Daywatch: Lake Shore Drive renaming vote delayed, Illinois’ only national scenic river gets protection and Chicago street vendors buy their shared kitchen building

Nicole Stock, Chicago Tribune
·3 min read
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Good morning, Chicago.

This week marked the official start to summer. With longer days, warmer temperatures and the most unrestricted living we’ve had in more than year, it’s a good time to try new things. And if you’re looking for inspiration, look no further than our Chicago summer guide, full of favorites from the Tribune staff.

The Olympics are a big part of this summer, too, and several Chicago athletes will compete for gold in the Tokyo Games. The Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the Sky’s Stefanie Dolson and the Red Stars’ Alyssa Naeher, Julie Ertz and Tierna Davidson will represent the U.S. when the Olympics begin in late July.

What are you most excited for this summer? Send me an email and let me know.

— Nicole Stock, audience editor

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No vote on renaming Lake Shore Drive for DuSable as City Council adjourns amid fight over Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s new Law Department nominee

Aldermen on Wednesday temporarily derailed Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s appointment of a new top city lawyer over the Law Department’s treatment of Anjanette Young in her lawsuit over an infamous botched police raid.

The spat again delayed an expected vote on a plan to rename Chicago’s storied Lake Shore Drive in honor of the city’s Black founder, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable.

As childhood vaccinations plummet across the US during pandemic, Illinois public health officials warn of possible outbreaks in the coming school year

Alarmed by a steep decline in routine childhood vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cook County Health officials are urging parents to ensure that any missing shots get in kids’ arms this summer to avoid outbreaks of infections during the upcoming school year.

Illinois’ only national scenic river gets protection as owner of abandoned power plant agrees to clean up toxic waste

Efforts to protect the only national scenic river in Illinois are closer to reality after the owner of an abandoned power plant agreed Monday to excavate toxic waste dumped into the flood plain for more than a half-century.

Under a legal settlement, Texas-based Vistra will drain pits of water-soaked coal ash along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River, about 120 miles south of Chicago. The company also will dig a trench to collect contaminated groundwater and monitor the fast-eroding riverbank after major storms.

Chicago street vendors first banded together to rent commercial kitchen space — then they bought the building

A collective of street vendors — many of whom have advocated for decades for Chicago to establish a license to protect their fellow eloteros and tamaleros — pooled their resources to purchase a commercial kitchen with the help of other neighborhood groups. They say the purchase can help pave the way for other street vendors to get a license by allowing them to rent it at affordable prices.

A South Side comedian and a Jordan-born chef are eating their way through all 77 Chicago neighborhoods in a new podcast

Spend enough time exploring the history of Chicago neighborhoods and, eventually, you’ll brush up against some pretty great food.

Co-hosts and real-life couple Dario Durham and Sara Faddah are exploring that synergy with their new podcast, “77 Flavors of Chicago.” Each episode follows them as they pick a neighborhood, learn a little about the area and then dig into a dish from a local restaurant.