*** Adding *** Tribune reporter Jason Meisner…

JUST IN: The judge in the Michael Madigan case orders both sides to “meet and confer” about next steps in light of the SCOTUS ruling, including whether the Feds plan to bring a new indictment.
“The Court reiterates the importance of maintaining the current trial date.” pic.twitter.com/fMF5qsK9bc

— Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) June 27, 2024

* WCIA…

For Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, the grants handed out by his office to combat carjacking and vehicle thefts is a bit of a personal matter. […]

“When I was in high school, I got carjacked on the West Side of Chicago and it is a horrible experience that has stayed with me,” Giannoulias said, adding that the daily headlines are a reminder that the unsettling crime has continued for decades. “It’s horrible and unacceptable that so many of us have become victims of these crimes. No one should have to live in fear of having their car stolen at gunpoint or returning to their vehicle only to find it gone.”

A review of the 10-year trend in carjackings shows that last year the numbers fell from pandemic highs but are still much higher than they were in 2013. In 2022, the most recent vehicle theft data, there were 38,649 thefts statewide, an increase of more than 10,000 cases compared to the year prior. More than 22,000 of the thefts occurred in Chicago that year, where thefts doubled compared to 2021.  

To fight the surge, Giannoulias’ office on Wednesday issued $11 million in new grants to six police agencies around Illinois to pay for additional detectives and equipment such as vehicles, tracking devices, GPS software and license-plate readers.

* Farm Week…

GROWMARK closed on a deal with COFCO Thursday to sell its minority stake in a Mississippi River grain terminal located in Cahokia. Simultaneously, GROWMARK purchased the B-House grain operation from COFCO located along the Calumet River in Chicago. GROWMARK will run B-House under the name Lakeside Grain Trading.

As with every decision GROWMARK makes, we will always act in the best interest of the member companies and farmers we represent. This transaction reflects GROWMARK’s unwavering commitment to increasing farmers’ profitability while strengthening its presence along strategic waterways and ports throughout the Midwest.

US Reps. Mike Bost and Nikki Budzinski…

U.S. Representatives Mike Bost (IL-12) and Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) raised concerns today over the recent acquisition of the Cahokia grain terminal by COFCO International Ltd, a Chinese state-run company. In a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), Bost and Budzinski urged an immediate review of the acquisition to weigh the consequences for America’s national security and the region’s agricultural economy.

“China is attempting to buy up America’s commercial infrastructure and farmland at a breakneck pace. The economic and national security implications are far too great to allow that to happen,” said Bost. “This is an issue that should resonate with Republicans and Democrats alike. Rep. Budzinski and I are demanding a timely review of this transfer because federal officials need to understand how it will impact the safety and security of the American people, especially here in Southern Illinois.”

“As the Chinese Communist Party tries to strengthen its grip on the means of American agricultural production and commerce, we must push back,” said Budzinski. “Today, Congressman Mike Bost and I sent a letter to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States raising our concerns about the Chinese government’s acquisition of the Cahokia Heights grain terminal. I urge the committee to take a serious look at the scope and implications this transaction could have on our national security and on the Heartland’s agricultural economy.”

* US Sen. Dick Durbin…

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today underwent a successful hip replacement surgery for his left hip. The procedure was performed this morning at RUSH in Oak Brook, Illinois. Durbin will remain in Illinois until he is cleared for travel to Washington by his doctor.

“Today, I had a routine hip replacement surgery in Chicago. I’m grateful to the medical staff at RUSH for today’s successful procedure, and I look forward to a speedy recovery and climbing the Capitol steps again as soon as possible.”

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | Most new gas, diesel vehicle sales would be banned in Illinois by 2035 under proposal: A group of health and environmental organizations are asking a state quasi-judicial body to ban the sale of all new gas-powered cars and a large percentage of diesel trucks by 2035 after failing to sell Gov. J.B. Pritzker on the idea. Speeding the transition to electric trucks and cars from gas and diesel models will reduce pollution and save hundreds of lives a year while helping Illinois reduce greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change, the organizations argue in a petition filed Thursday with the Illinois Pollution Control Board, a rule-making panel appointed by Pritzker.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Automated ticketing of drivers in bike and bus lanes could have started this summer. Now it won’t: [T]he start of the program has been pushed back, the Chicago Department of Transportation confirmed. Now the program, on the books for more than a year, isn’t expected to start until fall, as the process to acquire supplies and services for the pilot is ongoing. “Just to be slow to roll this out sort of shows that maybe there’s not enough emphasis on public transportation, as there should be,” said W. Robert Schultz III , campaign organizer with the advocacy group Active Transportation Alliance. “It’s the poor stepchild as city issues go.”

* Crain’s | Blue Cross Illinois parent watches revenue soar: Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp. reported premium revenue topping $54 billion in 2023 — the highest ever, according to the company’s annual financial report obtained by Crain’s through a Freedom of Information Act request to the state of Illinois. HCSC’s net income was down less than 2% to $1.4 billion due to a larger federal tax burden last year. Before taxes, however, the company posted a $1.7 billion surplus, or profit, 15% higher than in 2022, a fact executives point to as proof the company is “stable.”

* Sun-Times | Firefighters to march during NASCAR, DNC to turn up heat on Johnson for new contract: Chicago firefighters and paramedics will march down Michigan Avenue during an action-packed NASCAR weekend to press their three-year-long demand for a new contract that includes adding 20 more ambulances, their union president said Thursday. Pat Cleary, president of Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, predicted “hundreds” of his members would participate in the two-hour march “right alongside of NASCAR,” from Roosevelt to Madison and back again, starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 6. They will be joined by Chicago police officers furious with Mayor Brandon Johnson for convincing the City Council to twice reject an independent arbitrator’s ruling on police discipline.

* Sun-Times | Melissa Bell named CEO of Chicago Public Media, will oversee Sun-Times, WBEZ: She succeeds Matt Moog, who will step down once Bell starts in September. Moog’s four-year tenure included shepherding the 2022 merger of the Sun-Times and WBEZ, a deal that netted $61 million in foundation support. But his time ended in controversy. Unions at both organizations criticized Moog for pocketing a nearly 20% pay hike while presiding over layoffs in response to declining revenue. The unions also made public allegations of a “hostile work environment” at Chicago Public Media.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WBBM Newsradio | Evacuation order lifted after freight train derails in Matteson: Officials in the Chicago suburb of Matteson, Ill., have lifted the evacuation order that was put in place after a Canadian National Railway freight train derailed on Thursday.

*** Downstate ***

* BND | Company releases statement after collapsed mine swallows part of Alton soccer field: “The New Frontier Materials underground mine in Alton, IL today experienced a surface subsidence and opened a sink hole at Gordon Moore City Park. The impacted area has been secured and will remain off limits for the foreseeable future while inspectors and experts examine the mine and conduct repairs. No one was injured in the incident, which has been reported to officials at the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) in accordance with applicable regulations. Safety is our top priority. We will work with the city to remediate this issue as quickly and safely as possible to ensure minimal impact on the community.”

* Sun-Times | Manteno man gets 2 years in prison for shoving officer, tossing mug at police during Capitol riot: Quinn Keen, 36, also faces trial next month for driving under the influence, his attorney told U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington, D.C. Still, the attorney acknowledged that Keen’s actions on Jan. 6 amount to “the most significant crime Mr. Keen has committed.” […] Keen confronted officers on the line, threw the contents of a water bottle at them and then threw the bottle itself, according to court documents. Meanwhile, other rioters pulled a bike rack from the police line to the ground. When an officer bent over to pick it up, Keen shoved the officer backward with both hands, records show.

* SJ-R | Future of three Springfield cafes in limbo after multiple fires: The Asani’s much anticipated sophomore effort, The Capital Cafe at 1825 MacArthur Blvd., was gutted by fire a week from its opening date last November. The cafe’s future has been left in limbo because the Asani’s insurance company has yet to sign off on the loss or even determine whether the exterior of the former McDonald’s building is structurally sound enough to be repaired or must be razed.

* WCIA | Vermilion Co. village limits number of marijuana-related businesses, rejects second dispensary’s pitch: “We are a town of 2,700 residents and we already have one dispensary,” Billy Wear, the Tilton mayor said in an email to WCIA. “I feel that there is a limited number of people that partake in their use, and that we as a board need to make business decisions on what benefits the greatest number of citizens in our town, and the people that we rely on to support our businesses.”

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | Walgreens shares plunge on outlook cut, more store closings: In addition to shuttering locations, management said it would make more organizational changes without specifying further job cuts. The company has had a rocky few years with turnover in the executive ranks amid a challenging retail climate. Walgreens shares sank as much as 25% on Thursday, the biggest one-day decline since at least 1980, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

* Marijuana Moment | NCAA Votes To Remove Marijuana From Banned Substances List For College Athletes: The newly adopted rule, which amends NDAA’s drug testing policies for student sports championships and postseason participation in football, will also be retroactively applied, discontinuing any penalties players are currently facing for a cannabis-related violation.

* Vox | The Supreme Court just lit a match and tossed it into dozens of federal agencies: But, as Sotomayor warns, many federal agencies — including the “Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, the Department of Agriculture, and many others” — may only seek civil penalties in administrative proceedings. That means that a wide array of laws guaranteeing workplace safety and advancing other important federal goals could cease to function after

* STL Today | Incentives for Chiefs, Royals would have to come from Mo. Legislature, governor says: Parson’s statements Thursday all but foreclose the possibility of the state Department of Economic Development putting forward its own plan this year independent of state legislators. “I don’t think we have the capability of doing that,” said Parson, adding that an offer would have to go through the budgetary process. The Legislature returns to action in January, following the November elections.