* ICYMI: Downstate federal trial poses latest test for Illinois gun ban. Tribune…

- Legal wrangling over Illinois’ sweeping gun ban is set to resume Monday in East St. Louis, where a federal judge will consider a challenge to the constitutionality of a law that is almost two years old and has so far withstood a barrage of challenges from gun rights advocates.
- The state’s ban prohibits the delivery, sale, import and purchase of more than 100 high-powered guns including semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and handguns.
-The bench trial is before U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn, who said last year the law was likely unconstitutional following a hearing over a request by plaintiffs seeking to temporarily block the ban from being enforced.

* Related stories…

∙ News-Gazette: Illinois gun law opponents face delay, not necessarily defeat

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Daily Herald | ‘People who should be held are being held’: Pretrial Fairness Act marks first year this week: Supporters include Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart, who said cashless bail has not resulted in the release of accused murderers and rapists, as opponents predicted. “We are holding more sex offenders and all murderers under the new system,” Rinehart said, adding “crime is down in Lake County at a steeper rate of decline than the national average.”

* Capitol News Illinois | ADM carbon sequestration project violated Safe Drinking Water Act, per EPA: Agribusiness giant ADM violated federal regulations, a federal permit and the Safe Drinking Water Act earlier this year when a monitoring well at their carbon sequestration site in Decatur leaked liquified carbon dioxide into “unauthorized zones,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In an August notice, the federal regulatory agency also alleged the company failed to follow proper emergency response and remediation plans after it identified the leak.

* ABC Chicago | Increasing diversity in Illinois’ adult use cannabis industry: In July, a study by the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office found that 60% of all cannabis business licenses went to minority or women-owned businesses. […] However, not one dollar of sales was documented going to Black or Brown owners when the study ended in 2023. Instead, white male owners took in 78% of recreational dispensary sales and 91% of grower sales.

* Tribune | ‘People are desperate’: Illinois harm reduction organizations await settlement funding in effort to reduce opioid overdoses: Now, groups in Illinois providing harm reduction services are set to receive at least $15 million from settlements between states and prescription drug companies. Providers across the state say they could do much more with additional funding, but getting money from the remediation fund is complicated. “Unrestricted settlement dollars could really — I mean, there needs to be an investment in harm reduction supplies across the state of Illinois. People are desperate for them,” John Werning, executive director of the Chicago Recovery Alliance, said.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press Release | Gov. Pritzker Announces James Jennings as Next Director of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency: Today, Governor JB Pritzker announced his appointment of James Jennings, environment professional and policy expert, as the next director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) pending Senate approval. James Jennings began serving as Interim Director in July. […] Before he was appointed Interim Director, Jennings served as Deputy Director of the IEPA, overseeing policy implementation and regulatory enforcement, as well as working in tandem with the federal EPA on initiatives impacting Illinois and surrounding states.

* SJ-R | Former state board of ed superintendent who worked in the Bush Administration dead at 82: Ted Sanders, who served as superintendent of the Illinois State Board of Education and worked in the education department in the President George H.W. Bush administration, died Sunday, Sept. 8. He was 82. […] A towering figure, literally, at 6-foot-8-inches tall, and figuratively, Ted Sanders also served as the chief education officer in Ohio and Nevada and was president of the Southern Illinois University System.

*** La Schiazza Trial ***

* Sun-Times | Ex-lawmaker became ‘borderline unprofessional’ when AT&T offered him money, jurors hear at corruption trial: Prosecutors are nearing the end of their case against AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza. Attorneys say it could be in the hands of the jury by the end of next week.

* Capitol News Illinois | In bribery trial, AT&T lobbyists detail contentious meeting with Madigan ally: On an afternoon in late April 2017, recently retired state Rep. Eddie Acevedo was called to a meeting in the state Capitol in Springfield. The 20-year veteran lawmaker had joined his sons’ lobbying firm and was looking for work. Meeting with a trio of lobbyists for telecommunications giant AT&T Illinois was a major step forward in Acevedo’s new lobbying career. But Acevedo grew agitated when the lobbyists offered him $2,500 per month, raising his voice to express that he was worth more, according to testimony Friday in the federal bribery trial of former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | City Closes Gold Coast Homeless Shelter Used To House Tent City Residents During DNC: The Tremont Hotel shelter closed for good Sunday, Department of Family and Support Services spokesperson Brian Berg said in a statement. Prior to the closure, shelter staff worked to “slowly place remaining Tremont residents who have not yet moved to housing into other available shelter beds,” he said. “The Tremont shelter was a temporary operation, originally designed to expand shelter bed capacity during the winter months,” Berg said.

Ald. Maria Hadden in newsletter rips Mayor Brandon Johnson administration over recent intergovernmental affairs shakeup. “I am very disturbed by these abrupt changes and disappointed in how the Mayor had two Black women walked out of City Hall by police as if they were threats.” pic.twitter.com/MEIp3ji3rO

— Gregory Royal Pratt (@royalpratt) September 14, 2024

* Crain’s | Chicago’s nonprofit leaders saw their pay surge in our latest ranking: Despite retiring from the Big Ten Conference in 2020, James Delany still managed to earn nearly $5.9 million in 2022, according to the organization’s most recent 990 tax filing. The former commissioner holds the No. 1 spot on Crain’s list of the highest-paid nonprofit executives in the Chicago area. The list, which excludes university and hospital executives, ranks 25 leaders by 2022 total compensation, which for most nonprofits is the most recent available data. These executives saw 2022 median compensation swell by 20% to $906,243.

* Block Club | Muslim Families Outraged After Headstones Removed From Bohemian National Cemetery With No Notice: Last Sunday, Ayman Halim took his wife, his mother and his 8-month-old son to the Bohemian National Cemetery to commemorate his late father’s 77th birthday. It was his son’s first time visiting the gravesite of his grandfather, who died five years ago, Halim said. When they arrived, Halim found that his father’s headstone and dozens of others were missing. Returning to the cemetery a few days later, he discovered a pile of Muslim grave markers left beside a dumpster. Now, he and his family want answers.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Evanston has paid out just over $5 million in reparations so far: The committee met in September to approve records regarding how the first round of reparations has been spent. Of the $5.03 million distributed to 141 people directly affected by unfair housing practices, which the program calls ancestors, and 71 people who are descendants of those who did, $1.36 million will be spent on home improvement projects, mortgage assistance, or be used in the down payment for a home. The remaining $3.69 million will be spent on direct cash benefits, with recipients eligible to receive a $25,000 check from the city of Evanston. Recipients will not need to pay taxes on the benefit, according to 2nd Ward Councilmember Krissie Harris.

* Sun-Times | At event honoring K-9 killed in deadly 2023 shooting, Kane County sheriff rips Aurora police: Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain essentially blamed his agency’s strained relationship with Aurora police for the incident that killed a police dog and a carjacking suspect. Aurora’s mayor called the remarks ‘laughingly incredible and absolutely wrong,’ and the area’s top prosecutor says she, too, disagrees with Sheriff Hain.

* WBBM | Replacement likely for historic Cenacle Bridge in DuPage County forest preserve: The bridge once led to the Cenacle Sisters commune near Warrenville. The retreat center was demolished years ago, but the bridge has remained in use by hikers and bikers as part of a trail system within the Blackwell Forest Preserve. At a recent planning meeting, commissioners weighed whether it would be best to repair the aging bridge or to replace it completely. The bridge features some visually striking elements, including large stone pillars and white handrails, but Forest Preserve District Civil Engineer Chris Welch said those elements actually present a few issues.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Massey family meets with Congressional Black Caucus for police reform push: The families were joined by renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who expressed frustration with the slow pace of change. A bill known as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, introduced in 2021, remains stalled in Congress.

* BND | Video of traffic backup in O’Fallon goes viral, prompts member of Congress to intervene: A viral TikTok video has gotten the attention of an Illinois congresswoman because it shows a “massive threat to motorists’ safety” on the Interstate 64 exit ramp to O’Fallon and Shiloh, according to the lawmaker. O’Fallon resident Tisha Crawley’s Aug. 15 video shows a line of cars on the Exit 16 ramp so long that it is spilling onto the interstate. More than 40 million TicTok users have seen it, including U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski. […] The Illinois Department of Transportation is aware of the problem, and the agency has plans to add additional lanes to the area to address it. But construction is years away, according to the agency’s project timeline published online.

* PJ Star | Referendum on ranked-choice voting in Illinois: Voters in Peoria Township will make their voices heard on whether or not the state of Illinois should opt for ranked-choice voting in future elections. A non-binding referendum will be on the Nov. 5 ballot asking voters if the state should use the system, which is designed to prevent spoilers and allow a more accurate representation of voters’ preferences.

* BND | ‘Politics’ by Belleville mayor threatens future of Art on the Square, directors say: Developments in the past few weeks have prompted the co-directors to speak out for the first time about a problem they say they’ve been dealing with for three years: Hostility from Belleville Mayor Patty Gregory, who co-founded the show and formerly served as executive director for 20 years. Gregory wanted to continue running the show after being elected mayor in 2021, but board members rejected that idea due to ethical, legal and practical concerns, according to Bartle and Dorris. “We had created our own little monster because none of us went up against (Gregory),” Dorris said this week. “We didn’t challenge her. She was used to getting her way.”

* WSIL | The Jackson County State’s Attorney Office announces a new video camera doorbell program: Starting on October 1st victims and witnesses of violent crimes will be eligible to get a free video camera doorbell from the Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Victims Advocate’s Office. “Upon application, we can get these video doorbells out to individuals in the community to make them feel safer,” Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez said.

* WAND | 13-year-old charged after making false threats in Jacksonville: Jacksonville concluded their investigation after speaking with all parties involved after finding the teen did not posses a gun at the time, nor did the teen have access to weapons at their home. […] The threats were shared across multiple social media sites. Shortly after the threats were reported, the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center was able to deem them not credible. They say the online threats reported on the 11th were unrelated to the arrest of the teen for disorderly conduct.

* WSIL | Two 11-Year-Olds Charged in School Threat Investigation in Southern Illinois: Two 11-year-olds face legal trouble in relation to an investigation of threats made at a Centralia school on Wednesday. The Centralia Police Department said they were informed by an school resource officer about a threat made at the Centralia Junior High School on September 11.

*** National ***

* Nextstar | Do campaign yard signs even make a difference?: Studies have shown that when it comes to down-ballot races — usually non-presidential, like school board or a county-level representative — it’s important for the candidate to build name recognition. Yard signs can do that, even if the candidate is not real, one study found.

* Nieman Lab | An AI chatbot helped Americans who believe in conspiracy theories “exit the rabbit hole”: The uncle who believes 9/11 never happened. The next-door neighbor who thinks Biden stole the 2020 election. The Nieman Lab editor who’s been known to wonder if aliens really do exist and the U.S. government is covering them up. You probably don’t want to talk to these people and convince them that they are wrong. But what if an AI chatbot could do it for you? That’s exactly what a group of researchers just did. In their peer-reviewed article “Durably reducing conspiracy beliefs through dialogues with AI,” featured on the cover of Science this week, Thomas Costello of American University, Gordon Pennycook of Cornell, and David Rand of MIT explain how they put 2,190 conspiracy-believing Americans in brief but detailed conversation with the large language model GPT-4 Turbo.