* ICYMI: Judge’s decision in gun ban challenge weeks away as state also set to appeal concealed carry ruling. Tribune…

A trial over the constitutionality of Illinois’ ban on certain high-powered firearms ended this week after four days of arguments and now is in the hands of a federal judge who is expected to make a decision within the next few months.

The trial before U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn concluded in East St. Louis on Thursday. Lawyers for gun rights advocates and for the state were instructed to submit additional trial-related paperwork by Oct. 21 and a ruling from McGlynn could come a few weeks after that.

On the same day the trial ended, the Illinois attorney general’s office announced it would appeal a ruling in a separate case in which a judge found that the state’s prohibition on allowing residents with concealed carry licenses to carry guns on public transportation violated the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

A common thread in the two gun cases are arguments over a new constitutional test requiring gun laws to be historically consistent with laws on the books in the 18th century, when the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms was written. This arose from the landmark 2022 case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, in which the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative 6-3 majority established the new standard.

* Related stories…

∙ State Week: A court weighs the future of Illinois’ assault weapons ban
∙ Capitol News Illinois: State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban

At 8:45 am Governor Pritzker will give remarks at National Association of State Treasurers Annual Conference. At 10:25 am, the governor will speak at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research Power+ Summit. Click here to watch.

* Crain’s | Assault weapons ban would have prevented 38 mass shootings, Northwestern study says: The study, published today in the journal JMIR Public Health & Surveillance, is the first to consider how many mass shootings the ban would have prevented, the health system said in a press release. The federal ban on certain military-style automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines was enacted in 1994 and ended in 2004, during which time Northwestern estimates it prevented five public mass shootings.

* Tribune | With jury deadlock ending La Schiazza trial, prosecutors in looming Madigan case face clear challenge: Closing arguments in the federal trial of former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza, who was accused of bribing House Speaker Michael Madigan, brought an expected crowd to a Chicago courtroom. But only one spectator could claim to have had a direct influence on the proceedings. That was James Snyder, the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, whose fight to overturn his own bribery case ended with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that raised the bar for prosecutors in a number of Illinois public corruption cases.

* SJ-R | Lawmakers weighing use of solitary confinement in Illinois prison. Here’s what to know.: Last year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation making it illegal to confine incarcerated youth in solitary confinement for any purpose other than preventing immediate physical harm. Now advocates and lawmakers are calling for limits of the practice for incarcerated adults. There appeared to be momentum brewing during the spring session for such legislation — dubbed the Nelson Mandela Act — passing out of committee and wracking up dozens of Democratic co-sponsors. If passed, it would have limited solitary confinement to no more than 10 consecutive days or 10 days within a 180-day period.

* Treasurer Michael Frerichs | Hey, Stellantis, a deal is a deal. Open the Belvidere plant now: You don’t need a PhD in Economics to understand basic supply and demand or to question why market conditions are an impediment to Stellantis, but not to the same extent as Ford or General Motors. Market conditions certainly did not prohibit Stellantis from rewarding Tavares with a $39 million annual compensation package, an increase of 56 percent. Nor has it prompted the CEO to return some of that compensation until market conditions improve.

* WAND | Illinois House Republicans renew calls for property tax reform: “Illinois is still poised to be a leading economy in our nation,” Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) said Thursday. “But we’re certainly never going to do it by overtaxing homeowners until they either lose their properties or are rendered valueless or we drive businesses out of our state.” Republicans argue the state should set aside 25% of its revenue each year to make pension payments and send more money to schools. Ugaste said his plan could save taxpayers $82.4 billion over the next 21 years. Although, his bill has never moved out of committee.

* Quantum Insider | AOL’s Founder Predicted A Midwest Tech Hub: A Decade Later, Illinois’ Quantum Ecosystem Is Fulfilling The Prophecy: The idea that a tech hub could rise in the Midwest once seemed improbable. For decades, Silicon Valley has long been synonymous with “epicenter of innovation.” However, predictions of a Midwest resurgence, made nearly a decade ago by AOL’s founder Steve Case—are beginning to take shape. Illinois is positioning itself as a quantum computing hub through tax incentives, major investments, and a growing quantum ecosystem, as demonstrated by recent developments in the state.

* Sun-Times | Chicago organizers work to ease Black-brown tension over the influx of migrants: The conversations between Latino and Black Chicagoans began earlier this year, alternating between locations in the mostly Black neighborhood of East Garfield Park and the largely Latino neighborhood of Pilsen. An event on Sept. 12 brought together about 35 people to discuss disciplinary practices in public schools. Other discussions have centered around law enforcement, housing, jobs and immigration. Some Black participants say that before these dialogues, they hadn’t taken the time to try to understand Latinos and their struggles.

* Chicago Reader | Henry V, portrait of a serial killer: Directed by Chicago Shakes artistic director Edward Hall (whose brilliant 2003 Rose Rage remains a seminal production at the Navy Pier theater), Henry (Elijah Jones, in full command of the stage) goes to war for two reasons: A) because his feelings have been hurt by a child (the Dauphin of France and a prank involving tennis balls) and B) because he’s so wrapped up in his ego that he fails to understand the bishops convincing him to invade France only want war as a means of fattening church coffers. Yes, Henry’s eve-of-battle St. Crispin’s Day Speech is an inspiration to underdogs through history. But when Jones’s Henry unleashes the passage with fire-breathing righteousness, urging his men to invade a sovereign country where countless will be slaughtered, it feels dangerous and disingenuous.

* Block Club | Rain Flushes Away Chicago’s Foul Smell: On Sunday, the seemingly endless string of sunny, 80-degree days this month came to an end as rain storms rolled through the city. The National Weather Service forecasted rains and possible thunderstorms for the city through the day Sunday. The rain was much needed for multiple reasons. Before Sunday, September had only seen 0.04 inches of rain, compared to the monthly average of 1.73 inches, according to the National Weather Service. The lack of rain has led to drought conditions for much of the Midwest, including Chicago and Illinois, according to NBC 5.

* Sun-Times | White Sox tie 1962 Mets’ record with 120th loss: With their fifth consecutive defeat and 23rd in the last 28 games, the Sox fell to 36-120 to tie the expansion 1962 Mets’ record for most losses in the modern era and break the 2003 Tigers’ AL-record 119 losses. “It’s very frustrating; it’s not what we want,” said Miguel Vargas, who homered off Yu Darvish. “We don’t want to be on this side of history.”

* Tribune | As suicide deaths become more common among young kids in Illinois, one Waukegan mom mourns her 10-year-old daughter: After losing her daughter, Gaines said she’s felt sadness, grief and, at times, guilt. Gaines isn’t alone in her experience. Suicide among young people is a “challenging and prevalent problem,” with Black and LGBTQ+ kids, who are at disproportionate risk nationally and in Chicago, according to Dr. Aron Janssen, a vice chair at the psychiatry and behavioral health department at Lurie Children’s Hospital.

* WGN | Cook County welding renaissance: Latinas Welding Guild helps bridge the gap: “We want this to be a space where anyone can grow and learn and develop in their welding skills,” said Jessica Rodriguez Hernandez, Deputy Director of the Latinas Welding Guild. “When We started the organization, it was really with the intent to help women get into the trades. But as we realized it wasn’t just women who needed those doors to be open.

* Daily Herald | Barrington gearing up for more discussion of Motor Werks expansion: The Motor Werks auto dealership’s proposed expansion of its Barrington campus will undergo further scrutiny by village officials and residents next week. The plan commission will reconvene Sept. 30 as it considers the proposal, which calls for a new Porsche facility, a parking garage with restaurant and retail elements, an expanded showroom and another high-end dealership to the site on Dundee Road between Barrington Road and Grove Avenue.

* AP | A historic but dilapidated Illinois prison will close while replacement is built, despite objections: The prison is behind on maintenance by $286 million, according to a long-range capital needs study released in May 2023. It identified $12 million in immediate upgrades, but Hughes said that “grossly underestimates the full spectrum of urgent needs.” Wood’s court order focused on falling chunks of concrete, bird feathers and feces and foul-smelling tap water.

* Sun-Times | North Carolina GOP gov candidate Mark Robinson drops Chicago-area fundraiser after vile posts surface: Robinson, the lieutenant governor of North Carolina, a key presidential battleground state, scrubbed the Kenilworth visit, according to a post on the website of the Tenth Congressional District Republican Organization. On Saturday, the group’s website was no longer promoting Robinson’s event. Instead, on the organization’s “coming events” page, there was this message: “Welcome. Our earlier speaker cancelled, but we have secured a great Trump ally for this event! Stay tuned!”

* WAND | SEIU Local 73 blames short staff on wages at U of I: “We are disappointed that University management have failed to take negotiations seriously while continually posting threats against the workers,” said Joseph Richert, SEIU Local 73 Secretary-Treasurer. “From suspending civil service rules to intimidating workers about their access to healthcare, management continues to demonstrate a lack of respect for these essential employees. Our members are fully prepared to strike for as long as it takes to secure a contract that provides a living wage.”

* WCIA | Pharmacies in Central Illinois face medicine shortage: Hudson Drug and Hallmark shop in Paxton say they’ve been limited on their supply of Adderall and Ritalin. He says other pharmacies could be going through the same thing because of multiple different situations. These drugs could be high in demand, or several manufacturers aren’t making money off the specific item and other companies have to meet the need.

* WAND | Charleston Middle School student arrested for making threats: The Charleston Police Department said a Middle School student has been detained on preliminary felony juvenile charges for making a threat to a student, to pull a fire-alarm. They say the student also threatened to commit additional violence on school grounds. The student is facing several charges including making a terrorist threat, which is a Class X felony, and Disorderly Conduct, school threat, which is a Class 4 Felony.

* WCIA | U of I building service workers plan to strike Monday: According to an email sent to SEIU 73 members, the strike will begin at 7:00 a.m. In that same email, the Bargaining Committee asked workers who are scheduled to come in to not come to work. For those who are already working, they ask them to clock out and head to the picket line.

* Crain’s | Caterpillar joins Ford, Lowe’s in diversity rethink as backlash grows: Caterpillar Inc. is introducing new guidelines on external sponsorships and donations as part of a review of some of its DEI initiatives, after anti-diversity activist Robby Starbuck told the company he was preparing a social media attack against its policies. The construction and mining equipment maker, which in 2022 moved from Illinois to the Dallas area, said it will focus all employee training programs on fostering “high performance,” require senior manager approval for external speakers at company events, and implement new guardrails around its employee resource groups. The changes were communicated in a letter to employees that Starbuck shared on his social media page.

* Pantagraph | 2 Black Civil War veterans in Central Illinois fought to be citizens, voters: When the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was formally adopted on March 30, 1870, less than a week later both men exercised their newfound right to vote. Because of a special charter, El Paso’s city election was held one day earlier (Monday, April 4), than the rest of the elections held in the State of Illinois (Tuesday, April 5). However, when Strother arrived at the polls to vote, he was denied by one election judge, William Niefing, who stated “if any law existed entitling Negroes to vote he had not seen it.”

* The New Yorker | How inflation fooled almost everybody: Early in the current inflation debate, at least one highly placed group of economists did draw a more appropriate lesson from history. In a July, 2021, blog post, Cecilia Rouse, the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, and two colleagues—Jeffery Zhang and Ernie Tedeschi—highlighted the years immediately after the Second World War, when the U.S. inflation rate jumped to more than fourteen per cent in 1947 before falling back to minus one per cent by the end of 1949. In the course of the war, a lot of factories had been reoriented to produce armaments, which meant consumer goods were in short supply. After the fighting ended, households that were eager to get back to normal bought a lot of the goods and services they had been deprived of, and prices shot up. (Another factor: wartime price controls had been lifted.) “Today’s shortage of durable goods is similar,” the White House economists wrote. “A national crisis necessitated disrupting normal production processes.” They noted that the postwar inflationary period “ended after two years as domestic and foreign supply chains normalized and consumer demand began to level off.”

* DNYUZ | Elon Musk’s X Backs Down in Brazil: After defying court orders in Brazil for three weeks, Mr. Musk’s social network, X, has capitulated. In a court filing on Friday night, the company’s lawyers said that X had complied with orders from Brazil’s Supreme Court in the hopes that the court would lift a block on its site. The decision was a surprise move by Mr. Musk, who owns and controls X, after he said he had refused to obey what he called illegal orders to censor voices on his social network. Mr. Musk had dismissed local employees and refused to pay fines. The court responded by blocking X across Brazil last month.

* The Guardian | ‘A break from the heat’: Americans most affected by climate crisis head midwest: As a Rust belt town of 65,000 people in eastern Indiana, Muncie may not be the most exciting place in the world. It doesn’t have beaches, year-round warm weather or much in the way of cosmopolitanism. But for Laura Rivas, a cybersecurity engineer formerly of North Miami Beach, Florida, Muncie is perfect. Before she moved there in 2022, life in Florida had become unbearable.