* ICYMI: Pritzker says Illinois ethics panel should release Harry Benton harassment report amid Welch office scrutiny. Tribune…

- It was clear in speaking to some lawmakers that the Tribune report threatened to reignite the turbulence that a #MeToo scandal in 2017 and 2018 created and prompted a revolt of Democratic women against longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan for failing to act promptly against a top aide accused of harassment.
- Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) said she appreciated Welch “taking action to remove Harry (Benton) and to ask for his resignation and to push him to remove his name from the ballot.” But of supporting Welch’s leadership in the future, she said, “I want to see how this plays out.”
- State Rep. Anne Stava, a Naperville Democrat and another one of the 19 House Democrats who didn’t back Madigan for speaker in 2021, said she has supported Welch, but now “I have some thinking to do on what would make me confident to support him going forward,” given the Tribune article.

* Related stories…

• WCIA: Alleged victim of Harry Benton says Welch took no action when harassment was first reported
• WTVO: Welch faces scrutiny over handling of sexual harassment allegations against Harry Benton
• CNI: The 7 applicants for former Rep. Harry Benton’s seat

* Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Center Square | Transit bill sponsor ok with recycled board appointments: “In some ways, regardless of who the appointee is, the statutory requirements as outlined by the NITA law will make sure that there is accountability and integration as envisioned by the Illinois General Assembly,” Villivalam told The Center Square. Villivalam said the law allows for NITA board members to also serve on boards for other transit agencies. “We have made sure that there’s overlapping board appointments, so people are communicating with one another,” Villivalam said.

* Mother Jones | Police Keep Losing Their Jobs For Using Flock Cameras To Stalk People: The Institute for Justice, a libertarian public-interest law firm, identified at least 24 similar cases nationwide of officers using automated license-plate reader (ALPR) cameras like Flock to stalk romantic interests over the past two years. Nearly all of those officers were criminally charged and lost their jobs. This month alone, at least six new cases were reported in local media outlets. Beyond Chapman’s case in Wisconsin, officers in Illinois, South Carolina, Texas, California, and Georgia all lost their jobs due to alleged misuse of Flock cameras.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Illinois Republican Party chair Bob Grogan aims to shake off ‘Stockholm syndrome’ of struggling state GOP: Grogan doesn’t push Trump’s false conspiracy theory of widespread voter fraud costing him the 2020 presidential election, and Grogan says his party needs to embrace mail voting the president has sowed doubt about. But the new chair is quick to note “no system is zero-fraud and zero-error” — including the one in DuPage County that saw him lose his bid for a third term as auditor. “In 2020, I lost by 76 votes out of a half a million, and I will tell you that the error rate was probably north of that, because we threw out over 800 ballots,” Grogan said. “People should know that every vote does count, and we want to count every vote accurately.”

* Tribune | As more warehouses are built near homes and schools in Illinois, studies raise alarms about elevated truck emissions: [Sen. Rachel Ventura] proposed Warehouse Pollution Reduction Act would classify large logistics facilities as indirect sources of air pollution, allowing the state to require emissions reduction plans and other mitigation measures. The legislation would also establish emissions reduction targets and require buffer zones between warehouses and nearby neighborhoods. Supporters of the state bill, like members of the Respiratory Health Association, view it as one of the few remaining avenues available to Illinois as federal diesel regulations face uncertainty.

* WAND | Illinois civil rights safeguard bill awaits Pritzker’s signature: A bill on Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk could strengthen the state’s civil rights protections amid federal rollbacks. This plan codifies the use of disparate impact standards within the Illinois Human Rights Act. Sponsors said the change will create stronger protections than the federal minimum by safeguarding people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, financial credit and public housing.

* ABC Chicago | Illinois takes action against new business promoted by Chicago businessman ‘Brandon Mr. Finance’: Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is warning consumers about a new business being promoted by Brandon Ellington, also known as “Brandon Mr. Finance,” and has issued a cease-and-desist order against the venture. The action comes after the secretary of state’s office received more than 300 complaints about Ellington since a previous ABC7 I-Team investigation aired, according to Giannoulias. Ellington, who is already facing scrutiny from state regulators, is now encouraging people to invest in a fragrance business called Rich Kats.

* Illinois Times | Exonoree restitution law expanded: The increase in compensation won’t impact James Kluppelberg, who spent 25 years wrongfully imprisoned and received a certificate of innocence in 2013. But, he says it is “what’s right” and is groundbreaking for people like him. People are released with no home, no clothes, no property…just a little plastic bag of their belongings. He said the exonorees are only asking for what they could have earned for themselves and to level the playing field somewhat.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Chicago bike lane ticketing program records big fines against delivery companies: Vehicles owned by Amazon Logistics, FedEx and UPS were charged a combined $460,000 for bus stop, bus lane and bike lane violations between November 2024 and early this May, according to the data. That doesn’t count independent contractors that work with those companies but use their own vehicles, or major firms that contract with the corporate giants for things like last mile delivery. Companies like Trans One Inc. and Northwest Express Inc., which contract with Fed Ex, for example, were fined about $48,000 and $30,000, respectively, for bus or bike lane violations, according to the data.

* Crain’s | O’Hare rebounds — but rivals make gains: The number of passengers flying through O’Hare rose 6% to 84.9 million, according to a ranking by Airports Council International World. The second-best performing U.S. airport on the global Top 20 list, Denver International Airport, was flat. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles International each showed declines in passengers last year. […] But that doesn’t mean everything is back to normal: Two of O’Hare’s primary competitors among big hub airports in the middle of the country — Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver — held steady or gave up a little ground last year. But they locked in what looks more and more like permanent gains coming out of the pandemic.

* Crain’s | Inside agency Manual’s visual identity for the Obama Presidential Center: “ When we were commissioned, they said there were two things we really couldn’t touch: the Obama logo, or the “Rising Sun” mark, as they call it. It’s incredibly iconic. It’s a fantastic mark, so we didn’t want to change it. The other was the typeface Gotham. Gotham is so inextricably linked to President Obama through the presidential campaign. It was such a defining typeface at that time. Those were the two things we knew we were going to build on.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Facing 30% toll hike, truckers warn of fallout for the industry, consumers and roads: As an example, I-PASS rates for a large truck at the Tri-State Waukegan plaza would grow from $15.90 now to $20.65, if the new plan, Driving Connections, is approved. Meanwhile, I-PASS users with passenger vehicles would see average per-mile rates increase from 7 cents to 11 cents, or 57% more. That translates into paying $2.25 at the Waukegan toll in 2027 instead of $1.40 now. “My expenses for tolls are going to go up almost half a million a year,” said Moran, who spends about $1.2 million in tolls annually. “That’s a lot of money and it’s going to roll right back to the consumers.”

* Daily Southtown | Calumet City moves $4 million from bond fund, prepares for budget discussions: The city last month approved a plan to pay back the $8 million owed to vendors through a new 5-year loan that Mayor Thaddeus Jones said would prevent the city from having to cut costs further. Jones said Friday the $4 million fund transfer will allow for some for the immediate payment of water and other bills before the loan is secured. He said the transfer is possible because city doesn’t expect to use any money from the bond fund, meant for water infrastructure projects, within the next year.

* Tribune | Bellwood cop accused of using database to tip off acquaintance: The photos appeared to provide information on the status of the River Forest case, including that it was being investigated as a felony. A text from Mikey Davis also appears to advise the BMW owner to “put that car in a garage or something & I would strongly advise to sell it so that you can get rid of those plates,” according to prosecutors. River Forest police later determined that Mikey Davis was a Bellwood officer and notified Cook County sheriff’s police, who launched their own investigation.

* Pioneer Press | Maine Township getting state funding for new food pantry building: According to a news release, the property located at 9850 Milwaukee Avenue was officially purchased for $ 1 million on July 10. The new dual $500,000 grants totaling $1 million will help with direct and indirect costs for the new location’s acquisition, development and maintenance costs. “We are so grateful to Senator Laura Murphy and State Representative Justin Cochran for their continued advocacy for the needs of Maine Township by securing funding for these initiatives,” Supervisor Kim Jones said in a statement. “Our Township and the evolving needs of residents continue to grow and expand. Securing this funding for the new state-of-the-art Food Pantry will go a very long way to continue meeting and exceeding these needs.”

*** Downstate ***

* Tribune | In rural southern Illinois, a cattle farmer fights back against an emerging threat from above: She needed permission, at first, because black vultures are protected by federal law. In 2021, though, after years of accounts from farmers with horror stories of attacks and dead calves, the Illinois Farm Bureau began issuing black vulture depredation permits, acquired through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Meanwhile, more of the birds have arrived. They long made homes in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast, and now they’ve found comfort in the warming Midwest.

* News-Gazette | Drones, new app additional tools for Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department: The Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department used a drone to monitor traffic patterns to see what they need to do different for the future. But they also used it more as a perimeter watch, too, with the event being at a county park rather than the airport and its confined fenced-in area. If a child or someone wandered off out of sight in the woods or somewhere, the department could send someone to check on them to make sure everything was fine.

* WGLT | Normal considers updating code of conduct to address homeless population in and near Uptown Station: Home Sweet Home Ministries told WGLT they’ve noticed an increase in homeless people gathering at various locations throughout Bloomington-Normal since several encampments were disrupted. A recent count by Home Sweet Home indicated 11 people on the Uptown Station property during one visit. The proposed ordinance states that behaviors that interfer with transit operations and security, such as lying down, using bedding, establishing a temporary living area, storing personal property and obstructing access points will lead to a verbal warning and request for them to move.

* WCIA | Coles Co. Dragway set to reopen in two weeks: The Coles County Dragway is preparing for its reopening in two weeks after suffering damage during June 17th’s tornado. Owner Mike Erwin said three buildings were destroyed along with light poles. The leftover damage is still lying in piles on the property. He said being closed for six weeks has hurt the business badly, but he’s grateful for all the help from community members in getting it up and running. He noted the National Hot Rod Association donated a new tower for the starting line.

* WGLT | Air quality alert extended into Monday as haze remains in Bloomington-Normal: Large portions of the region are affected, stretching from Knox County through Peoria, Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana to communities as far south as Lawrence and Richland Counties. Canadian wildfire smoke has caused air pollution to spread across much of the northern U.S., including Northern Illinois. The NWS said wildfire smoke has now spread into Central and Southern Illinois, causing air quality to reach dangerous levels that is particularly unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, seniors, pregnant women and those with chronic conditions affecting the heart or lungs such as asthma, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

*** National ***

* AP | Why American elections are so complicated — and secure: America’s highly decentralized system of voting exists because the nation’s Founding Fathers gave authority over elections to the states, rather than the federal government. While Congress has the power to regulate elections — and has used that authority to pass such laws as the Voting Rights Act — the Constitution makes clear that states have primary authority to set the “times, places and manner” for elections.

* Axios | GOP midterm strategy: Make it a “hate election”: “We’ve studied this, and it’s not a winner,” said a Republican pollster working on multiple races nationwide. “Our research shows people want the president to make their life better, and they don’t believe he has. The pollster’s data now indicate Democrats could wind up with a seven-seat majority in the House, where Republicans currently have a six-seat edge. Trump’s net approval rating is underwater by 10 points.

* Consumer Reports | Cyclospora-Linked Lettuce Was Sent to 27 States, Including to Walmart and Jack in the Box: The recalled iceberg lettuce products were sent to Walmart stores and major food service distributors, including Sysco, in 27 states between June 29 and July 16. The states that received the implicated lettuce, which the Food and Drug Administration said was being recalled due to possible contamination with the parasite cyclospora, were: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.