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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Jul 7, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* The governor is set to headline the Cap Times Fest in September…
* Capitol News Illinois | ‘We think about the state in the same way’: Mitchell ready to back up Pritzker: Pritzker told reporters in the days after he launched his campaign he was looking for a running mate who shared the same affinity for Illinois and was qualified to step in as governor if required. He said he picked Mitchell more than a week before announcing his reelection in late June, but he declined to say how many people he considered. “He is somebody that I have grown to trust,” Pritzker said at an event in Peoria. “I’ve seen him usher enormous legislation through the legislature. … He’s a guy who knows how to get big things done and I’ve worked with him to get it done and I’m excited for the people of Illinois to get to know him.” * Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker’s running mate is a fellow Chicagoan, but says he will ‘represent all of Illinois’: The Chicago versus downstate dynamic in has been an source of friction in state politics for years, and Pritzker’s choice figures to play into that issue going forward. For his part, Mitchell, 38, said he is ready to meet people from all over Illinois. “In a tavern, at a bar, at a coffee shop, I’m willing to go anywhere, because my goal is to represent all of Illinois,” he said, after he and Pritzker spent about a half hour greeting a crowd of supporters and early lunch customers at Peach’s, whose website features a photo of former President Barack Obama at the restaurant’s counter. * Sun-Times | Chicago sees least violent Fourth of July in at least 6 years: Nine people were killed and 40 others were injured in citywide violence over the holiday weekend, making it the least violent Fourth of July weekend in at least six years. The weekend runs from 5 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Monday, meaning late Wednesday’s mass shooting — which left four dead and 14 others injured — was not counted in the total. At a summer safety news conference Thursday, Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood said the city had extended hours of street outreach workers to 3 a.m. and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said police planned to target areas where large groups gather, such as beaches, to help ensure a safer weekend which was enough to keep violence in the city at bay. * Crain’s | Ald. Walter Burnett in the running to lead the Chicago Housing Authority: If bypassed, he’s flirting with a run for Congress if U.S. Rep. Danny Davis doesn’t seek a 16th term. And if neither option pans out, he’s considering offers from the private sector. The only near certainty is if and when he does depart the City Council, he’ll push to keep the seat in the family. “I’m at that age. I’m 30 years in, so we’re looking at all of our options,” Burnett told Crain’s, saying the CHA appointment is only under consideration by Johnson. * Chicago Reader | Chicago keeps controversial police promotion list secret: Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson took the unprecedented step of publicly releasing the names of officers who had received merit-based promotions since 2006, along with their nominators. […] But the brief window of transparency has slammed shut. After revelations about his 2016 merit promotion to sergeant prompted greater scrutiny, Poulos’s 2024 promotion to lieutenant happened in the dark—because the city now claims that the release of records about the manner of an officer’s promotion would be an invasion of their privacy, a claim rejected by public records and civil rights attorneys. The public has no way of knowing whether he received his most recent promotion through the exam or the merit system. * Out | These two Black transgender women are ‘shining beacons’ leading Chicago through anti-trans backlash: Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis, who made history in 2024 as the first Black openly transgender woman elected to public office in Cook County, and Channyn Lynne Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance, are confronting a national moment marked by cruelty, disinformation, and legislative assault. In candid interviews, both described their work not as survival but as leadership — grounded in service, community, and defiance of erasure. “I feel that Republicans, the President of the United States, were elected on the backs of $250 million worth of lies,” Brady-Davis said, referring to the documented ad spending by Trump-aligned campaigns that saturated network television with anti-trans content in 2024. “That ad campaign wasn’t just about winning votes — it was about trying to erase us.” * Crain’s | Look inside the new Chicago Board of Trade museum: Open outcry trading pit relics, an immersive theater, and nods to the Chicago Board of Trade Building’s history in movies and TV are part of a new museum opening this week at the Loop landmark, an attraction the tower’s owner and city officials hope will help bring new foot traffic to vacancy-ridden LaSalle Street. Boosted by a $250,000 grant from the city’s Small Business Improvement Fund, a new Chicago Board of Trade Building Museum officially debuts tomorrow on the ground floor at 141 W. Jackson Blvd. * Block Club | Strange Bar Sunday Has Tracked Chicago’s Weirdest Watering Holes For More Than A Decade: The pair’s Strange Bar Sunday Instagram account follows them as they explore dives, clubs, bars and everything in between. At first, the men only had each other as followers. They now have tens of thousands of fans, but their approach, presented in “fly-on-the-wall,” documentary-style posts, hasn’t changed, they said. * Lake McHenry Scanner | Lake County deputy files lawsuit against sheriff, state’s attorney alleging he was demoted as part of political retaliation: Ari Briskman, who is a Lake County sheriff’s deputy, filed a lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg and Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart. Briskman alleges that Idleburg and Rinehart violated his First Amendment rights of free speech and association. […] Rinehart is accused of “consorting” with Idleburg in generating the complaint and “working together [to] orchestrate the disciplinary action against Briskman.” The suit said Idleburg sent sheriff’s deputies to Cole’s office to “interrogate her” about the circumstances of the photo while they demanded documents, emails, photos and other information from Cole. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora considers facility improvement projects totaling $1 million: The Aurora City Council at its meeting Tuesday is set to consider two facility improvement projects totaling roughly $1 million. One project would replace the roofs of two downtown city buildings, including the fifth floor of City Hall, while the other would renovate a room within the Aurora Police Department headquarters building to expand the department’s digital forensic program. Last Tuesday, the Aurora City Council’s Committee of the Whole placed both items on the upcoming Aurora City Council meeting’s consent agenda, which is typically reserved for routine or non-controversial items that are all approved with one vote instead of needing to vote on and talk about each individual item. The Committee of the Whole did not specifically discuss either of the two projects. * Daily Southtown | South, southwest suburban libraries to receive $1.3 million in state funding: Nearly 50 libraries in the south and southwestern suburbs will receive more than $1.3 million in state funding as part of an annual grant program awarding more than 600 public libraries across Illinois $20 million. The Orland Park and Oak Lawn public libraries will receive the largest grant, at just over $86,000 each. Orland Park Public Library Director Mary Adamowski said the library plans to use the money to expand its collection of books and materials. * Tribune | Long after the fuss over Pope Leo XIV, the village of Dolton will still be here: If you’re planning a pilgrimage to the pope’s hometown this summer, keep that in mind: Dolton was never a remarkable place, and never asked to be considered remarkable. […] Dolton has good history and bad history, and lawns, stores, squirrels, parks, good people, bad people, boring people, people with too much to say, people with nothing to say. It’s seen plenty of characters: The grandma in the 1800s who would drag her rocking chair out to new railroad construction sites and knit all day, hoping to block yet another soot-spewing steam engine from lumbering into town. The mayor (Ira Hastings) who served from 1935 to 1957, having found his calling after knocking around minor-league baseball — a stint so bad, he played on 12 different teams in only four years and retired with exactly zero home runs and zero RBIs. More ominously, there was that friendly guy down at the local trophy shop (Trophys Are Us), the one who turned out to be a serial killer (David Maust). And that Marine radio operator who was in Desert Storm, who also turned out to be a serial killer (Andrew Urdiales). * Daily Herald | Kane County voters asked to confirm clerk’s office has up-to-date info: Clerk John A. Cunningham said the cards were mailed in June and asked voters to review them, make sure information on the card is correct and contact his office in case of any errors. “The card is your official documentation as a registered voter in Kane County,” Cunningham said in a news release. * WCIA | Family of Sonya Massey celebrates her life, community provides support 1 year after her death: Sunday marked the one year anniversary of the death of Sonya Massey. For her community — a year spent fighting for justice in the wake of tragedy. […] Her death ended up sparking a movement… a campaign that her family continues to fight for. Now, they want people to know her name or better yet, say her name. “Our goal is, to do whatever we have to do to make sure that this does not happen again,” Ray said. * WCIA | Chatham Strong Fest raises $140k for families impacted by after-school tragedy: That’s why organizers created the Chatham Strong Festival to show just how resilient their village is when faced with tragedy. “I think just having children, everyone who also has a small child or could have been impacted by this, needs to show that we want to help the families, whatever they may need now or in the future,” Nichole White said. Organizers said they’ve already raised more than $140,000 out of a goal of $250,000. People looking to help the Chatham families out can donate by clicking here. * Crain’s | Rockford-based health system closes one of its hospitals: Mercyhealth has closed its Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton and filed for a temporary suspension of services, while some medical offices at the campus in Rockford remain open. Rockford-based Mercyhealth has hospitals in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, including a second Javon Bea Hospital campus in Rockford and a hospital in Crystal Lake. […] Mercyhealth has said in filings that the patient census at Rockton is not large enough to warrant continued operations and that other hospitals in the Rockford area, including its Javon Bea Hospital-Riverside, are more than sufficient to meet the community’s needs. * Advantage News | Raley formalizes bid for Congress: Randy Raley will seek the Democrat nomination in the 2026 primary, promising a quote “bullet train” style campaign where he plans to introduce himself to voters across the sprawling 15th District. His hope is to advance to next year’s general election, then defeat incumbent Republican Mary Miller. * Banking Dive | NCUA closes 2 credit unions in 2 days: The National Credit Union Administration said Tuesday it has liquidated Marion, Illinois-based Aldersgate Federal Credit Union, which was placed into conservatorship last month. Aldersgate FCU violated several provisions of the Federal Credit Union Act and NCUA rules and regulations, including operating in an “unsafe and unsound manner,” the agency said. * WNIJ | Off-grid charging benches on Northern Illinois University’s campus in line with its sustainability goals: Northern Illinois University received four benches for free from a solar charging company. They’ve got eight charging spots and a shady overhang where the solar panel is installed. Matt Deitch is the program director with Northern Illinois Sustainability Center. He said that small changes like this around campus can have a big impact. “And it seems like something that that’s so simple, right?” he said, “but at the same time, it’s this really innovative thing. Why don’t we have these all over? Why do we not have these at every college campus or every place where people are meeting? As we see what they can do, people will be more interested in having them around.” * Illinois Times | An intermission for change: Temporary closure brings much-needed refresh to UIS Performing Arts Center: The Public Affairs Center building at UIS is undergoing a major plumbing replacement project that will temporarily close the UIS Studio Theatre and Sangamon Auditorium. While this may be disappointing news for the patrons who look forward to our events, it also marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Because, let’s face it, after more than 40 years, Sangamon Auditorium is ready for its “second act.” * WCIA | Train partially derails in Decatur, cleanup underway: Norfolk Southern:: Officers with the Decatur Police Department responded around 8 a.m. The fire department also responded to the scene Monday morning to ensure that there was no danger to the public. A representative from Norfolk Southern said the cars were loaded up with soybeans, and that no one was injured in the accident. * The Atlantic | RFK Jr.’s Autism Time Machine: The problem begins, in the researchers’ view, with Kennedy’s grasp of the science, which they say he either doesn’t understand or refuses to acknowledge. For instance, Kennedy has complained that too much money has been spent studying genetic causes of autism, describing this avenue as “a dead end.” Between sessions at the conference, the geneticist Joseph Buxbaum sat with us in an empty meeting room and sketched out on a piece of cardboard the numbers and timeline that demonstrate all that’s wrong with this viewpoint. Autism’s genetic underpinnings were first uncovered through studies of twins in the 1970s. Access to the human genome has now revealed that about 80 percent of the odds of being autistic are rooted in heritability. At INSAR this year, one of the most optimistic presentations focused on the progress being made toward genetics-based treatments. “It is shocking,” Buxbaum said of Kennedy’s apparent disregard for experts’ input. * Huff Post | National Public Health Groups Sue RFK Jr. Over Vaccine Policy: The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians and other major national public health organizations filed a lawsuit Monday against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to defend science-based vaccine policy. The groups are suing Kennedy over his “arbitrary and capricious” directive to change COVID vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant people. Specifically, they are charging Kennedy and HHS with intentionally misleading the public about anti-vaccine rhetoric, through actions like blocking communications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and announcing studies to investigate non-existent links between vaccines and autism. * NYT | Officials Feared Flood Risk to Youth Camps but Rejected Warning System: Kerr County had discussed buying such things as water gauges and sirens after previous flood disasters. But as with many rural Texas counties, cost was an issue. Eight years ago, in the aftermath of yet another river flood in the Texas Hill Country, officials in Kerr County debated whether more needed to be done to build a warning system along the banks of the Guadalupe River. But was that enough? Officials considered supplementing the system with sirens and river gauges, along with other modern communications tools. “We can do all the water-level monitoring we want, but if we don’t get that information to the public in a timely way, then this whole thing is not worth it,” said Tom Moser, a Kerr County commissioner at the time. * AP | National Guard troops protect immigration officers in large-scale LA operation: About 90 members of the California National Guard and over a dozen military vehicles like Humvees are helping protect immigration officers Monday as they carry out a raid in a Los Angeles park, defense officials said. The operation in MacArthur Park, which is in a neighborhood with a large immigrant population about 2 miles west of downtown LA, includes 17 Humvees, four tactical vehicles, two ambulances and the armed soldiers. It comes after President Donald Trump deployed thousands of Guard members and active duty Marines to the city last month following protests over previous immigration raids.
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