Lollapalooza sticks with Chicago

Good morning, Chicago.

Lollapalooza came to a close Sunday in Grant Park with a lineup that included Chicago acts Horsegirl and Beach Bunny and end-of-the night boldface names Green Day and J-Hope — the latter the first K-pop headliner of a major American music festival. It also ended with Mayor Lori Lightfoot announcing from stage that contract talks with the city had been resolved, with Lolla to remain on the lakefront for another decade.

“People have been saying to me, ‘Mayor, we love Lolla. It’s the best thing going.’ I agree. And so I’m here to tell you by decree, we’re gonna make sure that Lolla continues in the future,” Lightfoot said as the four-day event wound down.

Overall, the four days of Chicago’s biggest music fest were both eventful, with wish-you-could-have seen-them main stage sets by Metallica and Dua Lipa, and less so for 2022. See photos from Lollapalooza here.

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Sewage sludge contaminated with toxic forever chemicals spread on thousands of acres of Chicago-area farmland

Ray Dettmering didn’t think twice after a salesman knocked on his door a decade ago and offered the Will County farmer as much free fertilizer as he wanted.

Instead of paying for nitrogen and other crop-stimulating nutrients, Dettmering began welcoming truckloads of sewage sludge — a byproduct of human and industrial waste from Chicago and the Cook County suburbs.

Despite assurances the practice is safe and legal, sewage sludge is contaminating thousands of acres of northeast Illinois farmland with toxic forever chemicals, a Chicago Tribune investigation has found.

• Researchers urge doctors to test patients for toxic forever chemicals, which could cost Americans nearly $63 billion in hidden health costs

• Forever chemicals: They’re in your drinking water and likely your food. Read the Tribune investigation.

Schools ‘cautiously optimistic’ about new year, but COVID-19 worries linger

For the first time since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois students will soon begin a new school year in which hotly contested virus-mitigation mandates, including masking, have become relegated to the history books — at least for now.

As Illinois students return to the classroom in the coming weeks for the 2022-23 school year — the fourth school year to unfold during the lingering pandemic — educators, parents and pediatricians are hopeful the worst of the COVID-19 disruptions are behind them.

• CPS will ‘strongly recommend’ masks for the new school year but won’t mandate them

Fate of Lincoln Park recluse Henry Darger’s famed works at center of federal court fight, half a century after their discovery in Lincoln Park

Recluse janitor Henry Darger spent more than 40 years in a tiny one-room apartment in Lincoln Park, writing, painting, sketching, collecting and fantasizing.

It wasn’t until after his death in 1973 that his works, discovered by his landlords, trickled onto Chicago’s art scene, with his fanciful stories and sometimes-violent imagery eventually gaining worldwide appreciation — and skyrocketing value.

Now, nearly a half a century later, a brewing legal battle over the rights to Darger’s legacy has landed in Chicago’s federal court.

Column: Jerry Reinsdorf isn’t talking, but we have questions for the Chicago White Sox chairman about his underperforming team

The last time Paul Sullivan recalls White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf answering a question about his team in a group setting was during the 2019 winter meetings. When asked if he was optimistic about the Sox moves for 2020, he replied: “I’m tired of being optimistic and then seeing my optimism was misplaced.”

There are many questions we’d like to ask Reinsdorf about the state of the Sox, a team that was built to be a World Series contender but is struggling to get over .500 as the dog days of August arrive. Sullivan came up with seven of them.

• White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson suspended 3 games for making contact with the plate umpire

Review: At Jibaritos y Mas, a gilding of garlic and bistec for an iconic Chicago sandwich

At Jibaritos y Mas in Logan Square, they make the best jibaritos that Louisa Chu has had in the decades since the sandwiches were invented in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. The restaurant has built a modest family dynasty with not just the golden plantains, but by pushing the boundaries of what can be sandwiched. The traditional steak, however, remains the fan favorite, with what have become canonical jibarito toppings: mayo, lettuce, tomato and American cheese.