Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Friday, July 15, 2016.
- Weather: A few degrees cooler with light rain possible
After a hot and humid week, it will cool down Friday, with a high of 75 and a low of 63. It will be variously cloudy and sunny, with a bit of rain possible. The weather should stay nice over the weekend. [AccuWeather]
- Illinois Republicans fighting over Trump ahead of Republican National Convention next week
The Republican National Convention kicks off Monday in Cleveland, but many of Illinois’s most prominent Republican officials and delegates won’t be in attendance. Governor Bruce Rauner, Senator Mark Kirk, and several other important GOP members are skipping the convention and refusing to endorse presumptive nominee Donald Trump. The lack of support for Trump in the Land of Lincoln has upset some Illinois Trump delegates, who are threatening to stay home too. “If 10 percent of the delegates don’t show up or don’t get viable replacements . . . I think [Trump’s] nomination could be in jeopardy,” says former Illinois Republican Party chairman and vocal Trump critic Pat Brady. [WBEZ] [h/t Politico Illinois Playbook]
- Reported Trump VP pick Mike Pence doesn’t like Chicago
Indiana may be Chicago’s neighbor but that doesn’t mean its conservative Republican governor, Mike Pence, is friendly toward the city or Illinois. Pence, who’s now widely reported to be Trump’s vice presidential pick, doesn’t have many nice things to say about Illinois’s economy. Indiana has openly courted Chicago businesses to move across the border to avoid taxes. “I love going to Illinois to talk about Indiana’s success story,” Pence posted on Twitter in 2014. “It’s what we call low hanging fruit.” [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Remembering Sandra Bland one year later
Naperville native Sandra Bland became a national symbol of police brutality following her mysterious death in a Texas jail cell on July 13, 2015, just days after being arrested for a minor traffic violation. One year after her tragic passing, Chicagoans gathered in Federal Plaza Wednesday evening to remember her. Her mother, Geneva Reed Veal, and sister, Shante Needham, were in attendance. It’s just one of the many ways her family is keeping her memory alive. [Associated Press via Sun-Times] [NewsOne]
- Design firm chosen for Union Station renovations
The much-needed Union Station improvement project now has a design and engineering team. Arup, the firm behind the famous Sydney Opera House and many other high-profile sites, will be leading the changes, which could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. [Architect’s Newspaper]