HILLARY CLINTON will be in Wilmette, Ill., on July 13 "for a very high-dollar fundraiser hosted by" Cubs BOD member LAURA RICKETTS and her wife, BROOKE (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/30). Meanwhile, a source said that Pro Football HOFer MIKE DITKA "politely declined -- for now" an invitation from DONALD TRUMP to speak at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. But Ditka still "would likely attend the convention" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/30). Despite the RNC being held at Quicken Loans Arena, Cavaliers Owner DAN GILBERT "isn't sure how visible he'll be, and won't say how he feels about" Trump (DETROIT NEWS, 6/30).
FLOOD RELIEF: The two-hour "Rebuild West Virginia" telethon will be held tomorrow night to "benefit flood recovery efforts" in the state. It will be shown "online and on statewide television" and participants include former NBAer BIMBO COLES and ESPN MLB analyst JOHN KRUK (AP, 6/30). On Tuesday, 300 of the "neediest victims from the flood ravaged area" occupied rooms at The Greenbrier and the "hotel was closed for business while it fed and sheltered the disaster refugees" (AP, 6/30).
SCREEN PLAYS: Panthers QB CAM NEWTON is teaming with TV show developer Magical Elves to "launch a production company, Iconic Saga Productions." Under the agreement, Newton and Magical Elves co-Founders DAN CUTFORTH and JANE LIPSITZ "will create and develop new unscripted projects for multiple platforms." The deal "extends Newton's relationship with Magical Elves as all parties teamed up for Nickelodeon's 'ALL IN WITH CAM NEWTON.'" Magical Elves' credits include "PROJECT RUNWAY," "THE REAL L WORD" and "TOP CHEF." Newton and Magical Elves are repped by WME-IMG (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 6/29)....Patriots TE ROB GRONKOWSKI "yuks his way through" the premiere episode of "CRASHLETES," his new Nickelodeon show which yesterday posted the first episode online. Gronkowski "has found his happy place," as he "groans, guffaws and watches with childlike wonder"(BOSTON HERALD, 6/30).
NAMES: NFL Panthers C RYAN KALIL and former NFLers JORDAN GROSS and GEOFF HANGARTNER co-authored "THE ROOKIE HANDBOOK: HOW TO SURVIVE THE FIRST SEASON IN THE NFL." The 176-page book will be released Sept. 6 (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/23)....WNBA Tulsa Shock G SKYLAR DIGGINS tomorrow will be the "first black female athlete" in author SEAN JENSEN's "THE MIDDLE SCHOOL RULES" series. This is the "third book of Jensen’s collection, the first two featuring" former NFLer BRIAN URLACHER and free agent CB CHARLES TILLMAN (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 6/29)....Former NBAer JERMAINE O'NEAL "plans to build" a $10.4M youth sports and training facility near Dallas-Ft. Worth Int'l Airport that is "scheduled to open in the first half of next year." The facility would "host local leagues and club teams and offer individualized training" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/30)....Former Islanders co-Owner PAUL GREENWOOD's prison term "for a massive investment fraud was cut in half, to 5 years" yesterday at a resentencing in Manhattan federal court. Greenwood was "sentenced to 10 years in prison" in '14. Greenwood and STEPHEN WALSH were "partners in a group that controlled the Islanders" in the '90s (NEWSDAY, 6/30).
