* The Senate will reportedly be back for session on Tuesday, August 19th at two o’clock. The Senate will take up the two amendatory vetoes that the House accepted this week and the “mini capital bill” that the House passed.

* AFSCME has a tentative contract deal…

The state and the American Federation of State, County and Muncipal Employees have reached tentative agreement on a new contract, union officials said Friday.

AFSCME Deputy Director Roberta Lynch declined to discuss details of the contract.

“We feel it is a fair settlement,” Lynch said. “We feel it is fair to our members and the taxpayers of Illinois.” […]

Lynch said the union hopes to begin the ratification process next week, with meetings held across the state to explain the contract terms to members. She said the ratification process will probably take a week.

* Meanwhile, Carlos Hernandez Gomez takes a look at the governor’s astonishing comment that there are times when “I consider myself the first African-American governor of Illinois”…

Illinois has already had a black governor, albeit for only a few hours.

It was trailblazing African-American pol Cecil Partee, the first black president of the Illinois Senate.

And it was because of something that the late Illinois Senator Paul Simon, who was then Illinois’ lieutenant governor did.

Simon describes the little-known history in his autobiography P.S., read on:

“As president pro tem he [Partee] followed me in the succession line for the governorship, if anything happened to the governor and me. Because of the constitutional provisions that succession followed even for temporary vacancies, one day when I knew Governor Ogilvie would be out of the state I made it a point to go over to St. Louis so that Illinois had an African American governor for the first time, even if only for one day. And I’m pleased Cecil Partee had that honor.”

The governor may be the Rain Man of presidential factoids, but he may need to bone up on his Illinois trivia.

Just so there’s no confusion, that happened under the old constitution. A governor can leave the state now without passing along power.

* Oy…

Our ‘’Ridiculous Quote of the Week'’ award goes to Andy McKenna, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.

Here’s what he said Thursday about the importance of GOP unity at a time when Illinois Democrats are feuding and fighting.

‘’We’re a party that stands together and stands with Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was famous for his `House Divided’ speech. If he were here today, he would have to tell the story of a house divided that’s even more outrageous than the one that lived in his time,'’ McKenna said.

Whaaat? Lincoln’s speech was about the nation being torn asunder by slavery.

The infighting among Democrats who control state government is a trifle in comparison.

* Speaking of overstatements…

Wednesday was the 30th session day since the panel issued its report. But Jones said that special session days held during the summer don’t count. Only regular session days count, he insisted.

“To say, ‘The Clock is running. If you don’t act this week, the pay raises will go into effect.’ Biggest lie ever told,” Jones said.

Really? The biggest lie ever told? In the history of the world?

* And the Recovering Journalist blog notes…

Forbes is reporting that there will be 15,000 journalists at each of the two upcoming political conventions.

Unbelievable.

At a time when news budgets are being slashed because of declining revenue, how can a news organization possibly justify sending a raft of people to the conventions?

I won’t be going to either convention. I have no desire to cover this circus on the road. I get enough of it here.

* One more State Fair pic…