Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Monday, August 15, 2016.
- Weather: A beautiful sunny day
It supposed to be a beautiful Monday, with a high of 79 and a low of 71. It will be sunny during the day, but there’s a chance of a thunderstorm in the evening. [AccuWeather]
- Rauner vetoes driver’s license voter registration bill
Governor Bruce Rauner has vetoed a bill that would automatically register Illinois residents to vote when they get their driver’s license, saying that some tweaks need to be made to the bill. The version he vetoed would have opened the door to voter fraud, he alleged, saying that as a result, “important corrections” need to be made. “We will continue working with the legislature and key stakeholders on language that meets our shared goals while complying with federal law and preventing voter fraud,” Rauner said in a statement. [Sun-Times]
- Teenage son of Chicago police officer shot and killed as violent crime rises
Nineteen-year-old Arshell Dennis was visiting his mother in Chicago before returning to college in New York City when he was shot in killed in the Ashburn neighborhood Sunday. Davis’s father is a Chicago cop who served as a patrol officer with Chicago Police Department superintendent Eddie Johnson. Johnson said Dennis was “a good kid.” Authorities are investigating the homicide as a case of mistaken identity, according to the Tribune. Violent crime, shootings, and homicides are up in the city in 2016, according to the Sun-Times. [DNAinfo Chicago] [Tribune] [Sun-Times]
- Republican state senator Matt Murphy resigns for private sector job
State senator Matt Murphy, a close ally of Rauner’s, resigned from the senate Friday for a job in the private sector. The Republican from Palatine had served since 2006 and was considered a rising star in the party. Another high-profile suburban GOP legislator, Ron Sandack, also resigned recently. [Tribune]
- Christian pastors suing state over gay conversion therapy ban
A law banning gay conversion “therapy” went into effect in January, making it illegal for licensed counselors, social workers, and other mental health professionals in Illinois to try and change the sexual orientation of a minor. Now, a group of Christian pastors from Illinois is suing the state, claiming that outlawing the controversial practice “violates their constitutional right to free speech and exercise of religion,” according to the Washington Post. [Washington Post]
- Chance the Rapper shops at Reckless Records, then hands out free records
Did you miss Chance the Rapper handing out free records to passersby in Wicker Park recently? Chance the Rapper visited Reckless Records, picked up some records—including the Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album—and handed them out on the street. Billboard captured the whole thing on video. [Complex] [Billboard via Twitter]