Good morning, Chicago.
When Mayor Brandon Johnson steps on stage next week to address the Democratic National Convention, he will have a national spotlight to tell the story of Chicago after a rocky year for his progressive agenda.
Johnson is slated to speak Monday evening at the made-for-TV event and plans to underscore the host city’s successes and significance in the Democratic Party, per sources close to the mayor.
Securing a slot was expected. Democratic host mayors have spoken on the first evening for the last three in-person DNCs, while Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett led the call to order on the second night of the virtual event in 2020.
Monday evening will likely be the most visible moment Johnson gets inside the United Center, where dozens of speakers will be trotted out over four days to cheer on Vice President Kamala Harris’s nomination. For his part, the mayor intends to seize the opportunity to pitch Chicago to party bigwigs, out-of-town politicos, business titans, everyday voters, naysayers and other observers — while connecting the city’s liberal values to Harris’s candidacy, per his political team.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Alice Yin.
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The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s half-century at the DNC: Landmark speeches and presidential bids helped reshape a party
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Illinois GOP urges focus on policies, not personalities during party’s day at State Fair
Illinois Republicans used their day at the State Fair Thursday to blame Democrats for crime, inflation and tax increases while urging a focus on policies, not personality as they head into a November election with a ticket led by presidential nominee Donald Trump, who twice has been overwhelmingly rejected by the state’s voters.
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Study reveals anti-immigrant speeches sway voters based on rhetoric and not lived experiences
As campaigns for the upcoming presidential election in November begin to sharpen their positions on immigration, a new study published yesterday reveals that anti-immigrant speeches sway voters purely based on rhetoric and not lived experiences.
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Column: Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard reopens Village Hall, then blasts foes on village board
Ted Slowik / Daily Southtown Dolton Village Hall (Ted Slowik/Daily Southtown)
Illinois comptroller stops some state payouts to Dolton, threatens fines
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she is immediately suspending what are called “offset” fund payments to Dolton for the village’s failure to turn over annual financial reports to her office.
Mendoza said that for about two years, the administration of Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard “has willfully refused to turn over the annual reports all municipalities are required to file” with her office. That includes an annual financial report, financial audit and reports on the performance of Dolton’s three tax increment financing districts.
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Dearborn Homes residents say their buildings are in disrepair; CHA says it is fixing the issues
Bullet holes. A dead mouse. Broken trash chutes. Boarded-up windows and a door frame.
These are some of the conditions at the Chicago Housing Authority’s Dearborn Homes, a 668-unit development with 16 multistory buildings in the Douglas neighborhood.
CHA residents and housing advocates gathered in the rain outside the property on Thursday to call attention to conditions at the development after CHA CEO Tracey Scott visited earlier in the week. Residents were met with lackluster responses to their concerns, according to the tenants and advocates.
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Parking meter pay-off for NASCAR cost Chicago $600k over two years
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Parking spot closures tied to the race cost Chicago $348,306 in 2023 and another $273,665 in 2024, a Tribune records request revealed.
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Column: Grady Sizemore’s strange journey from Mr. Mom to Chicago White Sox interim manager
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Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Zan Berube, Burke Swanson, Caden Brauch and company in the touring production of “Back to the Future: The Musical” at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago. (Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)
Review: ‘Back to the Future’ at the Cadillac Palace falls short as a time-traveling musical
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![Jim Belushi makes his way into the crowd at Blues Brothers Con at the Old Joliet Prison in Joliet on Aug. 19, 2022. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Chicago Tribune)](https://i0.wp.com/www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CTFL-ct-kc-blues-brothers-con-8170-e1723756487422.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)
Vincent D. Johnson/for the Chicago Tribune
Jim Belushi makes his way into the crowd at Blues Brothers Con at the Old Joliet Prison in Joliet on Aug. 19, 2022. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Chicago Tribune)
What to do around Chicago: Fan Expo, political cemetery tours and a return of Blues Brothers Con in Joliet
Also around the area this weekend, protest art at the Chicago History Museum and PorchFest.