This Monday, there will be a “Blue Full Supermoon” gracing the night sky. Also blue and taking over the city? The Democratic National Convention begins today, the first in Chicago since 1996. Help us improve the Daily Chicagoan. Take this brief survey.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker addresses the Illinois delegation to the DNC on Aug. 19, 2024. (Blair Paddock / WTTW News)
It’s been 28 years since Chicago last hosted the Democratic National Convention. If that makes you feel ancient, just remember that during the 1996 DNC, the No. 1 song in the country (and a major part of that year’s festivities) was Los Del Rio’s “Macarena.” Today through Thursday, the DNC returns to Chicago and WTTW News will be reporting all across the city throughout the week. Our reporters are live-blogging the happenings at the United Center, McCormick Place and in neighborhoods across the city. We'll also be watching how the surrounding protests impact the city. We’ll be updating our official DNC Live Blog page all day, so be sure to click here to stay in the loop.
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Brandon Johnson celebrates after winning the Chicago mayoral election on April 4, 2023. (WTTW News)
Tonight, Mayor Brandon Johnson will address the convention, where he will no doubt celebrate the “soul of Chicago” and welcome the thousands of delegates to the “greatest freaking city in the world.” Our Heather Cherone has been covering Johnson’s administration from the very beginning and there’s no one else I’d rather read on what this national moment means for the rookie mayor. Here’s what to know from her latest story: How will he respond to protests?
Moderate and conservative city officials worry that Johnson’s heart will be with the protestors.
Johnson and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling have had “very candid conservations” about safety and security in the 2024 convention.
Snelling has said that the department will allow everyone to exercise their First Amendment rights while maintaining the peace and has also vowed to ensure that the rest of the city is protected from crime and violence.
Read the full story to find out which '90s Chicago Bulls player Johnson relates to most.
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(WTTW News)
When the RNC hit Milwaukee earlier in the summer, WTTW News reporter Nick Blumberg detailed how big-money donors in the Land of Lincoln are backing conservative candidates and causes. Now, with the DNC arriving, he’s back surveying the state Democratic landscape.
Here’s who to know: The state’s top Dem donor is businessman and philanthropist Fred Eychaner. The chairman of the Newsweb Corporation has made $27.4 million in contributions so far this election cycle to parties, PACs, and candidates.
Billionaire real estate magnate Neil Bluhm and his wife, Leslie, have made $3.5 million in contributions to Democratic committees
CEO of multi-billion-dollar asset management firm GCM Grosvenor Michael Sacks and his wife, Cari, contributed $1 million to Future Forward PAC, $626,000 to the Harris Action Fund, and $500,000 each to the House and Senate Majority PACs.
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(JSSIII / iStock)
If an onslaught of politics Monday night proves to be a bit too much and you need a moment of celestial calm, maybe take a breath and look to the night sky. Now, you might think “Supermoon” just means “the moon but it looks bigger,” but it’s a little more complicated than that. The term, first coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, is according to NASA, “either a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth.” It’ll look bigger and closer than normal. Tonight, the Chicago area gets its first full supermoon all year. What’s more, this full supermoon is also a “blue moon.” It’s not going to look blue, it’s the term for the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. A season is the time between a solstice and an equinox. There won't be another seasonal blue moon until May 2027. WTTW News science and nature reporter Patty Wetli has more here.
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Ten years ago, during the middle of the fifth inning of a Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants game at Wrigley Field, an unexpected deluge hit. Torrential downpours that lasted a little over 15 minutes threw the whole game for a loop. The Wrigley Field grounds crew was unable to properly apply the tarp to save the field from the rain. Even though the bad weather was short-lived, large lagoons formed around the infield that got so bad it took four hours to make the field playable again. Umpires eventually called the game around 1 a.m. with the Cubs 2-0 winners. While that sounds like a nice break for the Cubs, the botched rain delay caused a headache for the team. The Giants filed a protest against the Cubs, which was upheld by the league office. The game was completed two days later beginning at the middle of the fifth with the score 2-0 and the Cubs coming to the plate. Though the Giants would only tack on a run and still lose, the decision by MLB to uphold the Giants’ complaint was the first time in 28 years a team had a successful protest.
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Chicago’s Deadbeat Migrant Shelter Landlords Get Millions From City Hall (Chicago Sun-Times)
Know Your Rights as a Protestor (Chicago Reader)
Stephen Colbert Spotted Tossing Baseballs And Hot Dogs From Wrigley Bleachers Ahead Of DNC (Block Club Chicago)
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
