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* ICYMI: Kamala Harris campaign considering J.B. Pritzker for vice presidential candidate. Sun-Times…
* Related stories…
Governor Pritzker will be at the Secret Service Chicago Field Office at 11:30 am for the DNC security briefing. At 1 pm the governor will announce a new business investment. Click here to watch.
We’re thrilled to partner with Illinois @GovPritzker + @ChicagosMayor to announce that @PsiQuantum will anchor the new Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park and build the first US-based utility-scale quantum computer in Chicago, Illinois. https://t.co/6JevppJmI2 pic.twitter.com/PJ8ukjF4Xx
— PsiQuantum (@PsiQuantum) July 25, 2024
* Tribune | Chicago announces ‘transformational’ quantum computer commercial development at fallow South Works site: Mayor Brandon Johnson, who met with top PsiQuantum executives several months ago to pitch the site and the city, said it is significant that a revolutionary new industry is set to spring up on grounds that built the material to create Chicago’s skyline during the last century. “We were the first to shift the economy when steel was being used to grow industry,” Johnson told the Tribune. “Now here we are. I think it’s very fitting that Chicago is upfront and on the cutting edge of what it means to transform our global economy.”
* WTTW | Men in Stateville Prison Fear Ongoing Poor Conditions, Threat of Heat a Month After Man Dies in Custody: The nailed-shut windows and broken industrial fans mean there’s little ventilation inside Stateville Correctional Center. Old floor fans face toward the building’s higher levels in a failed attempt to circulate air on the top galleries as heat stays trapped inside. […] Men inside the facility were hoping for change after Michael Broadway, 51, died in custody on June 19, but “that’s the problem, nothing has [changed],” wrote Muhammad.
* ABC Chicago | Protestors hold rally after inmate Michael Broadway dies at Stateville Correction Center: Broadway had served 18 years on a murder conviction, but he had filed a claim of innocence. He got an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University while incarcerated. His family told ABC7 he was asthmatic and was housed on the ninth floor of Stateville with a broken fan and a sealed window. On June 19, a 90 degree day, they said he collapsed and was later pronounced dead. The Will County coroner’s office said Broadway’s autopsy report is still pending.
* Chronicle | Greenwood maintains fundraising lead in 114th House race: Greenwood started the second quarter with $106,514 and finished with just $111,344, largely on the strength of a $15,000 contribution from SEIU HealthCare IL IN PAC. She received no individual donations in the quarter. On July 12, she got a cash infusion from fellow Democratic state Rep. Jay Hoffman of the 113th District. Hoffman, who is running unopposed, transferred $48,500 from his campaign to Greenwood’s. Added to two other July transfers totaling $3,500, Greenwood has $160,000 on hand.
* WGEM | Proposed Illinois bill would make it easier for people to apply for rental properties: If you are in the process off applying to rent an apartment, you know it can be a daunting process that includes collecting information and application fees. However, a bill sent to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s’ desk aims to make applying for apartments easier for tenants and landlords. The proposed bill would allow a tenant to use a reusable tenant screening report when applying to rent a property, which would include important background information such as tenant income, credit score, and rental and eviction history.
* WBBM | Over 500 Illinois workers say promised raises have not arrived: Teamsters Local 916 said the Illinois Department of Central Management Services [CMS] is not paying workers at the Illinois Department of Transportation the negotiated wage increases in the collective bargaining agreement. The union said that, as of July 1, more than 500 IDOT Teamsters have not received the wages they are legally owed.
* People’s Fabric | Tactical team who killed Dexter Reed under investigation for over two dozen unjustified stops and searches: In one complaint, a man described “a pattern of harassment and intimidation” by 11th District tactical officers outside of his residence, including multiple stops and searches. In the other complaint, COPA lists 28 locations where “the accused officers allegedly engaged in a series of unjustified traffic stops and searches in the 11th District.”
* WBEZ | Democrats expect Republican leaders to send more buses of migrants to Chicago before the DNC: “The city is maintaining sufficient bed capacity in our existing temporary shelters and preparing sites in the event that new temporary emergency shelters need to be activated on short notice,” said a city spokesperson. Since August 2022, more than 45,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, have been flown and bused to Chicago, mostly from Texas, leading to a humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold.
* Tribune | Pioneer Arcade receives city, state support to be developed into affordable housing: Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Housing Development Authority announced the 2024 low-income housing tax credit awardees Tuesday, and the Hispanic Housing Development Corp.’s plan to construct 61 affordable housing units for older adults at the former bowling and billiards hall was one of 16 projects statewide to receive funds. Without the city support needed to receive the low-income housing tax credits, the Hispanic Housing Development Corp. would have left a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on the table, as well as the potential for an additional $24 million in federal rental subsidies to help the developer maintain affordability for the proposed building over a period of 40 years.
* Crain’s | Could the Field Museum get that Stegosaurus Ken Griffin just bought?: Supporting a dinosaur exhibit in Chicago also wouldn’t be a first for Griffin. In 2017, he donated $16.5 million to the Field Museum to support upkeep on Sue and to exhibit a touchable cast of the biggest dinosaur ever discovered, a long-necked titanosaur called “Maximo.”“The Field Museum’s never-ending goal is to offer the best possible dinosaur experiences. Ken Griffin’s longtime support is a major step forward in achieving that goal,” then-Field Museum President Richard Lariviere said at the time of the donation.
* Daily Herald | Funding for Wheeling Twp. mental health board hits another snag: Funding for Wheeling Township’s community mental health board, stalled for more than 18 months, now faces a new obstacle. Township Supervisor Kathy Penner said Tuesday that an attorney has spotted a flaw in state legislation intended to clear the way for the township to levy a voter-approved property tax to fund the 708 board.
* Daily Herald | Longmeadow Parkway nearing completion in Kane County, with no tolls attached: “It’s going to be a game changer for people,” Carpentersville Village President John Skillman said. Longmeadow Parkway is expected to ease congestion on other nearby bridges. Currently, drivers in the area cross the Fox River via bridges on Route 62 in Algonquin, Route 72 in East and West Dundee or Main Street in Carpentersville.
* Tribune | ComEd issuing months of renewable energy credits after computer snafu, but thousands of customers still facing sticker shock from solar providers: Nearly a half year after a bungled ComEd computer billing system upgrade all but shut down the Illinois community solar program, thousands of impacted customers began receiving long-delayed renewable energy credits on their July bills. In some cases, the credits totaled $600 or more worth of solar energy generated since February.
* SJ-R | Records: Sheriff’s office knew about Sean Grayson’s DUIs. Were there any other red flags?: Jeff Wilhite, a spokesman for Sangamon County, said the sheriff’s office knew about both DUIs. […] Campbell, in a statement emailed Wednesday afternoon, said the sheriff’s office “understood that the serious misconduct referenced (in Grayson’s Army personnel file) was a DUI.”
* WIFR | Northern Illinois counties implement Safe Streets for All Action Plan: Leaders in Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson and Whiteside counties are putting their communities first by implementing the Safe Streets for All Action Plan. In collaboration with Blackhawk Hills, the plan is designed to guide future infrastructure plans and avoid vehicle-related fatalities and severe injuries. From 2019 to 2021, road deaths across the nation increased by 17.4%, with a 32.1% increase in Illinois alone. Within the six participating counties, a 7.1% increase of deaths has affected these areas. Blackhawk Hills submitted a grant to address these concerns, ultimately receiving the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) gran to support the Safety Action Plan.
* WIFR | Eye on Politics: One-on-one with Adam Kinzinger: Adam Kinzinger has been called a country-first man of conviction. Some call him Illinois’s biggest RINO, or Republican In Name Only. WIFR anchor Mike Garrigan sat down with the former Republican congressman turned CNN commentator to cover a variety of topics.
posted by Isabel Miller
Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 7:40 am
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“The Will County coroner’s office said Broadway’s autopsy report is still pending.”
5 weeks. And counting. Unacceptable.
I know testing takes time, but 5 weeks is really at the extreme end of how long it should take for a county of that size.
I’ve seen DuPage release reports in 2 weeks in far more complex cases.
If Will County can’t provide timely services to state facilities, perhaps it’s time to rethink placing state facilities like prisons there.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 8:13 am
Why not go with JB for Vice President?
He is from the Midwest, seems to enjoy and has been good at the role of attack dog for the national Dem ticket and has a lot of money to spend on the race.
Also having a VP from Illinois would be a great thing for Illinois.
Comment by Back to the Future Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 8:30 am
-Why not go with JB for Vice President?-
JB doesn’t deliver any of the critical swing states for Harris. And, he doesn’t deliver a critical voting block for Harris.
Comment by Downstate Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 8:39 am
As bad as he is, I would prefer to keep him over Kamala Jr. as Gov. Stratton would finish the job of destroying this state.
Comment by Trap Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 8:48 am
Destruction?
Comment by Blitz Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 8:53 am
“Teamsters Local 916 said the … [CMS] is not paying workers at the Illinois Department of Transportation the negotiated wage increases …”
The article and the Teamsters are undercounting the number of people who have been shorted by CMS. They are looking at a small subset of Pro Tech unit and not the entire unit. We haven’t received our back pay for raises from 7/1/23 and 1/1/24.
Comment by Huh? Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 8:58 am
Pritzker would be a damn solid running mate, but I have a hard time imaginging what he brings to the table electorally that Shapiro also doesn’t bring and with a swing state of his own to boot, too.
Now, that being said, feeling out Pritzker as a candidate is a good idea, even if Harris is not interested in Veep Pritzker she is assuredly interested in him as a potential surrogate before, at, and after the primary, recognizes his enormous war chest and potential to be a major regional finance chair, and furthermore has to think he’d be an attractive cabinet secretary.
Midwest finance chair and follow in Penny’s footprints and be a commerce secretary if Harris wins?
Comment by TJ Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 9:05 am
“before, at, and after the convention,” I meant.
Comment by TJ Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 9:05 am
I don’t believe in the strategy of picking a veep candidate from a swing state. You might pick up that state (Kaine in 2016) but then you’re overlooking the other swing states. The last time a winning ticket had a candidate from a swing state (either president or veep) was 1996.
That said, Mark Kelly checks all of the boxes (military vet, experienced) plus he’s from a swing state. I haven’t seen him speak so I can’t say how inspirational he is.
Comment by Proud Papa Bear Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 9:14 am
**As bad as he is, I would prefer to keep him over Kamala Jr. as Gov. Stratton would finish the job of destroying this state.**
Oh wow…
Comment by JoeMaddon Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 9:26 am
==As bad as he is, I would prefer to keep him over Kamala Jr. as Gov. Stratton would finish the job of destroying this state.==
LP, did you change your screen name to Trap? /s
Comment by don the legend Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 9:35 am
Trap, little early for your juice box and nap.
Comment by Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 9:45 am
Trap probably means his state of mind.
Comment by TJ Thursday, Jul 25, 24 @ 10:03 am