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* ICYMI: Illinois underfunds public universities by $1.4B, report says. Is there a solution?. SJ-R…
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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.
posted by Isabel Miller
Wednesday, Jul 31, 24 @ 7:48 am
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==The upcoming Democratic National Convention - the city is doing everything it can to present a well-scrubbed face++
Dumb DNC question: does the progressive concept of “intersectionality” impose some sort of a obligation or mandate on progressive pro-choice groups to support the Palestinian protesters before, during and after the convention?
Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Jul 31, 24 @ 8:28 am
Funny that the Johnson admin is denying another unions request to protest. I think the other unions are going to get a little tired of the special treatment one specific union is getting.
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Jul 31, 24 @ 8:51 am
I think the fire fighters should be allowed to protest as long as it doesn’t interfere with their duties, but I don’t think their protest will get the news that a protest during another tine would.
I think their protest would just be yet another thing going on in the infinite ringed circus that thing promises to be.
Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Jul 31, 24 @ 9:33 am
Re: Lolla
Yep. Chicago is SO bad that performers keep coming to the city, the event makes money hand over fist, hotels and restaurants are booked, the Park District benefits and its been held here for 20+ years. That sure is an indicator of a city in decline…/s
Comment by low level Wednesday, Jul 31, 24 @ 9:41 am
==does the progressive concept of “intersectionality” impose some sort of a obligation==
Could you elaborate further on your understanding of that concept?
Comment by low level Wednesday, Jul 31, 24 @ 9:47 am
Just about the time the Bears give up on Soldier Field because it will never work, Arlington Heights will elect that anti Bears guy mayor. That is just so Bears like
Comment by DuPage Saint Wednesday, Jul 31, 24 @ 10:21 am
== There’s an Olympian inside all of us ==
Only if I became a cannibal and ate an Olympian.
Comment by TJ Wednesday, Jul 31, 24 @ 11:03 am