* ICYMI: New Illinois law empowering sexual assault survivors runs into shortage of female officers. WGLT…

- The Sexual Assault Incident Procedure Act has been changed to require law enforcement to inform anyone who reports a sexual assault that they may request that statements or interviews be done with an officer of a preferred gender.
- The Illinois State University Police Department currently works with a staff of 32 sworn officers. Seven are women. However, Deputy Chief Nichol Bleichner is the only female investigator, and she would have to do any and all interviews should someone reporting a sexual assault request a female.
- The bill does have a caveat, It states the procedure should be enforced at police stations that employ officers of more than one sex or gender.

* At 3 pm, Gov. JB Pritzker will attend the butter cow unveiling at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Judge orders DCFS director to answer for repeated failures to release public documents in child death: In March, Springfield attorney Don Craven filed suit on behalf of CNI and reporter Beth Hundsdorfer, alleging DCFS violated the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and asking for an order to compel DCFS to produce the records. DCFS did not respond to that lawsuit and, when the case was called for a hearing in June, attorneys for the agency did not appear. On June 10, Judge Davis issued an order finding DCFS “willfully and intentionally violated” the Freedom of Information Act when it failed to release the requested information. He also ordered DCFS to produce the records within five days and to pay CNI’s costs, attorney fees and a $5,000 civil penalty.

* Race and Equity Project | Nowhere to go: Chicago teens on ‘takeovers,’ curfews, and lost community spaces: The Investigative Project spent the past few weeks visiting South Side beaches to talk to teens and hear their opinions on what the adults are calling teen takeovers and the city officials’ response to them. The teens — who grew up during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic — told us that youth gatherings provide them with a chance to socialize offline and blow off steam, and that city officials need to do more to provide alternative spaces for them to gather. Many teens also pointed to issues of equity when it comes to the availability of “third spaces” — gathering places outside of the home and work or school.

*** Statehouse News ***

* 21st Show | Illinois Governor JB Pritzker makes his case for a third term on The 21st Show: Last week, Pritzker sat down with Brian Mackey, host of The 21st Show, at Illinois Public Media’s studio in Urbana. They discussed issues in Illinois prisons, public distrust of billionaires, and what he hopes to accomplish if voters elect him to another term.

* Canary Media | Solar on storage units? Here’s how Illinois is making it happen: The 763-kilowatt array, which went online in March, is one of 60 planned projects for the rooftops of Public Storage facilities in Illinois. Ten such projects are now online, and once completed, the portfolio will cover 5 million square feet of roof space, provide 44 megawatts of solar capacity, deliver $36 million total savings, and create 300 construction jobs, according to Solar Landscape, a leading developer of rooftop community solar sites nationwide.

* Center Square | Vacant State Armory renamed to honor former Gov. Edgar amid $122M remodel: The remodel of the building, now known as the Jim Edgar Executive Office Building, will result in a new office building that will house offices for staff of state agencies and Governor’s support staff. The building is being renamed after former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar, who died in September. Edgar served as a state representative beginning in 1977 before being appointed as the state’s 35th secretary of state, followed by a governorship from 1991 to 1999.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Nonprofit CEO appealed to Mayor Brandon Johnson over city anti-violence grant, records show: Acclivus Inc. CEO LeVon Stone sent then-Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo Ige a “Notice of Protest” letter on Nov. 25, 2024, and copied Johnson on it, according to a copy obtained by the Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request. The correspondence came five days after Johnson’s campaign donated $25,000 to the community violence intervention group and a week before the deadline for organizations to apply for the city grant money.

* Crain’s | Johnson’s data center moratorium adds uncertainty to a market already losing ground: Power-hungry data centers have become political powder kegs with the advent of artificial intelligence, growing as essential parts of how businesses are run while drawing public scrutiny over their impact on communities. The reality is most data centers are built outside Chicago city limits, where land is cheaper. “It’s kind of short-sighted,” says Bob Heiderscheidt, CEO of MDI Access in Alsip, which designs data centers here and across the country. “There’s not a lot going on in downtown Chicago. There are only so many apartments you can put into vacant buildings.”

* Tribune | Feds: Man shot by Chicago police officer during ATF gun sting in Country Club Hills had been misidentified: A criminal complaint made public Tuesday charged a new suspect, Dontrell Gordon, with participating in the June 9 incident, which resulted in two people being shot by law enforcement, including Demond Edwards. In an unusual footnote in the 13-page complaint against Gordon, the U.S. attorney’s office said Edwards had been incorrectly identified in previous charges as one of the people who had approached the undercover agents’ car during the undercover operation dressed in all black and with weapons drawn.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Severe storms bring two tornadoes and up to 99 mph winds to Chicago area, weather service says: Weather officials confirmed Tuesday night that two tornadoes had touched down during the storms, one in southern Cook County and another in eastern Will County. Officials said they were still surveying the extent of damage, and a challenging survey environment was prolonging the process.

* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights to hire a dozen more cops, restoring staffing to prerecession levels: Village board members have endorsed police department brass’ proposal to increase the number of authorized sworn staff from 110 to 122 — a recommendation that was formally unveiled Monday, but has been considered by a village hall working group for years. It would restore the department’s full-time roster from recession-era cuts made two decades ago — and add one more position — for a total of 151 employees, including civilian social workers and records staff.

* Daily Herald | Gasoline-powered cars parked in EV spots in Mundelein now can be ticketed, towed: The rules only apply to charging stations on public property. […] The regulations were prompted by the repeated discovery of cars parked at charging stations that weren’t using them, Deputy Village Administrator Lynne Monroe said in a memo.

* Evanston Now | Uihlein family giving $35M to NU football: Northwestern’s football program will receive a $35 million gift commitment from the family of Liz and Dick Uihlein, the billionaire owners of Uline supply company and heirs to the Schlitz Brewing Company fortune, the university announced Tuesday. Northwestern said the donation will “support student-athlete development, operational priorities, recruiting, and strategic investments designed to position Northwestern Football for sustained success in the Big Ten and on the national stage.”

*** Downstate ***

* Muddy River News | ‘You can’t untape their mouths,’ Denman School parents say their children still struggle with what happened in gym class: Goodapple’s child was among those in the gym class of Jennifer Oitker and Kimberly Kirby, who were suspended without pay on Tuesday by the Quincy school board, pending their dismissal. The decision comes nearly two years after complaints about the pair forcing birthday spankings on students and taping students’ mouths shut to keep them quiet.

* Alton Telegraph | Investigation involving former Bethalto police chief sent to Illinois attorney general: Lamb has been on administrative leave since March 4. Deputy Chief Scott Hale was placed on administrative leave in March. Mayor Gary Bost confirmed that the two had been placed on leave and that Lamb was the subject of an outside investigation, but he has provided no additional information. In May, Bufford confirmed an active investigation, but did not provide additional information “to protect the integrity of the active investigation.”

* WAND | Springfield Ward 8 candidate receives threats after announcing run for city council: When Teresa Tran decided to run for Springfield City Council, she knew there could be hate comments online and people who didn’t agree with her platform. What she didn’t expect was threats from someone else in politics. Tran said a man who identified himself as a committeeperson for Sangamon County Democratic Party Precinct 15 called her multiple times at her nonprofit workplace. When she called him back, the phone call included insults, racial remarks and ultimatums to drop out of the race.

* BND | He defied police and won in court. Now he’s suing Belleville for trying to evict him: Now the father of four has filed a $2 million lawsuit in federal court, accusing the city of violating his constitutional due process rights while trying to enforce its Crime-Free Housing ordinance. […] The ordinance is designed to reduce crime in the city by requiring landlords to conduct criminal background checks on potential tenants and remove those who commit felonies or Class A misdemeanors or repeatedly violate local ordinances on their property.

* WAND | Illinois State Fair introducing official merchandise stand: The fair will now have an official merchandise stand on the fairgrounds. It will be located on Illinois Avenue across from the Sky Glide, offering visitors the opportunity to shop for exclusive Illinois State Fair apparel and merchandise from that evening’s Grandstand concert.

*** National ***

* AP | ICE plans to give officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks: ICE plans to spend up to $20 million to purchase thousands of “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices” for officers and agents by March, according to a notice published Monday by the Department of Homeland Security. The devices are known as the G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, and are manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC of Lexington, Kentucky. They have been used in recent years by some jails and police departments.