Abortion bans may send companies to Illinois

Plus, a major climate change and health bill could clear Congress this week. Here's what you need to know today.

Monday, August 8, 2022 Today's Rundown is brought to you by WBEZ members and   by Hunter Clauss   Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and a four-day workweek could help fight climate change, advocates say. It could also help fight my existential dread of starting a new workweek. Did I say that out loud? Yes I did. Here’s what you need to know today. 1. Indiana’s governor signed a near total ban on abortions. Companies are now exploring options outside of the state.   Indiana this weekend became the first state to pass new legislation banning abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Now, two large employers in the state are raising concerns.  Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, which employs more than 10,000 employees in Indianapolis, said in a statement that it will have to plan its future growth outside of Indiana because the company is concerned about its “ability to attract diverse scientific, engineering and business talent from around the world,” NPR reports.  And Cummins, an engine manufacturing company with nearly 10,000 employees in the state, has said it opposes the law. “Cummins believes that women should have the right to make reproductive healthcare decisions as a matter of gender equity,” spokesperson Jon Mills told NPR. [NPR]  Mayor Lori Lightfoot was quick to seize on the news today. On Twitter, the mayor wrote, “Chicago will always be a welcoming city, and we invite any company to consider doing business in a world-class city that values and respects the rights of everyone.” [Twitter] 2. A fatal shooting on the Red Line adds a sense of urgency to boosting security on Chicago’s public transit   Police and transit officials over the weekend announced plans to increase security on L trains and platforms after a 29-year-old man was fatally shot on the Red Line, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. Police Superintendent David Brown said more officers would be assigned to CTA trains and platforms, but he declined to share exactly how many more officers. A recent Sun-Times analysis found violent crime on CTA trains and buses has risen to a level not seen in more than a decade. There have been 488 attacks reported on the transit system through July 19. That’s the most since 2011, when 533 attacks were reported during the same time period. [Sun-Times] 3. A suburban man accused of firing a gun in a Chicago park had an AR-15 and notes about mass shootings, police say   Authorities say the suspect had five weapons, including an AR-15, more than a thousand rounds of ammunition and handwritten notes about mass shootings, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. The suspect, a 29-year-old man from west suburban Woodridge, is charged with five felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon after he allegedly fired a gun at an empty park on the South Side. While searching the suspect’s minivan, authorities say they found “a large number” of notes with “incoherent rants and references to mass shooting events,” the Sun-Times reports. The suspect had a valid firearm owner’s identification card but not a concealed carry license. [Sun-Times] The news comes more than a month after the deadly Fourth of July mass shooting in Highland Park exposed cracks in Illinois’ gun laws. Experts and law enforcement officials tell the Chicago Tribune the state’s firearms restraining order is confusing and underused. [Tribune] 4. After a ‘serious breach’ in a Cook County courtroom, calls grow for more security measures   Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart faces more pressure this week to beef up security after a man broke into a courtroom last month, reports WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos. Iris Martinez, the elected clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court, says the “sheriff’s office has got to do better at securing safety. That’s their job.” Her comments come after the county’s chief judge, Timothy Evans, also called for additional security measures in a letter to Dart.  And some county judges have also “expressed concern about security recently, citing the murders of judges at home, including the killing in June of a judge in Wisconsin by a man he had sentenced to prison,” Mihalopoulos reports. [WBEZ] 5. The House could vote on a major climate change, health care and tax plan this week   The U.S. Senate over the weekend passed a sweeping package aimed at combating climate change, lowering health care costs and raising taxes on large corporations. The House is expected to begin voting on the legislation on Friday. Called the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the package includes the largest effort by the U.S. to tackle climate change — spending almost $400 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The proposal also makes good on a goal that has long eluded Democrats: lowering prescription drug costs for elderly Americans. The plan “caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare to $2,000 a year and extends expiring subsidies that help 13 million people afford health insurance,” reports The Associated Press. [AP] SPONSORED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MASTERS PROGRAM IN COMPUTER SCIENCE Earn a MS in Computer Science in one academic year! The MPCS offers a comprehensive and professionally-oriented computer science education that combines the foundations of computer science with the applied and in-demand skills essential for careers in technology.  The MPCS is still accepting applications for an Autumn 2022 start. Click here to schedule a time to chat with one of our Admission Advisors to learn program information, application deadlines, career outcomes, and more! Here's what else is happening Another Illinois state lawmaker has reportedly drawn the attention of the feds. [Chicago Tribune] With soaring inflation, Chicago parents are searching for back-to-school deals. [WBEZ] A year after Officer Ella French was killed during a traffic stop, Lightfoot and Gov. JB Pritzker joined police officials to honor her memory. [Chicago Sun-Times] Uptown is one of the highest ranked areas for rich-poor friendships, a new study finds. [WBEZ]    Sasha's Pick  by Sasha-Ann Simons, host of Reset How do you prepare schools for the fall semester in the wake of multiple recent mass shootings? Today, I interviewed Michael Lubelfeld, the superintendent of North Shore School District 112 in Highland Park, to find out what he’s doing to ensure schools are safe and students are supported as they return to classrooms. [WBEZ Reset] Oh, and one more thing... Today’s the 18th anniversary of the “Dave Matthews Band incident” in Chicago. On Aug. 8, 2004, a tour bus for the Dave Matthews Band dumped about 800 pounds of human waste on a Chicago River boat tour and joined Chicago’s pantheon of modern legends that includes the hacking of WTTW, the Wicker Park Muffin Lady and the infamous Harry Caray statue. The bus was on the Kinzie Street Bridge when its driver decided to dump the waste, thereby hitting the tour boat. On the boat, there was “stunned silence initially” and then “sort of this horrible realization,” a passenger told the Chicago Tribune at the time. [Trib] Tell me something good The new school year is right around the corner. What’s one of your fondest school memories? That can include a teacher who had a huge impact on your life or a book that changed the way you viewed the world. Or anything else that brings a smile to your face.  For me, it would have to be a mythology class I took during my senior year in high school taught by a great teacher named Mr. Rosenberg. The class spent a lot of time on Homer’s The Odyssey and how entertainingly messed up some parts are, like how Odysseus keeps getting “caught” by very attractive women.  Feel free to email or tweet me, and your responses might be shared in the newsletter this week.  therundown@wbez.org | @biancacseke1 Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I'll see you tomorrow. — Hunter Clauss ©Chicago Public Media Inc 848 East Grand Ave, Navy Pier Chicago, IL 60611 View in Browser | Sign Up for Newsletters | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy