Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Rep. Carol Ammons and Sen. Kimberly Lightford…

Right now, 68% of jobs — a percentage that is rising — require a post-secondary credential, and workforce data shows that Illinoisans with college degrees contribute more to our local and state economy. So it is critical that we ensure every interested student can pursue and earn a degree.

In 2021, with COVID disruptions wreaking havoc on schools and universities, Illinois created the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding to address significant disparities in the college-going experience across lines of geography, race, ethnicity and income. Despite Illinois’ efforts in recent years to increase higher education funding, this work was necessary and urgent after nearly two decades of disinvestment in our four-year institutions.

The 33-member commission of agency heads, legislators, university leaders and community partners was charged with developing a funding model for public universities that would be adequate, equitable and stable. Such an approach is fundamental to cultivating a healthier university system, where strong outcomes follow sufficient, equitable and predictable state investment. […]

Specifically, the commission recommends Illinois adopt a student-focused university funding formula. The proposed formula first calculates what each university needs to meet its unique mission and serve its unique student population. This involves acknowledging universities will need to invest in evidence-based strategies to better recruit and support some students — those who attended poorly-funded high schools, are returning to school as adults, are first-generation or low-income students, and other students from underrepresented groups.

The formula then identifies what each university can afford to spend, based on current state appropriations, a reasonable estimate of tuition and fees that a university can and should collect from its students, and other resources that may be available to them. The difference between what each university should be spending and its available resources represents how far each institution is from full funding – its “adequacy gap.”

* We warned you…

You're not the only thing sweating…look at the high blob of humidity in the Midwest. That's from corn sweat! Corn releases a lot of moisture in the summer and that means high humidity. pic.twitter.com/WJMrWlwINJ

— Payton Malone WWL-TV (@paytonmalonewx) August 26, 2024

For real though, stay cool out there.

*** Statewide ***

* WICS | Gas prices in Illinois drop more than 40 cents in a month: Prices in Illinois are 40.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 43.0 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Illinois was priced at $2.93/g yesterday while the most expensive was $4.99/g, a difference of $2.06/g.

* WTVO | Hard Rock launches online sports betting app in Illinois: Hard Rock Casino Rockford announced the launch of Hard Rock Bet on Monday, an online sports betting app that is now live throughout the state of Illinois. According to a press release, Hard Rock Bet offers an integrated New Jersey online casino-sportsbook platform and also operates a sports-only experience in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia. The mobile app is available for download via iOS and Android.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | First day of school for CPS students: Mayor, CPS CEO greet students in person: The beginning of a new semester puts CPS an additional year removed from the COVID-19 pandemic, and in a sign of students finding some stability, Martinez is touting preliminary data showing more kids are proficient in reading than before the pandemic. These new test scores come on the heels of a national study that found reading scores increased more than any other large urban district.

* Chalkbeat | It’s the first day of school at Chicago Public Schools: Officials touted the district’s momentum in undoing some of the academic fallout from the pandemic and welcoming a larger, more diverse teacher workforce. But the kickoff to the school year was dampened by news that almost 2,000 students with disabilities are still waiting for a transportation route. Meanwhile, Chicago Teachers Union leaders sharply criticized district CEO Pedro Martinez over what they see as too little progress in negotiations over a new contract for educators, ratcheting up tensions over the bargaining process as the district faces looming budget deficits.

* Sun-Times | Chicago police officer charged with attacking cop girlfriend during drunken rampage at police station: An off-duty Chicago police officer was charged with attacking his cop girlfriend during a drunken rampage last week at a South Side police station, pulling her out of a marked squad car by her hair while carrying a loaded gun. Officer Francisco Galvan, 30, from Hegewisch, faces misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and driving under the influence, as well as a citation for illegally transporting alcohol. A police report notes that his girlfriend declined to pursue felony charges.

* Block Club | Ald. Walter Burnett’s Rise To Power Between The ’96 And ’24 DNC: — In August 1996, two young Democrats joined forces to host a party for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago: one a freshman alderman who grew up in public housing, the other a billionaire political hopeful. Nearly 30 years later, the pair joined forces again — this time as vice mayor of Chicago and as governor of Illinois, preparing the city and showing it off to an international crowd for the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

* WTTW | From Politics to Performance and Everything in Between, a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the DNC With WTTW News: WTTW News Director Jay Smith sat down with [WTTW’s] political team to reflect on the Democratic National Convention for a behind-the-scenes look at what covering the convention was like, and to help provide insights into the stories that emerged from the week.

* WBEZ | JD Vance called Chicago the US murder capital. Is he right?: Chicagoans are accustomed to hearing overblown descriptions of crime in their city, which has been plagued by the nickname “Chiraq” since Chicago rapper King Louie’s 2011 mixtape “Chiraq, Drillinois.” […] For years, Chicago has consistently led the nation in total homicides. In some years, like in 2018, Chicago witnessed more murders than both New York City and Los Angeles combined. But when it comes to the murder rate, Chicago ranks 15th, based on 2023 statistics from the FBI and the Chicago Police Department. Murder rates, or the number of homicides per capita, are more useful than absolute numbers for understanding residents’ chances of being murdered.

* WGN | ‘Skye the Lioness’ named new mascot of Chicago Sky: Skye replaces the longtime mascot Sky Guy. “Sky Guy, the team’s mascot since 2006, will share his experience and support Skye through the remainder of the 2024 season,” part of the release states.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Crain’s | Philanthropy has entered the race to save local news. Will it be enough?: These are tumultuous times at City Hall in south suburban Harvey. Last month, Mayor Christopher Clark ordered police to remove the audience from chambers after speakers critiqued the administration. In June, a preservationist and former planning commission member was arrested at a City Council meeting. At an earlier session, two local aldermen staged a walkout. You can read all about it in the Harvey World Herald, a young online publication started by town native and recent New York University graduate Amethyst Davis. An impoverished community 20 miles south of the Loop, Harvey has been without local news coverage for decades. “We’ve never really had any place for dialogue about policy issues, to be able to discuss the challenges faced in the community in a way and in a space where it doesn’t devolve into fighting,” Davis says. “So I decided to go out on a limb, quit my job in New York and come back to Illinois.”

* Shaw Local | Longmeadow Parkway completion to be marked with ribbon-cutting Thursday: The ribbon-cutting on the bridge will mark the completion of the 5.6-mile-long toll-free corridor that crosses through the northern section of Kane County from Huntley Road to Route 62 to the east. The corridor also includes a bike and pedestrian path that will connect to the Fox River Trail.

*** Downstate ***

* Capitol City Now | Grayson court hearing: Grayson and lawyer Dan Fultz appeared via video from the Menard County jail in Petersburg, where [Sean Grayson] is being held. One defense lawyer, Mark Wyckoff, cautioned reporters not to hold their breath waiting for the motions and appeals to be sorted out: “It’s a serious matter,” said Wyckoff. “No serious matter is going to be resolved in ninety days.” […] The next hearing is Oct. 21.

* BND | ‘She actually passed away,’ but a metro-east mayor brought her back, parents say: Thanks to quick thinking and a calm head, Cahokia Heights Mayor Curtis McCall Sr. was able to revive a 7-year old girl and give her a new chance at life. […] “I have been retired from law enforcement for 20 years and I received CPR training over 25 years ago. I never had to use it until now,” McCall said. “I am thankful, no. 1, that I received this training and that it kicked back in after all these years.

* Illinois Business Journal | Illinois Stewardship Alliance honors outstanding farmers: Illinois Stewardship Alliance presented two awards recognizing outstanding farmer leaders for their contribution to sustainable and local agriculture in Illinois. Breese, Illinois farmer Cliff Schuette received the second annual Woody Woodruff Conservation Award. The award is named in memory of Robert “Woody” Woodruff, a beloved conservation leader, Macoupin County farmer, and Illinois Stewardship Alliance staff member who passed away after a battle with cancer in 2020 and recognizes a farmer who exemplifies Woody’s passion for soil, water, and community.

* STL Today | Illinois congresswoman fulfills goal of commemorating 1908 Springfield race riot: While the dust was still settling from several divisive political primary races in early August, one Illinois legislator worked on healing measures. On Aug. 16, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, saw the culmination of her ongoing efforts when President Joe Biden signed a proclamation designating the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument. […] Budzinski, whose district takes in parts of St. Clair and Madison counties, has been pushing for the site designation since she was elected in November 2022.

* The Telegraph | Madison County raises public defender’s salary: A raise for Madison County Public Defender Mary Copeland was approved by the County Board at its Wednesday meeting. […] The salary increase was required because by state law the public defender’s salary is set as at least 90 percent of the state’s attorney’s salary. State’s Attorney Tom Haine recently received a cost-of-living increase from the state, to $206,715.95. Approximately two-thirds of that is paid by the state. With the increase, the public defender’s salary is set at $86,044.36.

*** National ***

* Sun-Times | Rick Steves, travel writer and PBS host, reveals prostate cancer diagnosis: In a lengthy statement posted to social media last week, Steves, 69, announced his diagnosis and shared with his fans what lies ahead for him in the coming months. Steves said his doctor told him that “if you’re going to get cancer, this is a good kind to get,” and scans have shown so far there is no sign of it having spread.

* WaPo | Meet the megadonors pumping millions into the 2024 election: The 50 biggest donors this cycle have collectively pumped $1.5 billion into political committees and other groups competing in the election, according to a Washington Post analysis of Federal Election Commission data. The vast majority of money from top donors has gone to super PACs, which can accept unlimited sums from individuals and often work closely with campaigns despite rules against coordinating their advertising.

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It’s just a bill

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ProPublica…

Although federal law requires insurers to provide the same access to mental and physical health care, these companies have been caught, time and again, shortchanging customers with mental illness — restricting coverage and delaying or denying treatment.

These patients — whose disorders can be chronic and costly — are bad for business, industry insiders told ProPublica.

“The way to look at mental health care from an insurance perspective is: I don’t want to attract those people. I am never going to make money on them,” said Ron Howrigon, a consultant who used to manage contracts with providers for major insurers. “One way to get rid of those people or not get them is to not have a great network.”

There are nowhere near enough available therapists in insurance networks to serve all of the people seeking care. And although almost all Americans are insured, about half of people with mental illness are unable to access treatment. […]

It is often the insurers, not the therapists, that determine who can get treatment, what kind they can get and for how long. More than a dozen therapists said insurers urged them to reduce care when their patients were on the brink of harm, including suicide.

* Vox last year…

A recent survey of nearly 2,800 US patients found that 40 percent of patients who had sought in-network mental health care had to make four or more calls to find a provider who would see them — compared to just 14 percent for physical health care. More than half of patients said they had had a claim for mental health care denied three or more times, compared to about one-third who had the same experience with physical services […]

According to a Milliman research report, US patients were five times more likely to use an out-of-network provider in 2017 for both inpatient and outpatient mental health care than they were for all other medical services. One in five office mental health visits was with an out-of-network provider. Reimbursement rates for primary care were 20 percent higher than they were for mental health care, on average. And those disparities actually got worse over the course of the 2010s.

All in all, the US has made it hard to find a mental health provider and hard to pay for their services. (Even if your provider does cover some of an out-of-network bill, the patient’s share will be higher than it would have been in-network). And this is with the parity law in effect.

* Sen. Karina Villa has a bill in Assignments that aims to address this issue in Illinois. From the most recent amendment…

Provides that for all group or individual policies of accident and health insurance or managed care plans that are amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, or any contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer, reimbursement for in-network mental health and substance use disorder treatment services delivered by Illinois providers and facilities must be equal to or greater than 141% of the Medicare rate for the mental health or substance use disorder service delivered (rather than on average, at least as favorable as professional services provided by in-network primary care providers). Removes language providing that reimbursement rates for services paid to Illinois mental health and substance use disorder treatment providers and facilities do not meet the required standard unless the reimbursement rates are, on average, equal to or greater than 141% of the Medicare reimbursement rate for the same service. Provides that, if the Department of Insurance determines that an insurer or a contracted third party administering the behavioral health benefits for the insurer has violated a provision concerning mental health and substance use parity, the Department shall by order assess a civil penalty of $1,000 (rather than $5,000) for each violation. Excludes health care plans serving Medicaid populations that provide, arrange for, pay for, or reimburse the cost of any health care service for persons who are enrolled under the Illinois Public Aid Code or under the Children’s Health Insurance Program Act from provisions concerning mental health and substance use parity. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

The bill was referred to Assignments in April, but picked up five co-sponsors in the Senate this month.

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Question of the day

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Block Club Chicago…

Park 578, located blocks from the United Center at 1919 W. Maypole Ave., was home to the free speech zone established by the city during the DNC. It was meant to appease protest groups battling the city over plans to march near the convention, giving protesters a stage and sound system and opening it to 45-minute speaking time slots.

The stage, however, hosted sparsely attended speeches throughout the DNC, which ended Thursday.

Bike cops scrolling on their cell phones, wandering reporters and political gadflies largely outnumbered registered speakers and attendees at the park. A police helicopter buzzing above it all drowned out those who took to the makeshift speaker’s platform, surrounded by fortified fences and security guards in bright vests.

* The Question: Should Illinois and Chicago push for another national political convention in 2028? : Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.

online polls

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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.

We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Scott, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.

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Dan Proft removed from the board of Envision Unlimited (Updated)

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. Envision Unlimited Board Chair Mary Kay Krupka and President Mark McHugh…

At Envision Unlimited we wake up every single day on a mission to support people with intellectual, developmental and psychiatric disabilities with quality services that promote choice, independence and inclusion for all. Our members (how our clients prefer to be known) and caregivers represent an extraordinarily underserved and underinvested community of people who not only struggle with financial and medical burdens, but with the challenges of living in a world that all too often does not treat or accept them as equals.

We value all people with disabilities. Our members are our peers and participate in every part of the organization. Everyone benefits when we recognize and celebrate the unique strengths and perspectives that people with disabilities bring to our lives.

It was brought to our attention that one of our board members made comments that were wholly inconsistent with our values and code of ethics as an organization and at their core insensitive and insulting to the very people and families that we serve. We immediately convened our board’s executive committee to discuss the situation and unanimously decided to remove this individual from our board.

This action has everything to do with ensuring that we treat others, especially those who live with disabilities, with respect, understanding and kindness. We are proud to have a diverse board and staff that come from a variety of industries, lived experiences, political affiliations and geographies, as there are no boundaries when it comes to living with disabilities or serving those who live with them. Our loyalty and commitment lie first and foremost with the members and caregivers we serve, and it is our proud privilege to do so with empathy, every time and everywhere.

I’ve reached out to Proft for comment. I was told he raises $100K or so a year for the group, which does a lot of good work.

…Adding… Proft goes on long rant in response.

75 Comments

Today’s must-read

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The Chicago Tribune launched a series on political corruption in Illinois…

Illinois nurtured the nation’s greatest president in Abraham Lincoln. It is the birthplace of iconic Republican President Ronald Reagan and the state where Democrat Barack Obama, the country’s first Black president, developed his political chops.

But Illinois is far better known for a more notorious political legacy: constant and persistent corruption. Four of its last 11 governors went to prison. Chicago, its largest city, is home to sweeping federal sting operations that put busloads of judges, aldermen, state lawmakers and other officials behind bars.

Even the state auditor — Illinois government’s financial watchdog — was once caught looting and squandering $2.5 million in public funds. One secretary of state famously amassed more than $750,000, including a shoebox stuffed with cash, that was found stashed in a hotel room after his death. The largest municipal fraud in U.S. history is credited to a small-town treasurer in Illinois who embezzled $54 million. […]

In reporting a series we’re calling “Culture of Corruption,” the Tribune found numerous other factors contributing to Illinois’ shameful record: Loosely regulated big-money campaigns. Domineering mayors letting shifty aldermen run amok. Cozy interactions between lobbyists and public officials. A ballot process power brokers often use to exclude newcomers. The largest number of governmental bodies in the nation, offering endless opportunities for graft amid little oversight.

Of course, not all of the state’s politicians have been crooks, with many seeing government service as an honorable profession and a way to address society’s problems. But even they are tarnished by the misdeeds of those who view corruption as the end to their personal means.

Federal prosecutors have kept busy for decades putting Illinois officials on trial, sometimes after lengthy investigations with names like “Operation Haunted Hall,” “Operation Silver Shovel,” “Operation Board Games” and “Operation Greylord.” A federal prison in nearby Oxford, Wisconsin, has become such a regular destination for convicted Illinois politicians that, at one point, it housed four Chicago aldermen, a Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board member and a state representative. When they bumped into one another, the six men would jokingly yell “quorum call!”

Go read the rest.

Click here for the next story in the series and here for more information on the convicted, indicted or generally notorious public officials the Tribune compiled.

Thoughts?

26 Comments

Stop calling up narratives from the past

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…

Since the 2022 election, far too many Illinoisans have been far too eager to pine for a repeat of the past.

It started with nonstop rumors about Gov. J.B. Pritzker running for president. Every word he spoke, every position he took, every out-of-state trip he made was examined for signs of what everybody thought they knew. And they played it up for all it was worth whenever they could.

For many, the talk brought back those heady years when Barack Obama captivated the nation and eventually won the presidency, taking lots of local folks with him to Washington, D.C. Turns out, he wasn’t even the Democrats’ “Break glass in case of emergency” guy.

Around the same time, we saw the Chicago Bears drag out its 30-year-old playbook to demand a new stadium and use a town outside Chicago (Gary way back when, Arlington Heights in late 2022) to put pressure on the city and state to cave in to the team’s demands. Lots of folks just assumed it would work again. Nope.

And then White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf decided to defend his state stadium subsidy against the Bears by promising to build a new ballpark as long as he kept receiving state welfare.

Too few people failed to see the members of the current General Assembly simply weren’t going to literally stop the clock again so the governor and the House speaker (or Senate president, for that matter) could twist enough arms to seal a new deal before a dramatic midnight deadline. Those days are over.

These days, it’s a half-billion dollars for quantum computing or an equal amount of state cash to spark investments by the electric vehicle industry.

And, of course, for months we were constantly reminded of the notorious 1968 Democratic National Convention violence as last week’s Democratic National Convention approached.

There were some valid concerns, of course. I mean, the Chicago Police Department doesn’t have the greatest reputation.

There was also no doubt that some protesters would come to town itching for a street fight with the cops, using the Gaza war as a pretext and trying to manifest the angry spirit of 1968 again this year.

And lots of young people throughout the nation have been angry about this war, as many were about Vietnam (without the added personal threat of a compulsive military draft, of course).

But while antisemitism has been intensely ugly since last October, we hadn’t seen any truly violent protests, even though Cook County has more Palestinian Americans than any county in the nation.

A smallish block-long protest the Sunday before the convention was intensely covered by the Chicago and national media, but the cops seemed to outnumber the protesters.

Still, references to 1968 dotted the coverage, both on social media and in subsequent news stories, including the protesters came near the General John Logan Memorial statue, which was the scene of an epic battle between protesters and law enforcement back in 1968. At one point, protesters chanted the old line, “The whole world is watching!” during a scuffle that didn’t actually involve the police. It was almost silly.

The comparisons to 1968 kicked up a big notch when the news media reported rumors that 150 members of the National Guard had been deployed to the city. The National Guard, of course, battled protesters in the streets in ’68. Those fights are a big reason why Chicago mayors have been super-reluctant to call out the Guard in the decades since.

It turns out that far more than that were actually called up, but most had nothing to do with protest violence. It was mainly about terrorism or other disruptions. Hundreds of cybersecurity task force members, communications experts, chemical and biological response troops and explosive device experts were activated. Even some veterinarians were called up to care for bomb-sniffing dogs.

“They’re not called up to beat up protesters in Grant Park,” said one exasperated state official.

One protest outside the Israeli consulate turned violent when street fighters attacked a police line. Just a couple of protesters claimed minor injuries. Dozens were arrested, about a tenth the number arrested on the single most violent day of the 1968 convention.

It just didn’t pan out as some people clearly hoped.

All I’m saying here is we need to live more in the present than in the past. Our aging president has dropped out of the race, and now our aging news media narratives need to do the same.

20 Comments

Open thread

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

4 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Members of Midwest farming community connect with shrimper, researchers in Gulf dead zone visit: Six members of Midwestern farming communities huddled around Louisiana fisherman Lance Nacio earlier this month as he showed family photos and spoke about the shrimping business he inherited from his father and grandfather. “It’s very much a culture, just like farming,” said Megan Dwyer, a fourth-generation farmer and the director of conservation at the Illinois Corn Growers Association.

* Sun-Times | Man charged in theft of laptops from Cook County state’s attorney’s office: A man has been charged in the thefts last month of laptops possibly containing confidential information on criminal cases from the Cook County state’s attorney’s offices at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. Jordan Jose Ocampo, 44, is charged with felony counts of burglary and theft after detectives identified him on surveillance video allegedly wheeling a cart out of the main lobby of the courthouse on the night of July 22.

*** Statewide ***

* Journal Courier | Illinois launches training initiative for those who help LGBTQ+ seniors: Free training known as OUTSafe is being offered by Springfield’s AgeLinc, the Area Agency on Aging serving central Illinois. The initiative is using state funds obtained by state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. The training is an introductory course to educate groups including health care providers, caregivers and law enforcement officials. It is meant to be the start of continued education on violence prevention and improved competency on LGBTQ+ relations.

* NBC Chicago | What is Illinois’ official state pie? There’s a reason it is this very popular flavor: In 2015, then-Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill making pumpkin pie the official state pie of Illinois. It makes sense given Illinois produces more pumpkins than any other state in the country. Ninety five percent of the pumpkin crop in the U.S. intended for processing is grown in Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture. If you buy canned pumpkin, chances are it was processed in Illinois too.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Nearly 20% of CPS students with disabilities have no bus ride on the first day of school: The district prioritizes busing for students with disabilities, as well as unhoused students, as required by law. Some 10,695 students with disabilities have requested transportation — an increase of 33% compared to last year, according to the district. The percentage of disabled and unhoused students enrolled in CPS has also been going up.

* Tribune | Some CPS parents take transportation into their own hands, as busing woes continue for 2024-2025 school year: Since busing was not provided for selective enrollment CPS students last year, the two-hour commute each way on public transit was the best option for Lichwick-Glesne, who has epilepsy and cannot drive her 7-year-old son Laike to school. Midway through the school year, a carpool relieved some of the stress. But, a year later, Lichwick-Glesne’s family found themselves in the same position. Still not guaranteed busing for this school year, the family was scared to repeat the same routine. After spending months on the waitlists of selective schools closer to home, Laike is switching to a new school this year, Beaubien Elementary School’s Regional Gifted Center in Jefferson Park, just a 12-minute CTA bus ride or 10-minute drive from home.

* Tribune | Chicago White Sox lose their 100th game — and now need to go 12-19 to avoid tying the most losses in a season: The Sox became just the second team in the modern era of Major League Baseball history to lose 100-plus times over the first 131 games of a season after falling 9-4 on Sunday in front of 16,928 at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Sox joined the ranks of the 1916 Philadelphia A’s — who were 29-101-1 after game 131.

* Crain’s | Want to catch a coastal cruise from Navy Pier? You can in 2025.: The two Victory Cruise Lines vessels, Victory I and Victory II, will return to Chicago after a yearlong hiatus. The 190-passenger vessels were out of commission in 2024 after their previous owners went bankrupt and were forced to sell the ships at auction in April.

* Sun-Times | Behind Kamala Harris’ DNC balloon drop was a tribute to a Chicago artist battling cancer: Balloon-industry titan Treb Heining helped gather more than 50 volunteers on short notice to ready 100,000 balloons for the big drop as well as to honor Tommy DeLorenzo, a local balloon artist who is fighting stage 4 cancer.

* Sun-Times | CTA L mapmaker Dennis McClendon, who found a calling in cartography, dead at 67: He also was a Chicago history expert tapped by WTTW-Channel 11 host Geoffrey Baer for answers. As a mapmaker, his vast output also included creating the Chicago Bike Map. His last project was creating the maps of the Near West Side that were provided to all delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights planning chief who prepped for Bears and reshaped downtown set to retire: The municipal planner who has shaped downtown Arlington Heights into a mixed-use entertainment destination and worked behind the scenes on the Bears’ now-stalled Arlington Park redevelopment plans will retire from his long-held position at village hall this fall. Charles Witherington-Perkins is a rare breed in suburban planning and community development circles, having spent nearly 35 years out of a four-decade-long career as department director overseeing the review and permit processes for projects large and small across the Northwest suburb.

* Daily Herald | Four already expressing interest in three Buffalo Grove village board seats: With the candidate filing period still months away, a contested race already is shaping up for three four-year terms on the Buffalo Grove village board. Incumbent village trustees Joanne Johnson and Lester Ottenheimer III have both said they will seek additional four-year terms in the April 2025 election. They’re expected to be joined on the ballot by Trustee Denice Bocek, longtime village volunteer Paulette Greenberg, and perhaps others.

* Tribune | Proposed dam removals on Fox River pit environmental groups against some residents: To improve water quality and habitat by restoring the river of its natural state, while lowering the risk of flooding, the state and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have recommended removing nine dams along the Fox River through the far western suburbs. […] [T]he corps has agreed to further study the impacts of dam removal, including how it would affect water levels and what sediments might be released. The environmental analysis will take longer, but the corps is not stopping its program. Officials aim to make a final decision on most of the dams in 2025 and start removal in 2027

* Daily Herald | ‘She is my wildest dreams’: DNC women delegates envision female president: “I think having a woman become our next president is historic for so many reasons but for me as an African American woman … she is my wildest dreams,” delegate and Hanover Park trustee Yasmeen Bankole said. “She inspires me to reach for the stars,” Bankole added Thursday, hours before the vice president accepted her party’s nomination.

*** Downstate ***

* STL PR | Green Party candidate did not qualify for U.S. House race in Illinois’ 13th: Chibu Asonye of Urbana did not gather enough signatures to appear before voters in the election for the congressional district that stretches from the Metro East to Springfield and Urbana-Champaign. Asonye gathered 1,557 signatures, according to the state’s top election authority. However, 12,710 is needed under state law.

* WSIL | Illinois asks for resident feedback on abandoned mines: The state of Illinois has asked residents for feedback surrounding recent funding from President Biden for abandoned mine reclamation. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) first announced the funding on August 6. This is the second year Illinois has received money through Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The IDNR says the $75.7 million awarded to the state will focus on 40 mines across Illinois that were abandoned on or before Aug. 3, 1977.

* WCIA | Monticello Railway Museum working to fix tracks: Right now, the tracks will lead you into a dead end. The plan is to connect them so trains can eventually run more efficiently. “It’ll give us another route that we can take with a museum or potentially what we have Railroad Days coming up,” Museum Ticket Agent John Downing said. “You could have one train heading to White Heath and another train coming back and pass each other then.”

* WSIL | Phineas and Ferb creator to appear at SIU Carbondale: SIU’s Student Programming Council has announced Dan Povenmire as the featured guest for Saluki Family Weekend 2024. is most well-known for the creation of the hit Disney Channel show, “Phineas and Ferb.” The cartoon ran for four seasons and a movie from 2007 to 2015. A reunion movie premiered on Disney+ in 2020, and the show is set to return for two more seasons on the streamer soon.

*** National ***

* NYT | Latino Civil Rights Group Demands Inquiry Into Texas Voter Fraud Raids: A Latino civil rights group is asking the Department of Justice to open an investigation into a series of raids conducted on Latino voting activists and political operatives as part of sprawling voter fraud inquiry by the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton. The League of United Latin American Citizens, one of the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organizations, said that many of those targeted were Democratic leaders and election volunteers, and that some were older residents. Gabriel Rosales, the director of the group’s Texas chapter, said that officers conducting the raids took cellphones, computers and documents. He called the raids “alarming” and said they were an effort to suppress Latino voters

1 Comment

Live coverage

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Monday, Aug 26, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Reader comments closed for the weekend

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Motörhead will play us out…

And the shame, was on another city

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* SJ-R’s Statehouse reporter…

The Illinois Congressional District 13 race narrowed today. State election board voted this morning to sustain a challenge to the candidacy of @Chibu4illinois, a Green Party candidate, effectively removing her from the ballot. #twill https://t.co/YyQENKtb1h

— Patrick M. Keck (@pkeckreporter) August 23, 2024

*** DNC ***

* Tribune | Roads are reopening around Chicago as the DNC ends. Here’s when all the security perimeters will be removed.: For McCormick Place, the perimeter started to come down Thursday evening. By 3 p.m. Friday, all major intersections will be cleared and the Interstate Highway 55 off-ramp will reopen. By 6 a.m. Sunday, Cermak Road from Michigan Avenue to Indiana Avenue will be clear and by 8 a.m. the entire area will be open.

Chicago was asked to host a safe, vibrant, and historic #DNC2024 – and Chicago delivered! Thank you to the thousands of people who worked tirelessly for months to make this a successful celebration of our party and our values. Now, onward to victory in November! pic.twitter.com/6lU8Vbo6jp

— Brandon Johnson (@Brandon4Chicago) August 23, 2024

* Sun-Times | Mayor celebrates city’s handling of DNC: ‘People fell back in love with Chicago’: Johnson said the city had pulled off the “best convention this country has ever seen,” while pointing out the unmet expectation of conflicts between police and protesters who marched in support of Palestinians and against Israeli military action in Gaza. “If the 1968 convention went down in history as the example of police brutality, then the 2024 convention will go down as the example of constitutional policing,” said Johnson, who inherited the convention from his predecessor Lori Lightfoot.

* WBEZ | Rest up, Chicago. Illinois politicians want to bring the DNC back in 2028.: Before the DNC was half over, Governor JB Pritzker was making a soft-pitch that Chicago was ready to do it all over again in 2028. He was ready with the facts, telling an interviewer that three of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidential nominations were in Chicago and that Adlai Stevenson was nominated at two consecutive Chicago conventions in the 1950s.

* Daily Herald | ‘Kamala knocked it out of the park’: Chicago-area delegates have glowing reviews for Harris’ acceptance speech: Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris knocked her acceptance speech “out of the park,” capping a party convention filled with joy and optimism, suburban delegates said Friday. “The entire energy throughout the convention was electrifying throughout the week, and it hit a new high (Thursday night),” said Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega, a Grayslake resident who was a delegate for the 10th Congressional District.

* NBC Chicago | At least 1 sickened after mealworms possibly dropped on tables at Chicago hotel hosting DNC breakfast: Mealworms may have sickened at least one person at a Chicago hotel event earlier this week during the Democratic National Convention, the city’s police superintendent said Thursday. […] One person who ingested the food was treated by medical personnel and released at the scene, according to Chicago police.

* Block Club | Urban Historian Sherman ‘Dilla’ Thomas’ Whirlwind DNC Week Got Pols, Delegates Out Of Downtown: Since Sunday, the Auburn Gresham resident — Chicago’s favorite urban historian — led delegates and politicians in town for the Democratic National Convention on two history bus tours per day across the city’s South and West sides. His Chicago Mahogany Tours took guests through Englewood, Bronzeville, Woodlawn, North Lawndale, Garfield Park, Pullman and Roseland. Thursday’s tour snaked through Little Village and Pilsen to “show what happens to legacy residents who are priced out of spaces,” he said.

*** Chicago ***

* Bolts Mag | Chicago Police Made Nearly 200,000 Secret Traffic Stops Last Year: The rate of stops conducted off-the-books has increased under Superintendent Larry Snelling, even as he has positioned himself as an agent of reform who is moving the Chicago Police Department away from its longstanding strategy of using traffic stops to find illegal guns and tamp down on crime. In June, Snelling reported traffic stops were down by about 87,000 over the same time last year. But behind that reduction is a pattern of thousands of unreported police encounters, which accounted for one-third of all traffic stops over the first seven months of Snelling’s tenure.

* Sun-Times | CPS school year starts Monday; 4 things to watch: In the face of a bus driver shortage since the start of the pandemic, CPS has tried a new approach to get the thousands of kids who ride school buses to class. Students at selective-enrollment and magnet schools have been hit particularly hard. They had no busing at all last year, angering parents. CPS officials said they had to cancel that busing because the law requires them to prioritize kids with disabilities and children who are unhoused — some who were spending over an hour on a bus to school.

* Crain’s | How many pickleball courts does Chicago really need?: Our newsroom was taken aback, however, when an Arizona-based pickleball franchise sent us a release earlier this month promising 36 new pickleball locations to open across Illinois. Surely there cannot be an additional three dozen facilities’ worth of dinking demand here, right? We decided to take a step back. Just how popular has pickleball become? Is the market in Chicago at risk of becoming oversaturated? When will the sport peak?

* NBC Chicago | Here are the street closures for the 2024 Chicago Triathlon: The 2024 Democratic National Convention may have wrapped up Thursday, but the city is preparing to host yet another event this weekend, with street closures both downtown and on the northern lakefront on the docket for the Chicago Triathlon. The Chicago Triathlon features events on both days this weekend, with Kids and SuperSprint races taking place Saturday before Olympic and Sprint competition is held Sunday.

* Crain’s | Wacker Drive office tower hits the market as loan maturity looms: There is no asking price listed for the 943,581-square-foot tower overlooking the Chicago River. But it’s likely worth far less than Beacon’s total investment as well as the balance of a $156 million mortgage from Bank of America that it took out to finance the 2018 purchase, based on recent sales of downtown office buildings and the murky outlook for workspace demand.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Around the Southland: Will County trail extension project complete, more: Construction work at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Lake Chaminwood Preserve in Channahon was completed last week and barriers were removed on a new paved path connecting the preserve to the I&M Canal State Trail. The 0.25-mile path extension has replaced a grass trail that was used for shoreline fishing on the western portion of the lake. This new trail section connects to the 61.5-mile I&M Canal State Trail via a 90-foot bridge over the canal.

* Daily Herald | ‘You always want to leave a place better’: District 76 superintendent will depart after this school year: After 10 years leading and advancing the tiny district, Superintendent Bhavna Sharma-Lewis will leave at the end of the school year “to write the next chapter of my story,” she informed staff and families. “When I joined the district, I set out with a vision to create an environment that prioritizes academic and professional excellence, cultivates a healthy and supportive culture and focuses on the holistic well-being of every student and staff member,” she wrote.

*** Downstate ***

* WJBD | Centralia breaks ground on new water treatment plant: The City of Centralia broke ground Wednesday on its $28-million water treatment plant that will replace the nearly 100 year old facility. Mayor Bryan Kuder called it a monumental event that will not only provide water to the city of Centralia but to 32,000 residents across the region.

* WCIA | Decatur reminds residents of sign bans in the right of way: The City of Decatur is issuing a reminder to residents that they do not allow signs on the public right of way. City officials said in a Facebook post Thursday that the ordinance banning on signs and decorations is to help keep pedestrians and drivers safe by helping visibility. This includes banners and flags as well as signs, including ones of promotional and political nature.

*** National ***

* AP | How to prepare for the Fed’s forthcoming interest rate cuts: The Federal Reserve is poised to cut its benchmark interest rate next month from its 23-year high, with consequences for consumers when it comes to debt, savings, auto loans and mortgages. Right now, most experts envision three quarter-point Fed cuts — in September, November and December — though even steeper rate cuts are possible. “The time has come” for the Fed to reduce interest rates, Powell said Friday in his keynote speech at the Fed’s annual economic conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks.”

* CBS | U.S. Justice Department sues RealPage, alleging it enabled price-fixing on rents: The complaint claims the Richardson, Texas-based company and its competitors engaged in a price-fixing scheme by sharing nonpublic, sensitive information, which RealPage’s algorithmic pricing software used to generate pricing recommendations. The company replaced competition with rent coordination to the detriment of renters across the U.S., according to the suit, monopolizing the market through its revenue management software which was used by landlords to maximize rent costs.

* AP | Canada forces arbitration in freight train labor dispute, averting economic crisis: Freight trains are expected to start rolling again soon in Canada after the government forced the country’s two major railroads into arbitration with their labor union Thursday, averting potentially dire economic consequences across the country and in the U.S. Canadian National said it ended its lockout immediately Thursday evening in an effort to get its trains running quickly. CPKC railroad did not say exactly when its lockout would end. The company said in a statement that it will follow the direction of the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which is overseeing the arbitration. The union hasn’t yet responded to the government’s decision.

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Top court can’t reach majority on post-primary legislative candidate slating law (Updated)

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Some background…

On June 5, an Illinois court ruled that provisions of P.A. 103-0586—a law the Illinois General Assembly and Governor J.B. Pritzker rushed through in May, changing the rules for accessing the ballot in the middle of an active election cycle—violates the constitutional rights of fourteen candidates seeking to access the ballot in the 2024 general election.

Case Background: On May 10, the Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit against the Illinois State Board of Elections for violating Illinoisans’ constitutional right to vote by repealing a campaign law mid-election.

Prior to this rapid repeal, if no one ran in a political party’s primary election, the party itself could nominate (or “slate”) a candidate, provided the candidate gathered the required number of petition signatures. On May 3, however, Governor Pritzker signed into law P.A. 103-0586, which repealed that provision, effective immediately—targeting only races for the General Assembly while allowing other offices to continue the slating process.

P.A. 103-0586 was signed into law abruptly in the middle of an election season. It was introduced on May 1 through a controversial “gut and replace” maneuver, when legislators replaced the entire text of a dormant, existing bill on another subject—Senate Bill 2412, which previously would have amended the Children and Family Services Act—with text that reformed the Illinois Election Code. The House passed the bill the same day. It was passed by the Senate the following day and signed into law as P.A. 103-0586 by the governor on May 3, less than 48 hours after its contents had been introduced.

* House Speaker Chris Welch then appealed the case directly to the Illinois Supreme Court. Today…

In this case, two justices of this court have recused themselves, and the remaining members of the court are divided so that it is not possible to secure the constitutionally required concurrence of four judges for a decision (see Ill. Const. 1970, art. VI, § 3). Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed. The effect of this dismissal is the same as an affirmance by an equally divided court of the decision under review but is of no precedential value.

Justices Neville and Cunningham recused.

…Adding… Leader Curran…

Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) released the following statement in response to the Illinois Supreme Court’s dismissal of the Democrats’ appeal to the lower court’s finding that Public Act 103-0586 was unconstitutional.

“Gov. Pritzker once again signed a purely partisan law that violated the constitutional rights of Illinois citizens. This latest attempted power grab by Gov. Pritzker and the legislative Democrats that would have reduced voters’ choice in the upcoming election was thankfully rejected by the courts for the final time, and voters, rather than politicians, will have the final say on Election Day.”

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Leave the kid alone

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* USA Today…

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate, has spoken openly and lovingly about his 17-year-old son, Gus, who has ADHD, along with a nonverbal learning disorder and an anxiety disorder. Walz and his wife, Gwen, both former teachers, said recently in a statement to People magazine that they never considered Gus’ conditions an obstacle.

“Like so many American families, it took us time to figure out how to make sure we did everything we could to make sure Gus would be set up for success as he was growing up,” the couple said.

“It took time, but what became so immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback − it’s his secret power,” they said.

* Tribune…

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s son Gus moved the audience Wednesday night in the United Center with a display of emotion as his father spoke that many saw as heartwarming.

After 17-year-old Gus was shown on national television at the DNC in Chicago tearing up, clapping and yelling out, “That’s my dad!” People magazine posted a statement from the older Walz and wife Gwen that Gus has “a non-verbal learning disorder,” along with anxiety and ADHD.

The Tribune talked to experts, who used the terms “neurodivergent” and “disability” to describe conditions like Gus Walz’s. The Walz family statement did not use those terms.

Viral clips like the one between Gus Walz and his father can make all the difference for neurodivergent people, said Kimi Matsumura, founder of the nonprofit Chicago Autism Network.

“Exposure is huge,” she said. “The world getting to see the beauty of Gus Walz and his relationship with his dad I think will open up a lot of hearts.”

* Not everyone saw a heartwarming moment, however. Here’s Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson…

Ugh.

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Report: ‘Abrupt’ prisoner transfers begin at Stateville

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WBEZ…

Jerrell Matthews has known for months that he’d be transferring from Stateville Correctional Center, a men’s maximum-security prison outside of Joliet where he’s lived for the last six years.

But he didn’t think he’d be relocating so far away.

Matthews expected that it would be with the rest of the men graduating from Northeastern Illinois University’s prison education program this fall. Instead, he’s moving to Shawnee Correctional Center, a medium-security prison nearly 330 miles away near the Kentucky border, Tiffani Blandon, a close friend of Matthews, told WBEZ.

Transfers from Stateville to other facilities around Illinois began this week. Matthews was one of dozens of men who are being moved from the prison this week, according to family members and men incarcerated there.

A federal ruling that came down two weeks ago ordering Illinois prison officials to empty the decrepit facility by Sept. 30 seems to have resulted in abrupt transfers from Stateville, despite what educators have said were assurances from the Illinois Department of Corrections that students and alumni from the same education programs would be allowed to move together.

There’s more, so go read the rest.

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Uber Partners With Cities To Expand Urban Transportation

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.

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Today’s lesson

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a good pal…

You never realize how irrelevant you are until you attend a national convention.

To wit…

Security just whisked a visibly stressed @KellyannePolls (a @FoxNews commentator) in through a special door, leaving actual reporters still waiting.

— Heather Cherone (@HeatherCherone) August 23, 2024

You learn very early on that it’s all about the teevee show and the money.

Nothing - and I mean zero - else matters.

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Open thread

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: For Illinois Dems, the party’s over, but the phone calls are just getting started. Crain’s…

Soon after red, white and blue balloons blanketed cheering delegates inside a packed United Center last night, Chicago’s official role in rallying the Democratic Party around their nominee ended. But Illinois will continue to loom large in the presidential election. […]

Greg Kelly, president of SEIU Healthcare and the Illinois State Council, said the first Obama run “serves as the template” for the union’s current campaign work. In that campaign, the union saw polling that Northwest Indiana was ready to turn out for Obama, but they needed a push to the polls. […]

“We knocked over a couple thousand doors just in the last week,” he said. “Wisconsin has always been a priority for us, and we’re going to continue to make sure that it turns blue in November.” […]

It’s expected Harris won’t be a stranger to Illinois the rest of the campaign. Frequent trips to Wisconsin likely means stopovers in Chicago, where donors say they’re eager to continue giving money after the party’s over at the United Center.

* Related stories…

∙ WBEZ: As the Democratic National Convention comes to a close, Illinois politicians gear up to campaign

∙ Herald&Review: How can Democrats reach voters in downstate Illinois? Listen better, congresswoman says

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker, Dems push to widen abortion messaging beyond ‘social issues’ silo: “But the anti-freedom, anti-family policies of MAGA Republicans are driving workers away,” Pritzker said of Republican-controlled states that have moved to severely restrict access to reproductive health care in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision. “Here’s the thing: Americans don’t want to be forced to drive 100 miles to deliver a baby because a draconian abortion law shut down the maternity ward,” he continued. “Americans with LGBTQ kids don’t want them facing discrimination at school because the state sanctioned it. Americans want to go to their neighborhood grocery store and not have to worry about some random guy open-carrying an AR-15.”

* NBC | Gov. Abbott sent zero migrant buses from Texas to blue cities in July: On June 4, Abbott sent eight buses to Chicago, Denver and New York. After June 4, he dispatched just 15 more. At least one bus that headed north from Texas on June 11 may have been just half full, according to the data. The buses generally carried 50 passengers, but this one had 25. By the end of July, migrant shelter operators in border cities were telling NBC News that there were not enough migrants to fill the buses, and officials in some Northern cities said they believed no more buses were arriving.

* Crain’s | An enrollment cliff has Illinois’ public universities seeing red: Northern Illinois University recently reported a $31.8 million deficit for fiscal year 2024, while Western Illinois University is laying off 124 faculty and staff to help close a $22 million deficit. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is expecting to report a $14 million deficit, according to its early projections, and Chicago State University and Northeastern Illinois University are still managing the fallout from recent years of financial trouble that rocked both campuses.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan campaigns for Kamala Harris at DNC: Madigan, who was Illinois’ attorney general for 16 years, six of which while Harris was California’s attorney general, told the crowd at the United Center that she and Harris worked together on housing issues. “I worked with Kamala Harris during the Great Recession to protect homeowners from foreclosure,” Madigan, who spoke for under one minute, told the crowd. “As attorney general of California, Kamala met thousands of people on the verge of losing their homes and their faith in the American Dream.

* Center Square | Rep. Evans said focus needs to be on infrastructure: Illinois state Rep. Marcus Evans discusses the pleasures of governing as a majority, economic concerns, immigration concerns and infrastructure in Illinois from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

* WSPY | Secretary of State Giannoulias announces 2024 Public Library Per Capita Grants for 2024: Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias announced Thursday that local libraries will be receiving grants to help ensure all residents have access to quality resources and programming. Libraries across the 38th Senate District will receive a combined $405,380 in grants, and libraries in the 69th and 70th House Districts will receive $203,517 in grants.

*** DNC ***

* Tribune | Why are female delegates wearing white on the final night of the Democratic National Convention?: So when Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage for to accept the Democratic presidential nomination — becoming the first Black woman, and only the second woman overall, to do so — she will be looking out across a sea filled with the color of women’s suffrage, the movement that culminated with American women securing the right to vote in 1920.

* Tribune | How do you pronounce Kamala? Her grandnieces explain at the Democratic National Convention: The actress Kerry Washington introduced the girls by saying “it’s come to my attention that there are some folks who struggle — or pretend to struggle — with the proper pronunciation of our future president’s name.” She added, “Confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not. So tonight we are going to help everyone get it right.” Out came Amara, 8, in a pink pant suit and Leela, 6, in a light blue frilly dress. They’re the daughters of Harris’ niece Meena Harris.

Photo from Todd Heisler of The New York Times. pic.twitter.com/yBUuPCfaZI

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 23, 2024

. @IBEW, we light up the Party and glow good! #DemConvention #HarrisWalz #UnionStrong pic.twitter.com/guBLHmBn4m

— Gretchen Newsom 💫 (@GretchenNewsom) August 23, 2024

* Tribune | At DNC, survivors of gun violence and families of victims share their stories: The other survivors and family members turned advocates each told their stories Thursday, at times becoming emotional. Democrats in the arena could be seen wiping their eyes at one point as a screen behind the speakers projected the words, “Freedom From Gun Violence.” The advocates were led by Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath, who became an activist against gun violence after her 17-year-old son was shot in 2012 by a white man who was angry over the loud music the Black teenager and his friends were playing.

* Daily Herald | Time to ‘end the anger politics’: Illinois Democrats push unity agenda: With Chicago’s Democratic National Convention wrapping up, Illinois delegates begin pivoting to what will be a bruising election. But Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear stressed bipartisanship Thursday at the contingent’s final breakfast caucus. “It seems like the last eight years — every day has been an ‘us vs. them,’ a boiling point in our country where we’ve been asked to pick a side on everything from the car you drive to the beer you drink. Somehow beer got political,” Beshear commented to laughter.

* Sun-Times | Illinois first lady MK Pritzker revels in Chicago DNC vibe: ‘The whole place just feels of feminine energy!’: “In a week, Gwen Walz, the wife of [Kamala’s veepmate] Tim Walz, had only hours to turn her life around … and she has now become everybody’s definition of a best friend,” said the state’s first lady, stunned when “Gwen” walked by “unescorted” at a private Pritzker party this past week at the Salt Shed. “It’s like someone threw her in a blender of adorable, kind, non-demanding and considerate,” MK chirped. “She’s the real deal

* Tribune | Despite rumors, no surprise performance from Beyoncé or Taylor Swift at the DNC: Those wandering in the United Center in the afternoon heard a sound check (albeit from another singer) using her song “Cuff It.” Plus, Harris had been cleared to use Beyoncé’s 2016 song, “Freedom,” in campaign videos on social media (who rarely licenses her music). A friend of Barack and Michelle Obama, the singer’s 2022 album “Renaissance” also featured an allusion to her disdain for former President Donald Trump: “Votin’ out 45, don’t get outta line.” Trump was the nation’s 45th president.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | ‘We Delivered’: Mayor Brandon Johnson Touts DNC Successes Ahead Of Convention’s Final Night: During a brief interview with Block Club on Thursday, Johnson said he hopes the DNC will lead to more federal dollars to support the Chicago Transit Authority, build affordable housing and support neighborhood public schools. The mayor also praised the federal support the Police Department received before the convention to buy three new helicopters this year.

* Crain’s | O’Hare plans to sell $1B in bonds as terminal project moves ahead: With approval from O’Hare’s carriers, led by United and American airlines, to move ahead with construction, the city is starting to raise the billions required to pay for it. The bond sale is another sign that things are finally moving ahead on the main part of the project, which was announced in 2018.

* Block Club | Trio’s Pizza, A Beloved Northwest Side Spot, Is Back In Business: “I’ve been waiting two years for this,” said Don Galiano, a neighbor and devoted Trio’s customer said. “I don’t think I’ve had a decent pizza since they closed.” After being closed for about two years, Trio’s Pizza, 7009 W. Higgins Ave., is back in business. The restaurant has new owners and menu items, and the interior has been completely renovated. However, the pizza joint kept a key ingredient: Frank Scianna.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Cook County judge, in office for less than 2 years, is named to panel that rules on judicial misconduct: Raines-Welch, who’s married to Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, is one of two circuit judges on the commission, whose authority to punish judges for wrongdoing includes being able to remove them from the bench. Chief Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis won’t say why Raines-Welch was picked for the unpaid post, whose term runs until the end of 2026.

* Crain’s | The state’s vision for Peotone airport includes some surprises: Although the South Suburban Airport has most recently been discussed as primarily a cargo airport, the project details released by the Illinois Department of Transportation include the possibility of a passenger terminal. “IDOT’s objective is that the (South Suburban Airport) will include commercial passenger service, cargo operations, and general aviation activities,” the document says.

*** Downstate ***

* SJ-R | Grayson to appear in Sangamon County court Monday. What to expect: A former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy charged with murder will make his first traditional pre-trial court appearance at 9 a.m. Monday. Sean P. Grayson, 30, fatally shot Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman and mother of two children inside her home in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in an unincorporated part of Woodside Township.

* WCIA | City of Decatur offering Lunch & Learn for minority contractors: The city of Decatur is teaming up with the Metro Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce to hold a lunch and learn to teach minority contractors on the bidding process. […] The event is for both established and prospective contractors. Attendees will learn how to tell if they are qualified and how to bid on City of Decatur Public Works and Economic & Community Development projects.

* SJ-R | ‘Confrontational and reactive’: UIS outlines expectations for men’s and women’s golf coach: Anonymous allegations surfaced against Leotta in a 2aDays.com report on July 9 before a former player supported those claims in a subsequent State Journal-Register article on July 30. The allegations ranged from verbal and emotional abuse to reckless driving.

*** National ***

* The Bee | Lawmaker defends Google deal to fund California newsrooms, as labor criticism grows The $242.5 million deal has led to the demise of Assembly Bill 886, authored by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, which would have made Big Tech pay for news that appears on its platforms in perpetuity. Wicks, in an interview Thursday with The Bee, said the public-private deal represented the best of what was actually achievable, and called it a win for California journalism.

* New Yorker | Elon Musk’s Surging Political Activism: Beyond the self-serving speciousness of Maduro’s actions, his concerns about Musk’s propensity to meddle in politics and the affairs of nations are not without foundation. Since Musk acquired Twitter, in 2022—and rebranded it as X, a year ago—the onetime libertarian multibillionaire has increasingly propagated far-right viewpoints. He endorsed a post on X promoting an antisemitic conspiracy theory, shared a since-deleted link to unsubstantiated claims involving the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, and said that “the Biden-Harris Administration is importing vast numbers of voters.”

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Live coverage

Friday, Aug 23, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.