* US Rep. Nikki Budzinski…

Thousands of Illinois youth will be able to pursue careers operating heavy machinery, under a new federal grant program announced Wednesday aimed at addressing a critical workforce shortage.

U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski joined officials with the Youth Workforce Development Foundation, affiliated with SkillsUSA Illinois, and the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) on Wednesday, July 31, at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield to announce nearly $8 million in funding through the Apprenticeships Builds America federal program.

Earlier this month, the Biden Administration announced the grant as part of more than $244 million being distributed through the U.S. Department of Labor to help expand the Registered Apprenticeship system. The heavy equipment supply chain is critical to the national economy but workforce shortages in diesel technicians and heavy equipment operators are expected to exceed from 24,000 to 42,000 within a decade with retirements and career changes.

In its successful request for funding, the Youth Workforce Development Foundation and AED noted high costs and specialized skill sets limit high schools’ ability to offer heavy equipment operator and diesel equipment technology training programs.

The two groups will work in Illinois to help schools provide the necessary heavy equipment training programs. They also will support career-focused Industry Pathways events, where students receive hands-on instruction and work on the diesel and heavy equipment with industry companies and laborers. The events help employers meet students interested in the field and develop relationships for youth-focused apprenticeships that might lead to longer-term careers.

One of the key partners of this grant will be SkillsUSA Illinois, Inc., a state association focused on ensuring the future of skilled trade professionals. The funds will focus on enhancing SkillsUSA chapter programs and connecting program graduates to career opportunities.

* WCIA…

The Illinois Homelessness Morbidity and Mortality Report 2017-2022 was prepared by the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health. Drawing on statewide hospital records and death certificates, the research found that people who experience homelessness are likely to live nearly 20 years less than the general population and are three times more likely to be a victim of a violent assault or murder.

The report also found that since the start of the COVID pandemic, there has been a 36.6% increase in homeless mortality, compared to only a 6.1% increase in deaths among the general population. The increase in deaths since the start of the pandemic appears to be driven in part by an increase in drug-related overdoses.

“Housing is an important social and structural determinant of health,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “Only the second report of its kind in the United States, the information presented draws into sharp focus the enormous toll that homelessness takes on unhoused Illinois residents, and the health system that works to care for them. The report diagnoses the problem, but it is only the first step. With partners across government, community, academia, and the private sector, the State of Illinois will move forward to design new and improve our current programs and policies to address disparities and achieve optimal health for our residents.” […]

The report also emphasizes the importance of increasing access to stable housing to people experiencing homelessness and of improving their access to healthcare. The IDPH intends to use the report to help partners communicate and understand health inequalities facing the homeless population in order to address those inequalities.

A summary of the report is here. The full report is here.

* PHYS | PFAS found in nearly all fish tested from four northern Illinois rivers: Scientists tested nine fish species from four northern Illinois rivers for contamination with per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, synthetic chemicals found in numerous industrial and commercial products and known to be harmful to human health. They found fish contaminated with PFAS in every one of their 15 test sites. Elevated levels of PFOS, one type of PFAS compound, were found in nearly all fish tested.

* Sun-Times | Trump argues with moderator at Q&A with Black journalists in Chicago: ‘I think it’s a very nasty question’: The first question, from moderator Rachel Scott of ABC News, was prefaced with a recitation of Trump’s past statements, including Trump’s claim that former President Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States, and Trump’s past treatment of Black journalists. “Why should Black voters trust you, after you have used language like that?” Scott asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump said.

* WGN | Protestors flock to downtown Chicago for Trump’s appearance at NABJ conference: During his 2016 campaign, Trump canceled a rally in Chicago over safety concerns after protesters packed the arena. Sometimes there is no two sides, there’s the truth and there’s lies,” former Sun-Times columnist and past NABJ Chicago President Maudelyn Ihejirika said. “I do not see the reason to give him a further audience to continue to spew those lies.”

Click here for NABJ’s fact checker and here for the full Q&A.

* Crain’s | Thompson Center developers buy LaSalle Street building for data center conversion: The real estate firms are eyeing a different kind of conversion at 400 S. LaSalle St. Looking to capitalize on booming demand for buildings that can house servers and other technology that stores and processes data — a particularly fast-growing sector with the advent of artificial intelligence in computing — Reschke confirmed in a statement that he and his partners are “focused on building a data center for LaSalle Street” in the former Cboe building. “The demand is high and the building is a great location for a new data center,” Reschke said in the statement.

* WBEZ | What another six years of a Maduro presidency in Venezuela means for migrants and Chicago: “We’ve lost the hope of going back to our country,” Edwin Leal said this week in Spanish outside a city-run shelter on the Near West Side where he has been staying since arriving from Venezuela. “With the same president, the situation in Venezuela will most likely stay the same or get worse.” Under Maduro’s regime, Venezuela’s economy has plummeted and millions of citizens have fled over the last decade. The growing exodus of people has contributed to Chicago’s migrant crisis, with tens of thousands of asylum seekers bused or flown here since August 2022, primarily by the Texas governor. This has strained social safety nets not only in Chicago but in many other U.S. cities and countries in South and Central America, including in Colombia, Peru and Mexico.

* Tribune | Your next O’Hare flight could be (partly) powered by leftover grease: Sustainable fuel is seen as key to meeting the aviation industry’s goals to cut emissions. The purchase was touted as a win by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who highlighted a recently-enacted state tax credit for sustainable jet fuel. United purchased up to 1 million gallons of fuel from producer Neste to be delivered to O’Hare this year, with the first delivery expected Saturday. The sustainable fuel will go into a centralized system at O’Hare where it will be mixed with traditional jet fuel, and the mix will be available to all carriers at the airport. For now, sustainable fuel must be blended with conventional fuel for use in commercial aircraft.

* Block Club | Bike Lanes, Speed Bumps And More Coming To A Dangerous Portage Park Road: Painted bike lanes and plastic posts are being added this week to Long Avenue between Irving Park Road and Grace Street, Ald. Ruth Cruz (30th) said. The lanes are being added to both sides of the road and are part of a two-phase improvement project. The second phase involves repaving Long Avenue between Belmont Avenue and Grace Street. The alderwoman has also introduced an ordinance to lower the speed limit along Long between Belmont Avenue and Irving Park Road to 20 mph. The legislation is being considered in the City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety.

* Tribune | Pierogi fest, a 115-year-old tradition in Palos Park, highlights Ukrainian culture: One of the biggest changes is what happens with the money raised. Previously, it went toward parish activities, but after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, proceeds have been devoted to Ukrainian causes. But even that focus has evolved. “We used to send a lot of money to aid and cover the cost of shipping (supplies) to Ukraine. People would donate bandages, for instance,” Sendeha explained. “Now we’re focusing more on the people who are here. A lot of people have come, especially to Chicagoland. We’re helping people here in terms of helping them with rent financially or if they need supplies. They come with just a suitcase sometimes or a backpack. They have nothing.”

* Slate | The Chicago White Sox Are Making History Now. Terrible, Horrible History: In the whole history of Major League Baseball, only the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, with 86, lost more of their first 110 ballgames than these White Sox. Chicago is tied with the 1932 Boston Red Sox for second-most losses to this point in a season, and the ChiSox are now solidly outpacing any recent team. (The 2003 Detroit Tigers, who lost 81 of their first 110, are next on the list.) Chicago’s .245 winning percentage does not quite touch a handful of teams from the late 1800s, when seasons were shorter and there weren’t as many teams. But in the modern-ish era, just those 1916 A’s would be worse at .235.

* Sun-Times | New life for Cook County medical examiner’s office at $15.5 million West Loop site?: The request to purchase the buildings on Ashland and Fulton was referred to the county’s asset management committee during the board’s July 25 meeting. Committee meetings will resume in September. “After more than 40 years of operation at its current location, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) is working with the County’s Bureau of Asset Management (BAM) to acquire a new location to accommodate a larger, modern facility that can meet the current requirements and evolving needs of the MEO for decades to come,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

* Daily Herald | Bremer Team launches 30 Days for 30 Vets program: Thirty deserving McHenry County military veterans will receive the gifts of a lifetime this fall as part of the 30 Days for 30 Vets program coordinated by The Bremer Team Keller Williams Success Realty. Nominations will open Thursday, Aug. 1. Sought are stories of veterans whose lives would be vastly improved by receiving a much-needed home renovation, said Dawn Bremer, owner and president of the McHenry-based Bremer Team. She added that, already, home repair, appliance and improvement firms have stepped up with more than $200,000 in pledges of services and materials.

* Daily Herald | Ribfest is done: High costs cited as reason for its demise: “It is with great sadness that we will not be able to continue on with Ribfest in the future,” organizers said in the statement posted Tuesday. For decades, Ribfest reigned over the suburban summer festival season with trophy-winning barbecue, star-studded concerts from the likes of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and Hootie & the Blowfish, thousands of volunteers and the grand finale: a Fourth of July fireworks show over Naperville’s Knoch Park.

* NPR Illinois | Illinois State Museum to close until fall: The facility will close to visitors beginning Thursday, Aug. 1. A plumbing project that will involve asbestos removal and construction. The project is expected to last three months. According to the museum, staff who ordinarily work at the main facility adjacent to the statehouse will be based at the Research and Collections Center in Springfield until it reopens. Objects and artifacts that could be damaged by vibrations or proximity to the construction work have been covered or removed for storage and proper care.

* SJ-R | Two Sangamon County Board members call on sheriff to resign in wake of Massey shooting: Tony DelGiorno and Marc Ayers, both Democrats on the Republican-dominated board, called on Campbell, who has been sheriff since 2018, to step down. They said they were swayed by public comments Campbell made at a Department of Justice Community Relations Service listening session at Union Baptist Church Monday that resigning “would resolve nothing.”"(Asking for Campbell’s resignation) was the easiest decision I ever made,” said Ayers, reached Wednesday. “We’re human beings before we’re county board members and if this doesn’t rattle you to your core, I don’t know what will.”

* WGLT | McLean County Center for Human Services tapped as new regional homeless services lead: McLean County has been a leader in homeless services for years, with the Bloomington-based nonprofit PATH Crisis Center leading the region’s Continuum of Care [CoC] dedicated to ending homelessness. The U.S. Department of Urban Development runs the CoC program nationwide, and the Central Illinois Continuum of Care [CICoC] covers 11 counties, including larger counties like McLean and smaller ones like Kankakee. PATH announced it was stepping down as the collaborative applicant for the CICoC in April, and the CICoC board voted in the McLean County Center for Human Services [MCCHS] as the new lead at the end of June, keeping the role local.

* NYT | Trolls Used Her Face to Make Fake Porn. There Was Nothing She Could Do.: Most mornings, before walking into City Hall in Hallandale Beach, Fla., a small city north of Miami, Sabrina Javellana would sit in the parking lot and monitor her Twitter and Instagram accounts. After winning a seat on the Hallandale Beach city commission in 2018, at age 21, she became one of the youngest elected officials in Florida’s history. Her progressive political positions had sometimes earned her enemies: After proposing a name change for a state thoroughfare called Dixie Highway in late 2019, she regularly received vitriolic and violent threats on social media; her condemnation of police brutality and calls for criminal-justice reform prompted aggressive rhetoric from members of local law enforcement. Disturbing messages were nothing new to her. The morning of Feb. 5, 2021, though, she noticed an unusual one. “Hi, just wanted to let you know that somebody is sharing pictures of you online and discussing you in quite a grotesque manner,” it began. “He claims that he’s one of your ‘guy friends.’”

* AP | Stephen Nedoroscik waited his whole life for one routine. The US pommel horse specialist nailed it: Nedoroscik will soar into the event finals Saturday with a chance to put another medal in his carry-on before he heads home. His 15.200 qualifying score tied Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan for the tops among the eight finalists. He is ready to ride the wave as far as it will take him. Yet whatever happens on Saturday or for the rest of his life for that matter, it will be difficult to top Monday night, when the guy with the curly hair and the glasses that made him the kind of social media sensation only the Olympics provides struck a blow for his sport, his teammates and himself. “I’m really proud of these guys,” he said while sitting alongside the group that became U.S. men’s gymnastics royalty. “I love you boys.”