* Illinois Federation of Public Employees…

Mechanics employed by the State of Illinois will hold a press conference Wednesday morning to draw attention to an issue that’s been affecting their jobs and costing Illinois taxpayers millions of dollars every year. 

Instead of filling mechanic positions that service state vehicles and equipment, state agencies like the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) have been outsourcing this work to an outside company. This practice has eroded our state workforce and adds up to millions of extra dollars being spent on work that should be done by state-employed mechanics.

“Illinois agencies are spending three to five times as much as they should on mechanic work on state vehicles. It just doesn’t make sense,” said mechanic and Illinois Federation of Public Employees President Matt Emigholz. “I’m watching millions of dollars get wasted every year, outsourcing our work to an outside company. This is bureaucratic inefficiency at its worst, and we demand better for Illinoisans. We need state agencies to do what’s right, save money, and invest in our workforce. It’s what’s best for Illinois.”

WHAT: Press conference outside of the Democratic County Chairs Brunch. Union members will be passing out leaflets to attendees as well.

WHO: IFPE President Matt Emigholz, state mechanics who are members of the Illinois Federation of Public Employees, IFT Local 4408, and allies

WHEN: Wednesday, August 14 at 8:00 AM

WHERE: Outside of the Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield, IL 62701

* Click here to view the Executive Order. From Gov. Pritzker…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker signed Executive Order 2024-02 to begin a cross-sector planning process to outline a clear framework for addressing the needs of older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers over the next decade.

The Executive Order creates a new strategic position, the Chief Planning Officer, within the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA). This position will lead the development and implementation of a multi-year Multi-Sector Plan for Aging (MPA). The MPA will serve as a 10-year blueprint to support healthy aging in Illinois communities and set clear, measurable objectives for evaluating public and private sector progress toward this goal. The Chief Planning Officer will deliver the MPA to the Governor and General Assembly by Dec. 31, 2025, and an additional status report by Dec. 31, 2026. […]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately one-quarter of Illinois’ population will be 60 or older by 2030, raising significant challenges and opportunities in both the public and private sectors. An MPA will proactively prepare government, non-profit, and private sector organizations to meet a growing number of older adults’ evolving needs, including unmet needs related to health, safety, social and financial well-being, housing, transportation, and more.

The state-led MPA planning process will bring together diverse stakeholders as members of the MPA Community Advisory Council co-chaired by IDoA’s Chief Planning Officer. The Chief will also convene an MPA Task Force, consisting of more than a dozen government agencies, to collaborate on the shared goals of enhancing and integrating services available to older adults in Illinois.

These groups will meet regularly to inform the development of a comprehensive strategic action plan, designed to coordinate existing aging services programs, and propose policy and programmatic changes to optimize their effectiveness. The plan will pay special attention to disparities affecting older adults from historically marginalized communities, aiming to address barriers to health and aging equity. […]

The roughly year-and-a-half-long development process for Illinois’ MPA will include several opportunities for public engagement and feedback.

* Tribune…

Peter Dwars was responsible for creating and providing below-market financing for about 30,000 housing units across the state for low-income and moderate-income families during his time as head of the Illinois Housing Development Authority.

Dwars was skilled both in politics and communications, colleagues said, and adept at using his knowledge to advise three governors on housing finance matters and to explain complex concepts to lawmakers.

“Peter was long recognized as the guru of bond financing and other innovations in housing finance not only in Illinois, but nationwide by governors, mayors and other elected officials, bond attorneys, bankers and others over many years,” said Peter Lennon, who twice served alongside Dwars as the Illinois Housing Authority’s deputy director.

Dwars, 74, died of complications from pancreatic cancer on July 1, said his wife of 42 years, Gail Beesen-Dwars. He was a resident of Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood.

*** DNC ***

* AP | Want to speed up a road or transit project? Just host a political convention: Victor Matheson, economics professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, co-authored a study that concluded the economic expectations for hosting national political conventions are often “unrealistically large.” Still, he said, there’s “a lot of political will” to accelerate already planned upgrades to impress out-of-town guests — even for an event that lasts just four days. “The real question with these sort of things is, if this is such a good project, why wasn’t the political will there before?” Matheson said.

* Eater Chicago | Where Politicians Eat in Chicago: No mayoral run is complete without an Election Day stop at Manny’s Deli. For over 80 years, the traditional Jewish deli has sliced brisket and served reubens to everyone from construction workers to candidates, as well as the occasional mobster. Retired owner Ken Raskin credits Manny’s political ties to David Axelrod, who first began frequenting the restaurant as a college student and later brought in clients when he worked in politics. You’ll still find traces of Axelrod across the deli, from a plaque over his old table to the over-the-counter photos of President Barack Obama.

* Fox Chicago | DNC 2024: Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx vows to prosecute violent behavior: Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has had a longstanding policy not to charge anyone arrested for protesting peacefully, but she said Monday that her office will prosecute for the two V’s - violence and vandalism. “Our intent with the limited resources we have and the number of people we have in town is to focus on those engaging in behavior that is violent and endangers those around them, including law enforcement officers as well,” Foxx said.

* Axios | DNC to stream vertically on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube: The party hopes making the stream available via vertical video apps will draw in younger viewers who get most of their news on their phones. Roughly one-third of Americans ages 18 to 29 say they get news regularly on TikTok, which only streams vertical video, per Pew Research Center.

* WBEZ | Meet the young Chicagoans getting ready for the DNC: For many college students, this year’s election will be their first chance to cast a ballot for president. Young people have been portrayed as feeling disaffected about politics — or too busy on TikTok to get involved in the democratic process. But when the Democratic National Convention comes to Chicago next week, a lot of local members of Gen Z will be actively involved in supporting the convention, covering it or protesting against it. WBEZ talked with three Chicago college students about their very different roles at the DNC and what they’re hoping to get out of the experience.

*** Chicago ***

* Bloomberg | Mariano’s, Jewel parents spend more than $800 million on merger fees: Kroger and Albertsons have said the tie-up would help them more effectively compete against bigger rivals like Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. If the deal goes through, banners from Safeway and Vons to Ralphs and Dillons would unite under one umbrella across 48 states and Washington, DC. Kroger has spent about $535 million on merger-related fees since agreeing to acquire Albertsons in late 2022, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Albertsons has spent $329.4 million so far, bringing the total fees to about $864 million.

* Block Club | Former Cabrini-Green Residents Are Working To Preserve Landmark Church As Community Hub: Elliston and Reynolds are raising money to buy the building and have partnered with a handful of organizations, including the All Mankind Coalition and the National Public Housing Museum, to help with preservation and fundraising efforts. Elliston said he has had a few conversations over the past year with real estate investor Marc Bortz, who owns the building. Though the negotiation phase has been moving slowly, he and Reynolds are willing to play the long game, Elliston said.

* Tribune | Chennedy Carter has a coach who trusts her in Teresa Weatherspoon — and it’s taking the Chicago Sky guard to new heights: “First, I have a coach (Teresa Weatherspoon) that trusts in me,” Carter said. “I feel like she understands my value and she understands my talent. She’s a player’s coach, she’s been in my shoes before and she’s (been) helping me grow since I’ve been here. She’s completely taken me under her wing. “I’ve been in places where — I’m a talented player, I’m a great teammate, I’m a great person — and I just wasn’t playing. It’s the fact that Coach is letting me play, letting me showcase my talent and just letting me be me and bring out that unique side of Chennedy Carter that people have never seen. Because I’ve been shielded away for different reasons, multiple times.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Wife of GOP congressional candidate helped by white supremacists during mayoral campaign: Gabrielle Hanson, who’s married to 5th Congressional District hopeful Tommy Hanson of Chicago but lives in Tennessee, refused to denounce the far-right extremists who escorted her and her husband into an October candidate forum and supported her at the event. “If they want to support me, that is their right,” Hanson — then a Franklin alderman who ultimately lost the mayoral race — said during a subsequent city board meeting. “We don’t discriminate in this community against anyone.”

* Daily Herald | Rosemont bans public camping, but vows not to disturb K-pop fans sleeping outside arena: Rosemont — the tiny suburb that’s home to some 4,000 residents and about 20 hotels next to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport — hasn’t experienced issues of homelessness that larger towns have, village officials admit. But the local ban on public camping was prompted by the recent court decision and after the Illinois Municipal League drafted a model ordinance for towns to adopt.

* Naperville Sun | Naperville police make 22nd gun-related arrest since August 2023 at Topgolf parking lot: For the third time in less than two weeks, police have made a firearm-related arrest in the Naperville Topgolf parking lot. Edward Lamont Coffey Jr., 29 of Chicago, was arrested outside the 3211 Odyssey Court facility Friday night on several felony charges, including aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, possessing a firearm with a suspended Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card and failing to store 10 to 15 grams of cannabis in his vehicle in a childproof, sealed or odorless container, according to police and DuPage County Circuit Court records.

* Crain’s | Northwestern Medicine plans another expansion — this time way out in the suburbs: In its latest expansion project in the Chicago-area, Northwestern Medicine plans to build a new outpatient center on its hospital campus in the far northwest suburb of Huntley. The $96.3 million project will span nearly 80,000 square feet, housing cancer care, infusion services, radiation oncology treatment and cardiac diagnostics, according to an application filed with the Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board, which must approve the project before construction.

* NBC Chicago | Illinois’ second-largest school district heads back to school with some changes: The district has over 35,000 students and covers parts of Cook, DuPage and Kane counties, with schools in communities like Elgin, Bartlett, Hanover Park and South Elgin. […] “In an effort to be responsive to feedback from students, teachers, parents, and our post-secondary partners, we have an updated grading and assessment system starting with the 2024-2025 school year,” U-46 announced on its website.

* WBBM | Preparations at Northwestern’s temporary football stadium enter 4th quarter: Wildcat football held its first outdoor practice at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium while several dozen construction workers kept hammering away. “The plans really aren’t changing, but it’s minor things,” said Deputy Athletic Director Jesse Marks. “Are the seats in the right spots? Let’s make sure that our ticket teams and our marketing teams are doing a manifest of all the seats now to make sure what was on paper matches what’s actually in design, making sure that we are adding the TVs in the right spots, our furniture is in the right spots.”

*** Downstate ***

* WICS | Monticello police officer arrested for child pornography: On Tuesday morning, the Monticello Police Department was advised of an investigation involving a member of their department. Illinois State Police arrested William Griswold, 39, for offenses involving child pornography. Once the department was advised of the investigation and arrest, Griswold was immediately placed on unpaid leave.

* UIS | Springfield house explosion under investigation: Two men, a 64-year old and a 71-year old, were taken to the hospital with are believed to be non-life threatening injuries. The department said statements made at the scene indicated the men were working on a hot water heater when the explosion occurred. Ameren was also notified due to suspicion of natural gas contributing to the incident.

*** National ***

* Missouri Independent | Missouri voters will decide whether to legalize abortion in November : If the amendment receives more than 50% of votes in approval, the measure would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability, an undefined period of time generally seen as the point in which the fetus could survive outside the womb on its own, generally around 24 weeks, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

* National Law Review | Illinois Judge Dismisses Bottled Water False Ad Complaint: An Illinois federal judge dismissed a proposed class action alleging that water labeled as “100% Natural Spring Water” is misleading due to the presence of microplastics. According to the judge, “the complaint doesn’t hold water” and is preempted by FDA’s standard of identity for spring water.