* Crain’s…

Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren put job creation and economic development front and center last night in his pitch for a new lakefront stadium, speaking to some of the city’s top business leaders about the opportunity that a new venue could create for a downtown in need of a jolt.

“You’re talking about creating 43,000 (construction) jobs,” Warren said of the team’s nearly $5 billion mixed-use development proposal at an Economic Club of Chicago event. Lamenting a lack of construction cranes operating today in Chicago compared to other markets, Warren touted the team’s proposed public-private partnership to demolish Soldier Field and build a domed stadium next to it as a chance for the city to grow its tax base. […]

“There’s ways you can look at money (for a new stadium) — you can look at it as, ‘What do we have to give up?’ or you can look at it as ‘What can we invest to come together?’ This is truly one of those situations that one plus one will equal 100. Because if we don’t wrap our arms around some of these construction projects, we’re going to fall behind as a city. We need to do more here in Chicago.”

It was the latest public jockeying by the NFL team’s top executive to win public support for the stadium project. The Bears in April unveiled their vision with the staunch support of Mayor Brandon Johnson, but the team has thus far gotten a cold reception from Gov. J.B. Pritzker on the idea of the state putting up billions of dollars to help pay for the venue.

Pritzker met with Warren in July and subsequently said it would be “near impossible” for any such financing deal to get done this year.

* Daily Herald…

Arlington Heights officials have re-upped their contract with two lobbying firms for another year — to the tune of $120,000 — representing their interests in the stalled, yet ongoing, Bears stadium saga.

The $10,000-a-month consulting agreement with Mac Strategies Group gives the Northwest suburban municipality a seat at the table in Springfield, where the NFL franchise’s ask for subsidies for a new stadium — at either the 326-acre Arlington Park site the team owns, or the Chicago lakefront — have been rejected so far.

Mac is led by political and media operative Ryan McLaughlin, and counts former Palatine Republican state Sen. Matt Murphy among its top advisers. Murphy has worked behind the scenes with Arlington Heights officials on their proposed settlement of the long-running Arlington Park property tax dispute between the Bears and three local school districts, the Daily Herald reported last December.

Half of Mac’s monthly retainer paid by the village is funneled to a subcontractor, GR Consulting, led by former Chicago Democratic state Rep. Art Turner Jr. and Larry Luster, a former communications staffer for the Illinois Senate Democrats and Black Caucus.

* WTTW…

The looming closure of Chicago’s intercity bus terminal — which bus providers Thursday signaled is just weeks away — could cut off abortion access for out-of-state residents increasingly traveling to Illinois for care, state lawmakers said.

Democratic legislators sounded the alarm in a letter Thursday to Mayor Brandon Johnson and urged him to “act swiftly.”

“Many patients traveling to our city to access the legal health care they’ve been denied at home have struggled to find the resources to get here, and that often means relying on the least expensive means of transportation,” the letter reads. “Eliminating bus travel as an economical option would be devastating to them.”

The letter is signed by members of an Illinois House group dedicated to developing state policies to protect and expand reproductive care following the 2022 Dobbs decision from the U.S. Supreme Court that felled the right to an abortion previously secured by Roe v. Wade.

Click here to read the full letter.

*** Statewide ***

* Daily Herald | ‘An entire life of pensions and six-figure incomes’: Officials tout $8 million grant for apprenticeship programs: Roughly $8 million in federal funding will help Illinois high schools train students for positions operating heavy machinery and secure high-paying careers in fields facing critical workforce shortages. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi visited South Elgin High School on Thursday to announce the grant provided through the Apprenticeships Build America program. Representatives of industry groups and a national apprenticeship program joined local school officials for the announcement in an automotive shop classroom.

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | CTA’s high violent crime rate keeps away what’s needed to ward off crime: passengers: The number of violent crime victimizations per CTA passenger trip nearly quadrupled between 2015 and 2021 and remains elevated today, according to the analysis. Violent crimes on buses, trains and other CTA properties during this year’s first eight months totaled 656. All but 19 of those crimes were robberies, aggravated batteries and aggravated assaults that didn’t get much public attention. But homicides have also increased since the start of the pandemic, despite steps by CTA and the Chicago Police Department to boost security.

* Crain’s | Target for the O’Hare terminal revamp quietly slips to 2034: The timetable for completing O’Hare’s massive $8.5 billion terminal overhaul and expansion has been pushed out another two years. Previously, the Department of Aviation had predicted it would complete the project in 2032. When the terminal project was first announced in 2018, the completion date was expected to be 2026.

The project is expected to be completed by 2034, according to a timeline published in connection with a new $1 billion bond offering.

* WTTW | Chicago Fair Trade Museum Aims to Highlight Overlooked Stories Behind the Products We Use Every Day: The Chicago Fair Trade Museum opened its first permanent location in Uptown this summer with the aim of educating more people about common exploitative and unsustainable trade practices behind the items we use and consume daily. “Every single day when we wake up, when we figure out what clothing we’re going to wear or what we’re going to eat for breakfast, there’s a chance for us to try to find out what we’re consuming and consume better,” said Katherine Bissell Córdova, executive director of Chicago Fair Trade.

* Crain’s | Chicago federal judge on broker commission cases replaced for conflict of interest: On Sept. 4, Andrea Wood, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, withdrew herself from the cases known as Moehrl, Batton (I and II) and Sawbill. The cases all relate to claims that the National Association of Realtors and brokerages have colluded over the years to keep real estate agents’ commissions high and thus cost buyers and sellers more than they should. Wood recused herself, she wrote, because a distant family connection to a defendant’s attorney “has come to my attention.” According to Wood, “the spouse of a person related to me within the third degree of relationship is a partner in a law firm representing” the Moehrl case.

* Sun-Times | How right-wing podcaster from Chicago landed at center of federal probe into Russian meddling: Tim Pool, a Chicago high school dropout who became an alt-right media superstar, was apparently paid $100,000 per episode by a covert propaganda campaign funded by Russia, according to a new federal indictment.

* Block Club | West Garfield Park Is No Longer A Food Desert After Save A Lot Grocery Store Reopens: The West Side grocery store is the first of six Save A Lot stores owned and operated by Yellow Banana scheduled to reopen this year. The Ohio-based company, which operates grocery stores under the Save A Lot name, is planning to reopen locations before Thanksgiving in West Pullman, 10700 S. Halsted St.; South Shore, 7240 S. Stony Island Ave.; South Chicago, 2858 E. 83rd St.; Auburn Gresham, 7909 S. Halsted St.; and West Lawn, 4439 W. 63rd St., CEO Joe Canfield said.

* Sun-Times | Reputed Chicago Outfit figure Peter DiFronzo faced, ah, dogged surveillance, FBI files show: The FBI released 220 pages of records on the reputed onetime boss of the mob’s Elmwood Park street crew, whose brother John “No Nose” DiFronzo was suspected of running the Outfit. Observations include DiFronzo shoveling snow and walking a dog.

* Sun-Times | Hazmat suits and headlamps: Subterranean salvaging at the Music Box Theatre: It’s an infrequent occurrence, maybe once a month. And Carr is one of the few staff members who will go into the basement, climb a ladder, enter a small hatch and crawl into the vents beneath the seats to retrieve lost items for customers. They are called plenum vents — used for heating and cooling — and you don’t see them like this modern theaters.

* WGN | Chicago priest asked to step down from parish, school due to child molestation allegations: “I write you with difficult news. The Archdiocese has been notified that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has opened an investigation into allegations they termed child exploitation and child molestation during a public penance service against Father Martin Nyberg,” archbishop Blase Cupich wrote in a letter. He went on to say Nyberg “strenuously” denies the allegations and is cooperating after being asked to step aside from ministry.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Triibe | Cook County residents push for lasting programs as American Rescue Plan funding winds down: The meeting was part of a series of “Community Voices Events” hosted by the Cook County government. The meeting was led by Mykel Selph, Cook County’s deputy chief of staff of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She helped facilitate the meeting, which ran nearly two hours and featured participants gathering in intimate groups where they were able to give recommendations and voice concerns as the dollars from the program dwindle.

* Daily Herald | Former DCFS caseworker convicted in AJ Freund case is released from jail: A former employee of Illinois’ child welfare agency convicted of mishandling the AJ Freund case months before the Crystal Lake boy was killed by his mother completed his jail term this week. Carlos Acosta, 58, was convicted in October of two counts of child endangerment. He was sentenced to six months in jail along with fines, 30 months of probation and 200 hours of public service, a sentencing order filed in the McHenry County court said.

* Sun-Times | Ex-Gangster Disciples leader says he wants justice in son’s killing in Dolton: When he was shot to death by masked gunmen in a restaurant parking lot in the south suburbs last year, James Yates Jr., the son of a onetime Chicago gang leader, became the Cook County medical examiner’s office’s case No. ME2023-03844. He was the sixth of 11 homicide victims last year in Dolton, population 20,000. More than a year later, his parents say they want the Dolton Police Department to treat their 29-year-old son as something more than just another number. Since a face-to-face meeting with police a few months after the killing, they say they haven’t heard anything from the department — no calls, emails, texts or meetings.

*** Downstate ***

* Capitol News Illinois | East St. Louis forum to tackle persistent childhood poverty: Illinois has the potential to eradicate childhood poverty, but it will require a concentrated, sustained effort in partnership with families and disadvantaged communities, says Tasha Green Cruzat, president of Children’s Advocates for Change, a Chicago-based nonprofit focused on childhood wellbeing. This hope drives the focus of the policy forum her organization is hosting in East St. Louis next week. The event will bring together social service providers, educators, health officials, and lawmakers to address the barriers to lifting families out of poverty in one of the nation’s most disadvantaged cities.

* WGLT | Illinois State University enrolls largest incoming class: The annual enrollment report following the 10th day of classes showed nearly 4,285 first-year students came to campus for classes. That’s up 3%. Total enrollment is also up by 2.7% at 21,546. Executive Director of Admissions and Recruitment Marketing Jeff Mavros said the entire campus community makes intentional recruitment and retention efforts.

* WCBU | Sheriff Watkins: Options for Peoria County Jail upgrades coming soon: Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins says an analysis of options to upgrade the jail facility is nearly complete. Last year, the jail addressed some of its exterior infrastructure issues and roof replacement work. But Watkins says they’re looking at more long-term needs. “For the last six months, we’ve been working on a jail master study with a consultant, and that study is almost finished,” said Watkins. “It should be presented with the next month or two to our county board to give them options of what to do: Build a new jail, do an addition, or just revamp what we have.”

* Rockford Register Star | Rockford area veterans clash with Winnebago County Board over funding: Services like health care transportation and assistance for homeless vets could be cut in the coming year if the Winnebago County Board declines to fund the Veterans Assistance Commission of Winnebago County’s largest ever funding request. Commissioners approved a $1.6 million budget for 2025 so it can provide its nine employees with health benefits in accordance with a new state law and give them raises in an effort to retain accredited veteran service officers, said VAC Superintendent Jesus Pereira, a retired U.S. Army veteran. […] A county committee proposed $1.3 million, 15% more than last year’s $1 million in funding.

* PJ Star | Suspect in Macomb police shooting taken into custody after 20-hour standoff, police say: A suspect who shot two police officers in Macomb was taken into custody without incident, according to the Macomb Police Department. Macomb police said Shaiking M. Mathis, 38, of Macomb peacefully surrendered at about 2:10 p.m. Thursday after 20 hours of extensive negotiations. He was transported to the McDonough County Jail and has been charged with four counts of aggravated battery to a police officer, one county of aggravated discharge of a firearm. Additional charges are pending.

* WCIA | Flesor’s Candy Kitchen celebrates 20th anniversary of reopening, mural completion: Flesor’s Candy Kitchen recently wrapped up a project to modernize the 150-year-old building it’s housed in. Part of those renovations include the Coca-Cola mural on the side of the building. The business worked with Cola-Cola on the project, getting access to the soda company’s original painting guidelines from the 1920s, which the original painters used 100 years ago.

*** National ***

* The Athletic | Peak Honey Deuce season at the U.S. Open means more drinks than ever before: Last year, approximately 460,000 Honey Deuces were sold, according to Chris Studley, the USTA’s managing director of event services. At $22 per drink, that’s $10.1 million in sales. The drink’s price was raised by a dollar this year to $23, the sixth time the price has gone up in the last 12 years. Studley said the tournament is on pace to sell more than 500,000 Honey Deuces at this year’s tournament. That would push sales to $11.5 million, well over $1 million more in additional revenue compared with last year.