* ICYMI: Deputy who killed Sonya Massey had job reference from fiance’s dad, a longtime sheriff’s deputy. WCIA…

[Scott Butterfield, a former Sheriff’s deputy], and gave a glowing review of [Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy charged with the murder of Sonya Massey].

“Mr. Butterfield advised me that Mr. Grayson is currently dating his daughter,” Lt. Wes Wooden wrote in his background investigation of Grayson for the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in March 2023. “Mr. Butterfield describes Mr. Grayson as a mellow, non-confrontational person who has good communication skills. Mr. Butterfield highly recommends Mr. Grayson for employment with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.” […]

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said in a statement he prefers recommendations from law enforcement officers he knows.

“Grayson’s personnel file includes references from people I know well,” Campbell said in a statement attached to the FOIA. “Normally, I seek such references and give more credence to those from individuals I trust and know to have integrity. Their insights are invaluable in making informed hiring decisions.”

* Related stories…

∙ AP: 911 calls before Sonya Massey’s shooting include 1 from her mother asking officers not to ‘hurt her’
∙ SJ-R: Records: Deputy in Massey shooting ‘needed more training’
∙ SJ-R: In the wake of Sonya Massey’s death, advocates want the state to act

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Crain’s | Durbin seeks major boost in quantum funding: Durbin plans to introduce legislation today with Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., that would boost the amount of money available for quantum from the Department of Energy to $2.5 billion from $625 million. The legislation could have major implications for quantum efforts in Illinois because the Department of Energy is a primary source of funding for research and development in the space, and the state is a major beneficiary. It also comes as J.B. Pritzker is launching a new quantum-computing campus along Lake Michigan at the former U.S. Steel mill on the South Side.

* SJ-R | Who’s performing, how much is admission?: Your 2024 Illinois State Fair questions answered: Kids 12 and younger get in for free every day at the fair, while adults pay $10 Fridays and Saturdays and $5 for every other day. Seniors 60 and older pay $3 per day. Adult admission booklets go for $45, covering all 11 days, and $30 for seniors for 10 days of the 2024 fair.

* Sun-Times | Schuler Scholars program backs out of scholarships promised to Chicago students: The college dreams of hundreds of low-income and first-generation students from Chicago are up in the air after a north suburban family backed out on a longstanding commitment to provide scholarships just weeks before the start of classes. “I’m just kind of at a loss for words,” said Marcus Jackson, a participant in the Schuler Scholars program who grew up on Chicago’s South Side. “I just hope something can be done so that everyone can stay in school and not have to be in debt the rest of [their lives].”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Under new law, Illinois employers can’t force workers to sit through anti-union meetings: The law, dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” was a top priority this spring for organized labor groups in Illinois, which played host to Pritzker’s bill signing at the Illinois AFL-CIO’s biennial convention. “You’re helping every worker in the state of Illinois,” the governor told the hundreds of organized labor members and leaders gathered in a suburban Chicago hotel ballroom. “And as people recognize that more and more, they organize and they join a union.”

* Illinois Association of School Boards | 2024 End of Session Report : The 2024 session, like all others, provided a series of challenges for Illinois school districts. Since 1982, the Illinois General Assembly has imposed more than 700 mandates on schools averaging about 18 per year. This year, IASB prioritized reducing educational mandates and with this increased focus, this session was notably different. While an additional 11 new educational mandates were passed, that is well below the average of 18 and half of the 22 education-related mandates passed last session. Other good news is that none of the curriculum bills passed will require the creation of new, stand-alone courses or add to current graduation requirements.

*** Statewide ***

* WGEM | Illinois career and technical education programs receive $8 million federal grant for heavy machinery training: Career and technical education (CTE) programs throughout Illinois are getting an $8 million boost from the federal government. U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, joined leaders from the Youth Workforce Development Foundation and Associated Equipment Distributors Wednesday at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield to announce an $8 million grant for CTE programs to offer heavy equipment operator and diesel equipment technology training programs.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Chicago’s Democratic National Convention retooled to capture jolt Kamala Harris has injected into presidential race: The revamp of the convention, kicking off Aug. 19, includes moving away from a heavy use of pretaped pieces, which had been in the works while President Joe Biden was the nominee, to doing more of the convention live.

* Sun-Times | Johnson wants to summon Council back to session in August to install Sigcho-Lopez as Zoning chair: Several alderpersons said Wednesday they’ve gotten calls from the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs asking whether they’d be available in August to attend a special City Council meeting — preceded by a Rules Committee meeting — to confirm Sigcho-Lopez as Zoning chair and replace Sigcho-Lopez as Housing chair with Vice Mayor Walter Burnett (27th). Sigcho-Lopez confirmed the mayor’s office was “trying to get a date set” for “whenever we can get a quorum.”

* Crain’s | Johnson condemns Trump’s jabs at Harris during Black journalists convention: Hours after former President Donald Trump walked off the stage at the national convention for Black journalists where he questioned the racial identity of Vice President Kamala Harris, Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the same audience to criticize the Republican presidential nominee. “Earlier today there was an elephant in this room,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, that elephant is not just a symbol but a representation of a very dark history in our country.”

* WBBM | Fed up Chicago firefighters union threatening to shut down DNC setup with protest: Chicago Firefighters Union- Local 2 President Pat Cleary said it’s clear why the permit was denied. […] “I’m also considering protesting outside the United Center sometime very soon, and I’m going to call on my CFL brothers and AFL-CIO brothers to stop construction at the United Center,” Cleary said.

* ABC Chicago | Charges in shooting death of Cook Co. deputy to be announced Thursday; family hold balloon release: A person of interest has been in custody, but police said CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling, Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and ATF Chicago Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon will formally announce charges in Rafael Wordlaw’s death Thursday morning.

* Rick Morrissey | This season is Jerry Reinsdorf’s perverse revenge against those who want him to sell the White Sox: In a better world, Chris Getz would do his public duty and resign as general manager of the White Sox. A resignation would serve as a warning to anyone with aspirations of working for the Sox: Don’t do what I did. Don’t seek employment here. Get yourself and your family as far away from 35th and Shields as possible. Block all calls from Jerry Reinsdorf! In essence, Getz would be putting his own head on a pike in front of Guaranteed Rate Field as a deterrent to any naive, desperate or delusional executive who thinks the Sox GM job is a good one. Woe to anyone who dares tread here, it would say.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Stateville inmates request transfer or release in court motion citing prison’s decrepit conditions: At Wednesday’s news conference, former Stateville inmates shared complaints about the prison’s conditions that included falling concrete, electrical outages and a lack of ventilation amid excessive heat. Advocates say some of those conditions contributed to the death of 51-year-old Michael Broadway, who was incarcerated at the facility and died during a June heat wave. The Will County coroner’s office has not released a cause of death for Broadway, who graduated last year from Northwestern University’s Prison Education program.

* Daily Herald | Krishnamoorthi receives reelection endorsement by 13 mayors in the 8th District: Those who provided statements of endorsement for Krishnamoorthi included the mayors and village presidents of Addison, Carol Stream, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Itasca, Lake Barrington, Oak Brook, Roselle, Schaumburg, Villa Park and Wood Dale. “I am honored and grateful to have received this outpouring of support from these outstanding local leaders on both sides of the aisle,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. “Together, we will continue to ensure that the communities that we represent have the support and resources necessary to thrive in the years to come.”

* ABC Chicago | Some must pay erroneous Cook County property taxes after bills not corrected before due date: “Almost all of them, the bills were made accurate by fixing them before the bills were sent out,” Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi said. Kaegi’s office fixed about 4,400 assessment errors his office made in the south and southwest suburbs. But, just under a couple hundred of them will not be corrected by the time bills are due because the Cook County Board of Review did not yet approve those certificates of error.

* Daily Herald | Alumni Olympians, coach inspire St. Francis Spartans at watch party: Three-time Team USA outside hitter Kelsey Robinson-Cook or assistant coach Erin Virtue [are] both St. Francis graduates. […] “I wonder, sitting back and reflecting, how many girls has she inspired?” Kopec asked rhetorically. “How many girls, just by being her, has she encouraged to go for their dream? I think Kelsey has been a great representative not only for St. Francis but in volleyball.”

*** Downstate ***

* BND | Southern Illinois brewery forages, grows or locally sources ingredients for its earthy fare: The footprint of of the brewery is minimal. The beers and food are made using local ingredients, all foraged, grown, or purchased from local farmers. There’s a bottling facility on-site, and the land that it sits on is rich with growing edibles both native and introduced. “Everything we have is produced on site or by supporting local farmers,” said co-owner Marika Josephson. “We really do have a small footprint here.”

* WCIA | More Republican election judges needed in Champaign County: Clerk Aaron Ammons said the biggest concern is having enough people on Election Day. He said they need a total of 325. Right now, they have 302 — but they’re short on Republican judges, with only 91 so far and 211 Democrats. Ammons said the ideal break down would be 171 Democrats, and 154 Republicans.

* WCIA | IL welcomes 5,000 sports shooters, spectators for annual competition: The Amateur Trapshooting Association is hosting its annual Grand American Trapshooting Championships in Sparta, Ill. The Grand American is the largest and oldest shooting event of its kind; this year will be the 125th edition of the event, featuring more than 20 events and over 5,000 competitors and spectators. The host facility, the World Shooting and Recreational Complex (WSRC), has been the home of the Grand American since 2004, and the event brings in an estimated $25 to $30 million in economic activity to the area. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources operates the complex.

* WSIL | People are doing their best to beat the heat at the Pulaski County Fair: And Pulaski County Fair Officials say they have safety precautions for people to stay cool. Bryan Curry is the vice president of the county fair’s committee. “We have an airconditioned office that’s available if needed. And we have water at the Cook Shack and the hot dog stand. And there will also be an ambulance on the grounds if needed,” Curry said.

*** National ***

* Crain’s | Record payouts on biggest U.S. grid signal costs of reliable power: The cost to keep the lights on for 65 million Americans who tap into the largest US electrical grid will rise 833% starting in June. Generators that provide electricity to the 13-state grid that stretches from New Jersey to Illinois will get a record $269.92 per megawatt-day from utilities to provide capacity over a 12-month period starting in June, according to results of an auction by grid operator PJM Interconnection LLC disclosed Tuesday. That’s more than a ninefold increase from $28.92 in last year’s auction.

* Bloomberg | Almost 20% of Americans face prospect of higher electric bills: An increase for the year starting in June would follow a power auction held in 2023 that saw prices come in at a decade low of $28.92 per megawatt-day. The latest auction results are expected Tuesday afternoon. This time around, analysts predict prices could be two to four times higher. The jump comes as the grid pushes to rein in an oversupply of capacity just when Virginia ramps up power demand to feed its artificial intelligence and data centers. Closures of coal and natural-gas fired plants will also remove about 4 gigawatts of generating capacity from the grid — enough to power about 3.2 million homes.