* KWQC…

Every law enforcement agency in Illinois must have body cameras by Jan. 1, 2025, but with less than 80 days until the deadline, Illinois State Police say they’re in a pilot phase.

Both the Governor JB Pritzker’s Office and State Police confirm the agency is in a pilot phase with 982 officers outfitted out of 1800 troopers. Pritzker’s office and State Police said all troopers will be properly outfitted before the deadline.

In 2021, the Illinois General Assembly passed the SAFE-T Act which included a mandate for all law enforcement agencies with different enforcement dates depending on how many people the department serves.

January 1, 2022 - +500,000 people
January 1, 2023 - 100,000-500,000 people
January 1, 2024 - 50,000-100,000 people
January 1, 2025 - -50,000 people & state agencies

[…]

What happens if State Police don‘t have their body cameras on time? As TV6 Investigates dug into the issue, it turns out there’s virtually no punishment for violating the mandate.

* WTTW…

After a week of questioning, a dozen people have been seated as jurors in ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s landmark corruption trial, but opening statements are not expected until next week as jury selection remains ongoing.

One additional juror was seated Thursday after none were selected following full days of questioning Tuesday and Wednesday at the Dirksen Federal Building, where Madigan and his longtime confidant Michael McClain stand accused of racketeering, bribery and wire fraud.

That brings the total number of jurors to 12 — enough for a full jury. One alternate was also seated Thursday morning, but five more are still needed before opening statements and the evidence phase of the trial can begin.

*** Statewide ***

* WAND | Illinois Deer Donation Program returns for 3rd donation season as ‘Hunters Feeding Illinois’: Hunters Feeding Illinois connects hunters, meat processors, and food pantries to support access to lean protein for Illinois residents and families. The expanded partnership covers 16 counties in east-central Illinois and 16 counties in southern Illinois. […] Hunters can donate whole harvested deer at no cost. Partnering meat processors are prepared to accept donated deer with the start of deer hunting season in October. Because processing volume increases throughout the season, hunters are encouraged to call processors in advance to confirm they have slots to accept deer. Processors have a select number of slots for donated deer, which becomes more limited as the season continues.

*** Chicago ***

* CBS Chicago | Mom wants Chicago Public Schools to stop sending kids to New York special ed boarding school, claims abuse: The CBS News Chicago Investigators have discovered that the school, Shrub Oak, has been investigated for reports of abuse and neglect. Yet, the Chicago Public Schools continue sending kids there. “There are kids that are nonverbal, that can’t speak for themselves, and that is very upsetting,” said Joanna Grenrock, the mother of a former Shrub Oak student.

* Block Club | Rogers Park Alderwoman Rejects Plan To Build 6-Story Apartment Building On Vacant Lot: Hadden decided against signing off on the proposal after hearing “major concerns” from neighbors, she said in a statement. Among neighbors’ top complaints were the density of the building, the inclusion of only nine parking spaces and the possibility of further traffic congestion in the neighborhood, Hadden said.

* Sun-Times | Host committee for Chicago’s DNC spent $89 million on convention, raised $97 million: The report from the Development Now for Chicago, the host committee’s official name, also states the committee has about $14 million cash-on-hand with some $6.3 million in bills still outstanding from the August presidential convention nominating Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

* WBEZ | New pilot project to create retirement support for Chicago musicians: Freelance musicians don’t have the benefits many 9-to-5 jobs offer, like retirement accounts or health benefits. A group called Golden Egg, in partnership with the Experimental Sound Studio, is trying to change that through a matching grant program funded through the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. It will select 16 artists to receive a share of $50,000 to put into a retirement fund.

* Crain’s | Ken Griffin puts another unfinished penthouse up for sale, this one at $9 million: Griffin is asking $9 million for the 7,500-square-foot 37th floor at No. 9 Walton. He put it on the market yesterday evening, two days after his real estate agents changed the listing for his $11 million 38th floor to show that a buyer has it under contract with a contingency.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Public beaches in Lake in the Hills? Board cool to proposal: Lake in the Hills mulled the idea of opening up its beaches to nonresidents for a fee, but the proposal got a lukewarm response from the village board. Currently, people who don’t live in Lake in the Hills can access its beaches only if they’re accompanied by someone who lives in town. And that is anticipated to remain the case, despite village staff suggesting a fee for nonresidents.

* Daily Southtown | Ford Heights appoints 2 new trustees, 1 with family connection to convicted former Mayor Charles Griffin: The Ford Heights Village Board voted Wednesday to appoint a longtime friend of interim Mayor Freddie Wilson as village trustee, as well as a man with a family connection to convicted former Mayor Charles Griffin. Wilson was named interim mayor last month following Griffin’s conviction for embezzlement.

*** Downstate ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Questions remain over whether Sangamon County followed policy in deadly pursuit: As the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office led a multi-county pursuit last month that ended in the death of a 43-year-old Kansas man, Illinois State Police directed troopers not to participate. A Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office news release issued a week after Kirtis Shane Davenport’s death stated “various other law enforcement agencies” assisted, but ISP confirmed they did not participate, citing the agency’s pursuit policy.

* WAND | Champaign City Council accepts over $700,000 grant for asylum-seekers: Following the designation of a Certified Welcoming Place nearly a year ago, Champaign City Council accepted a grant to provide services for asylum-seeking migrant refugees. A portion of the grant — about $709,705 — will be awarded to the New American Welcome Center at the University YMCA. […] Akua Forkuo-Sekyere, the Director at New American, said that the grant will allow them to continue funding their program. “It truly is exciting to be able to have funding to support new arrivals in our community,” said Forkuo-Sekyere.

* WCIA | Champaign Co. woman serves in her fifth presidential election: The nation is gearing up to see who will be next in line for the White House. On the local level, people like Ann Prisland are making sure every vote is accounted for. […] This will be her fifth presidential election working as an election judge. She and others in the role are responsible for checking in voters, verifying their identities and providing them with ballots.

* WCIA | ‘I was doing everything right’: Douglas Co. Animal Shelter manager speaks out on board’s decision to fire her: Last week, the Douglas County Board suspended Douglas County Animal Shelter Manager Spencer Hall with pay. Now, as of a hearing on Tuesday morning, she was told she is officially fired from her position. Hall said there are multiple reasons why, including the incident earlier this month where the county resolved a cruel treatment investigation with a Murdoch dog owner. The resolution gave the owner four of his original 11 dogs back after the shelter seized them during the case.

* NPR Illinois | Illinois Symphony Orchestra season opens with ‘Festive Fanfare’: The Illinois Symphony Orchestra (ISO) begins its 2024-2025 season with “Festive Fanfare.” The concert, conducted by ISO music director Taichi Fukumura, will feature Walton’s Spitfire Prelude and Fugue, Coleridge-Taylor’s Violin Concerto with violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason, and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8.

* BND | It used to be a convent, now this Belleville house is a do-it-yourself punk venue: “As soon as we moved we were like, ‘this is too much house to do nothing with,” said Gabe Kimme, who bought the house with his partner, Jackie Eberle, and turned it into “The Nunnery,” a DIY music space that is simultaneously secretive and non-exclusive.

*** National ***

* Texas Monthly | The Border Crisis Won’t Be Solved at the Border: Whenever Texas politicians threaten to pass laws that would make it harder for businesses to employ undocumented workers, phones in the Capitol start ringing. Stuck with the need to show their base that they’re cracking down on migrants, politicians, including Abbott, have instead found a middle ground: They keep up their bombast regarding the border, but they avoid stringing any razor wire between undocumented immigrants and jobs in the state’s interior.

* NYT | This Is Post-Roe America: Even when the consequences haven’t been that dire, the day-to-day reality of abortion in America’s left-behind places now involves navigating constant undercurrents of confusion and fear: Is this pill I found on the internet safe? If I miscarry, is anyone going to help me? Or, in the cases of some doctors: How can I help this patient without getting arrested?

* WSJ | The Old-School Spy Tactics Helping to Set Your Grocery Prices: Grocery-store operators scrutinize the websites and promotions of rivals and send managers to walk through competitors’ stores to help establish what shoppers will pay for items. Companies commonly use rivals’ prices as a benchmark in setting their own, but these tactics have gained attention from government antitrust lawyers seeking to block a $20 billion merger between Kroger KR -0.57% and Albertsons ACI 0.05%, the respective largest and second-largest U.S. supermarket chains by sales.