* The governor is in Salt Lake City today and is heading to Israel next week…

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will head to Israel next week on an education mission paid for by the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, his office said Thursday.

Quinn leaves Monday and will spend about a week in the country, a close U.S. ally that many American politicians have visited.

His absence means a very low chance of drama and newsworthy events, so, I’m gonna shut down the blog and take a break. Capitol Fax will be published on Monday, but that’ll be it for a week or so. I’ll try to post any big stories that might pop up, but I could use some down time.

* Monday, July 25th is our annual White Sox outing, so anyone who has won tickets needs to contact me before then - even if you’ve contacted me already. Thanks.

* Allow me a brief personal aside. This is my niece, Reagan Miller, possibly a future president or Texas governor…

* Get yourself a cold drink, find a shady spot, and let War play us out…