Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
- Weather: Rain possible
It will get a bit hotter Wednesday, with a high of 86 and a low of 74. It will be humid, and rain and/or thunderstorms are possible. [ AccuWeather ]
- Rahm will use money from the Skyway sale to pay for property tax rebate
Money from the sale of the Chicago Skyway will be used to fund the upcoming property tax rebate. Mayor Rahm Emanuel will use the $20 million in transfer tax funds earned in the sale of the privately owned Skyway to a trio of Canadian pension funds to pay for the property tax rebate for homeowners. The $588 million property tax increase is the largest in Chicago history. [Sun-Times]
- Illinois Trump delegate on Kasich luncheon at RNC: “I feel like I was duped”
Tensions between the pro- and anti-Trump camps in the Illinois GOP delegation to the party’s national convention in Cleveland were back in the limelight Monday. The delegation had lunch with Ohio governor John Kasich, who’s refusing to endorse presidential nominee Donald Trump or even step inside the main events at the Quicken Loans Arena. Two Trump delegates were so upset to see Kasich that they “bolted” from the steak house. “I feel like I was duped,” Illinois Trump delegate Maria Hough told WBEZ. [WBEZ]
- UIC alum, Mets star gives back to the community with youth program
Blue Island native and New York Mets player Curtis Granderson may be a rival of the Chicago Cubs, but he’s made giving back to the city one of his top priorities. While in town Tuesday to play the Cubs, he held a baseball clinic for local children at his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2015, 10,000 young baseball players from diverse backgrounds attended the camp, which emphasizes understanding cultural differences and expanding the youths’ world views. “We want them there so they can see what a college campus looks like, seeing how cool baseball is and just meeting kids that don’t look like you,” Granderson told the New York Daily News. [New York Daily News]
- Pro-Rauner Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity fund closes
Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity was created to fund Democratic state legislators who were willing to go against party leaders and support Governor Bruce Rauner’s agenda. It spent $2.9 million on state representative Ken Dunkin’s failed primary reelection campaign. The fund recently shut down and returned the money to donors. [WBEZ]
- Lady Gaga sightings in Chicago are likely coming to an end
Seeing pop star Lady Gaga around town became a regular occurrence during her five-year relationship with Chicago Fire star Taylor Kinney. With reports circulating that the two celebrities have ended their engagement, it’s likely that she won’t be spotted in Chicago quite so often. [DNAinfo Chicago]