* WIFR…

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announces Illinois residents can now apply online to become a notary public.

The new program starts August 1 and is part of the new Electronic Notary System launched by the Secretary of State’s office to modernize the application system.

“Modernizing the notary process in Illinois has made it easier for customers who want to notarize documents without having to leave their home, but we’ve also streamlined the process for prospective notaries and those renewing,” Giannoulias says. “Applicants are no longer required to submit paper forms, eliminating the cumbersome paper-based submission process and reducing processing times.”

Anyone who wants to become a notary or renew their applications must do so online.

* SOS for Alexi Giannoulias…

* JB for Governor…

Today, just over two weeks ahead of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Gov. JB Pritzker released a new video spotlighting the progress made in Illinois under his and fellow Democrats’ leadership.

The video highlights major legislative accomplishments achieved since Gov. Pritzker took office in 2019, including protecting access to abortion, creating jobs, raising the minimum wage, banning assault weapons, and getting Illinois back on track after a disastrous Republican administration. It reminds viewers that no matter where they’re from in the country, they can find a place like it here in Illinois and see what progress looks like when Democrats deliver.

“After years of Republican failure, Illinois Democrats have turned our state around, staying focused on the people we serve,” says Gov. JB Pritzker in the video. “You know why? Because Democrats Deliver.”

* Here you go…

* Vice President Kamala Harris is set to announce her VP Tuesday…

little bit of NEWS on the veepstakes: @JBPritzker also had two vetting interviews this week with Harris aides, both virtually, sources tell me

— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) August 1, 2024

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Chicago abortion providers brace for new clients seeking care after Iowa ban takes effect: Planned Parenthood clinics have been treating triple the amount of patients from Iowa compared with before the Dobbs decision, the organization told the Sun-Times. The majority of patients from Iowa are visiting clinics in Aurora, Peoria, Springfield and Ottawa. And the nonprofit is now anticipating even more Iowans coming to Illinois for care.

* WBEZ | CPD traffic stops are down this year, but critics say there are still too many: Officers made roughly 130,000 fewer traffic stops from January through July 15 of this year — a more than 40% decrease — compared to the same period in 2023, according to a WBEZ analysis of Chicago Police Department (CPD) data obtained through a records request. The recent decline largely coincides with the start of CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling’s term. Traffic stops have decreased nearly every month since the beginning of his tenure in late September last year.

* Sun-Times | Chicago restaurants are crafting special cocktails for Democratic National Convention: For those in search of more bitter tastes, Malört is currently offering “I Malörted” stickers to anyone brave enough to throw back a shot of the infamous spirit at select bars in Chicago and throughout the U.S. A list of participating establishments can be found at imalorted.com.

* WBEZ | A Chicago orchestra preps for its Lollapalooza debut – with pop star Laufey: Musicians in the Philharmonic got their sheet music two weeks prior, but Wednesday’s rehearsal was the only time they’d practice with their guest star — Icelandic-Chinese pop artist Laufey — before appearing alongside her Friday at Lollapalooza. It’s believed to be the first time an entire orchestra has played the festival. The Philharmonic has played with popular artists before — over the past months they’ve accompanied the Violent Femmes and Tank and the Bangas. But during a designated break in a lounge area behind the Bud Light stage, violinist Eleanor Bartsch said, “Lollapalooza is kind of another animal.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Shaw Local | Will County Clerk Staley Ferry resigns to become Joliet city clerk: Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry is leaving just three months before the general election, creating what will be a new race in November for county clerk. The city of Joliet announced Wednesday that Staley Ferry has been hired as the city clerk. Staley Ferry will leave the county clerk’s office later this month and start with Joliet on Aug. 21, a move that means a $46,000 increase in annual pay.

* Crain’s | Schaumburg’s Loeber family farm is slated for high-density development. Some neighbors aren’t happy.: Development, these neighbors say, is both inevitable and fine with them. Their argument is that Schaumburg officials seem poised to approve something that has nearly four times the density that used to be the village’s stated goal for the site.

* Daily Herald | Check out library books at the park? Two new self-service locations coming to Arlington Heights: The large metal boxes — each containing 30 individual lockers — will be placed this fall at Camelot Park on the north and Heritage Park on the south, under an intergovernmental agreement inked by the library board in July and pending a vote by the park board. The addition of pickup lockers on both sides of town helps “fulfill our goal of reaching outside of our walls and trying to be where our customers are for our services,” said Mike Driskell, the library’s executive director.

*** Downstate ***

* BND | City of Belleville’s new spokesman — its third in eight months — abruptly leaves job: Matthew Allison was the city’s third spokesperson in eight months. The first one quit at the end of November to take another job. The second one was fired in May after 46 days. […] Allison declined an interview but verified via private Facebook message that he no longer worked for the city. When asked this week if Allison had left voluntarily or involuntarily, [Bill Clay, the city’s human resources director] stated, “He did not resign.”

* Illinois Times | Downtown fire sparks calls for action: “A revitalized and resilient downtown” was the No. 1 initiative in The Next 10, A Community Visioning Plan for Greater Springfield released by the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln in spring 2021. The report described downtown as “the heart of the community and region, the seat of state and local government, our cultural center and the stage for our living history.” It noted that downtown uses have shifted over the decades and “to act thoughtfully, we must plan and reimagine.”

* WCIA | New Ford County solar farm project passes Zoning Board : A new solar farm seems to have the green light in Ford County — at least from the Zoning Board. Energy had the idea to build a solar farm next to their peaking plant on the outskirts of Gibson City. Wednesday night, with a 5-0 vote, the board recommended the solar project.

* WSIL | SIU gives almost $60K in scholarships from alumni funding: The association gave $59,288 across 46 new and returning students. SIU says the money came from new and legacy donors and will help cover tuition and textbook costs. Recipients live across the map in states including Illinois, Delaware, Florida, Missouri and Texas. […] Not all funding for the scholarships come out of the pockets of alumni, though. SIU says its alumni association hosted fundraising events around the area, including St. Louis and Chicago, that raised $2,500 and $10,000, respectively.

* SJ-R | Fishing tournament, beer school among 5 things to do in Springfield area: he Village of Bath is putting man against fish in this invasive fishing competition. The Redneck Fishing Tournament has two, 2-hour heats in which teams, many in costumes, go out on the water to see how many flying invasive carp they can net out of the air or jump in the boat. Winning teams often collect hundreds of the fish.

*** National ***

* NBC | Johnny Cash statue to be unveiled in U.S. Capitol in September: A statue honoring country music icon Johnny Cash will be unveiled in the U.S. Capitol next month, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Thursday. The statue will be the second of an Arkansas native in the Capitol, a news release states. A statue of Daisy Bates, a civil rights leader who headed Arkansas’ chapter of the NAACP and mentored the Black students known as the Little Rock Nine who integrated Central High School in 1957, was unveiled in National Statuary Hall on May 8.

* WSJ | Inside the Secret Negotiations to Free Evan Gershkovich: The Russian Federation had a few final items of protocol to tick through with the man who had become its most famous prisoner. One, he would be allowed to leave with the papers he’d penned in detention, the letters he’d scrawled out and the makings of a book he’d labored over. But first, they had another piece of writing they required from him, an official request for presidential clemency. The text, moreover, should be addressed to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. The pro forma printout included a long blank space the prisoner could fill out if desired, or simply, as expected, leave blank. In the formal high Russian he had honed over 16 months imprisonment, the Journal’s Russia correspondent filled the page. The last line submitted a proposal of his own: After his release, would Putin be willing to sit down for an interview?

* Deadline | Tom Cruise Poised For Olympics Closing Ceremony Stunt: Already a presence at the Opening Ceremony and at some competitions, the Mission: Impossible star will be dropping in — literally — when the Olympic flag is handed over the 2028 games host city, source close to events have told Deadline. Details of the Closing Ceremony are a closely held secret, but it known that L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to receive the Olympic flag from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. “Expect a major Hollywood production,” a well-positioned source tells Deadline.