Daywatch: Windy City Smokeout marks 10 years
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Good morning, Chicago.
The Democratic National Convention will descend on the United Center next August like a made-for-TV political Cirque du Soleil spectacle, putting a spotlight on Chicago.
For residents of the proud West Side, the impending gala offers an opportunity, but it’s also something of a double-edged sword. They worry their part of the city will host the event at the arena without enjoying much of that light or seeing many trickle-down benefits of the expensive party.
Now they’re trying to figure out how to get a seat at the table with the decision-makers to ensure they get their say, while local members of Congress also are attempting to make sure the West Side residents and businesses aren’t left out.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s John Byrne.
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James Lewis, the sole suspect in the 1982 Tylenol murders, has died
Lewis’ death comes after 40 years of intense scrutiny from law enforcement, in which Lewis played a cat-and-mouse game with investigators. Local authorities questioned him as recently as September as part of a renewed effort to bring charges in the case.
With the investigation’s only suspect dead, it now seems unlikely that charges will ever be brought in poisonings that killed seven people and caused a worldwide panic.
As Cook County courts fail to address delays that erode justice, a neighboring system shows reform is possible
In just two short years, Kane County has reduced by half the backlog of people languishing in jail for more than a year. Only one defendant has been detained for more than three years without trial. Meanwhile, in Cook, delays have only worsened, as the Tribune recently reported in the investigation “Stalled Justice.” Some cases are now taking a decade or more to resolve.
The type of effort shown in Kane County is generally what experts have long recommended on a far larger scale in Cook. The Tribune’s investigation, published in April, found Cook County’s criminal courts were taking longer than ever to complete murder cases — more than four years in most instances. That’s longer than it takes in New York, Los Angeles or any other big city with available data.
Read the full series — Stalled Justice: Delays in the Cook County courts
State struggles to implement 2019 law that allows ‘X’ gender on IDs for nonbinary residents
It’s been nearly four years since an Illinois law opened the door for nonbinary residents to mark “X” for their gender on driver’s licenses and other state IDs, but the seemingly simple change has yet to take effect in the face of challenges it presents to law enforcement and the health care industry.
Records show Cook County joined trend of law enforcement using firearms restraining orders after Highland Park parade shooting
In the weeks right after the mass shooting at the Highland Park Independence Day parade last year, a suburban man allegedly told a family member to hide his handguns, saying he was concerned he would hurt himself or someone else. A doctor worried his patient would take his own life if he was released from medical care to a home where weapons were present. Another man called 911, apparently intoxicated, and said he was on his way to kill his wife.
In response to all three cases, records show, police in Cook County suburbs utilized a tool that spiked in use after the Highland Park tragedy: the firearms restraining order, which is intended to take weapons away from people whom a judge deems threatening to themselves or others.
The Tribune found that FROs, which come from Illinois’ red-flag law, were used far more frequently after Highland Park, in Cook County and beyond. Authorities attributed the surge to increased public awareness of the law.
These tour guides are fighting segregation in Chicago. Here’s how you can too.
The Mahogany Bus Tour is an initiative created by TikTok star, community historian and cultural worker Shermann “Dilla” Thomas — you may have seen him on TikTok — to encourage natives, transplants and tourists to move beyond their screens, off their blocks and into Chicago’s diverse communities. Thomas, a South Side native, shines a light on the rich history of Chicago’s neighborhoods that is often skipped over by the tourism industry.
Column: Home Run Derby — this year featuring Chicago White Sox slugger Luis Robert Jr. — has eclipsed the All-Star Game as must-see TV
A somewhat reluctant entrant into the derby, Robert originally said he was not interested in participating but changed his mind last week after some lobbying by fellow Cubans Randy Arozarena and Adolis García. That’s good news for Sox fans, who have had little to cheer for this season and could use a “W” right about now.
Paul Sullivan asks: Can Luis do it?
Northwestern president says he ‘may have erred’ with 2-week suspension for football coach Pat Fitzgerald
Northwestern President Michael Schill said he “may have erred in weighing the appropriate sanction” for football coach Pat Fitzgerald, who began a two-week unpaid suspension Friday after an outside investigation into hazing incidents on the team.
Fitzgerald’s suspension was among the measures Northwestern announced after a six-month investigation it commissioned into hazing allegations made by an anonymous player. Details of hazing involving sexual acts were published in The Daily Northwestern on Saturday.
Review: ‘Art for the Future: Artists Call and Central American Solidarities’ resurrects a forgotten moment in 1984
Is there anything so fleeting today as political attention? From raging fires in Quebec to war in Ukraine, from a worldwide refugee crisis to our national plights of racist policing, from unfair labor conditions to loss of access to abortion, the ceaselessness of urgencies might be the only constant.
A summer exhibit at DePaul Art Museum offers a historical model for how to proceed, writes Lori Waxman.
Windy City Smokeout 2023: All you need to know about the bands and barbecue as the fest marks 10 years
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Windy City Smokeout pairs nearly 30 renowned barbecue joints, more than a dozen breweries and 21 artists for a four-day bonanza that provides a taste of the South up north. Its fan-friendly logistics (every musician on the bill plays on one main stage), family-first policies (children under 10 are admitted free) and reasonable cost (single-day tickets start at $69.95 plus fees) help account for why it was named the Academy of Country Music Awards Festival of the Year in 2021. Daily capacity is capped at 20,000 concert-goers.
Then there are the mouth-watering smells and culinary delights, which make most of the options at a certain four-day festival at Grant Park in August seem like an afterthought, writes Bob Gendron.
