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Grayson’s ludicrous defense
Monday, Aug 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * SJ-R…
Ugh. * Here’s a video clip that covers the half minute before the shooting. Massey says what she says in an almost humorous manner. Even though I stop the video before the shooting, it’s still very difficult and traumatic to watch. There’s also profanity, so keep that in mind if you’re at work… When she says “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Grayson says “You better f-ing not or I swear to God I’ll f-ing shoot you right in your f-ing face.” And then he pulled his gun, she apologized, went to the floor and he shot her right in the face. Evil.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Aug 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Press release…
* WTTW reporter Heather Cherone… * WTHI | New data shows change in how Illinois funds its schools is reaching under-resourced districts: The Illinois State Board of Education released new data on Monday showing the impact of a change in funding for the state’s “highest-need” schools. […] According to the ISBE, the number of districts with funding below 70 percent adequacy has hit its lowest point since switching funding formulas. In FY 2018, there were 430 districts below 70 percent adequacy; in FY 2025, it’s now 49 districts. * Center Square | Narcan vending machines popping up throughout Illinois in effort to combat overdoses: Chestnut Health Systems have been installing the vending machines in several areas, including in Metro East. Officials said in Madison and St. Clair counties alone, there were 96 overdoses last year with 70% involving opioids. The project is funded with tax dollars from the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery. * Chalkbeat | Chicago touts after-school program growth but cuts funding: After pouring federal COVID relief dollars into a once barebones budget for such programs, Chicago Public Schools is now cutting funding for academic, arts, sports and mentoring before- and after-school programs, labeled as Out of School Time. This summer, the district touted a 2024-25 budget that “doubles down” on a COVID-era spending boost for extracurricular programs, which officials said has sped up students’ recovery. But in fact, funding for these programs is down by roughly a third, to about $31 million. * WTTW | CPD Has Yet to Launch Study on How Officers Are Deployed, Missing Deadline Set by Chicago City Council: Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward), who authored the ordinance passed by the City Council on Feb. 21 that gave CPD officials 90 days to hire an outside organization to study how officers are deployed, where they are assigned to work and whether that makes sense, said he was frustrated the work had not yet begun. […] A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department said Wednesday the contract to conduct the study has yet to be finalized. A CPD spokesperson told WTTW News June 4 that an agreement had been reached in May to set the scope of the study and efforts were underway to “finalize the contract.” * Sun-Times | Long-awaited Damen Green Line station opens: A new Green Line station opened Monday at Damen Avenue on the Near West Side, offering a rail connection to the United Center in time for the Democratic National Convention that kicks off in two weeks. Mayor Brandon Johnson helped cut the ribbon on what officials celebrated as a “visually compelling” station that closes a 1.5-mile gap on the Green Line, the only L line that serves both the South and West sides. * Block Club | Historical State Street Skyscrapers To Be Preserved After Feds Opt Against Demolition: Three historical State Street buildings previously set for demolition will likely now be preserved, according to a report by the federal agency that owns the buildings. The U.S. General Services Administration had previously sought to demolish the Century and Consumers buildings, 202-220 S. State St., in an effort to boost security at the adjacent Dirksen Federal Building on Dearborn Street. * Sun-Times | Are tornadoes surging in Chicago area? Not quite, but reporting of them is, experts say: Illinois surpassed 100 tornadoes in a year two other times this century, in 2003 and 2006. The state has averaged about 40 tornadoes a year since record keeping began in 1950. Some may want to blame climate change, but the recent rise has largely been rooted in better technology to track and categorize storms, says Walker Ashley, a meteorology professor at Northern Illinois University. * Block Club | Metropolis Coffee’s Second Cafe Takes Flight At O’Hare: The cafe opened in O’Hare’s newly expanded Terminal 5 this spring, and Metropolis is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the location Aug. 13. […] Metropolis operated a temporary cafe with a stripped-down menu at O’Hare for over a year. The permanent cafe, located by gate M30, has a full menu offering a range of coffees, pastries, samosas, sandwiches, salads, smoothies, juices, beers and wines, Farhana Rahim said. * Block Club | River Otters Were Once Nearly Extinct In Illinois — But Now They Roam Chicago Waterways: The Forest Preserve District of Cook County and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources have done extensive habitat restoration projects and reintroductions to help otters and other animals. […] These efforts have proven highly successful: River otters were removed from the state endangered species list in 2004. By 2009, Illinois had over 11,000 otters, and today they are found in every county in the state, according to the Outdoor Illinois Journal. * Daily Herald | Islamic school proposed for shuttered Elgin Academy: Elgin Academy, the private school which closed in June after 185 years, is being sold to an organization that intends to establish an Islamic school for preschool through 12th grade students, according to an Elgin Academy official and a YouTube video produced by organizers behind the proposed Burhan Academy. Paul Druzinsky, the interim head of the nonsectarian Elgin Academy, confirmed the asking price of the 350 Park St. property is $3.7 million and the sale is set to close later this month. * Daily Herald | Hunger Resource Network board member shares food insecurity challenges: “Eleven years ago, I went through a divorce while living in Highland Park,” [Amy Levin Schneider] said. “I will bet you are having a hard time believing that someone like me, with a good education, has experienced food insecurity, right? But the truth is, I have. Hunger has many faces.” Suddenly, Amy found herself a single mother trying to support two children. She and her ex-husband worked in the same business, but when the marriage ended, it was no longer an option for her to work there. * Naperville Sun | New North Central College president says his job is to bring stability as the Naperville school deals with priorities ahead: Abiódún Gòkè-Pariolá, who last month was tapped as the 12th president of North Central College, says a need for stability, prudency and leadership during a period of flux for the Naperville institution is the impetus behind his appointment. […] With Gòkè-Pariolá named president, his previous role as provost and vice president for academic affairs will be filled for the interim by Kristin Geraty, who had previously held the role of North Central’s associate provost and dean of engaged learning, the college announced Wednesday. Geraty is the first woman to serve as the college’s chief academic officer. * Patch | $14.7 Million Referendum Heads To Ballot In Glencoe Park District: The Glencoe Park District board last month voted unanimously to ask residents to authorize a 25-year, $14.7 million bond sale. Executive Director Lisa Sheppard said the board is looking to maintain the quality of its assets and enhance property values through the preservation of the village’s beach, parks and athletic facilities while limiting the burden on taxpayers. * The Telegraph | Groundbreaking transgender candidate runs for Granite City mayor: Colton Baumgartner is running for mayor of Granite City. Baumgartner is believed to be the first openly transgender person to run for mayor in Madison County. If elected, she would be the first openly transgender mayor in Illinois, according to Equality Illinois. “I believe it is in my benefit to help the city, because I’ve lived in many states, and I truly feel like I am an American and I chose Granite City to be my forever home,” she said. * KHQA | WIU community to hold press conference ahead of expected layoff vote: Faculty members, staff, and students will gather on Monday with community members for a press conference in advance of the expected board vote to lay off an undetermined number of Western Illinois University (WIU) employees. Officials say reducing the faculty and staff who instruct and support students will not only diminish the opportunities available to students but will also have dire consequences on the WIU community in Macomb and Moline. * PJ Star | Infamous killer who was part of Chicago’s ‘Ripper Crew’ is now living in Peoria: Thomas Kokoraleis, 64, informed the Peoria Police Department in May that he would be living in Peoria at the Peoria Pathway Ministries, formerly Peoria Rescue Ministries, at 601 Adams Street in Downtown Peoria. Kokoraleis is not on parole, which means he is not subject to 24-hour monitoring by an ankle monitor, but Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria told the Journal Star he is required to check in with the police department quarterly. […] “I can tell you that when he came here, I did speak with the previous agency that he came from and they never, in the time he was there, had any issues with him,” Echevarria said. * SJ-R | Petition claims school’s diversity officer was placed on leave after off-campus fight: More than 900 people want the University of Illinois Springfield to reinstate its now-former Director of Diversity and Inclusion. According to a document obtained by The State-Journal Register, the university placed Justin Rose on paid administrative leave May 6 because of a potential violation of the school’s code of conduct and has since been informed that his $78,392 annual contract set to expire Aug. 15 would not be renewed. The move came 10 days after a fight at an off-campus party where Rose was present. * SJ-R | Springfield area softball team repeats as Senior League World Series champions: Chatham Glenwood’s Taryn Griffith dished out a pair of RBI hits in the first two innings and the Tri-County Senior League softball team captured its second straight Senior League World Series title 11-0 over Irmo, South Carolina on Sunday. Griffith scored Pawnee’s Ava Rodriguez with an RBI-single in the first inning before expanding the lead 6-0 in the second with a 2-RBI double to left field. * NYT | Justice Thomas Failed to Reveal More Private Flights, Senator Says: Senator Ron Wyden sent a letter to the wealthy conservative donor Harlan Crow’s lawyer after records showed undisclosed flights between Hawaii and New Zealand with the Supreme Court justice in 2010. * AP | Prosecutors plan to charge former Kansas police chief over his conduct following newspaper raid: The raid sparked a national debate about press freedoms focused on Marion, a town of about of about 1,900 people set among rolling prairie hills about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, Missouri. Cody resigned as chief in early October, weeks after officers were forced to return materials seized in the raid. Meyer’s 98-year-old mother Joan Meyer, who co-owned the paper and lived with him, died the day after the raid from a heart attack. Meyer attributed her death to the stress of the raid.
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Question of the day
Monday, Aug 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * I’ve asked before whether y’all thought Sen. Durbin will run for reelection or not. Today’s question is whether he should run for another six-year term or not. Make sure to explain your answer…
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UIC research could lead to major antibiotic breakthrough
Monday, Aug 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* This morning, a commenter pointed out a story from last month. Sun-Times…
* UIC Today…
The study is here.
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It’s a law
Monday, Aug 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Lee Enterprises’ Brenden Moore…
Click here for the full list.
* WAND…
* Sen. Cristina Castro…
* Sen. Mary Edly-Allen…
* SJ-R statehouse reporter Patrick Keck…  SB3134 went into effect immediately. * Sen. Laura Fine…
* WAND…
* Sen. Rachel Ventura…
* Sen. Bill Cunningham…
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A good lesson for our crazy times
Monday, Aug 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
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Edgar, LaHood, Kinzinger and Walsh join ‘Republicans for Harris’
Monday, Aug 5, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Sun-Times…
* Edgar has never supported Trump. LaHood was considered a moderate in DC, but his congressional voting record was likely too conservative for Illinois (and I told him as much years ago). Kinzinger has always been a conservative, and he stands on principle. For instance, from 2022…
* CBS 2…
Walsh didn’t invent Republican victimhood and phony outrage, but he took it to a whole new level when he was in office and for quite a while after he was booted by Democrat Tammy Duckworth. * Anyway, AP…
Thoughts?
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Open thread
Monday, Aug 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Aug 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Citing fear of job loss, union pressures Trib to drop AI policy. Crain’s…
- The Chicago Tribune Guild, the union representing its newsroom, said Alden Global “proposed contract language that would give it unrestricted power to outsource newsroom work, including to artificial intelligence tools.” - The union has accused Alden Global of “slow-walking contract negotiations” and offering “non-starter proposals” that include the possibility of eliminating the company’s 401(k) match and refusing pay increases. The Guild won its union election in 2018 and has yet to reach a first contract. At 9 am Governor Pritzker will give remarks at the American Bar Association’s annual meeting. Click here to watch. * SJ-R | Illinois Democrats pumping ’seven figure investments’ into 2 key congressional races: Budzinski and Sorensen are seen as the most sensitive to a potential flip, especially Sorensen where the National Republican Congressional Committee is putting resources to his challenger Joe McGraw. Both, however, have still significant fundraising advantages over their opponents. […] In this election, Virden Republican Josh Loyd and Green Party candidate Chibu Asonye of Champaign are challenging Budzinski. Budzinski’s campaign, as of the latest campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission, holds more than $2 million in reserves compared to $2,883 for Loyd. There is no data available for Asonye and a challenge to her nomination papers filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections is still pending. * Illinois Answers | Luxury Home or Vacant Lot? Cook County Assessor Misclassifies Hundreds of Properties, Missing $444M in One Year Alone: The Gilmores’ house isn’t being unfairly targeted. It’s being treated normally and reassessed every three years like hundreds of thousands of properties across Cook County. Rather, the inequality is due to the assessor’s office missing new construction and major improvements to homes and businesses all across Cook County. In one year alone, Kaegi’s office has missed hundreds of millions of dollars in market value, which is a foundational figure used in taxing properties in Cook County. The missteps came even though in hundreds of cases Kaegi’s office possessed the documents or data it needed indicating the homes and businesses had been renovated or that the vacant land had been developed, the Tribune and Illinois Answers found. * CBS Chicago | In wake of Sonya Massey shooting, call issued for referendum on whether Illinois sheriff should resign: Sangamon County Board member Sam Cahnman (D-18th) said he will introduce a resolution to have a referendum added to the ballot in November—simply asking voters whether Sheriff Jack Campbell should resign. Campbell has defended his decision to hire Sean Grayson, the deputy who shot and killed Massey early on Saturday, July 6, at her house outside Springfield. He shot her when she checked on a pot of boiling water in her own kitchen while saying, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson was fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s office and has been charged with Massey’s murder. Meanwhile, his past has raised new questions over the decision to hire him in the first place. * Tribune | Deaths from domestic gun violence rose in 2023 in Illinois, report says: Shootings related to domestic violence in Illinois were significantly more lethal in 2023 even as their overall number remained mostly stable from previous years, a new report from The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence found. The report projected that 130 people in Illinois would die due to domestic gun violence in 2024. The report, released weeks after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis, documented 109 shootings related to domestic violence, which killed 93 people in Illinois throughout 2023. * Tribune | Illinois trees and plants suffering widespread damage from renewed use of decades-old weedkillers on farms, studies show: At first glance it appears Hirsch’s property is an idyllic refuge on the edge of suburbia. But her training didn’t prepare her for an onslaught of weedkillers drifting from nearby farms and neighboring yards — a scourge spreading throughout Illinois as chemical companies revive volatile herbicides from generations past. Trees are slowly dying after being hit for years by weedkillers. Their once-robust canopy has thinned. Many of the leaves are cupped or deformed. So are the Hirsch family’s flowers and vegetables. * Tribune | Controversial staffing firm to remain in Chicago migrant shelters: ‘Right now, Favorite is our solution’: The out-of-state emergency staffing firm was first tapped by Mayor Lori Lightfoot in fall 2022 to run Chicago’s nascent migrant shelter system as busloads of Venezuelans began arriving in the city from Texas. That contract has remained the city’s costliest by far of the ongoing migrant situation, with almost two-thirds of the $433.7 million in total expenditures spent on asylum-seekers so far going toward Favorite Staffing, per city records from July. The Johnson administration has touted rate negotiations that have driven down per-resident costs and have saved up to $3 million a week even as an earlier spike in the shelter population this winter contributed to a whopping $276.6 million bill from Favorite Staffing since the start of the migrant crisis. * Block Club | Feds Pledge To Advance Nearly $400 Million More To Red Line Extension: Federal transit officials pledged $746 million next year to extend the Red Line south to 130th Street, up from $350 million. The total federal funding remains the same, but the move is expected to lower the city’s borrowing costs for the project. * WTTW | Watchdog: Chicago’s Workers’ Comp System Has Been Reformed, 5 Years After Ed Burke Control: The first-of-its-kind audit by Inspector General Deborah Witzburg of the city’s workers compensation system found “major improvement” in the system that paid $73.5 million to resolve approximately 3,700 claims in 2022. “As the program is ushered into a new era and the city works to clear a cloud of historical corruption, we welcome the opportunity to shine some light into that room,” Witzburg said. * Streetsblog | Amtrak’s convenient, timely Chicago-Twin Cities Borealis service saw strong ridership in its first month: According to preliminary figures released in early July, the Borealis saw around 18,500 passengers in June, or an average of 300 passengers a day in each direction. The May 2024 Amtrak monthly performance report showed that the service had 6,600 riders during its first 1.5 weeks of operation. The June 2024 report hadn’t been released by press time. * Block Club | Former Edgewater Ald. Mary Ann Smith, City Hall Staple For 2 Decades, Dies at 77: As 48th Ward alderwoman from 1989 to 2011, Smith prioritized creating park spaces, improving local schools, introducing traffic calming measures and preserving the ward’s historic blocks, her family, friends and colleagues said. Smith “radiated authenticity, sweetness, compassion,” and was always followed around by her dogs and cats, Matthew Smith said. * Tribune | A migrant family’s first year in Chicago: sadness, setbacks and ‘beautiful moments’: In 2023, the Tribune followed the Mendez family of five — Esperanza, her adult son, Fabian, his girlfriend, and Experanza’s two youngest children, Yuledy and Pedro — on a bus and train from El Paso, Texas, to Chicago last July. They had risked their lives to make it to the United States. A year later, they find themselves in deep isolation. […] “For months, my mind has been distracted. We’ve been in survival mode. It’s hard to keep up with everything,” said Esperanza in a recent interview. “All the while we’re worried about the people in our own country.” * Daily Herald | Why Aqua Illinois is building a second water treatment plant in Hawthorn Woods : Water system operator Aqua Illinois, which has had past issues involving customer outages, is building a second water treatment plant in Hawthorn Woods to ensure reliability of the system. […] “In systems like Hawthorn Woods, a significant leak, coupled with normal usage can strain the water supply beyond its capacity,” said Areca Van Mill, regional communication specialist. * Daily Herald | Despite lakefront focus, Bears president leaves the door open to Arlington Heights stadium ‘opportunity’: Warren’s latest comments — which came during the national TV broadcast of the Bears’ first preseason game Thursday night and in a local radio interview Tuesday — followed Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s declaration Monday that it would be “near impossible” for legislation providing public money for a new lakefront stadium to pass the legislature this fall. “The focus is the Museum Campus downtown. I still think that’s the most beautiful piece of property in the country, where lake meets architecture downtown,” Warren said during the ABC/ESPN broadcast of the Bears’ Hall of Fame Game Thursday night. “We are the largest landowner in Arlington Heights. We own 326 acres. So that still is an opportunity cause we do own the land. But our focus right now is to do everything we can on the lakefront.” * Daily Herald | ‘This is harming our students’: District looks to power down on cellphones in the classroom : The mantra at Evanston Township High School will be “bell to bell, no cell” as the school enacts a new policy requiring students to power down their phones and place them in a storage caddie at the beginning of each class. At Lake Zurich Community Unit District 95, middle and high school students also will turn in their phones at the beginning of each class. And Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59, junior high school students will be asked this year to store their cellphones in their lockers during the school day. * BND | East St. Louis nonprofit starts construction on $2 million workforce training center: R3 Development, started in 2015, has employed about 150 young adults through its program, which aims to connect underserved students of the area to good-paying jobs and build up the local economy. “For us, it’s about addressing generational poverty with generational solutions,” said Dave Kuntz, R3’s executive director. “It affects the entire family unit, family line. And this really bolsters the region, the city through jobs and economic development.” * SJ-R | Who’s performing, how much is admission?: Your 2024 Illinois State Fair questions answered: Free music performances are available each day during the Grand Central Stage Concert Series at the Reisch Pavillion. Among them, include country music singers Kylie Morgan and Drew Baldridge and tribute bands Taylor Made (Taylor Swift tribute) and Feeling This (Blink 182). * Pantagraph | ‘Love is love’ at annual Pridefest in downtown Bloomington: This year, Main Street from Washington to Monroe streets was closed off, as was the square around the McLean County Museum of History, for a fest featuring live performances, music, family-friendly activities, speeches from local politicians and a “Pride Idol” that Lancaster had been cultivating all year. * WCIA | Motorcyclists honor Sonya Massey with memorial ride: It was the 47th National Bikers Roundup — the largest camping motorcycle rally in the country. It’s held in a different place every year and is organized by African-American motorcycle clubs. “I’ve been to a few of these. I was here, I think about 11 years ago, if that long ago, when they had it here,” said Lee Bellmay of Indianapolis. “Except for this right here is a little different. You know, this it’s something else, you know; something added to it. Something we don’t want to have to be doing.” * Sun-Times | White Sox’ losing streak hits 20 after sweep by Twins: With the defeat, their 23rd in their last 24 games, the Sox are a three-game road sweep against the Athletics away from tying the 1961 Phillies’ modern-era record of 23 consecutive losses. … With the result Sunday, they joined the 1906 Boston Americans, the 1916 and 1943 A’s and the expansion 1969 Expos with the third-longest streaks in history. The 1988 Orioles have the second-longest at 21 in a row, which is the American League record.
* Pantagraph | : She and her Olympic partner, Sarah Bacon, became silver medalists in synchronized Olympic diving — the first medals won by the U.S. in Paris — and NBC had set up a Zoom feed in Normal, in the home of Kassidy’s sister, Kylie. “And speaking of family,” said NBC studio host Maria Taylor, at that moment, as she interviewed Kassidy and diving partner, Sarah Bacon (yes, Cook ‘n Bacon) … “Kassidy, here is your sister, Kylie, and the rest of the gang there in Normal, Illinois!” * Daily Herald | ‘I have truly lived the dream’: Dan Schatzeder went from major-league pitcher to suburban teacher and coach: Each Friday during his nearly 20 years as a physical education teacher and athletic coach at Aurora’s Waubonsie Valley High School, Dan Schatzeder would don an extraordinary piece of jewelry before heading to work. To passersby, the bauble on Schatzeder’s right ring finger might’ve looked like a class ring. But this was no mere memento of matriculation. No, this ring — with 15 diamonds set in a stylized, gold M against a blue background — was a far rarer keepsake, a prize awarded only to members of the 1987 World Series-winning Minnesota Twins baseball club. * Block Club | Chicagoan Shamier Little Smashes World Record On Mixed Relay Team At Paris Olympics: Shamier Little, a 2013 graduate of Lindblom Math and Science Academy, sprinted for Team USA’s 4×400-meter mixed relay team that smashed the event’s world record Friday at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games track and field prelims. The team — featuring Vernon Norwood, Little, Bryce Deadmon and Kaylyn Brown — finished the race in 3 minutes and 7.41 seconds, shaving more than a second off the previous record set at the World Championships in Budapest last year. * Tribune | Itasca’s Zach Ziemek sets an American record with his 3rd Olympic decathlon: ‘That’s what drove me the entire time’: After running a painful, rain-soaked 1,500 meters to finish the Olympic decathlon, Zach Ziemek sat down on the track and let the exhaustion envelop him. The Itasca native had partially torn his left LCL the previous day during the long jump, instantly dashing his hopes for a medal and making the remaining eight events increasingly difficult. The final four laps around the track — never his favorite event — were a test of determination, done almost solely to secure his place in the U.S. record books. * WBEZ | ‘Welcome home, Steve. You’re in football heaven.’: Misty talks to her husband, hand on his arm, and unveils the bust at his side. Dent, who played on the defensive line with McMichael and Hall of Famer Dan Hampton, says to his motionless teammate: ‘‘Welcome home, Steve. You’re in football heaven.’’ Misty has moved McMichael’s head so he can see the bust, and what he thinks of the epic, hair-flowing bronze sculpture is unknowable. But the likeness shows a young man in full glory, with a slight smile that can be read as great confidence or a cosmic chuckle, a laugh at the world of propriety, order and, yes, even awards.
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Live coverage
Monday, Aug 5, 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 5, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Talk to you Monday… You know I hate to say, but, I told you so
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WIRED…
* VPM Mentor…
* IPM News…
* SJ-R | Illinois House Speaker’s staff continues attempt to unionize: The Illinois Legislative Staff Association filed a response on July 31 to the speaker’s motion to dismiss their case, alleging Welch has failed to engage in collective bargaining. The association formed in 2022 after voters approved the Workers’ Rights Amendment that November — codifying a worker’s ability to organize and collectively bargain in the state constitution. * WSPY | Oswego State Rep. Kifowit expresses interest in new quantum computing program, highlights benefits to Illinois: Kifowit said the field of quantum computing is an idea that shows Illinois is thinking about the future and developing a sound strategy to show other sectors that Illinois is the place to be. […] Kifowit said she appreciates the effort made by her colleagues in the General Assembly and Governor Pritzker for moving this project along, and she hopes the campus will be the beginning of more quantum computing sites and other developments across the state. * Tribune | Chicago’s Shamier Little and the US mixed relay team sets a world record at the Olympics: The U.S. team – consisting of Vernon Norwood, Little, Bryce Deadmon and Kaylyn Brown – crossed the finish line in 3:07.41, beating the previous record by more than a second. The French team, second in the preliminary round, finished more than three seconds behind. “I always knew we were going to run fast,” Little said. “We talked about, you know, it’s going to take a record to win a medal, but it took a record to win our prelim.” * WCIA | Deanna Price to compete in third Olympic Games: Illinois Assistant Coach Deanna Price has had quite the journey to qualify for the Olympics, in a sport many may be unfamiliar with. “It’s an 8.8-pound ball so, if you ever go in your kitchen, pick up like a cast iron skillet,” Price said. “I can generate up to 70 miles per hour and I could throw it almost the length of a football field and you have to throw it between two cage doors, and do it within a seven-foot diameter ring.” * Tribune | How a father-daughter bike ride turned Lake Villa’s Felicia Stancil into a 2-time Olympian: After a young Felicia Stancil’s mother died in a car accident, her father began looking for things they could do together. Activities that would help them both heal, he thought. Activities that would bring them both joy. When she was only 4, he took her on a short bike ride through their Lake County neighborhood, watching carefully as she pedaled her way around with the help of training wheels. As soon as they arrived home, however, Felicia had a demand. “I wasn’t going in the house until he took off my training wheels,” she recalled to the Tribune. “I just stood there and wouldn’t let him go inside. So he went into the garage and took them off.” * WGN | Feds say they’ve foiled plot to kill witnesses in Chicago homicide trial: Federal prosecutors say they have foiled a plot to kill two witnesses in an upcoming homicide trial. Christopher Yates is accused of providing a gun and a $250 down payment to another man last month in an effort to silence witnesses set to testify against the alleged shooter in a September 2020 attack that killed a woman and injured a man. * Block Club | Do You Know The Woman Posing With Obama In This Photo? Chicagoans Are Trying To Find Her: Earlier this week, Reddit user 99ell posted online about wanting to find a woman whose photo they’d snapped with Obama — then a senator, but soon to be president — in 2006. The poster was unable to get the photo to the woman at the time and wants to find her so they can share the photo with her now, they wrote. “I also have a similar pic of myself with Barack that I’ve cherished, so I feel bad that I never got this pic I took of this woman,” 99ell wrote. The poster could not immediately be reached for comment. * Block Club | Chappell Roan Recruited Some Of The Strongest People In Chicago To Lift Weights During Her Lolla Set: Lawrence Scott received a call from a producer with Lollapalooza looking for something “unique” three weeks ago. The producer said there was an artist at Lolla who wanted to recruit people from Scott’s gym, Rockwell Barbell at 2861 N. Clybourn Ave. Scott was shocked. “The only thing that I remember him saying was that the artist is essentially looking for people like [us] that are weightlifters …, that are unique looking, that are … jacked,” Scott said.
* Sun-Times | Bathtub is at the center of this suburban Chicago corruption investigation: In Westchester, Scott Russell, the west suburb’s former public works director, has been charged with using village resources to buy and install a bathtub in a supervisor’s house. Records show investigators are now looking at others in connection with “the bidding and awarding of contracts” for a now-dropped Village Hall complex. * Daily Herald | After years of planning, removal work to begin on Carpentersville Dam on Fox River: After nearly a decade of planning, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has approved a contract to remove Carpentersville Dam in the Fox River Shores Forest Preserve. Officials announced in a news release that work to remove the dam could begin by the end of the month. […] The dam’s removal will begin healing the Fox River and restoring the natural riverine resource, [Forest Preserve Executive Director Benjamin Haberthur] said in the release. * Daily Southtown | A star at Homewood-Flossmoor, Jacob Schroeder goes to NIU. ‘I was comfortable.’ Then, at 23, he plays for Illinois.: “But it was worth it. To end up at Illinois where my family could come to every home game and to play for a program that competes for championships, it worked out so well for me.” Schroeder, who has graduated from Illinois, still has one season of eligibility remaining and plans to use it while starting grad school next year. The decision to stick around for another season in Champaign was certainly aided by his breakthrough performance this spring, which also increased his hopes for a future in the pros. * WCIA | Champaign County Fair to become more inclusive : The Champaign County Fairgrounds board will be holding a meeting next month to hear about the needs of people with disabilities. County fair organizers said it could include a sensory-friendly area or a place of respite from the sights and sounds of the fair, but they’re still working out details with the community. * WSIL | 170-Year-Old Historic Covered Bridge in Southern Illinois to be Repaired After Storm Damage in 2023: Mary’s River Covered Bridge will see construction starting in late fall to help restore the famous bridge, according to Dawn Johnson with the Illinois Department of Transportation. A local contractor was recently awarded $311,702 by IDOT to help repair it, Johnson said. * WCIA | Springfield firefighters celebrate ribbon cutting of new station: Springfield firefighters celebrated a historic moment Thursday for the ribbon cutting of Station 13. The new station — located on Spaulding Orchard Rd. — will be open for business starting Monday. * NY Mag | Everybody Is Mad at Bloomberg News for Its Embargo-Breaking Gershkovich-Is-Free Scoop: According to multiple sources at the Journal and other major outlets, the Bloomberg scoop left journalists and government officials fuming. With a prisoner swap, you don’t know if it’s going to happen until it happens. (As one Journal reporter put it: “We literally had Yaroslav Trofimov on the ground with binoculars waiting to see Evan come off the plane, and we pubbed as soon as that happened.”) Which means that Bloomberg’s story proclaiming Gershkovich was free was inaccurate, given that the Russian plane was still in the air at the time of publication. That plane could have just turned around and gone back to Moscow, which is why the Journal and other publications had agreed to hold off. * Bloomberg | Nasdaq 100 is in correction territory with AI darlings sinking: The index was down 2.2 per cent in midday trading on Friday, taking its loss since hitting a record on July 10 past 10 per cent. If that holds through end of the session, it will meet the definition of correction. The index remains up nearly 10 per cent for the year. Several megacaps have seen concentrated selling, with both Nvidia Corp. and Tesla Inc. down more than 20 per cent from recent highs, putting them in bear-market territory. Meanwhile Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. have each lost more than 10 per cent. However, with the exception of Tesla, all remain higher for the year. * NYT | Harris Has Votes Needed to Be Nominee, D.N.C. Says: The party chair said she had won enough delegates to secure the nomination, setting up Kamala Harris to become the first Black woman and person of South Asian heritage to earn the top spot on a major political ticket for president. * WaPo | Dry lightning, heat and wind could escalate fire activity in the West: California and the other western states face a combination of thunderstorms, heat and wind that threatens to further escalate an already high level of wildfire activity. Beginning Friday and into early next week, conditions could spark new blazes or intensify existing fires. And there isn’t much relief on the horizon, with widespread high fire risk forecast for much of the West this month and September. * Texas Monthly | How a Mariachi Ballad Became a Soothing Touchstone for Texans Grieving After Gun Violence: Violins led the way, though their warm tones were quickly echoed by the brassy hum from a set of trumpets, the steady plunk of guitarróns, and crisp guitar strums. It was June 2022, and an audience of mourners had gathered in Uvalde’s town square. Medrano, a longtime violinist, had traveled there from San Antonio with nearly fifty fellow mariachis who had answered the call to console the shattered community with music after the shooting at Robb Elementary that ended the lives of nineteen students and two teachers. “Amor Eterno,” a heartbreaking ballad and perhaps the most famous song by Mexican icon Juan Gabriel, would undoubtedly be on their short set list. The song was becoming a common tribute alongside memorials of white crosses and masses of flowers that appear when this kind of tragedy visits predominantly Latino communities.
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Stop Credit Card Chaos In Illinois!
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] In less than one year, a new law will create credit card chaos for millions of Illinois consumers, small business owners and workers who rely on tips. The law changes how your credit card is processed and has never been done anywhere in the world. The end result is windfall for corporate mega-stores paid for through costly operational hurdles for small businesses and a loss of convenience and privacy for consumers who could have to pay tax and gratuity with cash. There’s still time to protect Illinois small business owners, consumers and workers by repealing the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act now! For more information, visit guardyourcard.com/Illinois.
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Scammy campaign texts on the rise (Updated)
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Sun-Times…
Knock wood, I haven’t received any scam campaign texts, but I do get a lot of candidate fundraising texts. You? …Adding… Yikes…
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Question of the day
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Sun-Times…
* The Question: Should Illinois ban these types of contributions or just leave it the way it is? Explain.
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Uber Partners With Cities To Expand Urban Transportation
Friday, Aug 2, 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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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Olympic athletes with Illinois ties
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WAND…
* Patch…
Juda, who also finished strong on the pommel horse Monday, will now compete in the individual competition, starting Wednesday. * Tribune…
* WCIA…
* This play was just incredible…
* Yeboah is the first Ghanaian woman high jumper to compete at the Olympics…
* More… * River Bender | Watch Party Planned to Support Local Olympian Jayden Ulrich: At 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, community members are invited to The Pump House to watch Ulrich’s Olympic event. Ulrich, a 2021 East Alton-Wood River High School graduate, will throw discus for Team U.S.A. in the Paris Olympics on Friday. * KKTV | Greco-Roman Wrestler Kamal Bey is ready for his first Olympic Appearance: Kamal Bey grew up in Illinois, and by the age of three, he was introduced to the sport that would eventually, take him all the way. ”I learned how to throw before i learned how to shoot,” said Bey. As just a toddler, Greco-Roman was the first style of wrestling he ever learned. * NBC | Drawn to wrestling as a child, Kennedy Blades has been dreaming of Olympic gold since she was 8 years old: The night before the trials, Blades said she wrote in a notebook given to her by a trainer, “I’m an Olympic champion,” over and over. “I couldn’t stop. I closed my book, and the next day I did it again and again and again,” Blades said. “I think I’ve kind of manipulated my head into thinking, ‘You’re the champion. Let’s get what’s yours.’” * WBEZ | Athletes with Chicago-area ties competing at Paris Summer Olympic Games: Born in Evanston and a basketball star at Downers Grove South, [Tori Franklin] is making her second trip to the Olympics as a triple jumper. Originally from Spring Grove, [Ali Frantti] is an outside hitter who will be an alternate for the women’s team. A former Penn State star. * NBC Chicago | Olympian Evita Griskenas asked to do gymnastics at age 4- just not the kind her mother signed her up for: When she was 4 years old, Evita Griskenas saw rhythmic gymnastics on TV for the first time. After persistently asking to try it herself, her mother finally agreed and took her to a gymnastics gym - there was just one problem. It wasn’t a rhythmic gymnastics gym. Griskenas immediately knew it was the wrong type of gymnastics and refused to do anything- leaving her mother with no choice but to put her in a different class. * Sun-Times | From Wheaton to Loyola to the Paris Olympics, volleyball stars Thomas Jaeschke and Jeff Jendryk keep rising: Once upon a time, Thomas Jaeschke and Jeff Jendryk were needles in the same haystack. Both grew up in Wheaton, Jaeschke two years older. Both discovered volleyball in high school — Jaeschke at Wheaton Warrenville South and Jendryk at St. Francis — took to the sport exceptionally well and joined the same, Aurora-based club, called Sports Performance. And as it turned out, both went on to star in college at Loyola, where Jaeschke, now 30, and Jendryk, 28, got to know each other and, if you can believe it, actually won a Division I national championship together. * KWQC | Raising an Olympian: Former Rock Island track star Courtney Lindsey’s mom shares his journey: Former Rock Island track star Courtney Lindsey will be competing at the Olympics in Paris and his mom has been right by his side. Lindsey’s mom, Larondia Vesey says his love for running didn’t come at a young age, but once he discovered it, the rest was history. Lindsey actually grew up boxing because his step-father owns a boxing gym in Rock Island. * Tribune | ‘It still doesn’t feel real.’ Chicago wrestler Joe Rau’s improbable journey leads him to the Olympics — at age 33: It was a rash decision, spurred by controversial refereeing and a heartbreaking defeat that kept Rau off the U.S. Olympic team once again. At that moment — and for many months after — the idea of wrestling again sickened the Elmhurst College graduate. “I get a pit in my stomach like I’m going to throw up if I just think about wrestling,” the Union Ridge native told the Tribune a few weeks after the loss. “It’s devastating because wrestling has been the thing I’ve loved most since I was a kid. It’s what I do. It’s what I know.” Have you been watching?
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Veepstakes! (Updated)
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Politico…
* NBC Chicago…
* Sun-Times…
* Tribune…
Thoughts? …Adding… NBC Senior National Politics reporter Natasha Korecki…
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Open thread
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Subscribers know more. ICYMI: Sangamon Co. Sheriff speaks to WCIA on former deputy who killed Sonya Massey, resignation calls…
- Despite receiving a strong recommendation from his fiancé’s father, retired Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Butterfield, Campbell also said nepotism did not play a role in Grayson’s hiring. -Campbell is vowing to change his hiring practices to prevent future tragedies. He refused to give specifics, but he did say his department may start requesting documents through FOIA for their officer records. * Related stories… ∙ WCIA: Deputy who killed Massey didn’t have hiring ‘edge’ after recommendation from fiancé’s father: Sheriff Campbell ∙ Illinois Times: Sheriff defends hiring process * July University of Illinois System Flash Index fell slightly for the third month in a row : The unemployment rates for Illinois and the nation crept upward by one-tenth of a percentage point, five percent for Illinois and 4.1 percent nationally. Illinois’ rate is now seven-tenths of a percentage point over the rate a year ago. Continuing last month’s trend, individual income tax receipts were up in inflation-adjusted terms compared to the same month a year ago. At the same time, sales and corporate tax revenues were down from July last year. * Block Club | Maternity Care Deserts On South And West Sides See Higher Infant, Maternal Death Rates: The study found the range of full maternal care is distributed unequally across the city, with the South and West sides containing the most low-access ZIP codes. Downtown and the North Side had the most full-access ZIP codes. Three conveniently located clinics on the South and West sides have closed in the past six years, and the dearth of specialists in certain ZIP codes requires expectant parents to seek care outside of their communities. * Capitol News Illinois | Preparations for November election underway, with security a top priority: A new state law is changing the kind of identification badge that election judges and poll workers wear in Illinois in an effort to protect their safety. Starting this year, the badges will no longer display the person’s name, ward, precinct, or township. Instead, they will wear badges with a unique identification number that say they’re authorized by their local court. That was one of several changes made in an omnibus elections bill, House Bill 4488, Pritzker signed into law last month. * Tribune | Illinois’ federal rental assistance dollars have run out. As the state prepares its new program, tenants and landlords are left with less support.: But the program, which doled out nearly $82 million in federal funds between its inception and July 21, stopped accepting new applications on May 31. A new state program is in the works, with $75 million in state funding having been allocated to the effort for fiscal year 2025, which began on July 1. But state housing authority representatives say they won’t be able to get the new program off the ground until after Labor Day, leaving more tenants at risk of becoming homeless and more landlords at risk of not getting paid this summer. * Crain’s | DraftKings to implement a customer surcharge in high-tax states like Illinois: DraftKings Inc., a leader in the online sports-betting business, reported second-quarter profit that missed Wall Street estimates and said it plans to implement surcharges for customers in high-tax states. Revenue rose to $1.1 billion, the company said Thursday, in line with analysts’ estimates. The company reported adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $128 million, compared with estimates of $133.2 million. * River Cities Reader | Illinois AFL-CIO Wraps Up 46th Constitutional with an Eye on November Election: The Illinois AFL-CIO wrapped up its 46th Constitutional Convention at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont. Four-hundred delegates asserted their trust in the leadership of IL AFL-CIO President Tim Drea and Secretary-Treasurer Pat Devaney by voting to re-elect President Drea, Secretary-Treasurer Devaney, and the Executive Board to a four-year term. * Sun-Times | Racing the clock, Johnson speeds up spending of federal pandemic funds: Mayor Brandon Johnson has been racing to beat a Dec. 31 deadline to allocate $1.88 billion in pandemic relief funds — and spend it all by 2026 — to avoid losing the federal money. The race is paying off — but in a way that two influential City Council members fear could create a culture of dependency that beleaguered Chicago taxpayers can’t afford to sustain. * Tribune | Plans for outside police officers to assist Chicago cops at DNC still fluid as convention month arrives: CPD, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Tribune, said this week that the final roster of “mutual aid officers” has not yet been set. In an emailed statement, CPD director of news affairs Don Terry said the majority of additional officers will be from Illinois. * WBEZ | Will this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago be a repeat of 1968?: Now, as Chicago gets ready to host another Democratic National Convention, many people are wondering whether the chaos of 1968 will repeat in 2024. We spoke with historians, protesters who were there during ’68 and other experts to analyze similarities and differences between this year’s DNC in Chicago and that of 1968. * Sun-Times | Botched Little Village smokestack implosion wasn’t my fault, Chicago city official says of dust storm fiasco: Finally meeting with community residents more than four years later, Buildings Commissioner Marlene Hopkins faulted a contractor and city health officials for not planning for and containing the dust after developer Hilco demolished the old Crawford coal-burning power plant. * Block Club | Will CHA Finally Build Long-Promised Housing? Agency Moves To End Landmark Housing Lawsuit: The Chicago Housing Authority and public housing residents and advocates amended a 2019 agreement in a federal lawsuit this week, citing progress the housing agency has made in building housing and strengthening its voucher program while targeting work that still needs to be done. Advocates at Impact for Equity and lawyers for the Housing Authority submitted an amended agreement to their 2019 settlement of the federal civil rights suit, Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority, earlier this week. It is slated to go into effect Thursday. * Sun-Times | Chappell Roan is our favorite artist’s favorite artist — and Chicago’s: Lollapalooza review: Thursday afternoon, fans could be seen stretching from the fencing on the east side all the way west to Columbus Drive and as far north as the IHG Hotels & Resorts Stage where eager Kesha fans comingled, happily singing along to Roan’s hits. People were trying to climb trees, kids were crying at not getting a view, the ADA platform had to figure out a way for overfill, and at least five people passed out near me as the incredible medics were as choreographed as the performers on stage. * Sun-Times | Black women struggle to find Black sperm donors: Though Black men make up 13% of the U.S. male population, they account for under 3% of sperm-bank donors, according to a study this year in the journal Fertility and Sterility, published by the American Society of Reproductive Health. White men, who make up 55% of the male population, account for 61% of sperm donors — a disparity that affects not only Black women like Brady but also same-sex couples and heterosexual couples with fertility issues. * Naperville Sun | City of Naperville files motion to dismiss civil suit requesting $20 million in compensatory damages after 2019 AirPods incident: In May, Amara Harris filed a civil suit against the city and Naperville police officers Juan Leon and Jonathan Pope asserting that their pursuit of the theft charge caused her emotional and financial injury. The dismissal motion was the city’s response to the case, filed Wednesday by its attorneys Michael Berasani and G. David Mathues of the Itasca-based Hervas, Condon & Bersani law firm. * Patch | Late Larry Walsh Sr. Will Have Joliet Building Dedicated In His Honor: On Saturday, Will County area politicians and representatives from Pace will meet in downtown Joliet to host a dedication to honor the late Larry Walsh Sr. […] The former Illinois State Senator and Will County Executive was an advocate for Pace and was integral in securing authorization for buses to utilize the shoulder of Interstate 55. * Daily Herald | District 25 ready to welcome first full-day kindergarten students this month: The school additions for full-day kindergarten cost the district $44.6 million, while the first three years of districtwide capital projects cost $25.6 million. Another $8.2 million of capital projects are planned in the summers of 2025 and 2026, according to Stacey Mallek, the district’s assistant superintendent for business. In total, the $78 million building project is being funded by $75 million in bond proceeds authorized by voters, about $3 million in interest earned on the bonds, a $100,000 Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity grant, and a $50,000 school maintenance grant. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora City Council approves $4.1 million contract as part of RiverEdge Park renovation: The $4.1 million contract with R.C. Wegman of Aurora is the first of several for an estimated $16 million project that will include a new backstage, a new entry on the southern edge of the park, a new beverage pavilion, a new VIP section and new restrooms. Eventually, the renovations are expected to increase the capacity of the park by about 2,500 people. Current capacity is about 7,300 for events and 6,500 for concerts. * Evanston | Mayor Biss stays grounded by climbing: Biss thought when he first started climbing that the space might be “bro-y,” as many gyms can be. “That’s not me,” he said. “But it isn’t that kind of macho culture.” He describes the acceptance he sees of different racial and gender identities, sexual orientations and especially recently, body types, at the First Ascent network of gyms. * Daily Herald | Suburban teams prepping for first season of IHSA flag football: Girls flag football got started in Illinois thanks in large part to the Chicago Bears, who provided gear for the 22 teams who played in the inaugural 2021 season. This season, teams will play between 22 and 25 games. Two games will be played on Saturday and each team will play one game during the week. * WCIA | Corn production could be causing cancer in Illinois, new study says: Living in an agricultural area like Central Illinois could be making people sick. An associate professor, along with others, conducted a study where he found being exposed to corn production chemicals can cause cancer. Illinois is the highest among the 50 states for these cancer-causing chemicals. Through the study, they’ve looked at more than 50 pesticides. * PJ Star | Major Peoria road scheduled for $9.6 million overhaul with more lanes, sidewalks, lighting: The project, which has received $500,000 from the federal government via congressman Darin LaHood, is entering the engineering and design phase, which will determine the final changes. At a minimum, Radnor Road will likely move from a rural cross section road to an urban cross section road, outfitted with three lanes, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and street lighting, according to Peoria County Administrator Scott Sorrel. * AP | Sha’Carri breezes through opening round at first-ever Olympics race, wins 100 heat in 10.94 seconds: Sha’Carri Richardson blazed through a no-fuss opening round in the 100 meters Friday, winning her first-ever race at the Olympics in 10.94 seconds to easily qualify for the semifinals. Wearing neon green shoes, which contrasted well against the bright purple track, the American captured the first of eight first-round races on the opening day of track action at a jam-packed Stade de France.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Aug 2, 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)
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WIFR…
* SOS for Alexi Giannoulias…  * JB for Governor…
* Here you go…
* Vice President Kamala Harris is set to announce her VP Tuesday…
* Sun-Times | Chicago abortion providers brace for new clients seeking care after Iowa ban takes effect: Planned Parenthood clinics have been treating triple the amount of patients from Iowa compared with before the Dobbs decision, the organization told the Sun-Times. The majority of patients from Iowa are visiting clinics in Aurora, Peoria, Springfield and Ottawa. And the nonprofit is now anticipating even more Iowans coming to Illinois for care. * WBEZ | CPD traffic stops are down this year, but critics say there are still too many: Officers made roughly 130,000 fewer traffic stops from January through July 15 of this year — a more than 40% decrease — compared to the same period in 2023, according to a WBEZ analysis of Chicago Police Department (CPD) data obtained through a records request. The recent decline largely coincides with the start of CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling’s term. Traffic stops have decreased nearly every month since the beginning of his tenure in late September last year. * Sun-Times | Chicago restaurants are crafting special cocktails for Democratic National Convention: For those in search of more bitter tastes, Malört is currently offering “I Malörted” stickers to anyone brave enough to throw back a shot of the infamous spirit at select bars in Chicago and throughout the U.S. A list of participating establishments can be found at imalorted.com. * WBEZ | A Chicago orchestra preps for its Lollapalooza debut – with pop star Laufey: Musicians in the Philharmonic got their sheet music two weeks prior, but Wednesday’s rehearsal was the only time they’d practice with their guest star — Icelandic-Chinese pop artist Laufey — before appearing alongside her Friday at Lollapalooza. It’s believed to be the first time an entire orchestra has played the festival. The Philharmonic has played with popular artists before — over the past months they’ve accompanied the Violent Femmes and Tank and the Bangas. But during a designated break in a lounge area behind the Bud Light stage, violinist Eleanor Bartsch said, “Lollapalooza is kind of another animal.” * Shaw Local | Will County Clerk Staley Ferry resigns to become Joliet city clerk: Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry is leaving just three months before the general election, creating what will be a new race in November for county clerk. The city of Joliet announced Wednesday that Staley Ferry has been hired as the city clerk. Staley Ferry will leave the county clerk’s office later this month and start with Joliet on Aug. 21, a move that means a $46,000 increase in annual pay. * Crain’s | Schaumburg’s Loeber family farm is slated for high-density development. Some neighbors aren’t happy.: Development, these neighbors say, is both inevitable and fine with them. Their argument is that Schaumburg officials seem poised to approve something that has nearly four times the density that used to be the village’s stated goal for the site. * Daily Herald | Check out library books at the park? Two new self-service locations coming to Arlington Heights: The large metal boxes — each containing 30 individual lockers — will be placed this fall at Camelot Park on the north and Heritage Park on the south, under an intergovernmental agreement inked by the library board in July and pending a vote by the park board. The addition of pickup lockers on both sides of town helps “fulfill our goal of reaching outside of our walls and trying to be where our customers are for our services,” said Mike Driskell, the library’s executive director. * BND | City of Belleville’s new spokesman — its third in eight months — abruptly leaves job: Matthew Allison was the city’s third spokesperson in eight months. The first one quit at the end of November to take another job. The second one was fired in May after 46 days. […] Allison declined an interview but verified via private Facebook message that he no longer worked for the city. When asked this week if Allison had left voluntarily or involuntarily, [Bill Clay, the city’s human resources director] stated, “He did not resign.” * Illinois Times | Downtown fire sparks calls for action: “A revitalized and resilient downtown” was the No. 1 initiative in The Next 10, A Community Visioning Plan for Greater Springfield released by the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln in spring 2021. The report described downtown as “the heart of the community and region, the seat of state and local government, our cultural center and the stage for our living history.” It noted that downtown uses have shifted over the decades and “to act thoughtfully, we must plan and reimagine.” * WCIA | New Ford County solar farm project passes Zoning Board : A new solar farm seems to have the green light in Ford County — at least from the Zoning Board. Energy had the idea to build a solar farm next to their peaking plant on the outskirts of Gibson City. Wednesday night, with a 5-0 vote, the board recommended the solar project. * WSIL | SIU gives almost $60K in scholarships from alumni funding: The association gave $59,288 across 46 new and returning students. SIU says the money came from new and legacy donors and will help cover tuition and textbook costs. Recipients live across the map in states including Illinois, Delaware, Florida, Missouri and Texas. […] Not all funding for the scholarships come out of the pockets of alumni, though. SIU says its alumni association hosted fundraising events around the area, including St. Louis and Chicago, that raised $2,500 and $10,000, respectively. * SJ-R | Fishing tournament, beer school among 5 things to do in Springfield area: he Village of Bath is putting man against fish in this invasive fishing competition. The Redneck Fishing Tournament has two, 2-hour heats in which teams, many in costumes, go out on the water to see how many flying invasive carp they can net out of the air or jump in the boat. Winning teams often collect hundreds of the fish. * NBC | Johnny Cash statue to be unveiled in U.S. Capitol in September: A statue honoring country music icon Johnny Cash will be unveiled in the U.S. Capitol next month, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Thursday. The statue will be the second of an Arkansas native in the Capitol, a news release states. A statue of Daisy Bates, a civil rights leader who headed Arkansas’ chapter of the NAACP and mentored the Black students known as the Little Rock Nine who integrated Central High School in 1957, was unveiled in National Statuary Hall on May 8. * WSJ | Inside the Secret Negotiations to Free Evan Gershkovich: The Russian Federation had a few final items of protocol to tick through with the man who had become its most famous prisoner. One, he would be allowed to leave with the papers he’d penned in detention, the letters he’d scrawled out and the makings of a book he’d labored over. But first, they had another piece of writing they required from him, an official request for presidential clemency. The text, moreover, should be addressed to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. The pro forma printout included a long blank space the prisoner could fill out if desired, or simply, as expected, leave blank. In the formal high Russian he had honed over 16 months imprisonment, the Journal’s Russia correspondent filled the page. The last line submitted a proposal of his own: After his release, would Putin be willing to sit down for an interview? * Deadline | Tom Cruise Poised For Olympics Closing Ceremony Stunt: Already a presence at the Opening Ceremony and at some competitions, the Mission: Impossible star will be dropping in — literally — when the Olympic flag is handed over the 2028 games host city, source close to events have told Deadline. Details of the Closing Ceremony are a closely held secret, but it known that L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to receive the Olympic flag from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. “Expect a major Hollywood production,” a well-positioned source tells Deadline.
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In wake of recent layoffs, Pritzker points at Federal Reserve
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Tribune…
* From Gov. Pritzker’s Q and A yesterday…
* On a related note…
The number of Illinois’ unemployment claims year to date vs. the same period in 2023 dropped by 2.3 percent. * Roundup from Isabel…
* Sun-Times | Boeing names new CEO as it posts loss of more than $1.4 billion in second quarter: Boeing announced its new CEO as it reported a loss of more than $1.4 billion on falling revenue during the second quarter. The loss was wider and the company’s revenue lower than Wall Street’s dismal expectations, as both Boeing’s commercial-airplanes business and defense unit lost money. […] Boeing Chairman Steven Mollenkopf said Ortberg was chosen after a “thorough and extensive search process” and “has the right skills and experience to lead Boeing in its next chapter.” Ortberg has earned a reputation for running complex engineering and manufacturing companies, Mollenkopf said. * Tribune | CVS doubling down on primary health care, opening new clinics in Chicago, even as Walgreens pulls back: CVS announced the plans Thursday, saying the Oak Street Health locations will be in CVS stores in 14 states, including Illinois. It plans to open another 11 in-store clinics next year. Oak Street Health provides primary care for people on Medicare, focusing on low- to moderate-income seniors in underserved communities. […] CVS leaders hope that by combining the clinics and the pharmacies, they’ll be able to draw more patients to Oak Street. Also, doctors and nurses and Oak Street will work directly with the CVS pharmacists on-site every day to better coordinate care and improve patients’ health, Pykosz said. * Utility Drive | Illinois can replace fossil plants with storage, capacity from queues: NRDC: Illinois could reliably replace its fossil-fueled power plants by 2030 with nearly 3 GW of battery storage and about 7.7 GW of resources that are seeking to connect to the grid in the state, according to a report released Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council. […] The consulting firm found that adding 2,972 MW of 4-hour battery storage at retiring power plant sites, plus a mix of generation in interconnection queues could lead to a reliable grid without the need to build transmission to import power from neighboring states. * Bloomberg | EPA issues emergency fuel waiver to address Midwest shortages: The EPA issued an emergency waiver of fuel rules in four Midwest states to address shortages tied to a power outage at an Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery in Joliet. The order waives Reid vapor pressure and reformulated gasoline requirements in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin through Aug. 20. * Tribune | Instead of competing for land, some farmers and solar developers want to work side by side: While there are very few agrivoltaic projects in Illinois, early research and small projects show synergies between solar energy and agriculture. The co-location of solar panels and agriculture could keep farmers in business, improve ecosystem health, feed the country and provide clean energy. * WQAD | Over 300 salaried John Deere workers laid off in Illinois Quad Cities: A total of 298 employees at John Deere World Headquarters in Moline and 21 employees at Harvester Works in Moline were laid off, according to emails obtained by News 8 on Tuesday. Those emails were sent to the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity by Deere officials and say that the affected employees are salaried, adding that they are not represented by a union. Impacted workers will receive an additional 60 days of compensation.
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For third time, former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar won’t be voting for Donald Trump (Updated)
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar announced in 2016 that he wasn’t voting for Donald Trump….
* Edgar said he’d vote for Joe Biden in 2020…
* Two weeks ago…
* So, it should be no surprise that he’s voting for Kamala Harris this year…
…Adding… From Personal PAC…
The full letter is here.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
One of Hopkins’ signs…  * Many municipalities have ordinances requiring dogs to be leashed. Illinois does not have a statewide leash law, but does have some restrictions for “dangerous dogs”…
* In 2020 Sen. Laura Murphy passed legislation to hold pet owners responsible for dog attacks. ABC Chicago…
The Question: Should the Illinois General Assembly pass a statewide leash law? Explain.
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Stop Credit Card Chaos In Illinois!
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] In less than one year, a new law will create credit card chaos for millions of Illinois consumers, small business owners and workers who rely on tips. The law changes how your credit card is processed and has never been done anywhere in the world. The end result is windfall for corporate mega-stores paid for through costly operational hurdles for small businesses and a loss of convenience and privacy for consumers who could have to pay tax and gratuity with cash. There’s still time to protect Illinois small business owners, consumers and workers by repealing the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act now! For more information, visit guardyourcard.com/Illinois.
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Staff union ‘tires’ of Speaker Welch’s ‘delay tactics’
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Subscribers know more. From the Illinois Legislative Staff Association…
You can read the ILSA’s filing here Welch’s motion to dismiss is here.
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Pat Quinn finds his latest cause
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Illinois Policy Institute back in May…
* Former Gov. Pat Quinn is using that statute for his next crusade. Press release…
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Open thread
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Deputy who killed Sonya Massey had job reference from fiance’s dad, a longtime sheriff’s deputy. WCIA…
* Related stories… ∙ AP: 911 calls before Sonya Massey’s shooting include 1 from her mother asking officers not to ‘hurt her’ ∙ SJ-R: Records: Deputy in Massey shooting ‘needed more training’ ∙ SJ-R: In the wake of Sonya Massey’s death, advocates want the state to act * Crain’s | Durbin seeks major boost in quantum funding: Durbin plans to introduce legislation today with Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., that would boost the amount of money available for quantum from the Department of Energy to $2.5 billion from $625 million. The legislation could have major implications for quantum efforts in Illinois because the Department of Energy is a primary source of funding for research and development in the space, and the state is a major beneficiary. It also comes as J.B. Pritzker is launching a new quantum-computing campus along Lake Michigan at the former U.S. Steel mill on the South Side. * SJ-R | Who’s performing, how much is admission?: Your 2024 Illinois State Fair questions answered: Kids 12 and younger get in for free every day at the fair, while adults pay $10 Fridays and Saturdays and $5 for every other day. Seniors 60 and older pay $3 per day. Adult admission booklets go for $45, covering all 11 days, and $30 for seniors for 10 days of the 2024 fair. * Sun-Times | Schuler Scholars program backs out of scholarships promised to Chicago students: The college dreams of hundreds of low-income and first-generation students from Chicago are up in the air after a north suburban family backed out on a longstanding commitment to provide scholarships just weeks before the start of classes. “I’m just kind of at a loss for words,” said Marcus Jackson, a participant in the Schuler Scholars program who grew up on Chicago’s South Side. “I just hope something can be done so that everyone can stay in school and not have to be in debt the rest of [their lives].” * Capitol News Illinois | Under new law, Illinois employers can’t force workers to sit through anti-union meetings: The law, dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” was a top priority this spring for organized labor groups in Illinois, which played host to Pritzker’s bill signing at the Illinois AFL-CIO’s biennial convention. “You’re helping every worker in the state of Illinois,” the governor told the hundreds of organized labor members and leaders gathered in a suburban Chicago hotel ballroom. “And as people recognize that more and more, they organize and they join a union.” * Illinois Association of School Boards | 2024 End of Session Report : The 2024 session, like all others, provided a series of challenges for Illinois school districts. Since 1982, the Illinois General Assembly has imposed more than 700 mandates on schools averaging about 18 per year. This year, IASB prioritized reducing educational mandates and with this increased focus, this session was notably different. While an additional 11 new educational mandates were passed, that is well below the average of 18 and half of the 22 education-related mandates passed last session. Other good news is that none of the curriculum bills passed will require the creation of new, stand-alone courses or add to current graduation requirements. * WGEM | Illinois career and technical education programs receive $8 million federal grant for heavy machinery training: Career and technical education (CTE) programs throughout Illinois are getting an $8 million boost from the federal government. U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, joined leaders from the Youth Workforce Development Foundation and Associated Equipment Distributors Wednesday at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield to announce an $8 million grant for CTE programs to offer heavy equipment operator and diesel equipment technology training programs. * Sun-Times | Chicago’s Democratic National Convention retooled to capture jolt Kamala Harris has injected into presidential race: The revamp of the convention, kicking off Aug. 19, includes moving away from a heavy use of pretaped pieces, which had been in the works while President Joe Biden was the nominee, to doing more of the convention live. * Sun-Times | Johnson wants to summon Council back to session in August to install Sigcho-Lopez as Zoning chair: Several alderpersons said Wednesday they’ve gotten calls from the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs asking whether they’d be available in August to attend a special City Council meeting — preceded by a Rules Committee meeting — to confirm Sigcho-Lopez as Zoning chair and replace Sigcho-Lopez as Housing chair with Vice Mayor Walter Burnett (27th). Sigcho-Lopez confirmed the mayor’s office was “trying to get a date set” for “whenever we can get a quorum.” * Crain’s | Johnson condemns Trump’s jabs at Harris during Black journalists convention: Hours after former President Donald Trump walked off the stage at the national convention for Black journalists where he questioned the racial identity of Vice President Kamala Harris, Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the same audience to criticize the Republican presidential nominee. “Earlier today there was an elephant in this room,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, that elephant is not just a symbol but a representation of a very dark history in our country.” * WBBM | Fed up Chicago firefighters union threatening to shut down DNC setup with protest: Chicago Firefighters Union- Local 2 President Pat Cleary said it’s clear why the permit was denied. […] “I’m also considering protesting outside the United Center sometime very soon, and I’m going to call on my CFL brothers and AFL-CIO brothers to stop construction at the United Center,” Cleary said. * ABC Chicago | Charges in shooting death of Cook Co. deputy to be announced Thursday; family hold balloon release: A person of interest has been in custody, but police said CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling, Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and ATF Chicago Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon will formally announce charges in Rafael Wordlaw’s death Thursday morning. * Rick Morrissey | This season is Jerry Reinsdorf’s perverse revenge against those who want him to sell the White Sox: In a better world, Chris Getz would do his public duty and resign as general manager of the White Sox. A resignation would serve as a warning to anyone with aspirations of working for the Sox: Don’t do what I did. Don’t seek employment here. Get yourself and your family as far away from 35th and Shields as possible. Block all calls from Jerry Reinsdorf! In essence, Getz would be putting his own head on a pike in front of Guaranteed Rate Field as a deterrent to any naive, desperate or delusional executive who thinks the Sox GM job is a good one. Woe to anyone who dares tread here, it would say. * Tribune | Stateville inmates request transfer or release in court motion citing prison’s decrepit conditions: At Wednesday’s news conference, former Stateville inmates shared complaints about the prison’s conditions that included falling concrete, electrical outages and a lack of ventilation amid excessive heat. Advocates say some of those conditions contributed to the death of 51-year-old Michael Broadway, who was incarcerated at the facility and died during a June heat wave. The Will County coroner’s office has not released a cause of death for Broadway, who graduated last year from Northwestern University’s Prison Education program. * Daily Herald | Krishnamoorthi receives reelection endorsement by 13 mayors in the 8th District: Those who provided statements of endorsement for Krishnamoorthi included the mayors and village presidents of Addison, Carol Stream, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Itasca, Lake Barrington, Oak Brook, Roselle, Schaumburg, Villa Park and Wood Dale. “I am honored and grateful to have received this outpouring of support from these outstanding local leaders on both sides of the aisle,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. “Together, we will continue to ensure that the communities that we represent have the support and resources necessary to thrive in the years to come.” * ABC Chicago | Some must pay erroneous Cook County property taxes after bills not corrected before due date: “Almost all of them, the bills were made accurate by fixing them before the bills were sent out,” Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi said. Kaegi’s office fixed about 4,400 assessment errors his office made in the south and southwest suburbs. But, just under a couple hundred of them will not be corrected by the time bills are due because the Cook County Board of Review did not yet approve those certificates of error. * Daily Herald | Alumni Olympians, coach inspire St. Francis Spartans at watch party: Three-time Team USA outside hitter Kelsey Robinson-Cook or assistant coach Erin Virtue [are] both St. Francis graduates. […] “I wonder, sitting back and reflecting, how many girls has she inspired?” Kopec asked rhetorically. “How many girls, just by being her, has she encouraged to go for their dream? I think Kelsey has been a great representative not only for St. Francis but in volleyball.” * BND | Southern Illinois brewery forages, grows or locally sources ingredients for its earthy fare: The footprint of of the brewery is minimal. The beers and food are made using local ingredients, all foraged, grown, or purchased from local farmers. There’s a bottling facility on-site, and the land that it sits on is rich with growing edibles both native and introduced. “Everything we have is produced on site or by supporting local farmers,” said co-owner Marika Josephson. “We really do have a small footprint here.” * WCIA | More Republican election judges needed in Champaign County: Clerk Aaron Ammons said the biggest concern is having enough people on Election Day. He said they need a total of 325. Right now, they have 302 — but they’re short on Republican judges, with only 91 so far and 211 Democrats. Ammons said the ideal break down would be 171 Democrats, and 154 Republicans. * WCIA | IL welcomes 5,000 sports shooters, spectators for annual competition: The Amateur Trapshooting Association is hosting its annual Grand American Trapshooting Championships in Sparta, Ill. The Grand American is the largest and oldest shooting event of its kind; this year will be the 125th edition of the event, featuring more than 20 events and over 5,000 competitors and spectators. The host facility, the World Shooting and Recreational Complex (WSRC), has been the home of the Grand American since 2004, and the event brings in an estimated $25 to $30 million in economic activity to the area. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources operates the complex. * WSIL | People are doing their best to beat the heat at the Pulaski County Fair: And Pulaski County Fair Officials say they have safety precautions for people to stay cool. Bryan Curry is the vice president of the county fair’s committee. “We have an airconditioned office that’s available if needed. And we have water at the Cook Shack and the hot dog stand. And there will also be an ambulance on the grounds if needed,” Curry said. * Crain’s | Record payouts on biggest U.S. grid signal costs of reliable power: The cost to keep the lights on for 65 million Americans who tap into the largest US electrical grid will rise 833% starting in June. Generators that provide electricity to the 13-state grid that stretches from New Jersey to Illinois will get a record $269.92 per megawatt-day from utilities to provide capacity over a 12-month period starting in June, according to results of an auction by grid operator PJM Interconnection LLC disclosed Tuesday. That’s more than a ninefold increase from $28.92 in last year’s auction. * Bloomberg | Almost 20% of Americans face prospect of higher electric bills: An increase for the year starting in June would follow a power auction held in 2023 that saw prices come in at a decade low of $28.92 per megawatt-day. The latest auction results are expected Tuesday afternoon. This time around, analysts predict prices could be two to four times higher. The jump comes as the grid pushes to rein in an oversupply of capacity just when Virginia ramps up power demand to feed its artificial intelligence and data centers. Closures of coal and natural-gas fired plants will also remove about 4 gigawatts of generating capacity from the grid — enough to power about 3.2 million homes.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Thursday, Aug 1, 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)
Thursday, Aug 1, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * US Rep. Nikki Budzinski…
* WCIA…
A summary of the report is here. The full report is here. * PHYS | PFAS found in nearly all fish tested from four northern Illinois rivers: Scientists tested nine fish species from four northern Illinois rivers for contamination with per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, synthetic chemicals found in numerous industrial and commercial products and known to be harmful to human health. They found fish contaminated with PFAS in every one of their 15 test sites. Elevated levels of PFOS, one type of PFAS compound, were found in nearly all fish tested. * Sun-Times | Trump argues with moderator at Q&A with Black journalists in Chicago: ‘I think it’s a very nasty question’: The first question, from moderator Rachel Scott of ABC News, was prefaced with a recitation of Trump’s past statements, including Trump’s claim that former President Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States, and Trump’s past treatment of Black journalists. “Why should Black voters trust you, after you have used language like that?” Scott asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump said. * WGN | Protestors flock to downtown Chicago for Trump’s appearance at NABJ conference: During his 2016 campaign, Trump canceled a rally in Chicago over safety concerns after protesters packed the arena. Sometimes there is no two sides, there’s the truth and there’s lies,” former Sun-Times columnist and past NABJ Chicago President Maudelyn Ihejirika said. “I do not see the reason to give him a further audience to continue to spew those lies.”
Click here for NABJ’s fact checker and here for the full Q&A. * Crain’s | Thompson Center developers buy LaSalle Street building for data center conversion: The real estate firms are eyeing a different kind of conversion at 400 S. LaSalle St. Looking to capitalize on booming demand for buildings that can house servers and other technology that stores and processes data — a particularly fast-growing sector with the advent of artificial intelligence in computing — Reschke confirmed in a statement that he and his partners are “focused on building a data center for LaSalle Street” in the former Cboe building. “The demand is high and the building is a great location for a new data center,” Reschke said in the statement. * WBEZ | What another six years of a Maduro presidency in Venezuela means for migrants and Chicago: “We’ve lost the hope of going back to our country,” Edwin Leal said this week in Spanish outside a city-run shelter on the Near West Side where he has been staying since arriving from Venezuela. “With the same president, the situation in Venezuela will most likely stay the same or get worse.” Under Maduro’s regime, Venezuela’s economy has plummeted and millions of citizens have fled over the last decade. The growing exodus of people has contributed to Chicago’s migrant crisis, with tens of thousands of asylum seekers bused or flown here since August 2022, primarily by the Texas governor. This has strained social safety nets not only in Chicago but in many other U.S. cities and countries in South and Central America, including in Colombia, Peru and Mexico. * Tribune | Your next O’Hare flight could be (partly) powered by leftover grease: Sustainable fuel is seen as key to meeting the aviation industry’s goals to cut emissions. The purchase was touted as a win by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who highlighted a recently-enacted state tax credit for sustainable jet fuel. United purchased up to 1 million gallons of fuel from producer Neste to be delivered to O’Hare this year, with the first delivery expected Saturday. The sustainable fuel will go into a centralized system at O’Hare where it will be mixed with traditional jet fuel, and the mix will be available to all carriers at the airport. For now, sustainable fuel must be blended with conventional fuel for use in commercial aircraft. * Block Club | Bike Lanes, Speed Bumps And More Coming To A Dangerous Portage Park Road: Painted bike lanes and plastic posts are being added this week to Long Avenue between Irving Park Road and Grace Street, Ald. Ruth Cruz (30th) said. The lanes are being added to both sides of the road and are part of a two-phase improvement project. The second phase involves repaving Long Avenue between Belmont Avenue and Grace Street. The alderwoman has also introduced an ordinance to lower the speed limit along Long between Belmont Avenue and Irving Park Road to 20 mph. The legislation is being considered in the City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety. * Tribune | Pierogi fest, a 115-year-old tradition in Palos Park, highlights Ukrainian culture: One of the biggest changes is what happens with the money raised. Previously, it went toward parish activities, but after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, proceeds have been devoted to Ukrainian causes. But even that focus has evolved. “We used to send a lot of money to aid and cover the cost of shipping (supplies) to Ukraine. People would donate bandages, for instance,” Sendeha explained. “Now we’re focusing more on the people who are here. A lot of people have come, especially to Chicagoland. We’re helping people here in terms of helping them with rent financially or if they need supplies. They come with just a suitcase sometimes or a backpack. They have nothing.” * Slate | The Chicago White Sox Are Making History Now. Terrible, Horrible History: In the whole history of Major League Baseball, only the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, with 86, lost more of their first 110 ballgames than these White Sox. Chicago is tied with the 1932 Boston Red Sox for second-most losses to this point in a season, and the ChiSox are now solidly outpacing any recent team. (The 2003 Detroit Tigers, who lost 81 of their first 110, are next on the list.) Chicago’s .245 winning percentage does not quite touch a handful of teams from the late 1800s, when seasons were shorter and there weren’t as many teams. But in the modern-ish era, just those 1916 A’s would be worse at .235. * Sun-Times | New life for Cook County medical examiner’s office at $15.5 million West Loop site?: The request to purchase the buildings on Ashland and Fulton was referred to the county’s asset management committee during the board’s July 25 meeting. Committee meetings will resume in September. “After more than 40 years of operation at its current location, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) is working with the County’s Bureau of Asset Management (BAM) to acquire a new location to accommodate a larger, modern facility that can meet the current requirements and evolving needs of the MEO for decades to come,” a spokesperson said in a statement. * Daily Herald | Bremer Team launches 30 Days for 30 Vets program: Thirty deserving McHenry County military veterans will receive the gifts of a lifetime this fall as part of the 30 Days for 30 Vets program coordinated by The Bremer Team Keller Williams Success Realty. Nominations will open Thursday, Aug. 1. Sought are stories of veterans whose lives would be vastly improved by receiving a much-needed home renovation, said Dawn Bremer, owner and president of the McHenry-based Bremer Team. She added that, already, home repair, appliance and improvement firms have stepped up with more than $200,000 in pledges of services and materials. * Daily Herald | Ribfest is done: High costs cited as reason for its demise: “It is with great sadness that we will not be able to continue on with Ribfest in the future,” organizers said in the statement posted Tuesday. For decades, Ribfest reigned over the suburban summer festival season with trophy-winning barbecue, star-studded concerts from the likes of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and Hootie & the Blowfish, thousands of volunteers and the grand finale: a Fourth of July fireworks show over Naperville’s Knoch Park. * NPR Illinois | Illinois State Museum to close until fall: The facility will close to visitors beginning Thursday, Aug. 1. A plumbing project that will involve asbestos removal and construction. The project is expected to last three months. According to the museum, staff who ordinarily work at the main facility adjacent to the statehouse will be based at the Research and Collections Center in Springfield until it reopens. Objects and artifacts that could be damaged by vibrations or proximity to the construction work have been covered or removed for storage and proper care. * SJ-R | Two Sangamon County Board members call on sheriff to resign in wake of Massey shooting: Tony DelGiorno and Marc Ayers, both Democrats on the Republican-dominated board, called on Campbell, who has been sheriff since 2018, to step down. They said they were swayed by public comments Campbell made at a Department of Justice Community Relations Service listening session at Union Baptist Church Monday that resigning “would resolve nothing.”"(Asking for Campbell’s resignation) was the easiest decision I ever made,” said Ayers, reached Wednesday. “We’re human beings before we’re county board members and if this doesn’t rattle you to your core, I don’t know what will.” * WGLT | McLean County Center for Human Services tapped as new regional homeless services lead: McLean County has been a leader in homeless services for years, with the Bloomington-based nonprofit PATH Crisis Center leading the region’s Continuum of Care [CoC] dedicated to ending homelessness. The U.S. Department of Urban Development runs the CoC program nationwide, and the Central Illinois Continuum of Care [CICoC] covers 11 counties, including larger counties like McLean and smaller ones like Kankakee. PATH announced it was stepping down as the collaborative applicant for the CICoC in April, and the CICoC board voted in the McLean County Center for Human Services [MCCHS] as the new lead at the end of June, keeping the role local. * NYT | Trolls Used Her Face to Make Fake Porn. There Was Nothing She Could Do.: Most mornings, before walking into City Hall in Hallandale Beach, Fla., a small city north of Miami, Sabrina Javellana would sit in the parking lot and monitor her Twitter and Instagram accounts. After winning a seat on the Hallandale Beach city commission in 2018, at age 21, she became one of the youngest elected officials in Florida’s history. Her progressive political positions had sometimes earned her enemies: After proposing a name change for a state thoroughfare called Dixie Highway in late 2019, she regularly received vitriolic and violent threats on social media; her condemnation of police brutality and calls for criminal-justice reform prompted aggressive rhetoric from members of local law enforcement. Disturbing messages were nothing new to her. The morning of Feb. 5, 2021, though, she noticed an unusual one. “Hi, just wanted to let you know that somebody is sharing pictures of you online and discussing you in quite a grotesque manner,” it began. “He claims that he’s one of your ‘guy friends.’” * AP | Stephen Nedoroscik waited his whole life for one routine. The US pommel horse specialist nailed it: Nedoroscik will soar into the event finals Saturday with a chance to put another medal in his carry-on before he heads home. His 15.200 qualifying score tied Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan for the tops among the eight finalists. He is ready to ride the wave as far as it will take him. Yet whatever happens on Saturday or for the rest of his life for that matter, it will be difficult to top Monday night, when the guy with the curly hair and the glasses that made him the kind of social media sensation only the Olympics provides struck a blow for his sport, his teammates and himself. “I’m really proud of these guys,” he said while sitting alongside the group that became U.S. men’s gymnastics royalty. “I love you boys.”
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Wednesday, Jul 31, 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 Barbara, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
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Today’s timeline: State employee headcount
Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability…  Headcount has grown by 3,289 since the nadir of the Rauner impasse.
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Pritzker signs IL AFL-CIO’s ‘top priority’ into law (Updated)
Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Sen. Peters…
* Illinois AFL-CIO…
…Adding… Center Square…
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Today’s quotable
Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Sun-Times…
Emphasis added. Some legal arguments shouldn’t be used by a government. That’s one of them.
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So many ways to describe how horrible this White Sox team is
Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Steve Greenberg yesterday…
* The White Sox ended up losing yesterday, of course…
Part of me hopes they break the Mets’ loss record to make absolutely sure that all the people involved with running this team are permanently stained with shame. Your thoughts?
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Illinois is an island on yet another issue
Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Yesterday, Governor Pritzker beefed up Illinois’ child labor regulations. Tribune…
* So, what’s going on in Iowa? CNN last year…
* Last week from Iowa Capital Dispatch…
* Here is a side-by-side from Des Moines Register…
* More… * The Gazette | Feds fine North Liberty restaurant after state child labor law conflicts with U.S. rules: A North Liberty restaurant is among several in Iowa facing steep fines of $50,000 up to $180,000 from the federal government for following a new state law loosening work requirements for teens that conflicts with federal child labor regulations. […] The Iowa Restaurant Association heralded it as a “legislative win” for its members. Now, it’s warning members to revert to following the stricter federal regulations for workers under 16 as federal regulators have levied hefty fines on establishments. * WaPo | America is divided over major efforts to rewrite child labor laws: Labor experts attribute the spike in child labor violations — which, a Post analysis shows, have tripled in 10 years — to a tight labor market that has prompted employers to hire more teens, as well as migrant children arriving from Latin America. In 2023, teens ages 16 to 19 were working or looking for work at the highest annual rate since 2009, according to Labor Department data. That has led to the largest effort in years to change the patchwork of state laws that regulate child labor, with major implications for the country’s youths and the labor market. At least 16 states have one or more bills that would weaken their child labor laws and at least 13 are seeking to strengthen them, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute and other sources. Among these states, there are 43 bill proposals. * Governing | What’s Driving the Changes to Child Labor Laws?: Last week, the Kentucky House passed a bill that would abolish the state’s child labor laws, in effect replacing them with looser federal standards. The bill would also increase the number of hours that 16- and 17-year-olds can work on school days from six to eight. They’d be able to work up to 30 hours per week during the school year, or even more if their parents approve and they maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average. Several Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats in opposition, including GOP Whip Jason Nemes, but the bill passed easily. “Our current statutes and regulations unnecessarily restrict the number of hours needed to work, often preventing them from seeking an opportunity to help them pay for college, learn new skills and prepare for the future,” said bill sponsor Phillip Pratt, who owns a landscaping and lawn care company. * AFL-CIO | Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Wisconsin Gov. Evers Protects Child Labor Law with Senate Bill 436 Veto: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers delivered remarks Monday at the Wisconsin State Council of Machinists’ 2024 spring conference in Madison and vetoed S.B. 436, which would have eliminated the requirement that employers obtain a work permit in order to employ 14- or 15-year-olds. The work permit process keeps young workers safer at work through parental oversight and gives critical information about where kids work and what jobs they’re doing to Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development, so it can better enforce child labor laws. In 2017, then-Gov. Scott Walker, a national disgrace, signed a bill passed by fellow Republicans in the state Legislature that eliminated the work permit requirements for 16- and 17-year-olds. The bill Evers vetoed would have expanded and built on this exemption. * WVIK | Center for American Progress says Project 2025 will hurt child labor protections: Senior Director for Workforce Development Policy Veronica Goodman at the Center for American Progress says corporate influence in Republican states is weakening child labor protections. “So what we’ve seen is that it’s really a result of sustained lobbying from certain industries like restaurants or hospitality, companies that view working minors as an opportunity for cheap labor to boost profits,” Goodman said in a phone interview with WVIK on July 24th. * New Republic | Louisiana Republicans Love Child Labor, Hate Lunch Breaks: Nobody expects to find good government in what A.J. Liebling famously termed “the GRET Stet of Loosiana,” but it surprised me to learn that the Louisiana state legislature, or its lower chamber at any rate, recently weighed in against eating. Eating is a sort of religion in Louisiana, land of gumbo and shrimp etouffee. But the state House of Representatives last week voted 61-37 to repeal a law requiring employers to provide a 20-minute meal break to any minor who works more than five hours, or pay a $500 penalty. * Kentucky Lantern | House GOP approve bill loosening Kentucky child labor law: House Bill 255, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pratt, R-Georgetown, repeals Kentucky’s existing child labor laws and aligns them with federal laws, which are less restrictive for minors aged 16 and 17. Kentucky law currently limits the number of hours that 16- and 17-year-olds can work on a school day to six. The limit increases to eight hours on a non-school day and up to 30 hours total during a school week, unless they receive parental permission to work more and maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average. Federal law doesn’t have any daily or weekly hour work limits for ages 16 and 17. * Missouri Independent | After a century, states are loosening child labor laws. Where’s the outrage?: Arkansas, for example, in March did away with the requirement that the state’s Division of Labor had to give permission or verify the age of children under 16 to be employed. Although those under 14 still cannot be employed, the ending of age verification requirements is an invitation to child labor abuses. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in signing the new law, said the change was about removing an “arbitrary burden on parents” that required state permission for their children to work. But let’s get real. This isn’t about the rights of parents, it’s about helping businesses cope with the labor shortages in the wake of the pandemic. If you visited any fast food restaurant in the last three years, you’ve probably experienced worse service than in the past and seen the “help wanted’ and hiring bonus signs. * LA Times | Opinion: Our failed immigration policy is causing a child labor epidemic in the U.S.: The U.S. government’s failure to pass significant immigration reform since 1986 is one reason children end up as workers. U.S. policies haven’t kept pace with the high rates of displacement from migrants’ countries of origin, nor our need for workers. Without pathways for legal migration, many families, individual adults and unaccompanied children have little choice but to migrate without authorization and remain so long term; 2019 data indicate that 62% of undocumented migrants have been in the U.S. for at least 10 years. * NPR | Amid a child labor crisis, U.S. state governments are loosening regulations:[New York Times investigative journalist Hannah Dreier] estimates that some 250,000 children have crossed into the U.S. without their parents in the last two years, and that the majority of them wind up working full-time jobs. “These are jobs working for household brands like Cheerios, Cheetos, Ford,” she says. “These are jobs that used to go to undocumented immigrants. Now they go to undocumented child migrants.”
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Open thread
Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois underfunds public universities by $1.4B, report says. Is there a solution?. SJ-R…
- The legislation comes on the heels of a report from the Illinois Commission on Equitable Public University Funding which found the state needs to increase funding to universities by approximately $1.4 billion in current dollars to meet student needs. - As it is currently written, the bill puts the timeline for meeting that $1.4 billion gap and fully funding public universities within the next 10 to 15 years. The state would invest an additional $135 million per fiscal year if it commits to doing so in the next decade. * Related stories… ∙ WGEM: Illinois proposal would increase funding, change formula for higher education ∙ Inside Higher Ed: Illinois Bill Introduces Novel Higher Ed Funding Model Governor Pritzker will sign workers’ rights legislation at 11:15 am. At 1 pm the governor will be joined by President Don Harmon and Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch to celebrate the first Sustainable Aviation Fuel powered United Airlines flight. Click here to watch. * Sun-Times | In Chicago, civil rights leaders want Sonya Massey’s killing to be a catalyst for police reform: Enough is enough. That’s the message civil rights leaders the Rev. Al Sharpton and attorney Ben Crump conveyed during a rally Tuesday in West Garfield Park for Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who was gunned down by a white sheriff’s deputy in her kitchen near Springfield. Speaking at a news conference at New Mount Pilgrim Church ahead of the rally, Crump and Sharpton called on Congress to pass national police reform legislation in Massey’s name. They blamed the same lawmakers for their inaction in the wake of past killings of unarmed Black people at the hands of police for Massey’s shooting. * Sun-Times | City lawyers say Dexter Reed was stopped by Chicago cops over tinted windows, contradicting earlier claim: The lawyers’ explanation for the deadly traffic stop was detailed in a court filing last week urging a federal judge to toss out key portions of a lawsuit filed by Reed’s mother after the March 21 gunfight in Humboldt Park. Andrea Kersten, chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, previously wrote an explosive memo informing Police Supt. Larry Snelling that COPA was told Reed was stopped because he wasn’t wearing a seat belt. * WTTW | What Is Carbon Capture? A New State Law Puts Much-Anticipated and Controversial Plans on Hold — For Now: It’s a technology that’s been eyed by energy producers in Illinois for years, with multiple previous proposals and one that’s expected to resurface soon. And it’s a technology that landowners and environmentalists view with concern at best and fear at worst. […] But One Earth’s proposal to transport CO2 and bury it underground has left some neighbors queasy. While CCS in Illinois is on hold temporarily, the technology will again be under consideration when the moratorium lapses or once further federal rules are in place, subject to additional state regulations created by the new law. * Eye On Illinois | Lawmakers can push, but prescription drug ecosystem unlikely to budge: The Federal Trade Commission is conducting an antitrust probe of pharmacy benefit managers, the for-profit companies that negotiate drug purchase rules and prices with pharmacies and insurers. As those companies consolidate – the top six process 94% of the drugs American pharmacies dispense – consumer choice dwindles, both in the types of medication available and, more importantly, the places to buy those drugs. […] General Assembly members will keep investigating and may be able to effect some small, state-level reforms. But they’re facing billions in corporate money and Congressional stagnation. Don’t get your hopes up. * WBEZ | Abused Chicago lifeguards receive more than $6.5 million in legal settlements: The Chicago Park District’s legal tab for sexual misconduct at the city’s public beaches and pools now exceeds $6.5 million — including a record $4 million settlement for a woman who was underage when a supervisor at Humboldt Park sexually abused her. Officials said it was the largest legal settlement that the Park District has paid out since at least 2001. * Tribune | Donald Trump’s invitation to Black journalists convention in Chicago divides membership: Karen Attiah, a Washington Post columnist, said on Tuesday she was stepping down as co-chair for the NABJ convention. “While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format,” Attiah wrote on X. She didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for additional comment Tuesday. * Block Club | Trump At Black Journalism Conference ‘Makes Members Feel Unsafe,’ Some NABJ Attendees Say: National and local reporters blasted the decision on social media and questioned the timing of the announcement so close to the convention’s start. A convention dedicated to uplifting Black media members will now potentially draw a national crowd and protestors in an already jam-packed weekend in the city while spotlighting a figure who helped coin the phrase “fake news,” they said. * Sun-Times | For a hustling Chicago, the Democratic National Convention is all in a day’s work: Chicagoans can be hard to impress. That applies even to an occasion infused with intrigue and involving the nation’s highest office — the upcoming Democratic National Convention. On the one hand, the city is doing everything it can to present a well-scrubbed face for the four-day TV show. Security and traffic plans have been in the works, a progressive City Hall has cleared out a homeless camp to thwart prying TV eyes, and city crews are lavishing attention on streets that delegates are likely to encounter. * Tribune | City begins to clear out North Park homeless encampment Tuesday, leaving some residents unsure where they’ll sleep tonight: Advocates for the homeless say the only solution for homelessness is permanent housing. If it cannot be offered, they say the homeless should be left in their makeshift shelters until it can be provided, Doug Schenkelberg, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, previously told the Tribune. * Sun-Times | Firefighters union denied permit to protest during Democratic National Convention: The Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 wants to march near the United Center to light a political fire under Mayor Brandon Johnson to negotiate with firefighters and paramedics waiting more than three years for a new contract. The Johnson administration denied the permit, saying it was “too close” to the United Center. * Sun-Times | How abortion providers in Chicago are preparing for the DNC: Sometimes that’s dozens of people parading around the sidewalks outside Cowett’s clinic, Family Planning Associates, trying to persuade women on their way inside not to end their pregnancies. Cowett said the noise isn’t as loud since the Chicago City Council this summer passed an ordinance to protect the clinic from the booming loudspeakers and bullhorns that could be heard inside the building, making it hard to hear conversations with patients. But as Chicago prepares to host the Democratic National Convention at the United Center about two miles from Family Planning Associates, drawing an estimated 50,000 people, it’s the unknown that Cowett said makes her nervous. * US Bets | Bally’s Chicago Posted 15% Hold On Slots In First Nine Months: Bally’s temporary casino in downtown Chicago posted a robust 15%-plus hold on casino slots and electronic gaming devices (EGD) spanning its first nine months, according to a fulfilled Freedom of Information Act request by the Illinois Gaming Board. That win rate against $396.1 million in coin drop spanning last September through May is the highest among its seven properties where drop and revenue figures are available from state agency reports. * Block Club | Lollapalooza Returns To Chicago This Weekend: Here’s What You Need To Know: SZA, Megan Thee Stallion, blink-182, The Killers, Future x Metro Boomin, Hozier, Stray Kids, Melanie Martinez and Skrillex are among the headliners. There are 170 other artists performing at Lollapalooza; among them are Deftones, Zedd, Dominic Fike, Labrinth, Pierce The Veil, Friko, Sir, Tyla, The Japanese House, Reneé Rapp, Sexyy Red, Kesha and Hippo Campus. * Tribune | Dems choose former Ald. Michael Scott for vacant Cook County Board seat: Scott will serve in the role until December, and his name will be placed on the November ballot to complete the rest of Deer’s term through 2026. The Cook County GOP can also select a name to place on the ballot, but Scott is favored in a heavily Democratic district. * Daily Herald | A ‘concerned advocate’: Arlington Heights trustee who opposed initial Bears plans running for mayor: He said the team’s proposal for a mixed-use transit-oriented development — with restaurants, stores, offices, hotels, homes and more on 206 acres of the 326-acre property — would “negatively impact” what is already in downtown Arlington Heights. And like he told the Bears’ attorneys and consultants during an initial review of site plans in October 2022, Tinaglia said he’d still be a “no” vote. * Shaw Local | McHenry County judge accused of speeding 93 mph in 55 mph zone pleads guilty to lesser offense: Associate Judge Jeffrey L. Hirsch, 55, was accused of driving at least 35 mph over the speed limit, according to the citation and complaint filed in the McHenry County court. McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, which alleged that on June 10, he was driving his Harley-Davidson motorcycle 93 mph in a 55 mph zone north on Route 47 in Hebron Township, according to the complaint. * Naperville Sun | Wayfair planning to open first Illinois outlet store in Naperville this fall: Wayfair’s Naperville outlet will be about 23,000 square feet, the spokesperson said. It will sell returns from online purchases as well as discounted items in good condition across a large number of product categories. Customers will be able to browse the outlet inventory online, but products will only be available for purchase in-store. * SJ-R | Springfield residents seek reform as police chief speaks out after Sonya Massey shooting: Anupama Paruchuri, who lives in Ward 7, said she still wanted to see “thorough, genuine police reform.”Specifically, Paruchuri said, the city should start “a focused committee to develop and implement meaningful reforms. This committee should engage with community leaders and provide regular public updates.”Paruchuri cited two city officers dismissed from the force, Nicholas Renfro and Aaron Paul Nichols, proving it has “similar issues” as other departments. * WCIA | Former EIU athlete wins historic Olympic medal in Women’s Rugby: An Eastern Illinois University alumna and co-captain of the Team USA Women’s Rugby team earned a historic Olympic medal on Tuesday. Class of 2012 graduate Lauren Doyle and her team won the bronze against Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It marks the team’s first-ever Olympic medal. * WCIA | Maize Mexican Grill thanking community for memories after original building was demolished: A fan favorite around the Champaign-Urbana community, the original location of Maize Mexican Grill and has been torn down. Owner Armando Sandoval said the building had to be torn down due to the lease not being renewed by the land owners, the University Group. * AP | Find out which Olympic sport you could play, based on your height and weight: There’s an Olympian inside all of us. We’ll tell you what Olympic sport you might be able to play, based solely on your height and weight. Skills not included.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Jul 31, 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)
Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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