Daywatch: Community policing becoming a focus of Chicago election
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Good morning, Chicago.
The central Illinois abortion clinic erupted in flames a little before midnight on a recent weekend.
A white pickup truck with red doors and a particularly loud exhaust, according to witnesses, parked near the Planned Parenthood Health Center in Peoria on Jan. 15. Video of the scene showed a man in a hooded coat exiting the vehicle carrying a laundry detergent-sized bottle. He then lit a rag on fire at one end of the bottle, smashed a window and threw the Molotov cocktail inside before fleeing on foot, according to a criminal complaint filed in late January.
While no patients or staff were in the building and no one was injured, the firebombing caused about a million dollars in damage to the health center, which won’t be able to reopen for months, Planned Parenthood of Illinois officials said.
About 6 miles away, another suspicious fire had engulfed a separate building with a disparate mission about two years ago: In May 2021, an early-morning blaze heavily damaged Women’s Care Center in Peoria, an anti-abortion pregnancy resource center. Authorities said that fire was also intentionally set.
These two parallel cases in one Illinois city illustrate the kind of violence and acts of intimidation abortion-related causes nationwide have experienced for years.
Yet since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, reproductive rights organizations and anti-abortion groups alike are reporting unprecedented levels of threats, vandalism and acts of destruction.
Read the full story by the Tribune’s Angie Leventis Lourgos.
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Community policing and vote for police district councils becoming a focus of upcoming election, candidates for mayor
As the nation grapples with the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, and as Chicagoans prepare to vote for mayor Feb. 28, crime remains at or near the top among the issues candidates are sparring over with a few weeks to go before votes are counted.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is seeking another term and standing by her record on public safety and her hand-picked Chicago police superintendent, David Brown. Homicides were down last year from 2021, but still higher than pre-pandemic levels and the years before Lightfoot took office.
A rematch — and more — in competitive 1st Ward race to represent Wicker Park, Logan Square
Rich campaign coffers have made the aldermanic race in Chicago’s 1st Ward particularly tight, as each candidate entered the campaign season with about $100,000 to spend, according to state campaign records.
But the competitive race has also at times gotten ugly. A man threw a red Solo cup of beer at incumbent Ald. Daniel La Spata during a campaign bike ride in October, Block Club Chicago reported. And on Friday, two vandals smashed the windows of the alderman’s campaign headquarters, according to a campaign spokesperson.
A Walmart run for 3 international graduate students ends in deadly shooting, ‘senseless robbery’ for $6 on South Side
Lakshman Gogada and two roommates hopped onto a bus one evening last month on their way to shop for a Wi-Fi router for their new apartment on the city’s South Side.
They were “five steps” from entering a Walmart when they were robbed at gunpoint and Gogada’s roommates — both of whom had arrived from India only 10 days earlier — were shot, one fatally, Gogada told the Tribune.
Chicago Bears roster breakdown: How every offensive player did in 2022 — and their contract status going forward
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has a busy few months ahead to rework his roster.
As he prepares to make big decisions at multiple positions, here’s a look at how the 2022 Bears performed and each player’s contract status moving forward, starting with the offense.
77 Valentine’s Day specials at Chicagoland restaurants, from speed dating to make-your-own-wine night
No matter what you’re looking for on Valentine’s Day, Chicagoland restaurants and bars want to make it easy for you to feel the love. These menus and specials are offered Feb. 14 unless otherwise noted, though with the holiday falling on a Tuesday, many places are offering specials throughout the week.
Make sure to book a spot soon to avoid being left heartbroken.
