Dawn Patrol: History of racism in county where Bland died; Houston's daughter dead

Sandra Bland case: Texas county haunted by past racism

A troubling tradition of racial strife has resurfaced in Waller County, Texas, since a black woman from Naperville named Sandra Bland died in the county jail after a traffic stop by a white state trooper. Video of the confrontational stop ignited long-simmering passions and caused some blacks to raise their guard around law enforcement in Waller County and the county seat of Hempstead, once known as “Six Shooter Junction” because of white supremacist violence in the 1800s. Full story.

Bobbi Kristina Brown dead at 22

The brief, chaotic life of Bobbi Kristina Brown was never really her own. Born and raised in the shadow of fame, shattered by the loss of her mother, Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina was overwhelmed by the achievements and demons of others before she could begin to figure out who she was. Her demise was the most awful inheritance of all. Bobbi Kristina died yesterday, about 7 months after she was found facedown and unresponsive in a bathtub in a suburban Atlanta townhouse. Full story.

No budget, huge deficit just the beginning for Illinois' fiscal year

Illinois government by the numbers: 27 days into a new fiscal year, the state has no budget, a deficit of up to $4 billion and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner insisting that Democrats in the legislature embrace his five pro-business and anti-corruption initiatives. And in the face of those recalcitrant lawmakers, Rauner has brought some new figures into the equation: A 2 percent automatic cost-of-living increase, set to take effect this month to boost the $68,000 base legislative salary by nearly $1,400. “They've taken a pay hike for themselves without any budget and without any real reforms,” Rauner said last week. It's also the first pay hike in seven years for salaries that have not kept pace with inflation. Full story.

Arlington Heights dragon boat club qualifies for championship

Members of the Arlington Heights-based Windy City Dragon Boat Club have qualified for the 2016 World Championship. Racing as the home team at Arlington Lake, the club's mixed and men's teams won first place overall at the United States Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew National Championships this weekend. The win guaranteed them a spot in the World Championship, which is scheduled for the spring of 2016 in Adelaide, Australia. The club's women's team took third place overall and also advanced to the World Championship. “We dominated out there,” said Heidi Shouder, a club member and an Arlington Heights resident. “It was just an amazing feeling.” Full story.

Woman not guilty of murder by insanity to be held in Elgin

An Aurora woman found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2013 stabbing death of her cousin has been ordered held at an Elgin mental hospital. Amy L. Zuniga, 46, recently was ordered for treatment at the Elgin Mental Health Center, 750 S. State St., by Kane County Judge Clint Hull until further notice, according to court records. Zuniga was found not guilty this spring of the Oct. 4, 2013, stabbing murder of Reynaldo C. Galvan, 68. According to an affidavit for a search warrant of Zuniga's home, she told arriving officers “I just killed my cousin” and later said in the emergency room at Presence Mercy Center in Aurora that “Jehovah is coming. I have been telling them this for a while. No one believes me.” Full story.

Weather

Sunny and 83 degrees this afternoon. Temperatures will be about 73 when you head out this morning, and drop to 70 degrees overnight tonight. Full story.

Traffic

Resurfacing work is causing delays on Deerfield Road in Buffalo Grove between Barclay Boulevard and Route 21 until August 15th. Full traffic.

Miles: Cubs to get needed relief

The Cubs suffered a lost weekend to be sure. One day after being no-hit by the Phillies' Cole Hamels, they went out yesterday and got thumped 11-5 by those same Phillies before a crowd of 41,123 at Wrigley Field. The last-place Phillies left town with a three-game sweep, and the Cubs are reeling a bit despite a still-respectable record of 51-46. But here's the thing: The Cubs were laughing and smiling in spite of themselves after Sunday's stinker, in which they were outhit 17-6. With the game out of hand in the ninth inning, manager Joe Maddon sent backup catcher David Ross in to pitch for a second time this season, and Ross responded with a 1-2-3 inning to keep his ERA at 0.00. Full story.

Imrem: It's time for Cubs' Hoyer, Epstein to step up

Mike Imrem on the Cubs: “OK, gentlemen, show us what you're made of. That's you we're referring to, Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer. That's you, team baseball President Theo Epstein. That's you, club chairman Tom Ricketts. Your ballclub is reeling. The Phillies, who came to town at 29 games below .500, just swept three games in Wrigley Field. After Sunday's 11-5 drubbing, Cubs manager Joe Maddon declined the invitation to concede that his team is running low on energy. ‘I cannot connect those negative thoughts,' he said. ‘There's a lot of energy in our clubhouse.'” Full column.

Rodon, Sanchez lead White Sox to sweep

Carlos Rodon pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning and Carlos Sanchez homered for the second straight day, leading the White Sox to a four-game sweep with a 2-1 win over the Cleveland Indians yesterday. Rodon and Sanchez, both rookies, helped the White Sox finish off their first four-game sweep in Cleveland since July 14-17, 2005. The Sox outscored the Indians 26-5 and never trailed in the series. Full story.

Being up front about Chicago Bears' new defense

All eyes will be on the big guys up front in the new defense when the Bears begin their 14th consecutive training camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais with Thursday's non-padded practice. The bigs will be easy to spot because in the Bears' shift to a base 3-4 alignment the linemen will be bigger than ever. But will they be better? If the answer is “no,” it will be another disappointing season for a unit that has been one of the NFL's worst in each of the previous two seasons. Auditions for the D-line begin in earnest Saturday with the first practice in pads, and coach John Fox knows what he and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will be seeking. “It's really just strength at the point (of attack),” Fox said after the final minicamp in mid-June. “A lot of the things we're teaching here in the underwear (at minicamp), we'll see if they translate into pads.” Bob LeGere's story.