SALT OF THE EARTH: The Salt Shed — the site of the old Morton Salt factory on Goose Island in Chicago — will be leading the party scene next week for the Democratic National Convention. It’s “sceney,” says POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, referring to all the notable names who will be there angling for face-time with politicos and other important folks. The invites have gone out for Gov. JB Pritzker’s exclusive party at the Salt Shed on Tuesday of convention week. John Legend is performing. The next day, Invernerygy, the clean energy company founded by billionaire Michael Polsky, is holding an event at the same venue. And “Pod Save America,” the podcast founded by former Barack Obama staffers, will take over the Salt Shed on the last day of the convention. Not to be outdone: Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Mike Quigley will host a brunch at Wrigley Field on Tuesday of the convention. Here’s a lengthy list of events. SPOTTED: Mayor Brandon Johnson visited Democratic National Convention headquarters in the West Loop on Monday. He met with Convention Chair Minyon Moore and Convention Host Committee Executive Director Christy George, and he gave a pep talk to convention staffers. His best line: “The Republican Party is about as useless as a hotel room key on check-out day,” the mayor said. Gifts were exchanged: Johnson brought treats from Old Fashioned Donuts, a longtime shop in the Roseland neighborhood. And the convention planners gave him a commemorative Chicago DNC 2024 street sign. Pic! MORE CONVENTION HEADLINES SAFETY: Top Chicago cop warns protesters: 'We’re not going to allow you to riot’: “Supt. Larry Snelling’s tough talk comes amid concerns over how officers will manage protests and potentially respond to the type of chaos that marred the 1968 Democratic convention and swept through Chicago in the summer of 2020,” by the Sun-Times’ Tom Schuba and Kaitlin Washburn. TRANSPORTATION: Stakes are high for the CTA and its embattled leader to handle the throngs of visitors for the convention, by the Tribune’s Sarah Freishtat NEIGHBORHOODS: The Democratic National Convention has announced that it’s connected with all 77 neighborhoods in Chicago either by contracting with local vendors or hospitality events, participating in civic engagement events or conducting beautification projects. Convention organizers held 81 “unique events” across 31 Chicago neighborhoods –– and have utilized more than 200 local vendors to date, according to spokeswoman Natalie Edelstein Jarvis. ART: New public art rides the rails in Chicago, timed to the convention, by The New York Times’ Laura van Straaten PROTESTS: Judge expected to rule today on dispute over convention protest route permits, by CBS 2’s Mugo Odigwe DNC volunteers getting front-row seat to history, by the Daily Herald’s Marni Pyke 'Misunderstood' Gen Z voters fight cynicism, gear up for convention VoteFest, by the Sun-Times’ Mariah Rush
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