* Capitol News Illinois…

As the federal corruption trial of former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza formally kicked off on Wednesday, prosecutors and defense attorneys painted two very different pictures of a political hire the telecom giant made in 2017. […]

But the alleged bribe was “more sophisticated” than an envelope of cash, Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mower told the jury in his opening statement; it involved AT&T offering a nine-month do-nothing lobbying gig worth $22,500 to Madigan’s political ally.

“This is a case about a corporate executive paying off the most powerful politician in Illinois to help pass his company’s most prized piece of legislation,” Mower said, laying out the charges to the jury.

But attorneys for La Schiazza said their client was collateral damage in the feds’ decadelong investigation targeting Madigan, and that the government was misrepresenting how AT&T contracted former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo in 2017.

If you want live updates from the trial, we’ve added a link to the live coverage post.

* Governor Pritzker…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Office of Tourism announced via social media platforms that it stands proudly with the LGBTQIA+ community after Visit Florida recently removed its LGBTQIA+ travel resources from its website, raising concerns about who is truly welcome in the Sunshine State.

“Florida’s decision to disrespect and disavow a whole group of tourists for how they live or who they love is disheartening and raises questions about who’s really welcome in the Sunshine State.Illinois stands proudly with the LGBTQIA+ community and offers valuable travel resources for destinations, experiences and events —365 days a year,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Here in the Land of Lincoln we embrace all that makes each of us unique and we celebrate it with pride. While Visit Florida removed LGBTQIA+ information from their site, we decided to make it even easier to access valuable resources for the community directly on our homepage at EnjoyIllinois.com. Consider this my personal invitation to come Enjoy Illinois, where all are welcome!”

“Tourism is a vital part of our economy, and by ensuring all visitors feel welcome, we’re supporting our communities and promoting Illinois as a destination for all,” said DCEO Director Kristin Richards. “We take pride in being a state that champions diversity.”

“By embracing inclusivity and making resources easily accessible, we’re proving that Illinois is a place where all travelers can feel safe and authentically themselves,” said Daniel Thomas, deputy director of DCEO, Office of Tourism. “Whether it’s through our Midwestern hospitality, annual Pride events, or diverse experiences, everyone is welcome in Illinois.”

EnjoyIllinois.com makes it easy to plan your next LGBTQIA+ adventure with its inclusive trip inspiration, showcasing vibrant neighborhoods and exciting experiences across the state.

* WTVO…

Illinois follows Connecticut’s lead after that state launched an LGBTQ travel campaign, also taking a swipe at Florida.

The change to Visit Florida’s website was first reported by NBC News, which noted a search query still pulls up some listings for LGBTQ+-friendly places despite the elimination of the section.

Florida is one of the most popular states in the U.S. for tourists, and tourism is one of its biggest industries. Nearly 141 million tourists visited Florida in 2023, with out-of-state visitors contributing more than $102 billion to Florida’s economy.

Before the change, the LGBTQ+ section on Visit Florida’s website had read, “There’s a sense of freedom to Florida’s beaches, the warm weather and the myriad activities — a draw for people of all orientations, but especially appealing to a gay community looking for a sense of belonging and acceptance.”

* Shaw Local…

When he first entered prison at age 19 to begin a 16-year sentence, Justin Knapp said he was angry, felt alienated and spent his time “dwelling on the mistake.”

He often got in fights with other inmates stewing in the same unhealthy frame of mind, which he said landed him in segregation for five years. […]

“I looked at myself through the eyes of my mother. This is not the person she raised,” he said. “I am not the representation of the good things my mother taught me. This is not who I want to be.” […]

Now 35 and living in Marengo, Knapp has been out of prison about two years. Because he prepared for life outside of prison, he now has a job helping others as a certified workforce development career planner for McHenry County Workforce Development.

Rather than hide from the mistakes of his youth, Knapp said he’s “owned it as part of my professional career.” He uses his story to help other formerly incarcerated people turn that corner as well.

Thomas Faber said his focus over the past 14 years has been to help people like Knapp. In his former role as business service representative at McHenry County Workforce Development in Woodstock, Faber assisted “justice impacted” people find work and re-acclimate into life in the free world.

***La Schiazza Trial ***

* Tribune | ‘Is there even a small contract for Eddie Acevedo?’: Jury sees emails from Madigan confidant asking AT&T to pay former rep: When Michael McClain, the longtime confidant of House Speaker Michael Madigan and fixture at the Illinois Capitol, announced he was retiring from lobbying in 2016, it immediately caught the attention of people over at AT&T. “Huge news,” AT&T President Paul La Schiazza emailed to a colleague on the company’s legislative affairs team. “A shame Exelon was the one to benefit from (McClain’s) last big gig….Unfortunate for us.”

*** Statewide ***

* Illinois Times | Law aimed at helping people experiencing a mental health crisis was originally set to go live in 2022: The Community Emergency Services and Supports Act, or CESSA, requires mental and behavioral health calls to 911 be handled by mental health professionals, rather than police. It was supposed to go into effect on July 1, 2022 – two years before Massey, who was having a mental health crisis, was shot by then-Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson. “I think if this system were in place, and emergency responders were trained and aware of what is available to them, then I think Sonya Massey would still be with us today,” said Candace Coleman, community strategy specialist with Access Living, a Chicago-based organization that advocates for disabled people.

* WTHI | Illinois seeking public input on how to shape next education budget: ISBE says past requests have led to more funding in certain areas, like early childhood education. The board especially encourages teachers, parents, and community advocates to make their voices heard. “Public advocacy is crucial in shaping the education experiences for all students,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson a ‘woefully unprepared’ mayor, City Council critic says: Ald. Brendan Reilly is in almost constant contact with business leaders, and “all they want to talk about” is finding a candidate to defeat Johnson in 2027. “Barring a dramatic turnaround — a miraculous turnaround, and I just don’t see that happening — Mayor Johnson is likely a one-term mayor,” Reilly said Thursday.

Ald. Debra Silverstein adds to calls for Johnson official's ouster after a Twitter post of hers following the 10/7 attacks resurfaces: pic.twitter.com/M01A8yuhiY

— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) September 12, 2024

* Sun-Times | Chicago primed to pay out $15 million to more victims of police misconduct: The biggest settlement — $11.6 million — would go to Anthony Jakes, who falsely confessed to being an accomplice in a 1991 murder when he was just 15 after being beaten by members of Cmdr. Burge’s infamous “midnight crew.” Jakes spent 20 years in prison before being released in 2012.

* Tribune | First Watts accuser to settle lawsuit is in line for $500,000 payout, records show: The first settlement agreement between the city and an alleged victim of ex-Chicago police Sgt. Ronald Watts puts Watts’ accuser in line for half a million dollars, records released Thursday show. Alvin Waddy’s lawsuit was the first to reach resolution out of more than 150 that have been filed against the city related to Watts and his team. It remains to be seen how the agreed payout affects the rest of the cases, but given the sheer volume of lawsuits, the Watts scandal could become one of the most expensive in Chicago police history.

* Block Club | CHA Board Could Soon Have 2 New Members Who ‘Get It’: Mayor Brandon Johnson nominated Brian “Jawanza” Malone and Juliana Gonzalez-Crussi — both longtime community activists and nonprofit leaders — to fill two vacant spots on the housing agency’s board. Their appointments were unanimously approved by the Committee on Housing and Real Estate and now go before the full City Council, which is expected to sign off as soon as Sept. 18.

* Tribune | UIC pharmacy school gets $36 million donation from late Chicago pharmacy owners: The pharmacy school — which will now be called the Herbert M. and Carol H. Retzky College of Pharmacy — is the first college at UIC to be named after a donor. The donation is the largest ever received by the pharmacy college. It was given to the college as an endowment, meaning the money will be invested to generate income to be used by the college. That income will go toward merit-based scholarships for students and career development programs.

* Tribune | Cyclist completes world-record attempt in downtown Chicago: ‘I felt like I could just keep riding forever’: Celebrated endurance bicyclist Lael Wilcox finished a 108-day journey around the world at Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain Wednesday evening, completing a trip of more than 18,000 miles in a bid to break the Guinness World Record for fastest circumnavigation of the world on a bike by a woman. […] Wilcox rode roughly 160 miles a day with a heart rate monitor, a witness book and a power meter to document her as-yet unsubmitted bid to break the current record of 124 days. Her wife, 31-year-old photographer Rue Kaladyte, has traveled with her and produced a podcast, Lael Rides Around the World, and kept followers up to date via Instagram. She is also working on a documentary about the bid, she told the Tribune Tuesday.

* WBEZ | Chicago Park District board welcomes back Riot Fest – despite heavy community criticism: One activist bemoaned how the Park District was allowing “significant damage” to Douglass Park and said parks should be enjoyed by everyone instead of being “rented out to the highest bidder.” But Ald. Monique Scott, 24th Ward, lashed out at those critics as she gave her endorsement to Riot Fest, raising her voice to say that “most of the people that spoke against the Riot Fest, I’ve never seen you in my community.”

* NYT | Loyalty, history and $5 beers: Why fans still come out to see the Chicago White Sox: The White Sox sold 11,429 tickets for Monday’s game, though the true attendance count appeared to be less than half of that. There was a slight uptick Tuesday, maybe because of a $5 beer promotion or because fans wanted to snatch up some of the last Campfire Milkshakes of the season. Or there’s another reason, one that has grown in importance as this impressively bad season has worn on: witnessing the train wreck, one loss at a time.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Homer Glen plans workshop to advise 143rd Street residents receiving eminent domain notices: Homer Glen officials plan to host an informational meeting with their village attorney to help residents who have received eminent domain notices from Will County over the planned widening of 143rd Street. Residents living along the route have protested the widening for nearly a year. While the road is under Will County’s jurisdiction, they have sought help from Homer Glen village officials, who also oppose expanding the road.

* Lake County News-Sun | Alleged Highland Park parade shooter ‘declined transport’ to court hearing: Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti waived Crimo’s presence after his public defenders said he “declined transport” from the county jail, where he is being detained for the July 4, 2022 mass shooting that killed seven people and injured dozens more. The attorneys did not give a reason for Crimo’s reluctance to come to court, and Rossetti told them to remind the defendant that his lack of attendance would not delay the case.

* WBEZ | A new lawsuit alleges Hawthorne Race Course allowed horses to race after they’d been deemed ineligible: The Chicago-area’s longest-operating horse-racing track is being sued along with state regulators for allegedly allowing dozens of horses to race despite medical diagnoses from a now-terminated track veterinarian they were physically unfit to run. The federal lawsuit filed Thursday against Hawthorne Race Course, the Illinois Racing Board and others at the track and state agency comes from a former Hawthorne veterinarian, Christine Tuma, who alleges she was fired after reporting alleged misconduct at Hawthorne to state and federal agencies.

* Sun-Times | Haitian Americans in Chicago deride Trump’s false, racist claims of immigrants eating pets: The mention was also upsetting to Skokie resident Marleen Julien, a Haiti native who has lived in America for 35 years. She called it a way for Trump and Republicans to divide people — and she said it’s specifically targeting a humanitarian program under President Joe Biden that allowed Haitian Americans to come to the U.S. legally due to unrest in the country.

* Sun-Times | Vatican slaps down Joliet bishop’s efforts to close historic parish in far southwest suburb: The arm of the Vatican that “revoked” the parish closing in an order dated Aug. 20 raised questions about Hicks’ reasoning, including finances, mass attendance and the “near disappearance of the Slovenian community.” Michael Vidmar, who filed the appeal with support from numerous parishioners, was happy with the Vatican’s ruling but says, “We made it this far but we still don’t know what the bishop is going to do” from here.

*** Downstate ***

* PJ Star | Peoria student’s photos of mold on school lunch cause Facebook uproar: This is not the first time food quality at Peoria Public Schools has been a hot button issue for parents and students. In 2022, more than 100 parents shared their concerns with the Journal Star over the poor food quality at Peoria Public Schools, and state Rep. Jehan Gordon Booth, D-Peoria, even pushed a bill in Springfield that aimed to increase the quality of food served in schools.

* WCIA | ‘It takes a village’: Mahomet-Seymour schools to host event for special education students and families: Teachers and organizations are getting ready to build deeper relationships with Mahomet families who have students in special education programs. It’s all part of its inaugural “education and empowerment” event on Sept. 12 at Middletown Prairie Elementary. Tracy Patterson, a special ed teacher in the district, said it’s been in the works for years. She is one of many educators who want to ensure parents have the tools needed to help their kids succeed.

* SJ-R | Downtown Springfield business launches fundraiser to keep doors open: The fallout continues nearly three months after a fire in the 400 block of East Adams Street in downtown Springfield. While the anchor restaurant at 413 E. Adams St., Cafe Moxo, remains closed and other businesses have moved locations entirely, The Keep Store, a block away at 314 E. Adams St., recently launched a fundraising effort to help keep the business’ doors open.

*** National ***

* WSJ | Dumbphones and Fax Machines Are the New Boss Flex: If you think your new iPhone is a status symbol, prepare to be punked—or, rather, Punkt—by Benjamin Crudo’s dumbphone. The chief executive of Diff, which makes software for online retailers, calls and texts from a 4.6-by-2-inch brick with buttons called a Punkt MP02. Send an email or Slack message and the 41-year-old Crudo won’t respond until he is in front of his computer.

* ProPublica | “I Don’t Want to Die”: Needing Mental Health Care, He Got Trapped in His Insurer’s Ghost Network: Ravi didn’t know it, but he, like millions of Americans, was trapped in a “ghost network.” As some of those people have discovered, the providers listed in an insurer’s network have either retired or died. Many other providers have stopped accepting insurance — often because the companies made it excessively difficult for them to do so. Some just aren’t taking new patients. Insurers are often slow to remove them from directories, if they do so at all. It adds up to a bait and switch by insurance companies that leads customers to believe there are more options for care than actually exist.

* NBC Chicago | TSA proposes new rule that could change how REAL ID deadline is enforced next year: While the approaching deadline of May 7, 2025, remains in place, the TSA has proposed a plan that would delay full enforcement for another two years. That wouldn’t mean that travelers won’t need their REAL ID until 2027, however. “Travelers without a REAL ID compliant ID or another form of acceptable ID after the May 7, 2025 deadline could face delays at airport security checkpoints,” the agency said in a release, noting the potential for warnings or possibly “progressive consequences” for those without a compliant ID.

* AP | Average rate on a 30-year mortgage falls to 6.20%, its lowest level since February 2023: The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. fell this week to its lowest level in 19 months, reflecting a pullback in Treasury yields ahead of an expected interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve next week. The rate fell to 6.20% from 6.35% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 7.18%.

* LA Times | The GOP is targeting ‘noncitizen voting,’ but experts agree it’s not a problem: This week House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., tried to tie a bill to extend government spending and avert a federal shutdown to a controversial GOP proposal — the SAVE Act — that would require states to obtain proof of U.S. citizenship when people register to vote. Johnson pulled the idea Wednesday due to lack of support from even his own members. But the issue isn’t likely going away.