* ICYMI: Michael McClain, lobbyist and Madigan confidant at the center of the ComEd bribery scandal, finally faces sentencing. Tribune…

- Now, more than two years after McClain’s conviction in the historic “ComEd Four” bribery case, McClain is scheduled to learn his fate Thursday at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where he faces sentencing in what has become one of the biggest bribery scandals in state history.
- McClain, 77, will be the third of the four defendants to be sentenced in the case, and as with the others, U.S. District Judge Manish Shah will have wide latitude in deciding a punishment.
- Earlier this week, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore was given two years in prison, while John Hooker, the utility’s former top internal lobbyist, received a year and a half behind bars at a hearing last week.

* Governor Pritzker will attend the Jesse White Building Dedication Ceremony at 1:30 pm at 115 S. LaSalle Street in Chicago, honoring Illinois’ longest-serving Secretary of State. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker calls Texas GOP’s remap effort ‘cheating,’ doesn’t rule out Illinois response: Gov. JB Pritzker is leaving the door open to changing Illinois’ congressional maps to “counterbalance” an attempt by Texas politicians to add more Republican seats to the U.S. House. The Texas legislature is meeting in special session this week with 18 items on their agenda, including redrawing the state’s congressional maps after President Donald Trump urged the state to redraw district boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterm election in hopes of adding five more Republicans to Texas’ congressional delegation and insulating his party against any seats they might lose elsewhere in the country.

* Illinois Times | NPR Illinois celebrates 50 years: NPR Illinois delivers a combination of locally produced programs and syndicated National Public Radio shows such as All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Fresh Air. The station covers local topics in unique ways through programs such as Community Voices and State Week, and recently launched the J-Corps citizen journalist initiative where regular people report on issues in their communities. A 50th anniversary exhibit and programming will commemorate NPR Illinois’ milestone year. But with the imminent withdrawal of government support for public media around the country, will NPR Illinois still be broadcasting for the next 50 weeks, let alone the next 50 years?

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press Release | AG Raoul issues statement on court affirming nationwide injunction against unconstitutional birthright citizenship order: “No president can arbitrarily pick and choose which children born in the United States are allowed to be citizens of this country. Birthright citizenship has been enshrined in our Constitution in unambiguous language for more than 150 years, and no president has the authority to override the Constitution. The district court could not have been more right in February when it deemed the president’s order as being ‘blatantly unconstitutional.’

* Shaw Local | State Sen. Don DeWitte will not seek reelection: State Sen. Don DeWitte, a St. Charles Republican, announced that he will not seek reelection next year. DeWitte plans to serve out his current term, which ends in January 2027, according to a news release. DeWitte said in a news release that that his decision is not a retirement from public life but rather a redirection of his energy.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | ‘No cuts are going to be good cuts’: CPS parents, community frustrated with budget deficit woes: Reductions of nearly 2,000 educators and staff members in the past month have already affected Griffin’s life. While his sons do not communicate in the same way most people do, they are happy and developing, Griffin said, something he partially attributes to the district’s specialized programs and educators. CPS partially attributes the shortfall to several factors, including historic pension obligations, increasing costs of maintaining CPS buildings, and the rising needs for required services for students with disabilities. To minimize the budget gap, the district is now weighing decisions that have the potential to shift the trajectory of student education across the district for years to come.

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago school board president says borrowing could solve CPS’s budget woes — but not in ‘isolation’: Chicago school board President Sean Harden laid out a case Wednesday for borrowing as “a viable option” for closing the district’s $734 million budget deficit. But he said it must be paired with long-term solutions to solve CPS’s larger financial crisis. “The centerpiece is children and education, and if the tool that we have to protect that is borrowing, then that’s the tool that we’ll use,” Harden said in an unrelated interview with Chalkbeat. “But we’re also saying: ‘Give us different tools, and then we will use that.’”

* Sun-Times | City to invest $40 million to modernize shelters for unhoused people: With 750 permanent shelter beds in seven neighborhoods slated to become “fully accessible,” Mayor Brandon Johnson called a new initiative “the most significant step forward in the history of Chicago in our mission to make housing a human right.”

* Sun-Times | A third crooked Bridgeport bank employee sentenced to home confinement, ordered to help repay $27 million: Cathy Torres, an ex-loan officer at Washington Federal Bank for Savings, faced five years in prison, but a federal judge agreed with a recommendation from prosecutors for a lighter sentence because of her cooperation.

* Fox Chicago | American Airlines has canceled hundreds of Chicago flights this August: report: Flight schedule data from Cirium, shared with the newspaper, showed American has removed about 800 flights out of O’Hare for August, cutting roughly 76,000 seats. Among the routes most-affected by flight cuts are Detroit, Newark, Cleveland, Albuquerque — and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. An American Airlines spokesperson told The Arizona Republic that the reductions reflect the airline’s finalized schedule, which is typically set 100 days in advance. Airlines often start with a placeholder schedule nearly a year ahead and then adjust based on demand and operational factors like staffing, the spokesperson said.

* WGN | Infleqtion plans $50M quantum computer at Illinois Quantum Microelectronics Park on South Side: “This technology has extraordinary potential,” said Gil Quiniones, CEO of ComEd. “It could lead to breakthroughs in major economic sectors from energy, health care, cybersecurity, finance and more.” The biggest announcement from happenings at the event came from Infleqtion, one of three tenant companies at the 128-acre Illinois Quantum Microelectronics Park (IQMP) on the South Side. The company announced it will build the first utility scale quantum computer based on neutral atom technology—a $50 million investment in the IQMP’s growing infrastructure.

* Sun-Times | Joffrey Ballet will remain at Lyric Opera House an additional seven years: Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet will remain the resident dance company of the Lyric Opera House for an additional seven years, the companies announced Wednesday. The Joffrey’s current lease was slated to end following the 2027 season, but this extension will keep the city’s top ballet company at the massive downtown opera house through 2034. Joffrey first began performing under Lyric’s roof in October 2021, after a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Joffrey’s move to the Lyric Opera House, a partnership between two of Chicago’s leading cultural institutions, has opened the door to bigger, bolder storytelling,” Joffrey’s President and CEO Greg Cameron said in a statement.

* WGN | Report: MLB to officially announce Wrigley Field as 2027 All-Star Game host: Crain’s Justin Laurence reported Wednesday that Major League Baseball is set to officially recognize Wrigley Field as the host of the 2027 MLB All-Star Game on Aug. 1. Sources told Laurence MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and city officials will be in attendance for an event making the announcement official in Chicago. The Score’s Bruce Levine first reported Wrigley Field would host the 2027 MLB All-Star Game back in late May, with the official announcement to come later this summer.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Chicago Reader | Cook County state’s attorney stops maintaining lists of discredited cops: Reporters learned in May that O’Neill Burke had abruptly discontinued use of the disclosure list after previously providing it in February, according to her office’s responses to public records requests filed by the Invisible Institute and the Reader. And, instead of retaining Foxx’s publicly available do not call list, O’Neill Burke replaced it with a shorter, internal list of officers who were stripped of police powers by local law enforcement agencies. Although the vast majority—but not all—of the officers on Foxx’s do not call list had been relieved of their police powers, that list and O’Neill Burke’s internal list vary substantially from one another.

* NBC Chicago | Hollywood Casino Joliet riverboat to close after 30 years on Des Plaines River: Hollywood Casino Joliet’s parent company, PENN Entertainment, Inc., announced the July 29 closure comes amid preparations for the new $185 million land-based property opening August 11, pending customary regulatory approvals. All gaming operations at the riverboat property will maintain normal operating hours until closing at 5:59 a.m. July 29 and the hotel near the casino property will accept reservations up to July 26, according to the announcement.

* Sun-Times | Amazon sued, accused of bias by former Matteson warehouse worker: Mario Willis, an African American with a disability, was an Amazon packer at a warehouse in south suburban Matteson who was fired in May 2023. He said Amazon discriminated against him and retaliated after he saw a female worker sexually harass and grope another female colleague, according to a complaint filed July 9 in Cook County Circuit Court. “Amazon egregiously punished an employee who tried to do the right thing by standing up for his co-worker,” said Heidi Karr Sleper, a lawyer at Workplace Law Partners who represents Willis. “Not many warehouse employees and lawyers have the resources to fight back against a corporation the size of Amazon.”

* Tribune | Charges dismissed against Kees Firearms owners: After more than two years in court, Will County prosecutors moved Monday to drop several criminal charges, first filed in 2023, against two New Lenox business owners, after a circuit court judge denied their request to reschedule the trial date. Jeffery Regnier, the owner of Kee Firearms and Training in New Lenox, and Greta Keranen, with Kee Construction, will not face charges of theft by deception, burglary, loan fraud, wire fraud or burglary fraud, unless the state decides to refile the charges.

* Daily Herald | Buffalo Grove spurns apartment proposal after developer suggests increasing density: Village board members expressed frustration during Monday’s meeting as David Schwartz of SFP Properties suggested to trustees he needed to update the plan by either increasing the density of the project, perhaps adding a building, or going to an originally proposed townhouse concept. “You kind of threw us a curve,” Village President Eric Smith said. The proposal for the apartments, which would be located just west of the Riverwalk Place Apartments, targeted primarily young professionals and empty nesters, with rents projected as high as $4,000.

* Daily Southtown | Orland fire district, firefighers union, debate ambulance service level after unit taken offline: Firefighters in Orland Park and the president of the Orland Fire Protection District Board are at odds over whether paramedic service and response times in the district have suffered since an ambulance was taken out of service early last month. […] Board President Beth Damas Kaspar, in a statement Tuesday, insisted that in reviewing data since the ambulance was taken offline, paramedic services have not suffered and the ambulance “is not needed to maintain the excellent services provided by the District.” Orland Professional Firefighters, the union representing firefighters, insists the president is wrong, and said the ambulance taken out of service had covered the “busiest area of Orland” and that there is a “dire need for additional ambulance staffing.”

* Daily Herald | Demolition of massive former Sears HQ in Hoffman Estates reaches completion: “Of course, we will continue crushing concrete and asphalt for reuse as fill as we get the site pad ready,” said Katy Hancock, vice president of public relations for Dallas-based Compass Datacenters. “All of this will be completed by end of August 2025, slightly ahead of schedule.” That’s when the 273-acre site at the west end of the village will transition to a construction site for Compass’ five hyperscale data centers, each more than a quarter-million square feet.

* Daily Southtown | Oak Lawn bans kratom and THC products, though won’t enforce for now: Despite the Oak Lawn Village Board voting Tuesday to prohibit the sale of kratom and THC products, Mayor Terry Vorderer says the village will wait to enforce the law. The prohibition of kratom and THC products, including Delta-9, was added to the tobacco retail regulation ordinance. But Vorderer said he learned from attorneys after the vote the ordinance may need to be reworked.

* Daily Herald | Fox Lake enacts rules for e-bikes and e-scooters to enhance safety, promote responsible use: Fox Lake has become the latest community to enact rules regulating electric bikes and electric scooters on village roads and sidewalks. The village board Tuesday approved an ordinance to address growing concerns over safety, speed regulation and appropriate areas for e-bikes and e-scooters to be used. “We have been having a lot of incidents of careless operators,” said police Chief Dawn DeServi. She said general safety and a desire to get ahead of the situation before anything disastrous occurred was the reason for the action.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Sean Grayson files new motions claiming self-defense in shooting of Sonya Massey: Grayson and his attorneys filed three motions on Wednesday, asking that Judge Ryan Cadagin admit evidence showing two things about Massey: her existing state of mind and alleged propensity for violence. The third motion was a cease-and-desist order, asking that the Massey Commission end alleged activities in Peoria County, where Grayson’s trial will take place. In their motions, Grayson’s lawyers claimed that Massey was “purported to have been mentally troubled” in the days and hours before her death, and that in the days before, she was involved in acts of violence with neighbors.

* WICS | Former deputy’s defense files motions in Sonya Massey case: Grayson’s team claims that events leading up to Massey’s death indicate a propensity for violence and describe her as “mentally troubled.” According to the first motion, on June 27, Massey texted a car salesperson, stating she was “not okay” and feared she was “about to die” at St. John’s Hospital. On July 5, a day before her death, Massey’s mother, Donna, took her to the hospital after calling 911, reporting that Massey was having a mental breakdown and had broken her car window.

* WICS | Former Springfield officer sentenced for sexual misconduct: Taylor Staff, a former Springfield police officer, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including aggravated criminal sexual abuse, two counts of official misconduct, custodial sexual misconduct, and criminal sexual abuse. […] The charges stem from incidents involving three separate victims that occurred while Staff was on duty between January and July 2020. Staff was arrested in 2021.

* WCIA | Mattoon taking the next steps to prevent algae appearing again: Last week WCIA reported that the city was taking steps to prevent that toxic algae bloom from popping up. They applied for a permit to use algaecide…a chemical to kill it… but were waiting for approval. Although there’s still a lot to be done, the EPA did approve it. Now, the hope is Mattoon will continue making progress.

* WGLT | McLean County Democrats leader will seek state party position: Patrick Cortesi, chair of the McLean County Democratic Party, has announced his candidacy for Democratic state central committeeman in Illinois’ 16th Congressional District. Each congressional district in the state has two central committeemen, who work as the governing body of the state party. The 34 members elect the executive director and chair of the state party. Cortesi said the position would be in addition to his role in the county’s Democratic Party and it would not impede on his other duties.

* WGEM | Quincy Public Schools report $12 million operating budget surplus: QPS Chief of Business Operations Ryan Whicker revealed Quincy Public Schools is under budget with a $12 million surplus in their operating funds. “It’s probably the biggest one we’ve had since I’ve been here, which is 10 years,” Whicker said. According to Whicker, the funds come from the third and final round of Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief funds that started during the COVID Pandemic.

* BND | What’s up with the barricades at the Market Square Building in Belleville?: The city of Belleville has set up barriers and caution tape on the sidewalk in front of a downtown building because a decorative section of the roof’s cornice fell off. One piece of the rigid foam material from the Market Square Building at the corner of East Main and North High streets was spotted on the ground Friday morning and another piece was removed later in the day, according to city Building Commissioner Steve Thouvenot.

* WSIL | Several Franklin County organizations step up to host school supply drives and giveaways: The Southern Illinois Back to School Expo in Marion has been one of the largest school supply drives and “one-stop shops” for getting kids ready to start the school year strong in years past. However, the expo’s officials say due to funding issues, they had to cancel. Now several Franklin County organizations are stepping up to fill in the gap. Take Action Today, Benton’s Fire and Police Departments, and Ziegler’s Fire Department are stepping up to make sure the kids have what they need to go back to school.

*** National ***

* AP | Why are data nerds racing to save US government statistics?: After watching data sets be altered or disappear from U.S. government websites in unprecedented ways after President Donald Trump began his second term, an army of outside statisticians, demographers and computer scientists have joined forces to capture, preserve and share data sets, sometimes clandestinely. Their goal is to make sure they are available in the future, believing that democracy suffers when policymakers don’t have reliable data and that national statistics should be above partisan politics.

* NYT | Alden Global Capital Makes a Play for The Dallas Morning News: MediaNews Group, the newspaper operator owned by the investment firm Alden Global Capital, put in a bid on Tuesday to buy The Dallas Morning News, a last-minute twist in the sale of a publication that has been locally owned for 140 years. This month, the media conglomerate Hearst agreed to acquire DallasNews Corporation, the parent company of The Dallas Morning News, in a deal valued at $75 million, or $14 a share. That deal has been approved by the boards of each company and was expected to close later this year.