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Republican challenger Liz Bishop Thursday morning released a video interview of the former chief of staff for incumbent Democrat Amy Murri Briel. During the interview, Laura Jackson levels a number of charges at Briel and the workplace she says Briel ran at the time of Jackson’s employment.

Jackson says she was sexually objectified by Briel, who allegedly said Jackson could be her “sexual prize” after winning the election. Jackson says Briel made the prescription stimulant Adderall readily available to her, to get more work out of Jackson during and immediately after the 2024 campaign. This is in addition to what Jackson says was Briel’s cannabis use in the office. […]

WLPO has contacted Rep. Briel for comment but has not received a reply.

The Bishop campaign tells WLPO that it was approached by Jackson after the former staffer had been unable to tell the story through other channels. Bishop is calling for Democratic Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch of Cook County to refuse to fund Briel’s campaign, and to demand that Briel resign her seat in Springfield.

* Sun-Times…

Two former ComEd officials could face trial all over again this February, four years after the feds first told a jury the pair had plotted to illegally influence former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.

The case against former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and longtime Madigan ally Michael McClain returned to the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Manish Shah on Thursday, for the first time since an appeals court ordered them released from prison and wiped out their 2023 convictions.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur told the judge it still isn’t clear how the case will ultimately be resolved. But she acknowledged, “we are ready to proceed to trial.” And Shah told the lawyers, “I want you to be thinking about February 2027.”

“It’s obviously a case of some vintage,” Shah said. “[It] has been tried before. So in theory, people could get prepared and be ready for it.”

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*** Statehouse News ***

* ABC Chicago | Republican candidates for midterm election share message of unity at Illinois State Fair: Republican voters are far outnumbered by Democrats in Illinois. The message from party leaders was that they are going to have to work harder than their opponents if they are going to win in November. They are hoping they have a policy message that resonates. Darren Bailey, the Republican candidate for governor got a standing ovation as he walked to the podium, offering a message of unity and focus. “Together, we work together. We can get this state back on the right track. We have to be focused on affordability, safety and education,” Bailey said.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Park District Installs Mobile Surveillance Cameras To Monitor Ronan Park Homeless Encampment: The Chicago Park District has deployed a new tool in Ronan Park to monitor a homeless encampment that has raised concerns among neighbors, especially after another fire broke out there this week. The district confirmed it placed a solar-powered mobile security trailer with surveillance cameras at the park at 2900 W. Lawrence Ave. over the weekend. Park District spokesperson Irene Tostado said the cameras were set up “to address safety concerns following numerous emergency service calls.” She did not immediately respond to followup questions on whether the cameras have been used in other parks.

* Block Club | How Will Illinois Tech Layoffs Impact Bronzeville?: The task force used the course to launch its six-week summer workforce enrichment program last year, with Illinois Tech providing the syllabus and offering instructional assistance for the teens and college students participating, Adams said. “[With the layoffs] we lost a high level of expertise, people who are passionate about design, people who would come up with design ideas for the project. That loss? You can’t measure,” Adams said.

* Crain’s | O’Hare overhaul shifts gears to speed up new global terminal: The Department of Aviation says the move will save money and time. It also will provide some operational flexibility during a major construction project. The airlines, which balked at building two satellites ahead of the global terminal that will replace Terminal 2 because of cost concerns, have signed off on the idea, which was first reported by Crain’s last year.


* Sun-Times | Gov. JB Pritzker declares ‘BTS Day’ in Illinois in honor of K-pop group’s visit to Chicago: Gov. JB Pritzker has officially declared Aug. 27 and 28 “BTS Day” in Illinois, according to a proclamation he signed earlier this month. The superstar musicians will perform sold-out shows on those days at Soldier Field as part of the septet’s “Arirang” world tour. The governor was petitioned by the fan group Chicago BTS Army and the HANA Center, an immigrant advocacy nonprofit in Irving Park. Both groups also launched a campaign to turn the Downtown skyline “Borahae Purple” — in honor of a popular phrase (“I purple you”) associated with the group.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Will County Board rejects hydro-excavation company opposed by Homer officials: he Will County Board voted Thursday to reject a plan by Badger Daylighting Corporation to operate an office and store its trucks on site after the case was delayed multiple times to allow the company to work out a potential compromise with Homer Glen and Homer Township officials. Village and township residents and officials have protested the nondestructive hydro-excavation business’s plan to relocate from Channahon to about 38 acres on 159th Street in Homer Township.

* Pioneer Press | New program for adults with developmental disabilities opens in Forest Park: his year, Russo opened CORE, a specialized day program in Forest Park that assists adults that have aged out of school-based care. People in the program work with therapists who assist with building vocational and social skills, learning life skills and discovering how to be independent while honing in on the four points that the organization’s acronym stands for: community, ownership, readiness and empowerment.

* WTTW | From Saddles to Seed Nursery, This Former Barrington Horse Farm Is Being Restored to Native Habitat: The Barrington-based nonprofit Citizens for Conservation (CFC) purchased the 232-acre parcel with the intent of returning the farm to its native wetland and prairie habitat. Last year, the organization moved its headquarters to what’s now Hill ‘N Dale Nature Preserve — repurposing an existing building — in order to gain an understanding of the land’s seasonal rhythms and to witness changes in real-time.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Paxton Mayor looking for solutions to city’s flooding problems, asking community to pitch in: Mayor Bill Ingold said solutions are being discussed right now within the city, and they center on the community pitching in. Once people cut their grass, they are being asked not to clog street drains with grass clippings and to avoid putting trash in the street, which causes a buildup. The city has been quoted a price of up to $8 million to fix these issues, and Ingold said he needs the community to buy in now more than ever.

* BND | St. Clair County lithium-ion battery power plant proposed: Zoning board members pressed Brown and other company representatives for more information about the plant’s daily management, including how personnel would detect problems and notify first responders. They also discussed possible disruptions to the community from noise and construction hours. “I know that this is St. Clair County’s first battery, but this is not RWE’s,” Brown told the board. “We’ve operated them, built them. We know how to do it safely, and we know how to do it where it has a limited impact to the overall community.”

* BND | After months of questions, Belleville council approves warming center: An initial vote on the proposal was tabled in March after several council members asked for more details before voting on a project they said could have regional implications. Cathedral of St. Peter Catholic Church offered the use of McCormick Center at 301 S. First St. The large, multi-use building includes a gymnasium, restrooms and a kitchen. The proposal came backed by Rev. Godfrey Mullen, the former Cathedral pastor, who has since been elevated to bishop for the Diocese of Belleville. He said “it doesn’t take a genius” to see the need for such a facility.

* WGLT | McLean County Emergency Management is testing drones for rural fire response: McAfee said the EMA, which operates as part of the county Sheriff’s Office, received a grant from Norfolk Southern to purchase the drone. So far, it has been used for search-and-rescue operations and to train cadaver dogs. Once the drone was a few hundred feet in the air, McAfee turned on the thermal imaging function. The drone has a display screen on its controller, which is about a foot wide. There’s another screen stationed on an EMA truck for command crews to observe.

* CNN | Video: Route 66 in Illinois: Roadside giants and small-town personality

*** National ***

* 404 Media | ‘I Saw a Shiny Thing’: Cop Explains Why He Used License Plate Reader to Stalk Woman: When 404 Media wrote about this issue in early July, Flock claimed it was “aware of 15 incidents of abuse,” though we, local media, and a report by the Institute for Justice had found far more than that. The Washington Post then found “at least 50” incidents and, now, Flock’s CEO Garrett Langley is saying that its system has “caught a lot of bad cops. It’s a ton. It’s more than I ever would have hoped.”