* Tribune…

Lawyers for ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan are offering to pay out of their own pocket for a company to scrub prospective jurors’ social media and other public records to ferret out any potential biases before his historic racketeering trial gets underway.

In a motion filed Friday, the defense said the unidentified company would use its proprietary research protocol “to delve into potential jurors’ publicly accessible information, including public record searches and publicly facing social media profiles and platforms.” […]

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu said the extensive questioning that Blakey and the attorneys are expected to conduct during the in-court selection process will be enough to identify and weed out potential bias.

“The jury is not a fantasy team composed by consultants, but good citizens,” Bhachu said. “… Their privacy matters. (If the) jury pool finds out there’s going to be this fiasco of somebody investigating me as a precursor to me being on the jury, somebody out there probing my background … I don’t think jurors will take too kindly to that. I think it will make matters worse.”

* WGEM reporter Max Cotton…

Crump said he’s fighting for Massey’s family to get “full justice.”

— Max Cotton (@maxcottontv) July 19, 2024

Bodycam footage of the shooting is expected to be released Monday. The video “will shock America’s conscience,” Crump said.

*** Statewide ***

* Capitol News Illinois | State’s largest privately owned water utilities seek rate increase amid lawmaker scrutiny: Aqua Illinois, which serves 273,000 people, is seeking a $19.2 million increase. That would bring with it $29.91 in bill increases, according to the Citizens Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group. The requests must be reviewed by the Illinois Commerce Commission before the utilities are allowed to modify their rates. The ICC will then likely modify the requests to comply with state law, and it will respond to arguments presented by entities such as the Illinois attorney general, local municipalities and advocacy organization.

* Brownfield Ag News | Illinois famers could see best crop ever: Matt Bennett, who grows corn and soybeans in Shelby County, says a rainy July has changed his fortunes. “It’s all pollinated at this point.” He says, “Then getting three inches of rain on corn that’s pollinated. I’ll tell you what. It put a smile on my face. I think that there’s going to be some awfully, awfully good corn here this year.”

* Good Morning America | Illinois launches new push to help residents find unclaimed money: “GMA” teamed up with the Illinois Department of Treasury to help Chicagoans get access to their unclaimed cash.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | McDonald’s, Metra hit in CrowdStrike cyber woes, but crisis seems to be easing: McDonald’s Corp., United Airlines Holdings Inc., and the LSE Group were among the major companies to disclose issues from communications to customer service. Airports from Singapore to Zurich were impacted. The New York subway said arrival information is unavailable for most of its lines, but services are operating. Bloomberg terminals were operating as normal.

* WBEZ | Goal! For migrant kids, a free soccer program in Chicago: Amigos Unidos FC is mostly for migrant children from Colombia and Venezuela. The program, which started in June and runs twice a week through the first week of August, isn’t managed by any specific agency or nonprofit. Instead, a couple college students and their friends came together hoping to create a unique space for young asylum seekers who are passionate about soccer.

* Crain’s | Chicago newspaper delivery snafus continue after storm takes down Trib printing plant: Because of the size and volume of Tribune’s print operation — which handles printing for the Chicago Sun-Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Daily Herald as well as the Chicago Tribune — the company has been searching for existing plants in different states, sending drivers as far as Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri to collect papers for distribution in the Chicago area, according to the memo.

* Chicago Mag | A New Tour Gets a Head Start on the Centennial of Route 66: Route 66 means something different to everyone, and the road has something to offer everyone, even in the few miles that pass through Chicago. The fabled highway turns 100 years old in 2026, and Chicago is already celebrating its centennial with this trolley tour, new interpretive signs, and a classic car show series. A ride down Route 66 is a ride through Chicago history.

* Sun-Times | More than 10 years added to sentence of man who plotted to detonate car bomb outside Chicago bar: A man who plotted to detonate a massive car bomb outside a Chicago bar has been resentenced to 27 years in prison after a federal appeals found his initial sentence too lenient. Adel Daoud was handed the new prison term on Friday at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse more than three years after the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that his initial 16-year sentence “fell outside the range of reasonable sentences” and removed the judge in the case.

* Block Club | 5 Years Ago, Chance The Snapper Was Rescued From Humboldt Park Lagoon. Now, The Gator Is Thriving: Five years ago this week, Florida gator trapper Frank Robb heroically rescued a wayward gator from the lagoon’s murky waters, ending a frenzied search that brought hundreds of people and news crews from across the country to Humboldt Park’s namesake park. For a week leading up to Chance’s capture, hundreds, if not thousands, of Chicagoans camped out around the perimeter of the lagoon, trying to catch sight of the evasive gator. We dubbed it “Gator Watch.” Block Club readers named him Chance the Snapper in an online poll.

* Block Club | The Ultimate Guide To Chicago Patios: 200+ Beer Gardens, Backyard Terraces And More: From Albany Park’s Nighthawk to Bridgeport’s Kimski, Edgewater’s Waterfront Cafe to Lakeview’s Cebu and Pilsen Yards to Uptown Taproom, there are myriad options across the city to get fresh air while you’re drinking, dining and hanging out.

* The Onion | MLB Reminds White Sox That Games Televised: “Based on the way you’re playing, we just wanted to make sure you understand that there are people watching you—that pretty much anyone can go on TV and see what you’re doing on the field,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, explaining that many, many Americans have cable and internet connections and can watch all the games the team is losing, as well as highlights of every White Sox batter who strikes out, every fielder who drops the ball, and every pitcher who, once again, allows the bases to become loaded.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | With Monday’s storms, the Chicago area surpassed the yearly tornado average in one night: The tally could increase as the weather service investigations continue, with meteorologists now studying satellite footage to confirm tornadoes. Typically, the area covered by the weather service’s Chicago office experiences between 16 and 20 twisters in a year, according to meteorologist David King.

*** Downstate ***

* WTTW | A Southern Illinois Resident and His Band Have Been Providing the Soundtrack to the RNC: For the entirety of the Republican National Convention, a five-piece band has filled the arena with musical interludes, prompting delegates to sway and sing to “What I Like About You” by The Romantics and The Beatles’ “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.” They are among the popular songs covered by the band Sixwire. The band is based in Nashville, but its keyboardist, Steve Hornbeak, is from southern Illinois. “I moved away when I was 20 years old, pursuing the music dream,” Hornbeak said, but “decided to move back to where I grew up, and settled in Anna.”

* WSIL | Marion VA volunteer becomes Illinois State DAV Commander: A former volunteer with the Marion VA has taken the title as the new Illinois State Disabled American Veteran (DAV) Commander. U. S. Veteran Donnie Houghland fulfills the role after many years of dedication to veterans in Southern Illinois. […] Houghland says he feels honored to take the role of State Commander of the DAV and hopes to improve the lives of veterans and their families during his time in this position.

* Muddy River News | Pike County Historical Society receives grant from Landmarks Illinois for Shastid House: The Pike County Historical Society was awarded $5,000 to be used to replace the roof on the Shastid House, one of the oldest houses in Pittsfield, constructed in 1838. The Shastid House was visited by Abraham Lincoln and today is part of the federally designated Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.

* PJ Star | HOI Fair, Pride Fest and more: Here are 5 things to do in Peoria this weekend: River City Pride Fest 2024, presented by Peoria Proud, will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 20, at Riverfront Park in Downtown Peoria. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children ages 17 and under. The event will include activities for the whole family.

* SJ-R | Springfield eatery celebrating 100 years by offering original prices from 1924: It’s been a century since the first Maid-Rite sandwich was served, staking Springfield’s claim as home of the nation’s first drive-thru. The recipes for the signature, seasoned loose meat sandwich served with mustard, onions and pickle relish on a steamed bun and scratch-made root beer haven’t changed over the decades. […] Quaisi is celebrating the local landmark’s anniversary by rolling back prices from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the celebration. Buy one sandwich or root beer at regular price and get the second for a nickel. That’s a bargain, considering Maid-Rite’s 75th anniversary was marked with menu items selling for 75-cents.

* WCIA | Man accused of killing Pour Bros. manager not guilty by insanity: In a trial that lasted less than an hour, Lee found that the prosecution had submitted evidence that would have found Tshimanga guilty, but expert opinions from two doctors indicated he suffered from mood disorders, paranoia and severe delusions. […] For that reason, [Judge Matthew Lee] found Tshimanga not guilty by reason of insanity. Tshimanga will, however, remain in custody until he can be transferred to a facility operated by the Illinois Department of Human Services to receive treatment for his conditions. Lee said he will spend an indefinite amount of time there, possibly the rest of his life, which would have been the maximum sentence had he been found fit to be convicted.

*** National ***

* AP | Moon fests, moon movie and even a full moon mark 55th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing: The cosmos is providing a full moon for the 55th anniversary of the first lunar landing this weekend, and plenty of other events honor Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s giant leap. Aldrin, 94, the last surviving member of the Apollo 11 crew, headlines a gala at the San Diego Air and Space Museum on Saturday night. He’ll be joined by astronaut Charlie Duke, who was the voice inside Mission Control for the July 20, 1969 moon landing.