* ICYMI: Stateville prison almost empty after state moves quickly to comply with court order. Tribune…

- The state is on track to have moved all but a few inmates out of Stateville Correctional Center by a court-ordered deadline Monday.
- IDOC spokesperson Naomi Puzzello said Friday that all “general population” inmates have been transferred to other facilities.
- A full complement of Stateville employees represented by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 are still reporting to work at the prison as the union bargains over the process for transferring the workers, AFSCME Council 31 spokesperson Anders Lindall said last week.
- All Stateville staff will continue on with their “assigned duties” until the bargaining process is completed, Puzzello said.

At 1:30 pm Governor Pritzker will celebrate completion of Illinois Beach State Park Shoreline Stabilization Project. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Crain’s | As Johnson scrambles to close $1 billion budget gap, vote could get delayed to December: With his budget team scrambling to find politically feasible personnel cuts and revenue boosters to avoid going back on Johnson’s promise to not raise property taxes, some members of the City Council have been told the budget process could begin weeks later than originally scheduled. Johnson was scheduled to deliver his annual budget address Oct. 16 but is now planning for Oct. 30, according to sources briefed on the mayor’s plan. Under the new schedule, hearings to probe every department’s budget would happen in November and a series of votes on the budget plan would not occur until early December.

* Illinois Answers Project | Many cameras. Little focus. Blurry results: In recent years, records show, police have ramped up efforts to make better use of their behemoth surveillance operation, which is anchored by city-owned PODs but also includes permitted access to roughly 35,000 other cameras owned by the CTA, schools and private businesses. The cameras also provide benefits to first responders that are difficult to quantify, as when the officer reviewing camera footage from the Humboldt Park shooting was able to tell responding police where the victim was. Still, the Illinois Answers/Tribune analysis of city-owned PODs suggests the city has failed to follow best practices that could have prevented or solved more crimes and freed up money to hire more officers.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Center Square | As Illinois considers banning all hemp-related products, others are calling for uniform laws: Some Illinois lawmakers have proposed laws to regulate hemp, while others are calling for the federal government to get involved. A Reason Foundation report shows that Congress federally legalized hemp-derived products in the 2018 Farm Bill, but failed to establish a regulatory framework. The report said that states that legalized marijuana, like Illinois, are more inclined to ban or restrict hemp-derived products.

* Tribune | Top members of Gov. JB Pritzker’s communications team exiting: Jordan Abudayyeh and Jason Rubin, both deputy chiefs of staff, were among the longest-serving members of Pritzker’s administration, holding posts in the office dating back to the governor’s first campaign in 2018. Replacing Abudayyeh and Rubin are Matt Hill, who takes the role of deputy chief of staff for communications, and Emily Bolton, who will be director of agency communications.

Last night I had the honor of performing my rendition of the National Anthem at the Democratic Party of Illinois Gala in front of 900+ people! #gala #democrats #WhenWeFightWeWin pic.twitter.com/DBQ8cD8kGF

— Maurice A. West II (@MauriceAWestII) September 28, 2024

*** La Schiazza Trial ***

JUST IN: Lawyers for ex-AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza have filed their motion for acquittal after last week’s mistrial, arguing the feds called only two witnesses with direct knowledge of the hiring of Eddie Acevedo, and one of them testified it wasn’t a bribe. pic.twitter.com/xWx0rbNBBl

— Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) September 28, 2024

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Inside Mayor Brandon Johnson’s stunning fight for control of Chicago schools as CTU contract talks stall: Sources from both sides say the schools chief’s days on the job appear numbered. The only question is a matter of how soon he gets canned by the seven-member school board, which was handpicked by Johnson and will remain controlled by mayoral appointees following the January transition to a hybrid elected school board.

* NBC Chicago | Candidates for Chicago Board of Education weigh in on leadership controversy: Pedro Martinez, who is serving in that role, was asked last week to resign by Mayor Brandon Johnson, multiple sources said. An additional candidate, La’Mont Raymond Williams, in an interview with NBC Chicago, weighed in on the strain between the two. “I think it’s unfortunate, because right now the district itself can’t really afford more distractions than it already has with its budget deficit,” said Williams.

* Sun-Times | With new exhibition, Theaster Gates treats the remnants of Johnson Publishing ‘as a work of art’: Chicago artist Theaster Gates got the call around the time the Johnson Publishing Co. closed its Michigan Avenue headquarters in 2011. On the other line was Linda Johnson Rice, the daughter of John and Eunice Johnson, the founders of the historic publisher. “She asked me if I was willing to be the kind of caretaker of the things within that building, [including] the photographs, so the library, the furniture. She said, essentially, whatever you’re able to retain, retrieve, exhume from the building is yours,” Gates recalled of the conversation with Johnson Rice. “And so I’ve been living with these objects for the last decade now.”

* Crain’s | Outside Schurz High School, two dumpsters’ worth of books: Crain’s learned of dozens of titles being discarded at the school in the Irving Park neighborhood, ranging from Shakespeare to fiction to physics. This also occurred on a day of non-attendance for students to account for a professional development day. A Chicago Public Schools spokesperson told Crain’s all books were older, and this is a common practice for the district called “weeding.”

* Sun-Times | Mulitple Metra lines face “unknown” delays due to signal and train control problems: Multiple Metra lines faced “unknown” delays Monday morning due to a string of signal and train control problems. The Union Pacific Northwest, Milwaukee North, North Central Service and Heritage Corridor lines were all impacted by signal and train control problems, Metra announced on X, formally known as Twitter. The Milwaukee District West line was delayed due to mechanical failure, according to Metra.

* Sun-Times | Church opens its arms in first blessing of a same-sex Chicago couple: ‘There’s a place for you’: Michael Thiry and Nathaniel Washington celebrate their seventh anniversary with a blessing from the Rev. Michael Pfleger. The St. Sabina pastor has said that blessings of same-sex couples are a recognition of their humanity.

* ABC Chicago | Tony Durpetti, owner of Chicago’s oldest Italian steakhouse Gene & Georgetti dies at 80: In a statement online, the restaurant said Durpetti will be remembered for his warmth, love, and commitment to excellence. “Tony’s passion for hospitality and dedication to our family’s legacy have been the heart and soul of our restaurant for decades,” the statement.

* NBC Chicago | Jerry Reinsdorf calls White Sox season ‘a failure’ in letter to fans: After a season that saw the Chicago White Sox set a modern baseball record for losses, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf wrote a letter to fans, calling the campaign “a failure” and promising to act to improve the team’s fortunes. The White Sox sit at 40-121 heading into the final day of the season, and are now the owners of the most losses in a single season since 1900.

* The New Yorker | The Chicago White Sox’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Season: It could be worse for the Chicago White Sox, the worst baseball team in more than a century. No, really. It could be 1899. Jerry Reinsdorf, the stubborn, nearly nonagenarian owner of the White Sox, could be Frank Robison, the owner of the Cleveland Spiders, which was one of the better teams in baseball until Robison ruined it on purpose.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* NBC Chicago | Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard and boyfriend given eviction notice: court docs: NBC Chicago obtained a copy of an eviction notice filed Sept. 18 in Cook County Circuit Court naming Henyard and her boyfriend Kamal Woods, who is an employee of Thornton Township, where Henyard serves as supervisor. Henyard and Woods are behind $3,350 in rent for their home along Harvard Street in Dolton — plus an additional $50 each day and $2,400 on the beginning of the month. The couple was given five days to vacate — or sign a new lease and pay all owed rent, documents revealed.

* Daily Herald | How we got here: A look at the ongoing billing dispute with the DuPage County clerk: For more than 16 months, the DuPage County Board and County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek have been at odds over how bills get paid and what she can or can’t do with her office’s budget. In a nutshell, the county insists that Kaczmarek must comply with the county’s accounting procedures — including filling out budget transfer requests when a line item runs short — to get bills paid. Kaczmarek, however, argues state law gives her control over her office — and the county board cannot delay payment of bills if there is enough money in her budget.

* Shaw Local | Report: Ogle County deputies’ use of deadly force justified during Lost Lake shooting: Ogle County deputies who used deadly force during a June shootout near Dixon will not face any criminal charges, according to a news release from Ogle County State’s Attorney Mike Rock. The decision, issued by the Winnebago State’s Attorney’s Office, comes after a review of the events leading up to a June 12 gunfire exchange between the Ogle County Emergency Response Team and Jonathon Gounaris, a Lost Lake resident.

* Daily Herald | Sugar Grove issues clarification on referendum petition: With multiple petitions circulating in opposition to the development, specifically one calling for the annexation to go to a referendum proposed by Thoughtful Progress Inc., the village issued a statement Sept. 18 to clarify that a referendum is not applicable to the annexation. “It appears that misconceptions have arisen regarding the recent annexation of the Crown property,” the statement reads. “Because this information has been posted directly to the Village’s Facebook page by one or more members of the public, the Village believes it is necessary to provide clarification.

* Daily Herald | How grants are helping Kane County manufacturers improve, be more competitive: They are the first grants awarded as part of the county’s new $1 million manufacturing program, a joint initiative with IMEC. The money came from federal American Rescue Plan Act COVID-19 recovery funds the county received. “In general, manufacturing is in quite an exciting time,” said Dave Boulay, president of IMEC. “This is our generation’s manufacturing moment.”

*** Downstate ***

* Tribune | Downstate racetrack to move ahead with casino, while Hawthorne in suburban Stickney fights lawsuit: Accel, a video gaming terminal operator, plans to invest $85 million to $95 million for temporary and permanent casinos on the site, while retaining racing, creating a “racino.” Accel’s five-year plan predicted the facility could generate $20 million to $25 million before paying taxes, debt and depreciation, creating a “compelling cash flow return.”

* WAND | DOJ: Taylorville woman ordered to pay $600k to YMCA in fraud case: The DOJ said Lori Zeitler, 65, worked at the Christian County YMCA for 32 years in various roles, including as bookkeeper. This week, she was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay restitution after being convicted of five counts of wire fraud. At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Zeitler stole at least $292,336.29 and was responsible for $600,000 in loss.

* Shaw Local | Bureau County coroner, state’s attorney forums set Oct. 2 in Princeton: A political forum for the Bureau County state’s attorney and coroner races is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at the Princeton Moose Lodge, 1339 N. Euclid Ave. Candidates will answer curated questions from the audience, with each candidate getting an opportunity to answer the same question.

* WCIA | Cass Co. sheriff warns residents against stealing political signs: In a post on Facebook on Sunday morning, the Sheriff said there have been multiple reports of political sings being stolen throughout the county. The Sheriff’s office also said that anyone caught stealing will be arrested. The post suggests supporting a candidate by talking about the individual platforms, rather than stealing a sign.

* WAND | Illinois drops to #24 after loss to Penn State: Following a 4-1 start with two ranked wins, the Illinois football team enters its first off week of the season ranked #24 in the AP Top 25 and #25 in the Coaches Poll. The Illini are ranked in the AP poll for the third straight week.

*** National ***

* Daily Herald | Casten, Conforti differ on abortion, but both oppose federal ban: Casten touted his sponsorship of legislation that would restore the federal abortion protections established by Roe. He also said he’s twice written to the U.S. Senate to urge it to eliminate the filibuster to prevent a minority of senators from holding up legislation. “We will continue to push for both of those,” Casten said.

* WSJ | ‘Three New York Cities’ Worth of Power: AI Is Stressing the Grid: Tech companies scouring the country for electricity to power artificial intelligence are increasingly finding there is a waiting list. In many places the nation’s high-voltage electric wires are running out of room, their connection points locked up by data centers for AI, new factories or charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

* Sun-Times | Did coffin flag from Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 funeral train wind up hidden away in Florida?: What Rhonda Hiser discovered behind a bookcase at the Museum of Southern History in Florida was an 1865 American presentation flag that she now believes was draped over the coffin of assassinated President Abraham Lincoln on the long train trip back to Springfield for his burial.

* Tribune | Farmers frustrated and environmental goals threatened by failure to pass a new farm bill: The comprehensive package of legislation that sets agriculture and food policy is supposed to be updated every five years. But partisan gridlock got in the way last year, forcing Congress to simply extend the 2018 bill another year. That extension expires Sept. 30 and, with a presidential election less than two months away, Congress isn’t focused on finalizing a new five-year plan. Experts say the lawmakers are likely to extend the 2018 bill again.