Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2024

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

The Illinois FOP Labor Council decided against pursuing reinstatement of the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy accused of murdering Sonya Massey.

Sangamon County officials confirmed Friday they had received a grievance form from the FOP union to reinstate Sean Grayson, the Sangamon County Deputy who shot Sonya Massey in the head earlier this month. While the union initially defended the grievance as part of their standard procedure, after finalizing their internal process, they announced they will not continue with the grievance.

“We have arrived at that final stage of the process where a determination can be made regarding whether or not to proceed with Sean Grayson’s grievance,” the labor council said in the statement. “The Union has determined that it will NOT be proceeding any further.”

“Our obligations under the collective bargaining agreement and to our members do not take away from the sympathy we feel for the family and loved ones of Sonya Massey,” the statement continues. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them and with all those impacted by this tragedy.” […]

The FOP state lodge criticized the Illinois FOP labor union for filing the grievance.

* Governor JB Pritzker…

Governor JB Pritzker today signed into law Senate Bill 3646, the Child Labor Law of 2024, which updates child labor regulations to the 21st century by repealing the existing statute and replacing it with a modern framework.

“While neighboring states weaken their child labor laws, in Illinois we’re modernizing our regulatory framework to further protect minors from unscrupulous employers,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Minors should be able to experience safe, age-appropriate work in an educational setting, and I’m proud of the added protections my administration and the General Assembly advanced through this bill.”

SB 3646 is intended to provide a structure for minors to engage in safe, age-appropriate work, while protecting their health and access to education. The bill sets standards for working conditions for children aged 15 and younger, including limiting hours of work and updating the list of jobs that minors cannot hold. The Illinois Child Labor Law has long required school officials to review a minor’s work opportunity and, with the permission of the minor’s parent or guardian, issue an employment certificate to the minor before they can lawfully work.

“My office will continue to work with the Illinois Department of Labor to protect minors from exploitation and from dangerous working conditions,” said Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “I will use all tools available to ensure minors are not subjected to unlawful labor practices.”

The bill updates the school certification process by:

- Requiring the issuing officer to consider the “health, welfare, and education” of the minor when assessing an employment certificate application, including consideration of past reports of death/injury of a minor at that workplace.
- Requiring that a minor’s work permit include the minor’s school schedule.
- Clarifying the certification process for minors who are experiencing homelessness or who do not have a birth certificate.

SB 3646 also provides the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) with new tools to enforce the law and protect youth workers. To deter egregious violations, the bill updates penalty amounts and adds a multiplier in cases of a minor’s death, injury, or illness. Additionally, employers will now be required to report to the minor’s school if they are injured or killed at work.

* Lee Enterprises’ Brenden Moore keeping us up to date on the numbers…

* SJ-R…

Ahead of the start of the Illinois State Fair next week, state officials are once again touting major improvements and renovations to the fairgrounds.

Through the Rebuild Illinois Infrastructure Program — Gov. JB Pritzker’s 2019 capital improvements plan — $85.3 million has been allocated towards the Springfield fairgrounds as part of a multi-year and ongoing upgrades and repair plan.

So far, Illinois Department of Agriculture director Jerry Costello said more than $65 million has been spent on renovations plus another $8.3 million in improvements completed by the building and grounds staff over the last five years. Fairgoers, he said, will particularly notice improved roads and roofs and a modernized Coliseum. […]

“When people get on the grounds, I’m telling you, I think it looks better than it’s looked in decades,” Costello added.

* Click here for an accurate representation of me watching this clip…

Sedrick USA takes it 94 meters for bronze In English pic.twitter.com/cC4OgrKPDq

— dovtepfer (@dovtepfer1) July 30, 2024

*** Statewide ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Study: Illinois students still struggle with post-pandemic learning loss: A new study from the University of Illinois System says only about one-fourth of all public-school students are back to pre-pandemic performance levels in English language arts while even fewer have returned to pre-pandemic levels in math. Learning recovery has been especially slow at the high school level, where test scores have been declining, the study found. And recovery in math scores has lagged English language arts scores across grade levels.

* WMBD | Boys & Girls Clubs receives state funding to expand in Illinois: According to a news release from the Boys & Girls Clubs, it will receive $4 million in state funding that was secured with help from State Rep. Jehan Gordon Booth (D-Peoria) and State Sen. Elgie R. Sims (D-Chicago). “Throughout Illinois, Boys & Girls Clubs provide vital youth development opportunities that contribute to academic success, enhance social-emotional growth, teach important life lessons and promote healthy outcomes,” Gordon-Booth said. “It’s critical that our state invests in smart community programs that prioritize our children and make a strong, positive difference that can last a lifetime.”

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | Family of Sonya Massey is in Chicago for a rally after “rough” listening session in Springfield: Sonya Massey’s family members will be in Chicago Tuesday evening for a rally on the city’s West Side hosted by Black clergy leaders. The rally is called “Remembering Sonya Massey.” The 36-year-old unarmed Black woman was fatally shot by white Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson after she called law enforcement to her Springfield home.

* WaPo | Black journalists group announces Trump interview, sparking backlash: Karen Attiah, the 2019 NABJ journalist of the year, announced Tuesday she would step down as convention co-chair. “While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format,” she wrote on social media. (Attiah is a Washington Post columnist who works for the Opinions division of The Post, which operates separately from its news coverage.) Other journalists raised objections as well. TheGrio’s April Ryan — who clashed repeatedly with the then-president during her time as a White House correspondent — wrote that the invitation was “a slap in the face to the Black women journalists” who were verbally attacked by Trump.

* Block Club | Alderman’s Englewood Campout Gave Violent Block Relief. Neighbors Say They Need Help To Make Peace Last: Ald. David Moore (17th) camped out on 73rd Place between Ada Street and Racine Avenue for a week last month, pledging not to leave until he saw a positive turn in what he called an “open-air drug market.” The alderman stayed on the block for several nights, including the days following a nearby shooting broadcast on his Facebook Live channel. He ended his camp-out June 21. The alderman and two neighbors told Block Club Moore’s effort had a positive effect. It brought attention to the market, drew the Police Department to host a roll call on 73rd Place and prompted neighbors and community leaders to show support, they said. Neighbors came out on their porches and watered their grass while children played on the block during the alderman’s camp-out.

* Crain’s | U.S. Soccer to sell $200M of debt to finance Chicago-to-Atlanta HQ move: This will be the federation’s first national training center to operate fully under its control and it will serve as the home of 27 men’s and women’s US soccer teams, spanning various age groups. USSF has most recently been training at facilities owned by MLS’s Los Angeles Galaxy and Sporting Kansas City, while most of its roughly 1,400 staff have been based in Chicago. The vast majority of US Soccer staff will move to the new center, according to USSF.

* Block Club | Chicago’s Best Italian Beef? TikTok Star Keith Lee Weighs In: After one bite, Lee said [Al’s Italian Beef] sandwich was a “win in my opinion. It’s not even close.” “It’s spicy, it’s flavorful, it’s saucy,” he said. “I don’t even need to try the cheese sauce. This by itself is an 8.5 out of 10, and in my opinion, wins the Al’s versus Portillo’s war. In my opinion, the meat is way better, the bread is better, the sauce that it’s dipped in is better, the peppers are spicier.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Naperville Sun | Naperville police make 20th gun-related arrest at Topgolf parking lot in just under a year: According to Naperville police Cmdr. Rick Krakow, the officer was walking the Topgolf lot when they observed a black handgun in the rear passenger seat pocket of a vehicle. Officers set up surveillance on the vehicle and waited for its occupants to return, Krakow said. […] Online court records show the firearm that police spotted was a loaded Taurus 9mm Millennium G2 for which Cobbins did not have a valid Firearm Owner Identification card.

* ABC Chicago | Cook County treasurer introduces free Payment Plan Calculator for property taxes: The calculator is designed to help taxpayers manage incremental payments over time, so that their tax bill is fully paid before the Annual Tax Sale. Last year, the Illinois General Assembly created a task force to recommend payment options to prevent tax-delinquent owner-occupied homes in Cook County from being sold at the Annual Tax Sale. The tool launches Aug. 2, the day after property taxes are due. The tool will be available at cookcountytreasurer.com.

* Daily Herald | ‘You’re going to see me everywhere’: New Glen Ellyn Dist. 41 superintendent shares priorities: Jeffrey McHugh, the new superintendent of Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41, officially took the helm on July 1, but he’s already a familiar face. McHugh has been on a districtwide listening tour over the last six months. He’s met individually with principals and school board members. He’s visited all five of the district’s schools, spending about a half-day at each. And McHugh has plans to create advisory councils, one involving students and another comprised of both parents and households who don’t have children in the school system.

* Tribune | The water that raised her: US sailor Maggie Shea of Wilmette set her Olympic course on Lake Michigan: This is the lake that raised her, that taught her how to sail in unpredictable waters and provided some of her happiest childhood memories. It’s where the Wilmette native sat with her grandpa and listened to him explain racing strategy. It’s where she first competed against rival sailor Stephanie Roble, who would later become her teammate and close friend. And it’s where, when Shea and Roble needed money to fund their Olympic dream, the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation stepped in to help.

*** Downstate ***

* Tribune | Deere reports 300 more layoffs, this time of salaried workers: Deere & Co said it will lay off nearly 300 employees at its Moline headquarters in a notice filed with the state Monday. The batch of layoffs comes after the tractor giant said earlier this month it would lay off nearly 600 workers across two factories in Iowa and one in Moline. Deere confirmed the layoffs in a statement to the Tribune, noting the new batch of layoffs were of salaried employees and not production workers.

* SJ-R | Former UIS golfer confirms story from anonymous report, claims coach dismissed mental health concerns: A former member of the University of Illinois Springfield women’s golf team confirmed one of the anonymous allegations published this month against coach Michael Leotta and believes the only solution is to dismiss him. Lily Stanton competed last fall as a freshman for the Prairie Stars but said she left the team before the spring season due to Leotta’s conduct. The allegations were published by website 2aDays on July 9. She described the coach’s behavior as overwhelming and traumatic in a recent phone interview with The State Journal-Register.

* WCIA | Power restored for thousands in Springfield after severe storms: Many of the power outages left by severe storms Tuesday morning in Springfield were restored, City Water, Light and Power announced shortly before noon. As of 11:40 a.m., only 315 customers are still experiencing power outages. The area with the majority of those outages is north of Lanphier High School from N 11th St. to N 19th St. between E Watch Avenue and E Converse Street. CWLP added that this outage was caused by a downed tree damaging power poles.

* KFVS | Humane Society of Southern Illinois announces it is closing: In a news release, the shelter said there are several reasons leading to their closure, such as evolving community needs, operational challenges, increasing costs, lack of appropriate funding and continuing staffing needs. The shelter in Carbondale will stop taking in animals starting Wednesday, August 1, but HSSI hopes to find homes for the animals currently in their care through adoption or rescue groups.

*** National ***

* Wired | Zombie Alt-Weeklies Are Stuffed With AI Slop About OnlyFans: “We’re seeing an ever-increasing part of old media be reborn as AI-generated new media,” says Reality Defender cofounder and CTO Ali Shahriyari. “Unfortunately, this means way less informational and newsworthy content and more SEO-focused ‘slop’ that really just wastes people’s time and attention. Tracking these kinds of publications isn’t even part of our day to day, yet we’re seeing them pop up more and more.” LA Weekly laid off or offered buyouts to the majority of its staff in March 2024, while the Riverfront Times laid off its entire staff in May 2024 after it was sold by parent company Big Lou Media to an unnamed buyer.

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What happens to schools when the pandemic money runs out?

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We’ve talked about this topic before. Capitol News Illinois…

To help schools throughout the country deal with the effects of the pandemic, Congress approved three separate federal relief packages that included billions of dollars in emergency education funds known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER funds.

Illinois’ share of that aid totaled just over $7.8 billion.

The flow of those funds, however, will come to an end when the current federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30, meaning programs and services that have been funded with those federal dollars will either come to an end, or schools will have to fund them through other means.

According to the state’s ESSER Spending Dashboard, about one-third of the money that came to Illinois, or nearly $2.4 billion, went toward salaries for teachers, substitutes, paraprofessionals, and other school personnel, including those who ran summer and after-school learning programs.

“We saw just about over a thousand expenses on what we would call a full-time teacher,” [Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative Director Meg Bates] said. “So we do expect there to be some difficulties this fall with teachers.”

She said she expects a bigger loss in staffing for after-school, summer school and tutoring programs.

“That’s where we expect to see a real cliff, these extended opportunities. We suspect schools will find ways to keep their teacher core relatively intact,” she said.

* In Chicago, the amount of pandemic money spent on salaries was about 50 percent. You may recall my recent newspaper column…

I told Pritzker that I assumed other school districts also put temporary federal money into their permanent spending bases and would also be demanding more state aide. “I don’t think that that’s the job of Springfield, to rescue the school districts that might have been irresponsible with the one-time money they received.”

“Poor fiscal management on the part of a local government is not necessarily the responsibility of Springfield,” he added.

Is CPS poorly fiscally managed? Pritzker at first hedged, then, when pressed, said he’d like to answer the question his own way.

“One-time money shouldn’t be spent for ongoing operations.”

14 Comments

Today’s must-read

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This is the best drill-down into a pretextual stop I think I’ve ever seen in print. The piece, by Farrah Anderson and Sam Stecklow, looks into the background of former Sangamon County Sheriff Deputy Sean Grayson, who’s been indicted on three counts of murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey…

The first sign of trouble in Logan County came just months after his hiring. According to department records, while on patrol around 1:41 a.m. on Sept. 22, 2022, Grayson spotted a woman in a parked truck, who seemingly crouched down in the driver’s seat in an attempt to avoid being seen by him.

When the woman drove away, Grayson followed her and eventually attempted to pull her over for allegedly rolling through a stop sign — prompting Grayson to initiate a high speed chase during which he struck a deer. In reviewing the incident, department officials found that, in a number of instances, the details of Grayson’s written report did not match the dash camera footage from his vehicle and that had violated a number of policies during the chase.

In the interview, Grayson appears to admit to initiating the traffic pursuit, which reached speeds of 110 miles per hour, for potentially illegal reasons, claiming that the woman who he attempted to pull over looked suspicious. His supervisors ultimately recommended he receive training for “high-stress decision making.”

In a lengthy interview about the chase in November 2022, Logan County Chief Deputy Nathan Miller and another department supervisor made clear that Grayson had not been operating up to their expectations and that they were aware of issues with arrests he had made while at his previous departments — issues that pointed to questions about Grayson’s accuracy and honesty in writing reports. […]

As the interview continued, Miller brought up concerns with Grayson’s professionalism and honesty, and revisited the September chase.

“What was the stop for?” Miller asked.

“Well, initially it was just for rolling the stop sign,” Grayson said. “It was a simple little traffic thing. My initial, what I was gonna stop ‘em for, was the behavior in the vehicle, was what originally caught my attention. I just needed to wait for them to start the vehicle.”

“You were gonna stop them for just their behavior in the vehicle?” Miller asked.

“No, I mean, I was gonna wait for a traffic violation, but in my mind, that was the whole reason why I was gonna see what they were doing, was the reaction of the female in the truck,” Grayson said.

According to Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor who directs the school’s Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project, this was a “classic pretext stop” — one without any other reason to exist other than to pull the person over.

“Seeing someone look at you and then slouch doesn’t create reasonable, articulable suspicion that the person has committed a crime, so there’s not a legal or lawful basis to stop. He does admit his plan was, ‘I’m going to follow and then stop her as soon as I can find any reason to do so,’” Futterman said. “It’s the classic, there will be some traffic violation I can come up with that will provide a basis to stop after the fact.”

After asking Grayson whether he had checked his report about the chase for accuracy, Miller went over the locations in Google Maps, showing the officer that he had in fact been on a different street during the incident than he had written in his report — and that it would have been impossible for him to have seen the woman in the truck based on where he had written they were both sitting.

If that last paragraph sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone.

Lots more in that story, so go read the whole thing.

18 Comments

Uber Partners With Cities To Expand Urban Transportation

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.

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A local dive into the national numbers

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* New York Times…

In the early days of the pandemic in 2020, traffic stops by the police plummeted around the country, as fewer cars were on the road and as agencies instructed officers to avoid nonessential contact with the public.

But in the months and years that followed, a distinct pattern formed in many cities: The cars came back in full force, but the traffic enforcement didn’t.

By the end of 2023, the police in Baltimore, New Orleans and San Francisco were making fewer than half the traffic stops they did prepandemic. In other police departments that don’t publicly track stops, like in Seattle and New York, the citations given during stops dropped off, too. The downturn appears even among some state agencies that monitor road safety on highways, like the Texas Highway Patrol and Connecticut State Police.

* Not so in Chicago, however…

Whew.

* According to the data, 202 people were stopped out of every thousand Chicagoans…

One of the story’s authors tweeted that the Chicago Police Department “broke our scale” and has been “behaving unlike just about every other city we show.”

* Likely a ton of pretextual stops because road deaths shot up by more than a third…

* And this is how the Illinois State Police compares to our neighbors…

18 Comments

CTU seeks to lower its property taxes, while union president escalates conflict with Gov. Pritzker

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Fox 32…

The Chicago Teachers Union Foundation is seeking to significantly reduce the property tax bill for its West Loop headquarters, according to documents from the Cook County Assessor’s Office obtained by FOX 32 Chicago.

The Assessor recently reappraised the value of the CTU’s building, estimating its fair market value at $19 million. However, the CTU is appealing this assessment and has hired a private appraiser who argues that the building’s value should be reduced by more than half, to $9.2 million.

Based on the county’s appraisal, the CTU would owe approximately $1 million in property taxes. According to the Cook County Clerk’s office, 55% of Chicago’s property tax revenue is allocated to the Chicago Board of Education. This means about $550,000 of the CTU’s tax bill would fund Chicago Public Schools. If the CTU’s appeal is successful, it would cut that contribution by more than half, depriving the school district of approximately $275,000.

The school district will get its money because reductions like these are offset by other taxpayers.

* The broadcast version of the story includes commentary from the Illinois Policy Institute…

The CTU right now is asking for more than a billion dollars from Springfield. They’re asking for higher taxes on Chicago residents, and they’re saying that everybody else needs to pay their fair share. What this appeal shows is that that is all just rhetoric, and that they themselves are trying to reduce their property tax bills.

People and organizations have the right to contest their property taxes. Lots of politicians even help their constituents object without having to hire a lawyer. And if you click here, you’ll see that the CTU routinely files property tax appeals.

* Meanwhile, as we discussed yesterday, Gov. Pritzker responded to this tweet by the CTU’s president…

🤔 is this hi-5 from the Trib’s ed board a benefit for a potential VP? Praising #JBP for… *continuing* the tradition of *denying* funding for Black, brown, working class and immigrant kids in IL’s largest school district?That’s what dems want in a VP? https://t.co/ZDXOGHDZlo

— ⭐️ SDG ⭐️AKA Muse of Chicago Trib Editorial Board (@stacydavisgates) July 26, 2024

Pritzker…

Look, I think that they’re in the middle of a negotiation, and so I think they’re going to say things that they think are going to, you know, will advance their cause. I think I’ve been clear, I want to fully fund education, public education, in the state of Illinois. I have worked hard during my term in office to do that. Billions of dollars more have gone into education, public education, for our state. I want to do even more.

We’re taking every resource that’s available to us for education and putting it there. So I know that there are people who would like more, I’m one of them, and so let’s go do that. But that is not something that can happen immediately during their negotiation.

It is something that I think we should be working on every single year, and I’ve done that. Again, almost half a billion dollars more has gone into public education every single year since I took office. And again, I will do everything I can to meet the needs of our students and make sure that we’re paying our teachers properly. But you know, criticism at this moment isn’t helpful. I think, you know, they came to Springfield, they talked to the legislature. We, in fact, did provide a significant amount more money for public schools, and we’ll continue to do it every year I’m in office.

* Fox 32 then followed up with Stacy Davis Gates…

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates clapped back at Pritzker in a statement, alluding to governors of neighboring states who might be on a short list to be Kamala Harris’s vice presidential nominee. ‘We’re glad the presumptive nominee’s list includes governors in other states who have taxed the rich, placed social workers in every school from a central budget and aggressively leaned into investing in education.’ Davis Gates says Governor Pritzker should see those as examples to follow.

Discuss.

27 Comments

DPI rolling out campaign plan to focus on down-ballot races

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The Daily Line…

The party will announce the Organize Illinois 2024 campaign on Tuesday as the Democratic Party of Illinois’ (DPI) plan for winning races in Congress, the General Assembly and local government in November. The party has their eyes set on expanding the record-sized super majority in the state legislature as well as protecting Democrat-held congressional seats in addition to putting more resources into campaigns for local offices. […]

DPI will be targeting resources toward two members of Congress who are most at risk of being beat by Republicans this fall: U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen of Moline and U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski of Springfield. Both are freshmen lawmakers but represent districts that have historically been on the fence between the parties. Sorensen is viewed as the most vulnerable candidate with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dumping resources into the race to back Joe McGraw. […]

The state party will also coordinate with Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) and President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) to support House and Senate candidates.

The new coordination by the state Democratic Party will include regular regional meetings to discuss messaging, support, voter protection efforts and updates on paid media campaigns. A data team will also be assembled to provide insight on voter mobilization and to support campaigns with field volunteers. The party also plans to open field offices to boost coordination with county parties.

* Democratic Party of Illinois…

* WGLT…

Joe McGraw will be getting extra help from national Republicans heading into the fall as he looks to unseat Democrat Eric Sorensen in the 17th Congressional District.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is naming McGraw, a retired judge, to its Young Guns program. It provides mentorship and other support to candidates in districts deemed competitive. […]

Sorensen has heavily outraised and outspent McGraw in his re-election bid.

New federal elections data show Sorensen’s campaign has raised $3.5 million through the second quarter which ended in June. His campaign has spent just over $1 million.

McGraw’s campaign has raised about $850,000, about one-fourth the total of Sorensen’s campaign, and has spent close to $375,000.

US Rep. Nikki Budzinski raised $650,361 in the second quarter and ended with $2,093,508 cash on hand. Her opponent, Joshua Loyd raised $8,215 and had $2,883 cash on hand at the end of the second quarter.

17 Comments

Open thread

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

15 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Sheriff asks for forgiveness, declines to resign following Sonya Massey shooting. SJ-R…

* Related stories…

∙ Capitol City Now: Campbell won’t resign
∙ AP: With DUI-Related Ejection From Army, Deputy Who Killed Sonya Massey Should Have Raised Flags, Experts Say
∙ The Intercept: Past employers questioned integrity and conduct of deputy who killed Sonya Massey

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Feds swat argument that Supreme Court saves Madigan: ‘This dog will not hunt’: Prosecutors wrote that “Madigan accepted a stream of more than $700,000 in benefits from ComEd over the course of eight years, knowing the payments were made to influence and reward Madigan’s official action with regard to legislation that impacted ComEd’s financial interests.” They wrote that the Supreme Court’s Snyder decision “did not discuss, and certainly does not disturb, the continued viability of bribery prosecutions that target ‘schemes that involve a stream of benefits over time, not just singly negotiated deals,’ where the government can establish an intent to engage in a quid pro quo.”

Click here to read the full 113 page filing.

* Crain’s | Illinois expects even more abortion seekers as six-week ban goes live in Iowa: Planned Parenthood of Illinois reported on the second anniversary of the federal Supreme Court ruling that its clinics have seen a threefold increase in patients traveling from Iowa for abortion care. Before the six-week ban, Iowa already had Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers, or TRAP, laws in place, such as a 24-hour waiting period for an abortion and parental notification for minors.

* ProPublica | Federal Law Thwarted Chicago’s Attempt to Sue Gun Makers. But Now It Has a New Strategy.: Chicago’s suit reflects not just concern over a stubborn public safety issue but also a shift in legal efforts against the gun industry. Cities, shooting survivors and the families of shooting victims are taking on the gun industry in new ways. The claims in these newer lawsuits show plaintiffs are not trying to take on the whole of the industry but instead are “trying to find the right pathway within the law,” said Andrew Willinger, executive director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law.

*** Statehouse News ***

* The Trace | Illinois State Legislators Introduced Three Violence Prevention Bills. Why Didn’t They Vote on Them?: Gun violence prevention advocates and bill sponsors are hopeful that the setback is just a delay, and that they’ll be heard and signed during the fall veto session, but they plan on keeping pressure on officials until then. It’s common for bills to be delayed, said Democratic State Representative Kam Buckner. Sometimes, he added, it takes time to finalize and pass legislation, regardless of the issue. “It’s just the way that Springfield works,” he said. “But we got to stay on it and do all we can to get it over the finish line.”

* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker says it would be ‘near impossible’ to get Bears stadium deal done this fall: “I made it clear to the Bears leadership that it would be near impossible to get anything done — if there was a proposal put on the table that could get done, you couldn’t actually get it done, probably, during the veto session and would have to wait until next spring,” Pritzker said, referring to the year’s final legislative session in November, during an unrelated news conference in Chicago. “But in reality, there isn’t a proposal on the table right now that would be acceptable to anyone that I know in the legislature,” he continued.

* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker signs birth equity initiative into law, celebrates Medicaid expansion: The law requires insurers that provide state-regulated health care plans to cover pregnancy and postpartum services for covered individuals, including midwife services, doula visits, and lactation consultants for up to 12 months after the end of a pregnancy. Licensed or certified midwives will need to be covered by insurance providers starting 2025, while all other outlined services must be covered by January 2026.

*** Statewide ***

* WBEZ | Federal government gives Illinois $430 million to fight climate change: The money comes from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, which awarded $4.3 billion federal funds to a mix of 25 state, local and tribal entities. It’s funded through President Joe Biden’s climate legislation. Illinois was awarded the full amount requested, which it will receive over the next five years. Illinois has already made progress on some of the goals in part through the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). The sweeping statewide legislation effectively tied Illinois’ clean energy targets to the Paris Climate Agreement — which means Illinois will be fully powered by clean energy by 2050.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Donald Trump to attend national Black journalists convention in Chicago on Wednesday: The event will be moderated by Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News; Harris Faulkner, anchor of “The Faulkner Focus” and co-host of “Outnumbered” on Fox News; and Kadia Goba, politics reporter at Semafor. Trump decided to appear at the NABJ annual gathering in the wake of a 2024 presidential campaign that has been upended since President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he would not seek another term. Trump is making the stop at the convention as part of his bid for Black votes.

* Block Club | DNC In Chicago: United Center Neighbors Brace For Restricted Access, Traffic, Police — And Confusion: Officials hosted meetings and canvassed the Near West Side to prep neighbors, but confusion remains, with some mistakenly believing they won’t be able to enter or leave their homes during the convention.

* ABC Chicago | El Chapo’s son Joaquin Guzman Lopez to appear in Chicago court, El Mayo still held in Texas: Zambada’s attorney claimed over the weekend that his client was tricked into flying into the country, saying he was “forcibly kidnapped” by Guzman Lopez. El Mayo, as he is known, was already a wanted fugitive in Chicago with a $15 million bounty on his head. Allegedly, Guzman Lopez convinced the elder cartel boss to board a plane for an airstrip inspection in northern Mexico. Instead, they kept flying into the U.S, where they were arrested by drug agents.

* Sun-Times | ‘Ring of fire’ conditions expected as heat, humidity create weather like ‘air you can wear’: Chicago will once again face a “ring of fire” pattern of storms this week, though it’s less likely to be as severe as the one that spawned more than two dozen tornadoes earlier in the month, the National Weather Service said. Heat indices of more than 100 degrees are also expected later in the week.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Oak Park moving to be a ‘certified’ welcoming town for immigrants, residents: At a recent Village Board meeting, trustees heard a presentation from Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Danielle Walker, who outlined steps she and her team have taken since March when they were notified that the village was selected by Welcoming America to participate in the nonprofit certification group’s tailored program. According to the organization’s website, Welcoming America, which started in 2009, helps provide communities with “the roadmap they need to create welcoming policies and share new approaches to inclusion to create an environment where everyone can thrive.”

* Tribune | Lion Electric’s Joliet plant operating significantly below capacity as US and Canadian subsidies lag: Lion Electric executives won’t say how many workers the Saint-Jerome, Quebec-based company employs in Joliet or how many buses it is building. But after three companywide layoffs, they say the plant is operating significantly below the 200-bus-per-month capacity they advertise on their website. In an interview, they attribute the slowdown to the complex and still-incomplete rollout of government subsidy programs in the United States and Canada.

* Daily Herald | Lawmaker suggests “bad faith diversion” by township leaders on mental health funding: State Rep. Daniel Didech said he is willing to explore additional legislation to validate a referendum Wheeling Township voters passed in 2022 to fund mental health services. […] “Five townships and one county (that) approved referenda at the same time in the same way are all successfully levying the tax,” the Buffalo Grove Democrat said. “So, this is likely more bad faith diversion from them.”

*** Downstate ***

* Herald-Review | 17th District challenger Joe McGraw named ‘Young Gun’ by national GOP: The party’s congressional campaign arm on Monday announced that their candidate in the northwestern Illinois-based district, retired judge Joe McGraw, was one of more than two-dozen selected for their “Young Gun” program. The program mentors and supports candidates across the country and provides them with “the necessary tools to run successful, winning campaigns against their Democratic opponents.”

* WAND | IL FOP says other organization responsible for deputy’s grievance in Sonya Massey case: ILFOP State Lodge President Chris Southwood has issued the following statement regarding the labor contract grievance that was filed by a separate organization, not the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police: “We are the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, strictly a fraternal organization. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge is not the labor organization that filed the grievance on behalf of the former deputy who is jailed on murder charges. That dubious distinction rests with the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, which is a completely separate organization with different leadership, a different organizational structure and a different mission. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge had zero involvement in this grievance and yet we are bearing the brunt of the public outcry and hate communication for that action just because we share a common first name with the FOP Labor Council.”

* TSPR | ‘He was a ball of light:’ Mother seeks justice in Macomb police shooting of four-year-old child: Anthony George, 57, and Terrell Miller, 4, were killed by single shot as police responded to a violent domestic dispute in the 900 block of North Charles Street on March 16. But a lawyer for the child’s mother is asking for the Appellate decision to be reviewed and plans to take civil action against the Macomb Police Department. “We intend to hold the Macomb Police Department accountable for or Terrell’s tragic death,” said Marleena Menendez Suarez of Fairmont City at a press conference Monday outside the Macomb Police Department.

* PJ Star | Video shows moments before man, boy killed by officer responding to stabbing in Illinois: George, a knife visible in his left hand, refuses to comply with requests to drop his weapons, according to police. The video then shows him lunge out of sight and return holding a knife in each hand, including one to the throat of a 4-year-old boy, later identified as Terrell Miller, son of the stabbing victim. An officer discharged his firearm once, killing both George and Miller.

* KHQA | Protesters gather at Macomb Police Department following fatal officer-involved incident: After the protest, around 2:00 p.m., KHQA went to the front office of the Macomb Police Department for a comment but was asked to contact Chief Jef Hamer. Over an hour later, at 4:00 p.m., the Macomb Police Department shared in part quote: “While the decision to release this footage is supported by our commitment to transparency, our hearts and thoughts remain with the families affected by this tragedy. We will provide further updates at regular intervals until the internal investigation is complete.”

* WCIA | Correctional officer accused of ‘inflammatory’ Facebook comments arrested on weapons charge: Records from the Sangamon County Jail and Circuit Clerk show that Thomas Angeli was booked into the jail Sunday on a misdemeanor charge. That charge was formally filed against Angeli by the State’s Attorney’s Office the following day. He is accused of possessing a gun with an expired FOID card, a Class A misdemeanor. Records also show Angeli residing in Sherman, Ill.

* Herald-Review | Judge will decide if lawsuit against Decatur police continues: It’s up to a judge to decide whether a jury will ever see a lawsuit claiming Decatur Police Department officers acted unreasonably and unconstitutionally when they pulled over Quartus Stitt and ordered him out of his car and detained him at gunpoint. Lawyers for the police and city of Decatur have filed to have the federal civil rights case dismissed. A jury trial in the U.S. District Court in Urbana had been penciled in to start this week but that’s now on hold while Judge Colin S. Bruce considers whether to grant summary judgment against Stitt.

* Illinois Times | Downtown’s festival dilemma: Downtown Springfield has been facing some difficult hurdles lately. In addition to the devastating fire which damaged several businesses on Adams Street in June, the Jaycees’ annual Fourth of July Capital City Celebration, with its popular downtown fireworks display, didn’t happen for the second year in a row (the derecho nixed it in 2023). AbeFest, a downtown festival held in July to highlight both local and national music acts, has also canceled for a second time. The Legacy of Giving Music Festival reported low turnout last month and may or may not be returning in the future. More recently, it was announced that the popular Old Capitol Blues & BBQ festival won’t be providing Springfieldians with its usual combination of sweet grooves and tasty ribs next month.

* Tribune | Several hundred U of I students trade in dorm contracts for incentives amid campus housing shortage: According to UIUC University Housing spokesperson Chris Axtman-Barker, “several hundred” students have opted to trade-in their campus housing contracts for an incentive package of $2,000 and 100 free meals that the university is continuing to offer eligible students for each cancellation. “While we normally have a small number of contracted students without housing assignments in July, this year we have more students than normal without an assigned space,” Axtman-Barker, said in an emailed statement Monday.

*** Sports ***

This is the worst team in the history of baseball.

— Mike (@ChiSoxFanMike) July 30, 2024

* Tribune | ‘Why can’t that be me?’ Chicago-area native Paul Juda shines in Olympic debut for Team USA gymnastics: Paul Juda’s story begins with his father, Jozef, who grew up one of six kids on a small farm in southern Poland. With steady, decent-paying jobs hard to find, he decided to move to Chicago, a city with a vibrant Polish population and a reputation for welcoming Eastern European immigrants. […] “Paul did not make it by himself and he knows this,” his mother said. “He’s not at the Olympics because we moved to the United States. He’s at the Olympics because we moved to the United States and met wonderful, wonderful people who helped us.”

* BND | Here’s how Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham can boost the St. Louis Cardinals: The St. Louis Cardinals made a major move to reshape their starting rotation for this and next season as well as shore up their right-handed outfield depth on Monday, acquiring right-hander Erick Fedde and outfielder and returning Cardinal Tommy Pham from the Chicago White Sox in a three-team trade which saw injured utility ace and former Gold Glove winner Tommy Edman sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the teams announced.

* Block Club | Track & Field Center In Pullman Helped 2 Chicagoans On Path To Paris Olympics: The $54 million athletic center in Pullman opened in 2021 and has already helped level the playing field for the city’s budding track athletes, and it has turned the Far South Side into a national track and field hub. Two Chicagoans at the 2024 Paris Olympics — triple jumper Tori Franklin and hurdler Shamier Little — have trained at Gately, Collins said. The Olympics’ track and field events start Aug 1.

*** National ***

* Press Release | U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hires Former Congressman Rodney Davis to Lead Government Affairs: “As a five-term member of Congress, Rodney Davis earned a reputation as a champion of free enterprise and pro-growth policies and effective legislator who was deeply respected on both sides of the aisle,” said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark. “His deep relationships, policy expertise, and proven track record as a consensus builder around the toughest issues will be invaluable as the Chamber continues to advocate for businesses and for a growth and opportunity agenda that benefits all Americans.”

* Rolling Stone | These Swing State Election Officials Are Pro-Trump Election Deniers: In the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, Rolling Stone and American Doom identified at least 70 pro-Trump election conspiracists currently working as county election officials who have questioned the validity of elections or delayed or refused to certify results. At least 22 of these county election officials have refused or delayed certification in recent years.

* NPR | Washington Post CEO accused in court of deceiving police about U.K. hacking scandal: In court, the lawyers submitted a statement arguing that Lewis “fabricated a fake security threat” in January 2011 to justify the deletion of millions of emails dating from the start of 2008 through the end of 2010 — an act that those suing the company suggest is part of a wider coverup. The Murdoch newspaper company, now called News UK, denies those claims. Lewis has broadly denied any wrongdoing but declined to comment to NPR today.

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