The State Fair kicked off the fall campaign season with the Republican nominee for governor, Darren Bailey, doubling down on his statements that Chicago is a “hellhole.”  The Democrats unified around the message of beating the “lunatic fringe” in November.

Chicago R&B star R. Kelly is on trial again in Chicago for allegedly conspiring to rig his 2008 Cook County trial by paying off the victim who appeared in the infamous videotape.  That person, his former goddaughter, “Jane,” testified that he had sexual relations with her hundreds of times starting when she was 14 and she was the girl in the video.

In city news, Chicago lakefront safety issues are at the forefront with death and mutilation in the playpen boat area near Navy Pier.  Chicago Public Schools are reopening Monday under easing COVID rules and Monkeypox fears.  Meanwhile, CPS and the Chicago’s Teachers Union is near a safety agreement hammered out over the summer.

In other politics, ComEd shells out $38 million in rebates in the wake of the bribery scheme — that comes out to $5 per customer.  A state committee upholds closing “clear and present danger” loophole that would have prevented the alleged Highland Park shooter from getting his gun.  Meanwhile, Highland Park passes a measure calling for a ban on semi-automatic weapons, high-capacity magazines and body armor.  And Naperville follows with a ban on commercial sales of assault rifles. 

Guests

Sonia Moghe, CNN | @SoniaMoghe @CNN

Craig Dellimore, WBBM Newsradio | @CraigDellimore @WBBMNewsradio

Mallory Vor Broker, 890 WLS-AM News Chicago | @MVorBroker @WLSam890

Becky Vevea, Chalkbeat Chicago | @BeckyVevea @ChalkbeatChi

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