* ICYMI: City Council votes to keep ShotSpotter, but Mayor Johnson pledges veto. Tribune…

The City Council again rebuked Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to rid Chicago of ShotSpotter Wednesday, voting to keep the gunshot detection technology around just days before it was set to go offline.

Aldermen passed in a 33-to-14 vote an ordinance supporters say would compel police Superintendent Larry Snelling to reach a contract to continue using the tool.

However, Johnson appears poised to nonetheless move ahead with his plan to boot the technology from the city. He has previously sidestepped similar City Council decisions by arguing that only the mayor, and not the council, has power over the city’s contracts. […]

After the meeting, city Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry joined the mayor at a news conference, where she said the ordinance violates the separation of powers in city government because it would constitute the legislative branch forcing the executive branch to take action. Johnson will therefore veto it, Richardson-Lowry said.

* Related stories…

∙ Sun-Times: City Council gives top cop power to keep ShotSpotter, but Johnson vows veto
∙ Crain’s: Johnson to veto City Council measure keeping ShotSpotter
∙ Block Club: City Council Gives Top Cop Control Over Controversial ShotSpotter Contract, But Mayor Vows To Veto

Governor Pritzker will give remarks at the Illinois Army National Guard 333rd Military Police Company mobilization ceremony at 1 pm. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Shaw Local | DeKalb man pleads guilty to Keicher assassination threat: Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery sentenced Brandon to two years in DeKalb County’s veterans court services program, where he will undergo psychiatric and psychosocial rehabilitation. If Brandon doesn’t comply with the program, he could be resentenced in two years and receive jail time, according to the ruling. Montgomery also ordered Brandon to be placed on an electronic GPS monitoring device for 90 days. He’ll receive credit for the time he has spent in custody at the DeKalb County jail, where he’s been held without release since his July 19 arrest.

* NBC Chicago | Lead developer of White Sox stadium proposal answers questions: The lead developer of a proposal for a new South Loop stadium for the Chicago White Sox answered questions in an exclusive interview with NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern.

* WIFR | Rockford faith leaders praise Pretrial Fairness Act for reportedly returning $140 million to Illinoisans: “It strengthened communities, strengthened families, and made us safer,” says Rev. Violet Johnicker – executive director of Rockford Urban Ministries. “They’re able to continue to pay the rent, to pay for childcare, to pay for groceries.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | 19th Senate candidates say lowering property taxes a key issue among voters: Michael Hastings, 43, D-Frankfort, first began serving in the Senate in 2013 and is facing Samantha Jean Gasca, 37, of New Lenox in the November election. Gasca was one of three candidates in the Republican primary in March while Hastings was unopposed on the Democratic side.

* WTTW | Pritzker Says ‘Nothing Has Changed’ About His Views on Stadium Public Funding While Urging Teams to Coordinate Efforts: Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that “nothing has changed” from his previous stance that public funding for sports stadiums is not something he, or the public, has much of an appetite for. But he did signal the teams’ bids for state help building new football, baseball and soccer stadiums, respectively, would be better off if they all got on a level playing field.

*** Statewide ***

* WTHI | More Illinois schools hiring teachers after big investment from the state data shows: A $45 million investment from the state has resulted in 5,400 teachers being hired in Illinois schools. The Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative released the data Wednesday morning.

*** Chicago ***

* BGA | Small Steps on Ethics Reform from a Reluctant Mayor: Today’s City Council meeting saw the passage of two sets of ethics reforms: an ordinance giving the Board of Ethics enforcement authority for a longstanding executive order banning lobbyist contributions to the mayor’s campaign committee and a package of minor language changes and technical clarifications from the city’s Inspector General. Though these are welcome updates, neither ordinance is a blockbuster of hard-hitting new controls on city government. Alarmingly for good government advocates, even this small progress came over the objections of a mayoral administration that initially opposed some of the changes.

* Tribune | Ethics ordinance targeting lobbyist donations to mayoral candidates passes in City Council: The measure bans lobbyists from donating to a mayor’s or a mayoral candidate’s political committee and adds fines and suspensions for lobbyists who break the rule. The effort to reinstate a 2011 executive order signed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel was essential, given how many elected officials at Chicago City Hall have been “indicted, convicted and gone to prison,” said Ald. Matt Martin, 47th, who sponsored the ordinance.

* Sun-Times | Garrett Popcorn is turning 75 — and still churning out an iconic Chicago treat: To celebrate the anniversary, the company — famed for its cheese and caramel mix — is introducing a range of new flavors, including Apple Caramel Crisp.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Underwood, Marter have vastly different views on abortion in 14th House District race: During a joint candidate interview with the Daily Herald on Tuesday, Underwood, a Naperville resident who’s seeking a fourth term in Congress, said she supports a woman’s right to make decisions about abortion, contraception and related matters. Marter, a software consultant and library board member from Oswego, said he staunchly opposes abortion, without exception. Protecting life is a holy commandment, he said.

* WBEZ | Cook County commissioner pitches a property tax relief fund for struggling homeowners: Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer is leading an effort to create a property tax relief fund as residents across the region struggle to pay their bills and risk losing their homes. Gainer told WBEZ the county would fill the fund with about $15 million dollars from interest fees people pay when they’re late on their property tax bills. That’s a piece of an estimated $100 million in late interest fees the county expects to reach this year — higher than the $35 million the county budgeted for.

* Patch | Ex-Official May Run For Hinsdale Village President: reg Hart, a former DuPage County Board member, said Tuesday he was seriously considering running for Hinsdale village president in April. Meanwhile, Village President Tom Cauley said in an interview that he hadn’t decided whether he would seek a fifth four-year term.

* Daily Herald | How a new program will keep hard-to-recycle items out of landfills: Chip bags, foam egg cartons, takeout containers, plastic bags, bubble wrap, plastic utensils and more are the targets of the program launching next month and meant to complement current recycling efforts. “This is for the stuff we told you not to put with your recycling,” said Walter Willis, executive director of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | New Sangamon County Sheriff Nominee talks plans for office: When asked why she wanted to take over the Sheriff’s office, Crouch pointed to her “fresh outlook.” “I felt like with my experience in law enforcement, that I could really bring a fresh outlook to the Sheriff’s Office I have a lot of community service experience as far as working with different agencies and different community members that I thought that maybe that the Sheriff’s Office has not had the opportunity to be a part of those.”

* WAND | Massey Commission officially established, amendment shot down at Sangamon County Board Meeting: The Sangamon County Board passed a resolution officially establishing the Massey Committee and allocating $175,000 for the group at Wednesday night’s special meeting. Before the resolution went to vote, Board Members Tony DelGiorno and Annete Fulgenzi proposed an amendment that would expand the permissions granted to the Massey Commission. It would guarantee that in the interim, the Sherriff’s Department and the Sangamon County Deputy Merit Commission would jointly review applications for deputies, court security officers, and correctional officers. It would also require a vote on extending an offer of employment to the aforementioned applicants.

* PJ Star | ‘Surreal’: Popular singer regularly visited Downtown Peoria coffee shop during stay: Owner Ty Paluska said both singers paid the coffee shop a visit during their stay but added that Charli XCX consistently returned to the Peoria establishment. Trey Mowder, a staff member and longtime fan, was working during one such visit and was surprised when she ordered two of his favorite items – the nitro cold brew and avocado toast. He described the experience as “surreal.”

*** National ***

* AP | Thai zoo, home to baby hippo and internet sensation Moo Deng, is patenting the pygmy: The Thai zoo whose baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng has become a global viral sensation moved Thursday to patent her image so it can benefit financially from the extraordinary interest which shows no sign of abating.