Chicago

Rauner Cancels Meeting with Chance the Rapper Following Tornadoes

“Due to the Tornado in southern Illinois, @GovRauner canceled out meeting this morning,” Chance tweeted. “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.”

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s scheduled meeting with Chicago musician Chance the Rapper was postponed Wednesday after deadly tornadoes tore through Illinois Tuesday night.

“Due to the Tornado in southern Illinois, @GovRauner canceled our meeting this morning,” Chance tweeted. “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.”

Rauner joined local officials Wednesday to survey storm damage in Naplate, which is in LaSalle County, where a tornado was reported to have touched down during a round of violent and severe storms Tuesday night.

Early Tuesday evening Gov. Rauner activated the State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield to ensure state personnel and equipment would be ready to be quickly deployed if needed. Two people were killed in Illinois during the severe weather and more than a dozen others injured. Another person also died in Missouri while the violent storm system tore accross many areas of the Midwest.

“Fortunately there was a good warning system and people knew that the storms were developing and they were coming,” Rauner said.

"It could have been a lot worse. We have to count our blessings," he added.

On Monday, Chance, whose real name is Chancellor Bennett, tweeted that he was meeting privately with Rauner to “address funding education in Chicago.”

After winning three Grammy awards last month, Rauner took to Twitter to congratulate the rapper on his historic haul.

“Congrats to @Chancetherapper for making history as an independent artist and taking home 3 grammys,” Rauner tweeted at the time. “IL is proud that you’re one of our own.”

Bennett responded, requesting a sit-down with the governor.

“Thank you Governor,” he tweeted. “I would love to have meeting with you this week if possible.”

Rauner quickly accepted Bennett’s invitation, noting that he was “looking forward to the conversation."

It was not immediately clear if their meeting would be rescheduled. 

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