* Click here for background if you need it. Rep. Ann Williams…

The full letter is here.

* Sun-Times…

The CTA last week released its revised plan for its All Stations Accessibility Program, or ASAP, which would make it the first legacy transit system more than a century old to be 100% accessible.

But the plan is anything but “ASAP.”

Five years into that plan, the CTA hasn’t added a single elevator, and its estimated price tag has more than doubled to $4.9 billion. […]

The new, $4.98 billion price tag marks an eye-popping 137% increase in the cost of making all of the CTA’s stations fully accessible. The original estimate of $2.1 billion was released in 2018. […]

In a follow-up email to the Sun-Times, [CTA spokesperson Catherine Hosinski] acknowledged that “funding has been and remains the biggest challenge.” The CTA is seeking state and federal resources, she said, and needs the City Council’s support to address “an outdated funding formula supported by stagnant, less-viable funding sources.”

* Illinois State Police…

The Illinois State Police (ISP) has earned Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Law Enforcement Accreditation for the 11th time.

“Integrity, Service, and Pride are at the core of ISP. ​ They’re not just words, they’re an attitude, a lifestyle, the foundation upon which our officers build everyday as they serve their communities,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. ​ “This accreditation affirms our continued commitment to ​ excellence and we will use all available resources, including technology and training, to better our people and serve and protect the citizens of Illinois.”

CALEA is often referred to as the “Gold Standard for Public Safety Agencies.” ​ In 1986, ISP became the first state law enforcement agency to be accredited. ​ There are 40 CALEA accredited law enforcement agencies in Illinois. ​ To become accredited, law enforcement agencies must complete a comprehensive two-to-three-year self-assessment, including the review and revision of polices, directives, and training standards. ​ Agencies must also pass a CALEA site-based compliance check and attend a review committee hearing. ​ Reaccreditation requires on-going quality performance reviews and maintenance of agency information and statistical data. ​

Transparency and accountability are two areas of focus for CALEA accreditation. ​ In its ongoing efforts for transparency and accountability, ISP shares its departmental policies, its Officer Involved Investigations Dashboard, and its Expressway Shooting Dashboard, publicly on its website. ​ ISP has also simplified its civilian complaint process, allowing citizens to report their grievances against ISP officers, as well as elected officials, through Quick Links on the ISP website. ​ ISP’s continued efforts in these areas have improved community trust and engagement, but have also improved the work environment for the men and women of ISP. ​ In excess of the CALEA requirements and long before they became a CALEA category, ISP expanded its mental health services for its employees. ​ ISP created a full-time Peer Support team with dedicated staff to support both police and civilian employees around the State. ​

* Small victories…

* Brenden Moore…

* Brownfield AG News | Illinois soybean crop showing regional differences: The director of agronomy with the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) says the state’s soybean crop is showing some regional differences. Abigail Peterson says the western part of the state seems to be leading the way. […] She tells Brownfield central Illinois has seen some challenges. “Kind of a mixed bag. We saw some good planting dates, but then some later.” She says, “Some diseases are popping up cause we had those rain flushes and now we’re getting hot and humid. Japanese beetles are out there, but nothing hitting too many thresholds at the moment.”

* WCIA | New IHSA rule limits baseball, softball players’ participation in All-Star games: The IHSA bylaws now limit high school baseball and softball players from playing in state All-Star games. The rule states that high school athletes can compete after their senior season ends. Previously, the rule only impacted high school athletes in football, basketball and volleyball. However, the change on July 1st now includes baseball and softball in the participation bylaw.

* Tribune | Judge reverses courthouse ban of exoneree turned clerk after long cell phone squabble: A Cook County judge on Thursday rescinded an order that for more than nine months banned a Chicago exoneree who now works as a law clerk from the Leighton Criminal Court Building following a squabble over cell phone use in the courtroom. In a terse, one-sentence ruling, Judge Peggy Chiampas called up the docketed case for Robert Almodovar and said from the bench that she was rescinding the order and taking the matter off her call.

* Jewish Insider | Pro-Israel group struggling to gain permit to rally at DNC — while pro-Palestinian groups got green light: The Israeli American Council, a nonprofit organization representing Israeli-Americans that seeks to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Israel, filed two applications with Chicago’s Department of Transportation at the beginning of July, according to Aya Schechter, the group’s chief programming officer. But with just under two weeks remaining until the convention, the IAC has yet to receive an answer from the city, despite following up via phone and email. The group had also submitted an application in mid-June for a stationary demonstration within “sight and sound” of the convention, which will be held at the United Center on Chicago’s West Side. That request was denied, according to a rejection letter, which said the proposed rally “would be a direct interference with a previously planned permitted activity or public assembly and would create public safety issues.”

* Borderless Mag | City Officials Attempt To Allay Residents’ Fears As Partial Demolition Looms In Pilsen: During a recent community meeting at Dvorak Park, city officials from the Chicago Department of Buildings and Chicago Department of Public Health laid out plans to remove a structure at the Fisk Station, located in Pilsen’s Industrial Corridor. Under the demolition plan, city officials and contractors assured residents no implosion would be carried out at the coal plant that was retired amid pressure and health concerns from activists in 2012. […] Public Health Commissioner Olusimbo Ige and other panelists assured residents there would be no implosion. The city labeled the demolition of the structure as “environmentally complex” due to its proximity to the Chicago River and the facility’s prior use, coal power generation, she said.

* Tribune | Chicago White Sox fire manager Pedro Grifol — who had an 89-190 record — and 3 other coaches: “As we all recognize, our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels,” said Chris Getz, White Sox senior vice president/general manager, in a statement. […] Grady Sizemore, 42, will serve as the interim manager; the team said the next manager will be announced at the end of the 2024 season. Sizemore, previously a major league coach with the Sox, was the a minor-league instructor with the Cleveland Guardians and coach with the Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks last year.

* Block Club | Bridgeport Skaters Built Their Own Park. Will The Man Let Them Keep It?: The skaters took it upon themselves to pour thousands of dollars’ worth of concrete in a secluded Stevenson Expressway underpass owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The underpass intersecting with South Loomis Street in Bridgeport — once filled with mounds of empty beer bottles and other trash — has been cleaned up and decked out with a series of handmade skate obstacles for neighbors to ride at their own risk, the skaters-turned-guerilla-architects said. The unofficial skate park is called Irish Banks.

* ABC Chicago | Dolton deputy police chief reports to work one day after village board places him on leave: The village board voted Monday night to place the Dolton’s top cop on administrative leave only for him to defiantly return to work on Tuesday. The gray clouds over Dolton Village Hall Tuesday evening seemed fitting after Trustee Brittney Norwood described the financial woes that loom over Dolton, resulting in the board to vote Monday night to place Dolton Deputy Police Chief Lewis Lacey on administrative leave and lay off eight village employees.

* Daily Southtown | Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones says overpayments cover his property tax backlog: Jones said Tuesday he planned to pay all of what he owes within the next 30 days. He said he believes he has adequate overpayments to cover those delinquencies, blaming his bank for the error from past years. Treasurers’ records show consistent overpayments between 2006 and 2022 totaling about $9,240. They also indicate he qualifies for at least $1,330 in refunds due to the overpayments made in the 2020, 2009 and 2007 tax years.

* Crain’s | Chicago investment firm picks up Vernon Hills apartments for $28M: The deal appears to be a win for seller FPA Multifamily, a San Francisco firm that has been a major buyer of Chicago-area apartment buildings in recent months. FPA paid almost $24.6 million for the property in 2018, property records show. An FPA executive didn’t respond to a request for comment.

* Crain’s | Shaq wants to open 6 new restaurants around Chicago: NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal’s fast-casual chicken chain plans to open six new restaurants in the Chicago area. Big Chicken, founded in 2018, opened its first Illinois storefront in 2023 in Rosemont. The chain announced in July it would soon open a second Illinois location in Arlington Heights. Today, a Big Chicken representative told Crain’s plans are in place to bring the chain’s total Chicago-area location count to seven by the end of 2025.

* SJ-R | Business forced to close after Adams Street fire nears reopening at new location: On July 15, the INB Benefit for the Businesses Affected by the Adams Family Fire fund distributed $15,750 in donations to seven businesses and 12 residents. The funds were collectively donated by community members, and a second round of donation checks will be distributed later in August.

* Journal Courier | Study fuels ambitious Grafton Ferry expansion plans to boost tourism: Grafton Mayor Mike Morrow and resident George Andres, commander of a ferry task force, are mobilizing with the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Illinois Department of Transportation to move forward on next steps to expand Grafton Ferry service in the region. Morrow said one of his campaign promises was to support the Grafton Ferry to operate more hours and seven days a week. Grafton Ferry operates 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday through Sunday from April to November. Andres will oversee the implementation of recommendations from the state’s transportation needs assessment study.

* SIU | $345K SIU study focuses on how to keep farmed largemouth bass from eating their own: In Southern Illinois, the market is growing, generating at least $3 million a year for local fish farmers with room for more, said Jim Garvey, director of the Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences at SIU and a co-leader of the study along with Habibollah Fakhraei, assistant professor of environmental engineering. The acceptance of largemouth bass as a food fish in live markets is relatively new, and raising them in high densities to maximize production in small ponds has presented challenges. […] With the fish living in such conditions, cannibalism can certainly take a bite out of the bottom line. Discouraging this behavior in largemouth bass is a challenge, Zaczek said. “Well, that’s something easier said than done,” he said. “The hope is the confined space and higher fish density will cause the fish to take to the feed better and eat more similarly, which also would encourage similar growth rates. They are less likely to eat each other if they are the same size.”

* WICS | Visit the Piglets on Parade at the Illinois State Fair: The Birthing Center, which is sponsored by the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA), allows fairgoers to see newborn piglets up close. Children will enjoy free goodies and paper pig ears as a memento of their visit.

* Tribune | Costco to crack down on membership card-sharing: The major wholesale retailer will soon require shoppers to scan their membership cards via scanning devices at the entrance of each store, Costco said in a news release. Many Costco membership cards include a photo of the shopper, but for those that don’t, the store will require a valid photo ID along with the membership card. Those without a photo on their Costco membership card can also have a photo taken at the membership counter, according to the company.

* AP | Third person dies in listeria outbreak tied to Boar’s Head deli meat: Three people have now died in a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats, federal food safety officials announced Thursday, and the overall number of people sickened rose to 43. The additional death happened in Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release Thursday. The other two deaths were in New Jersey and Illinois. The CDC also said nine more cases were reported since a July 31 release about the outbreak, which started in late May.