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Isabel’s morning briefing

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* ICYMI: It’s day two of the DNC…

* Capitol News Illinois | As DNC opens in Chicago, state leaders tout Illinois as a ‘model of Democratic success’: But instead of focusing on Trump and other Republicans on Monday, Democrats tried to keep the spotlight on their positive vision for what their party can accomplish. “This convention is our opportunity to share our successes, to set the agenda, and to show the entire country why Illinois is leading the way,” DNC Host Committee Executive Director Christy George, who most recently worked in Pritzker’s office on budget and economic issues, told the breakfast crowd.

* Tribune | DNC in Chicago: What happened Monday — and what’s coming Tuesday:
At 3:30 p.m., Pritzker is expected to be interviewed by Politico’s Jonathan Martin at the CNN Politico Grill (United Center Lot C). Others at the Grill Tuesday: Former Biden Senior Advisor Anita Dunn, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Members of the public can RSVP here.

* Block Club | DNC Speaker Schedule By Day: The main programming runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. each night. Here’s the expected rundown of the DNC 2024 speaker schedule for the United Center with the associated themes for the day, according to CNN and Axios.

* Daily Herald | Walz makes surprise appearance at Duckworth, Krishnamoorthi event: Northwest suburban Democratic U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi was to be the keynote speaker Monday at a meeting of the Asian American and Pacific Islander caucus, but no wonder he began his remarks saying he would observe three rules of public speaking: “be short, be sweet and be gone.” That’s because Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate — was waiting in the wings.

* Daily Herald | No ‘cool kids’ table at Illinois delegation’s opening breakfast: Instead of one table for congressional hotshots, one for state politicos and another for grass-roots volunteers, Democrats mixed it up over pancakes at the Illinois delegation’s first breakfast meeting. Democratic National Convention delegates Mark Guethle and Beth Penesis of Kane County shared a table Monday with U.S. Reps. Sean Casten, Bill Foster and Lauren Underwood, state Sens. Laura Murphy and Laura Fine, DuPage County Chair Deb Conroy and others. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth also paused to chat, as did Sen. Dick Durbin.

* Sun-Times | Wrought-iron fence closes off site of former homeless encampment cleared before the DNC: What a permanent solution will look like for its former residents isn’t yet clear. “My whole thing with the DNC, it seemed like they were going to give us a vacation from being homeless,” said the neighbor known as “Six-Nine” who now lives at 16th and Union where he feels “safe” and “peaceful.” “When Tremont closes, the people are going to come back to where they know.”

* Sun-Times | Biden takes stage at Chicago DNC. ‘Democracy must be preserved.’: “America’s best days are not behind us. They’re before us,” Biden said in a late-night farewell speech capping an evening of delayed programming that bumped him from primetime television. “With a grateful heart, I stand before you now on this August night, to report that democracy has prevailed, Biden said. “Democracy has prevailed. Democracy has delivered. And now, democracy must be preserved.”

* Tribune | Planned Parenthood offers free abortions and vasectomies at mobile clinic near DNC to ‘show what is possible’: A few blocks from the Democratic National Convention, Planned Parenthood is offering free medication abortions and vasectomies at its mobile health clinic to demonstrate “what is possible when policies truly support accessible reproductive health care,” according to the agency. Physicians were providing abortions and vasectomies by appointment on Monday in the West Loop and said they planned to continue doing so Tuesday. As of Monday evening, no appointments on Tuesday were available. The Chicago Abortion Fund has also been distributing free emergency contraceptive at the site.

* Tribune | Urban historian Shermann ‘Dilla’ Thomas showcases Chicago’s South and West sides during DNC: As he led the tour, Thomas said that he didn’t limit himself to only describing the legendary skyscrapers of the Loop visible during the river cruise. He also talked about the neighborhoods that the DNC organizers weren’t seeing. “I made clear to them that if Chicago is chosen, they need to also make sure that they include Chicago neighborhoods (to the south of) Cermak,” Thomas said, referring to the street that runs along McCormick Place, the daytime venue of the convention. “So once Chicago got chosen, I guess they remembered me.”

* Tribune | Gov JB Pritzker’s national moment has come at the DNC. But it’s much different than first imagined.: Even as he ponders what’s next, Pritzker, not even halfway through his second term, is relishing the role of dutiful host, booking John Legend to play an after-party at the Salt Shed following the governor’s speech and ordering up specially branded JBeer from a pair of local breweries to serve to guests. During the summer’s tumult, Pritzker, a Biden campaign co-chair, displayed the patience and party loyalty that have been hallmarks of his political career.

* Gov. Pritzker hits the bars during ‘Daily Show’ episode taping in Chicago: With the Democratic National Convention barely begun, the “Daily Show” mostly skipped the United Center politicking in the first of its four Chicago-based episodes. The focus instead was the host city, ribbed by a procession of jokesters who included Gov. JB Pritzker. In a taped segment, the governor smoothly parried tough questions (“Is ‘The Bear’ a comedy or a drama?”) from Jordan Klepper as the “Daily Show” regular (and former Chicagoan) kept diverting their tour of Wrigleyville into his favorite watering holes.

* Here are the speakers for today’s Illinois delegate breakfast…

- Illinois Pipe Trades Association Jim Coyne
- Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton
- Illinois Senate President Don Harmon
- Treasurer Mike Frerichs
- The Honorable Julie Su
- DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy
- Illinois State Representative Kelly Cassidy
- Chicago Abortion Fund Executive Director Megan Jeyifo
- United States Education Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona
- Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy President Terrie Pickerill

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Judge Upholds Decision To Block Metal Scrapper Southside Recycling From Opening: A Cook County judge on Friday reversed a lower court’s ruling that the proposed metal scrapper — which would take on troubled North Side scrapper General Iron’s assets — should have been permitted to open.

* Block Club | Chicago River Swim Moving To Lake Michigan After City Blocked Permit: Organizers of the Sept. 22 swim previously planned to host the 2-mile event in the Chicago River, which would have made it the first open-water swim in the river in nearly a century. The city denied that request due to health concerns. To keep true to the original plans and the event’s name, organizers now plan to start the swim by picking up participants along the riverwalk and transporting them to Ohio Street Beach, 600 N. Lake Shore Drive, by boat, according to a Monday news release.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | As national stature rises, Irvin will seek third term as Aurora’s mayor: Richard Irvin made it official this week, announcing he is seeking a third term as the top elected official of the state’s second-largest city. With four current aldermen flanking him on stage, Irvin said that under his leadership, Aurora has improved economically and gained stature, locally, statewide and across the nation.

* Daily Herald | Another truck wedged under Long Grove bridge Monday morning: “The vast majority of the times this happens, it damages the vehicle,” Long Grove Assistant Village Manager Dana McCarthy said. “The bridge is made of heavy duty steel.” After the collision at about 7 a.m., it was more a case of deflating the truck’s tires to free it and get it on its way than addressing any structural damage, he added.

* Daily Herald | Colbert shouts out Mount Prospect music fest, among other ‘community calendar’ listings in the suburbs: In a bit that aired on his CBS Late Show last Thursday, the Second City alum and Northwestern University grad was joined on set by actor Sean Hayes for “Chicago’s Community Calendar, your source for what’s going on in Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area.” That included shout-outs to the 56 Music Fix festival in Mount Prospect featuring local bands like Uncle Pigeon, Booti Grooviani, and Day Drinkerz, “who take the stage at 5 p.m., unless they’ve already blacked out,” Colbert quipped.

*** Downstate ***

* PJ Star | Ryan Spain responds to WTVP donation being linked to him in Peoria police report: State Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, had no knowledge that money improperly donated to his campaign came from the coffers of WTVP-TV, according to a statement from his campaign. Spain’s name was mentioned in a report written by the Peoria Police Department detailing how former WTVP CEO Lesley Matuszak used money from the public television station as her own personal piggy bank, buying luxury goods, vacations, expensive dinners and even making political donations. Matuszak used roughly $7,000 of WTVP’s money to make political donations to Spain’s campaign fund, according to the police report. Non-profits like WTVP are not allowed to make campaign contributions to political candidates under federal tax code.

* CNI | In Cairo, massive 3D printer provides affordable housing hope: Hundreds gathered in Illinois’ southernmost city on Saturday to witness a demonstration of the futuristic printer, with American flags waving from the top of its two tall legs. 3D printing is emerging as a promising technology that could accelerate affordable housing development nationwide. The machine, the first of its kind in the region, is owned by Eminence Resource Inc., based in Harrisburg, 80 miles north of Cairo. The company is donating the duplex to the city.

* SJ-R | Coroner will serve as sheriff in temporary role following Campbell’s retirement: Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon will serve as sheriff in a temporary capacity it was announced by the county Monday. Meanwhile, a committee will review applications and participate in the interview and nomination process for the candidate who will succeed Sheriff Jack Campbell, who is retiring no later than Aug. 31 in wake of the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey by a deputy on July 6.

posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Aug 20, 24 @ 7:04 am

Comments

Day one went about as borderline perfectly as one could’ve hoped for. Warnock very much impressed and Biden showed that his best role truly is as the elder statesman.

Comment by TJ Tuesday, Aug 20, 24 @ 9:24 am
The story about the 3-D printed homes in Cairo is amazing - for every story about the very real perils of new techs, things like this fill me with hope.

Comment by lake county democrat Tuesday, Aug 20, 24 @ 9:38 am
Maybe someone at the Illinois delegate breakfast could ask Deb Conroy why she hasn’t endorsed Latina Democrat Maria Sinkule in her race for County Board against Dan Cronin’s sister.

Comment by Protocol Droid Tuesday, Aug 20, 24 @ 10:41 am
“Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon will serve as sheriff in a temporary capacity…” This is interesting. The IL Counties Code statutes give the coroner the power to arrest the Sheriff. I wonder if that has ever been done in Illinois history?

Our forebears gave us the tools for checks and balances, if we have people with the moral courage to use them. Instead in Illinois we are generally forced to wait for the federal authorities to clean our dirty laundry.

Comment by Payback Tuesday, Aug 20, 24 @ 5:01 pm