is down to less than half, at 46 percent. Liberal justices on the Supreme Court warned in a dissent last week that their colleagues are chipping away at the right to marriage. Over the past four years, Republican policy makers have mounted a campaign against transgender rights and discussion of homosexuality in schools, but the result appears to be a wider backlash against LGBTQ rights.

* Gallup | Same-Sex Relations, Marriage Still Supported by Most in U.S.: As with support for same-sex marriage, Democrats (81%) — and, to a lesser extent, independents (68%) — are more likely than Republicans (40%) to say relations between gays or lesbians are morally acceptable. Whereas a majority of Democrats have thought same-sex relations are morally acceptable since 2006, no more than half of Republicans have said the same throughout Gallup’s trend, except for three readings — 51% in 2020 and 2021 and 56% in 2022. The current 41-point gap between Democrats and Republicans ties 2011 as the largest on record.

* Crain’s | June auto sales could take ‘significant’ hit from CDK outage:
The cyberattacks on CDK Global and resulting turmoil at dealerships around the U.S. could reduce June new-vehicle sales by about 100,000, according to one forecast. J.D. Power and GlobalData estimate that U.S. light vehicle sales for the month will fall by 2.6 to 7.2 percent from a year earlier, for volume of 1.27 million to 1.33 million. They originally had expected sales of 1.41 million before the ransomware attacks that began June 19 created a “significant” disruption.