* ICYMI: Three down, one to go! It’s the last day of the DNC…

* Tribune | South suburban school board member lone Illinois delegate not to back Harris nomination: Alejandro “Alex” Gallegos, a Crete-Monee Unit School District 201 board member, was the one person in the delegation to vote “present” rather than for Harris, two sources said. Reached by phone Wednesday, Gallegos repeatedly declined to comment. “It’s not about me,” he said.

* Crain’s | Brandon Johnson on what’s next after the DNC: For the second time this week, Johnson didn’t respond directly to a question about his labeling the war “genocidal” in an interview with Mother Jones, but said there’s “nothing controversial” about what he’s called for. “We condemned the heinous terrorist attack against the Israeli people. And what we’ve called for is the releasing of the hostages and an immediate, permanent ceasefire. That is what America wants,” he said.

* Sun-Times | Notorious computer hacker charged with spray-painting Chicago cop car during West Loop protest: Notorious computer hacker Jeremy Hammond is accused of spray-painting a Chicago police car during a chaotic anti-war demonstration Tuesday night in the West Loop that resulted in dozens of arrests. Hammond, a former member of the “hacktivist” collective known as Anonymous, faces a misdemeanor charge for allegedly scrawling an anarchist symbol on a police car after protesters descended on the Israeli consulate, according to Cook County prosecutors and court records.

* Sun-Times | Parents of Hamas hostage with Chicago roots speak at DNC: Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of 23-year-old Hersh Polin-Goldberg, wore stickers with the number 320, drawing attention to the number of days their son has been held. “Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you, stay strong, survive,” Goldberg said.

* Crain’s | Common, BBQ ‘cigars’ and an actual ton of cheesecake: Inside the DNC party circuit: Around 10 p.m., Common burst onto the stage to cheers and wild applause. His energetic performance had the crowd dancing as he performed songs celebrating Chicago. At one point, he invited guest Tifair Hamed onstage, seated her on a stool, and serenaded her with a “love” song. During the impromptu performance, he referenced Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx (who was in attendance), Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

* Tribune | Kamala Harris’ family members are popping up around Chicago this week during the DNC. Here’s the rundown on who’s who.: Kamala Harris has a husband, Doug Emhoff, who could make history as America’s first gentleman spouse. Two stepchildren who call her “Momala.” A politically connected sister who is a top adviser and sounding board. A brother-in-law who temporarily stepped away from a top private sector gig to help elect her. A niece who is the mother of two daughters that Harris dotes on. There’s also her husband’s ex-wife, who defends Harris and Emhoff and their blended family. They’ve been popping up around Chicago and on social media this week during the Democratic National Convention, where Harris will formally accept the party’s presidential nomination.

* Tribune | Meet the DNC delegates: Two 17-year-olds from Minnesota, a retired librarian from Arizona and many more: Two 17-year-olds from Minnesota who turn the legal voting age days before the November election. A nonprofit leader from Louisiana who celebrates her 80th birthday in nine days. A retired Arizona librarian enthralled with the sights along Michigan Avenue: These are three of the thousands of delegates who traveled to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, which continued Wednesday at the United Center.

* WBEZ | What’s a hometown girl like Susana Mendoza to wear to the DNC? ‘I love Chicago’ T-shirts, of course: While some politicos are making headlines for their designer suits and dresses at the DNC — one Illinois politician says conventions are no place for satin or chiffon. Instead, Comptroller Susana Mendoza is making a splash with her casual, Chicago pride T-shirts, straight from a souvenir shop on Michigan Avenue. Standing in her hotel room with her outfits of the week laid neatly on the bed, Mendoza showed WBEZ the shirt that’s gotten her a lot of attention this week.

* WBEZ | Illinois’ top legal officer is using Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ for political metaphors: In his speech to Illinois delegates, Kwame Raoul came back to “Not like us” at least 14 times. Kendrick Lamar’s hit single “Not Like Us” is a diss toward fellow rap star Drake and his inner circle. But one Illinois politician is taking the song to a whole new civic level — using the phrase to try to highlight the contrast between Democrats and Republicans.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Illinois Speaker Chris Welch spoke with the Center Square’s Greg Bishop yesterday…

* WSPY | Morris State Sen. Rezin-sponsored bill, Sami’s Law, signed into law by Governor Pritzker: A bill sponsored by Morris State Senator Sue Rezin requiring adult changing stations at rest stops and the State Capitol has been signed into law. Senate Bill 1089, also known as Sami’s Law, was signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker on August 9, about 18 months after the bill was initially filed by Rezin. The bill is named after the 26-year-old daughter of one of Rezin’s staff, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy. Rezin says the bill took a while to get through the legislature but is proud to be able to help those who truly need that accessible space.

* Rep. Hoan Huynh | Don’t take Asian American voters for granted: The return of the Democratic National Convention to Chicago inevitably brings back to mind the events of 1968 and the violent clashes between police and anti-Vietnam War protesters. I can trace a personal connection to that time: My father served in the South Vietnamese military alongside the U.S. Allied Forces. After the war ended, my family lived through a period of doubt, finally receiving political asylum from the United States after President Jimmy Carter signed the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 to deal with the mounting humanitarian crisis of the Vietnamese “boat people.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Harvey residents question Mayor Christopher Clark’s trip to Las Vegas convention, city leaders push economic development: Since becoming mayor of Harvey in 2019, Christopher Clark’s administration has promoted an economic development program advertised under the slogan Building a Better Harvey. To advance efforts to revitalize Harvey’s nearly deserted downtown, members of the city’s Economic Development Committee attended a real estate conference in May to draw potential investors and forge connections with other business leaders, according to Glenn Harston, the city’s spokesperson.

* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights chamber director officially declares bid for mayor: Having already formed a campaign exploratory committee in the spring, Arlington Heights chamber boss Jon Ridler officially declared this week he’s running for mayor. Ridler, executive director of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce since 2004 and a resident since 2013, joins a growing field of candidates that includes Trustee Tom Schwingbeck, who was first to announce his candidacy in May, and Trustee Jim Tinaglia, who declared in July.

*** Downstate ***

* SJ-R | Resolution calling for independent review of sheriff’s office’s hiring practices withdrawn: Sangamon County Board member Gina Lathan, who worked on the resolution that was withdrawn, said she decided to support the Massey Commission resolution “with the expectation and understanding” that the commission would address certain points put forth in her resolution.

* BND | Illinois eliminated sales tax on groceries, but a metro-east city may bring it back: Highland estimates the elimination of the grocery tax to cost the city approximately $330,000 to $350,000 a year. This is approximately 10% of the city’s sales tax revenue. At the moment, Highland’s grocery sales taxes are primarily divided between public safety, streets and parks programs, according to a memo from Highland City Manager Chris Conrad. Approximately 58% of the tax goes to public safety, 26% to streets and 16% to parks. Keeping the cut in proportion, that would mean cutting the public safety budget by $192,000, streets by $86,000 and parks by $53,000.

* SJ-R | These 11 Springfield-area nursing homes were fined upwards of thousands of dollars: Several Springfield and Springfield area nursing homes were the subjects of violations in a quarterly finding made by the Illinois Department of Public Health. In all, 268 violation reports were found in the second quarter of 2024.

* WIFR | Man saved from grain silo in Lee Co.: The man was knee-deep in corn and tried to escape, but he was stuck there for about three hours. Rescue crews were able to strap a harness to him and pull him to safety.

* WICS | Du Quoin State Fair announces 2024 theme days: The Du Quoin State Fair ribbon cutting will be held on Friday, August 23 at 5:30 p.m. with the Twilight Parade stepping off at 6 p.m. The grand marshal of the parade is 4-H.

*** National ***

* AP | Taylor Swift calls cancellation of Vienna shows ‘devastating’ and explains her silence: “Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram on Wednesday. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.” She thanked authorities — “thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives,” she wrote — and said she waited to speak until the European leg of her Eras Tour concluded to prioritize safety.

* CNN | Google agrees to first-in-the-nation deal to fund California newsrooms, but journalists are calling it a disaster: The plan calls for a $250 million commitment over five years from Google and the state, a majority of which would fund California newsrooms, and launch an artificial intelligence “accelerator” designed to support journalists’ work. The deal ends a high-profile bill, dubbed the California Journalism Preservation Act by state assemblymember Buffy Wicks, that would have forced technology companies, including Google (GOOGL) and Meta (META), to pay news companies to distribute their content online. The bill, which was modeled after similar laws implemented in Australia and Canada, would have funded local news organizations that have seen their business models collapse amid the rise of big tech platforms.

* NBC | People with HIV cannot be categorically barred from joining the military, judge rules: Americans with well-treated HIV can no longer be barred from enlisting in the U.S. military, a federal judge ruled Thursday, striking down the Pentagon’s last remaining policy limiting the service of those with the virus. “Defendants’ policies prohibiting the accession of asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals with undetectable viral loads into the military are irrational, arbitrary, and capricious. Even worse, they contribute to the ongoing stigma surrounding HIV-positive individuals while actively hampering the military’s own recruitment goals,” wrote Judge Leonie Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.