* ICYMI: For Illinois Dems, the party’s over, but the phone calls are just getting started. Crain’s…

Soon after red, white and blue balloons blanketed cheering delegates inside a packed United Center last night, Chicago’s official role in rallying the Democratic Party around their nominee ended. But Illinois will continue to loom large in the presidential election. […]

Greg Kelly, president of SEIU Healthcare and the Illinois State Council, said the first Obama run “serves as the template” for the union’s current campaign work. In that campaign, the union saw polling that Northwest Indiana was ready to turn out for Obama, but they needed a push to the polls. […]

“We knocked over a couple thousand doors just in the last week,” he said. “Wisconsin has always been a priority for us, and we’re going to continue to make sure that it turns blue in November.” […]

It’s expected Harris won’t be a stranger to Illinois the rest of the campaign. Frequent trips to Wisconsin likely means stopovers in Chicago, where donors say they’re eager to continue giving money after the party’s over at the United Center.

* Related stories…

∙ WBEZ: As the Democratic National Convention comes to a close, Illinois politicians gear up to campaign

∙ Herald&Review: How can Democrats reach voters in downstate Illinois? Listen better, congresswoman says

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker, Dems push to widen abortion messaging beyond ‘social issues’ silo: “But the anti-freedom, anti-family policies of MAGA Republicans are driving workers away,” Pritzker said of Republican-controlled states that have moved to severely restrict access to reproductive health care in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision. “Here’s the thing: Americans don’t want to be forced to drive 100 miles to deliver a baby because a draconian abortion law shut down the maternity ward,” he continued. “Americans with LGBTQ kids don’t want them facing discrimination at school because the state sanctioned it. Americans want to go to their neighborhood grocery store and not have to worry about some random guy open-carrying an AR-15.”

* NBC | Gov. Abbott sent zero migrant buses from Texas to blue cities in July: On June 4, Abbott sent eight buses to Chicago, Denver and New York. After June 4, he dispatched just 15 more. At least one bus that headed north from Texas on June 11 may have been just half full, according to the data. The buses generally carried 50 passengers, but this one had 25. By the end of July, migrant shelter operators in border cities were telling NBC News that there were not enough migrants to fill the buses, and officials in some Northern cities said they believed no more buses were arriving.

* Crain’s | An enrollment cliff has Illinois’ public universities seeing red: Northern Illinois University recently reported a $31.8 million deficit for fiscal year 2024, while Western Illinois University is laying off 124 faculty and staff to help close a $22 million deficit. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is expecting to report a $14 million deficit, according to its early projections, and Chicago State University and Northeastern Illinois University are still managing the fallout from recent years of financial trouble that rocked both campuses.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan campaigns for Kamala Harris at DNC: Madigan, who was Illinois’ attorney general for 16 years, six of which while Harris was California’s attorney general, told the crowd at the United Center that she and Harris worked together on housing issues. “I worked with Kamala Harris during the Great Recession to protect homeowners from foreclosure,” Madigan, who spoke for under one minute, told the crowd. “As attorney general of California, Kamala met thousands of people on the verge of losing their homes and their faith in the American Dream.

* Center Square | Rep. Evans said focus needs to be on infrastructure: Illinois state Rep. Marcus Evans discusses the pleasures of governing as a majority, economic concerns, immigration concerns and infrastructure in Illinois from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

* WSPY | Secretary of State Giannoulias announces 2024 Public Library Per Capita Grants for 2024: Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias announced Thursday that local libraries will be receiving grants to help ensure all residents have access to quality resources and programming. Libraries across the 38th Senate District will receive a combined $405,380 in grants, and libraries in the 69th and 70th House Districts will receive $203,517 in grants.

*** DNC ***

* Tribune | Why are female delegates wearing white on the final night of the Democratic National Convention?: So when Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage for to accept the Democratic presidential nomination — becoming the first Black woman, and only the second woman overall, to do so — she will be looking out across a sea filled with the color of women’s suffrage, the movement that culminated with American women securing the right to vote in 1920.

* Tribune | How do you pronounce Kamala? Her grandnieces explain at the Democratic National Convention: The actress Kerry Washington introduced the girls by saying “it’s come to my attention that there are some folks who struggle — or pretend to struggle — with the proper pronunciation of our future president’s name.” She added, “Confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not. So tonight we are going to help everyone get it right.” Out came Amara, 8, in a pink pant suit and Leela, 6, in a light blue frilly dress. They’re the daughters of Harris’ niece Meena Harris.

Photo from Todd Heisler of The New York Times. pic.twitter.com/yBUuPCfaZI

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 23, 2024

* Tribune | At DNC, survivors of gun violence and families of victims share their stories: The other survivors and family members turned advocates each told their stories Thursday, at times becoming emotional. Democrats in the arena could be seen wiping their eyes at one point as a screen behind the speakers projected the words, “Freedom From Gun Violence.” The advocates were led by Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath, who became an activist against gun violence after her 17-year-old son was shot in 2012 by a white man who was angry over the loud music the Black teenager and his friends were playing.

* Daily Herald | Time to ‘end the anger politics’: Illinois Democrats push unity agenda: With Chicago’s Democratic National Convention wrapping up, Illinois delegates begin pivoting to what will be a bruising election. But Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear stressed bipartisanship Thursday at the contingent’s final breakfast caucus. “It seems like the last eight years — every day has been an ‘us vs. them,’ a boiling point in our country where we’ve been asked to pick a side on everything from the car you drive to the beer you drink. Somehow beer got political,” Beshear commented to laughter.

* Sun-Times | Illinois first lady MK Pritzker revels in Chicago DNC vibe: ‘The whole place just feels of feminine energy!’: “In a week, Gwen Walz, the wife of [Kamala’s veepmate] Tim Walz, had only hours to turn her life around … and she has now become everybody’s definition of a best friend,” said the state’s first lady, stunned when “Gwen” walked by “unescorted” at a private Pritzker party this past week at the Salt Shed. “It’s like someone threw her in a blender of adorable, kind, non-demanding and considerate,” MK chirped. “She’s the real deal

* Tribune | Despite rumors, no surprise performance from Beyoncé or Taylor Swift at the DNC: Those wandering in the United Center in the afternoon heard a sound check (albeit from another singer) using her song “Cuff It.” Plus, Harris had been cleared to use Beyoncé’s 2016 song, “Freedom,” in campaign videos on social media (who rarely licenses her music). A friend of Barack and Michelle Obama, the singer’s 2022 album “Renaissance” also featured an allusion to her disdain for former President Donald Trump: “Votin’ out 45, don’t get outta line.” Trump was the nation’s 45th president.

* Block Club | ‘We Delivered’: Mayor Brandon Johnson Touts DNC Successes Ahead Of Convention’s Final Night: During a brief interview with Block Club on Thursday, Johnson said he hopes the DNC will lead to more federal dollars to support the Chicago Transit Authority, build affordable housing and support neighborhood public schools. The mayor also praised the federal support the Police Department received before the convention to buy three new helicopters this year.

* Crain’s | O’Hare plans to sell $1B in bonds as terminal project moves ahead: With approval from O’Hare’s carriers, led by United and American airlines, to move ahead with construction, the city is starting to raise the billions required to pay for it. The bond sale is another sign that things are finally moving ahead on the main part of the project, which was announced in 2018.

* Block Club | Trio’s Pizza, A Beloved Northwest Side Spot, Is Back In Business: “I’ve been waiting two years for this,” said Don Galiano, a neighbor and devoted Trio’s customer said. “I don’t think I’ve had a decent pizza since they closed.” After being closed for about two years, Trio’s Pizza, 7009 W. Higgins Ave., is back in business. The restaurant has new owners and menu items, and the interior has been completely renovated. However, the pizza joint kept a key ingredient: Frank Scianna.

* Sun-Times | Cook County judge, in office for less than 2 years, is named to panel that rules on judicial misconduct: Raines-Welch, who’s married to Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, is one of two circuit judges on the commission, whose authority to punish judges for wrongdoing includes being able to remove them from the bench. Chief Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis won’t say why Raines-Welch was picked for the unpaid post, whose term runs until the end of 2026.

* Crain’s | The state’s vision for Peotone airport includes some surprises: Although the South Suburban Airport has most recently been discussed as primarily a cargo airport, the project details released by the Illinois Department of Transportation include the possibility of a passenger terminal. “IDOT’s objective is that the (South Suburban Airport) will include commercial passenger service, cargo operations, and general aviation activities,” the document says.

* SJ-R | Grayson to appear in Sangamon County court Monday. What to expect: A former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy charged with murder will make his first traditional pre-trial court appearance at 9 a.m. Monday. Sean P. Grayson, 30, fatally shot Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman and mother of two children inside her home in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in an unincorporated part of Woodside Township.

* WCIA | City of Decatur offering Lunch & Learn for minority contractors: The city of Decatur is teaming up with the Metro Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce to hold a lunch and learn to teach minority contractors on the bidding process. […] The event is for both established and prospective contractors. Attendees will learn how to tell if they are qualified and how to bid on City of Decatur Public Works and Economic & Community Development projects.

* SJ-R | ‘Confrontational and reactive’: UIS outlines expectations for men’s and women’s golf coach: Anonymous allegations surfaced against Leotta in a 2aDays.com report on July 9 before a former player supported those claims in a subsequent State Journal-Register article on July 30. The allegations ranged from verbal and emotional abuse to reckless driving.

* The Bee | Lawmaker defends Google deal to fund California newsrooms, as labor criticism grows The $242.5 million deal has led to the demise of Assembly Bill 886, authored by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, which would have made Big Tech pay for news that appears on its platforms in perpetuity. Wicks, in an interview Thursday with The Bee, said the public-private deal represented the best of what was actually achievable, and called it a win for California journalism.

* New Yorker | Elon Musk’s Surging Political Activism: Beyond the self-serving speciousness of Maduro’s actions, his concerns about Musk’s propensity to meddle in politics and the affairs of nations are not without foundation. Since Musk acquired Twitter, in 2022—and rebranded it as X, a year ago—the onetime libertarian multibillionaire has increasingly propagated far-right viewpoints. He endorsed a post on X promoting an antisemitic conspiracy theory, shared a since-deleted link to unsubstantiated claims involving the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, and said that “the Biden-Harris Administration is importing vast numbers of voters.”