Daywatch: Report: Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade | Downtown Chicago again jolted by violence | 31 best tacos in Chicago
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Good morning, Chicago.
A draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a Politico report. It’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter. The report comes amid a legislative push to restrict abortion in several Republican-led states — Oklahoma being the most recent — even before the court issues its decision.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” the draft opinion states. It was signed by Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.
State and local politicians and stakeholders for abortion rights reacted with fury. Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker wrote on Twitter: “As long as I’m governor, Illinois will stay a beacon for reproductive freedom. We won’t go back.” U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson, who is also head of the Illinois Democratic Party, said on Twitter that “the leaked SCOTUS opinion on Roe v Wade will set women’s rights back generations.”
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case before its term ends in late June or early July.
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An already jittery downtown Chicago again was jolted by violence over the weekend
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday that she was “not happy” about violence that again touched downtown Chicago over the weekend and ended with a cancellation of Sunday night’s performance of the musical “Moulin Rouge.”
“Particularly distressing is, again, the number of young people that seemingly are involved in acts of violence,” Lightfoot told reporters at an unrelated news conference. “It’s clearly not acceptable.”
The violence follows a period of concern among hoteliers and restaurateurs who rely on downtown tourism for their livelihoods. It also comes at a politically fraught time for the mayor, who could announce at any time she is seeking reelection, and for her police Superintendent David Brown, who some of her opponents have promised to dismiss if they unseat her.
Want free, at-home COVID-19 tests from pharmacies and insurers? It’s not always easy, despite requirements
Some Illinois residents say they’re still having trouble getting free at-home COVID-19 tests from pharmacies and insurance companies, more than three months after the White House began requiring insurers to cover them.
Some pharmacies are demanding customers pay for the tests upfront and then submit claims to their insurers for reimbursement even though the pharmacies are among those that are supposed to accept insurance for the tests. Other pharmacies are allowing customers with insurance to get the tests at no cost, but asking that they wait as long as two hours for them.
“It’s extremely challenging and I don’t think it needs to be,” said Teena McClelland, 46, of Portage Park.
The ‘junkyard next door’ in Naperville: Years of code violations, fear of retaliation and one neighbor’s legal fight
After years of legal battles between the city of Naperville and a property owner accused of operating an illegal boarding house, one neighbor quit his law firm job to pursue a case.
Loud parties, profanity-filled arguments, a drug overdose and abysmal upkeep plague the five single-family houses Terry Gaca owns in Naperville, according to court documents and interviews with neighbors. Fifty-four neighbors say they fear retaliation if they were to file their own lawsuit, the documents show.
Frustrated, attorney Thomas Frederick used his status as a neighbor to Gaca’s former residence to take legal action. “I’ve retired because of this litigation, because I don’t have time to do my job as a partner at a major law firm,” Frederick said. “It’s just going to stop right now, and I’m going to do what I can to stop it.”
Column: It’s hard to get too excited for the return of the City Series during a gloomy Chicago spring
“The City Series that begins Tuesday night at Wrigley Field matches the gloomy Chicago spring we’ve endured, with anticipation low on both sides of town,” writes the Tribune’s Paul Sullivan. “While sub-.500 teams and miserable weather have seldom dampened the atmosphere of the crosstown rivalry between the Cubs and White Sox, it’s hard to get excited for this one — especially with another soggy forecast on tap for the two-game series.”
Here are five things to watch this time around.
Dylan Cease strikes out 11 and allows 1 hit in ‘the best start of my career’ for a 3-0 White Sox win
The 31 best tacos in Chicago, from Antique to Zaragoza
“The more tacos I eat in Chicago, the less confident I feel about declaring the best,” writes Nick Kindelsperger. “How can anyone honestly know the answer, with so many taquerias in so many neighborhoods and suburbs?”
Back in 2016, Kindelsperger devoured 234 different tacos in a single month. In the past two months alone, he hit up around 80 spots to find the 31 best tacos in Chicago. From recreating time-consuming family recipes from scratch to making their own masa, chefs in Chicago are showcasing a level of dedication to the taco that borders on the obsessive.
