Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
Afternoon Edition
Chicago’s most important news of the day, delivered every weekday afternoon. Plus, a bonus issue on Saturdays that dives into the city’s storied history.
This afternoon will be partly sunny with a high near 68 degrees. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and a low near 63. Tomorrow will see showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a high near 70.
Top story
Ex-Ald. Danny Solis’ secret deal with feds goes public
The secret deal that former Ald. Danny Solis (25th) struck more than three years ago with federal prosecutors is now a public document.
A four-page deal known as a deferred-prosecution agreement hit the federal court docket today. Dated Dec. 26, 2018, it shows the feds agreed to charge Solis with one bribery count “based upon the substantial assistance” Solis had provided to law enforcement.
That assistance included turning on his colleagues and secretly recording conversations for the feds, as first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times less than a month after Solis signed the document.
Solis went undercover after investigators confronted him with his own alleged misdeeds. He would go on to help the feds build racketeering indictments against Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) and former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Now, in a two-page exhibit attached to Solis’ deal titled “Admissions by Daniel Solis,” the former City Council member admits to a scheme in which he was caught discussing plans to solicit campaign money from a development group that needed his help at City Hall.
The group’s owners included Chicago sports mogul Jerry Reinsdorf, as first reported by the Sun-Times.
If Solis holds up his end of the bargain with the feds, prosecutors have agreed to seek dismissal of the bribery charge filed against him last week. That means Solis could avoid prison time or a criminal conviction, much to the chagrin of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and others.
More news you need
- Despite making its most significant strides yet in complying with sweeping court-ordered reforms, the Chicago Police Department continues to grapple with longstanding problems such as staffing such as staffing, community engagement and issues with data collection, the consent decree’s monitor said in a new report. Here’s the latest on CPD’s reform efforts.
- Following the lead of the Illinois attorney general’s office, the court-appointed monitor’s report also slammed Supt. David Brown’s goal of conducting 1.5 million “positive community interactions” and urged the department to halt the initiative. A Sun-Times analysis of PCI data last month found multiple accuracy issues.
- After the passing of his mother, pastor Corey Brooks will return to the rooftop of eight storage containers on Easter, resuming his efforts to raise millions for a Woodlawn resource center. Brooks had spent 121 days on the rooftop before going to see his mother in March.
- A downstate Amazon warehouse where six workers died last year when a tornado slammed into it had “numerous” support columns that weren’t properly attached to the ground, a lawyer for one of the victims said today. The information about the columns came from a report filed by a government-mandated structural engineer who inspected the Edwardsville warehouse the day of the Dec. 10 tragedy, the lawyer said.
- Federal prosecutors struck a deal today with a key agent in a massive international gambling ring who cooperated with investigators and may now avoid a criminal conviction. The man admitted today that he took money for Vincent DelGiudice from Chicago to an unnamed individual in Las Vegas, who was then supposed to take it to Costa Rica to help fund DelGiudice’s gambling operation.
- In the past 10 years, the Native American community in Chicago has grown to more than 34,000 residents — an increase of more than 21,000 people, according to a Sun-Times analysis of 2020 Census data. But Dorene Wiese, president of the American Indian Association of Illinois and a longtime Chicago resident, says it’s an undercount that could hurt Indigenous communities.
- A new grant program will award $12 million to grassroots organizations that focus on issues such as food insecurity, mental health and COVID-19 prevention, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle announced today. Groups serving suburban residents will receive a total of $11 million, while organizations serving Chicago share $1 million.
A bright one
Cubs’ Nick Madrigal looking ahead after hectic 12 months
A year ago, second baseman Nick Madrigal was a foundational piece for a White Sox team expected to make multiple October runs.
Then on June 9, Madrigal tore his right hamstring, an injury that required surgery and ended his season and a late-spring breakout. The Sox then sent him and reliever Codi Heuer to the Cubs for Craig Kimbrel in a blockbuster deadline deal.
Today, he’s still a foundational piece in Chicago but for a different team with a different timeline.
“I’m looking forward to this year. I’m very blessed to be in this position,” Madrigal said.
His handling of all the upheaval doesn’t surprise Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner. Madrigal and Hoerner have known each other for years and trained together during the MLB lockout.
“He does a really good job of building relationships with people all around the organization, from staff to players, coaches, everybody,” Hoerner said. “He brings a lot to the clubhouse, likes to work but has fun while doing it. It’s all you can ask for.”
You can catch Madrigal and the rest of the Cubs taking on the Pirates today starting at 3:12 p.m.
Brian Sandalow has more on Madrigal’s journey here.
From the press box
- In other baseball news, the White Sox today put pitcher Lucas Giolito and outfielder A.J. Pollock on the injured list. The team recalled two pitchers – righty Jimmy Lambert and lefty Anderson Severino – to take their spots on the active roster.
- Following an emotional parting with Elon after that school’s coach left for another opportunity, Glenbrook South basketball star Nick Martinelli’s recruitment is taking off, Joe Henricksen reports.
Your daily question ☕
Office workers — what has the return to in-person work been like for you?
Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you: How has the emerging popularity of third-party delivery apps affected your daily dinner habits?
Here’s what some of you said…
“It hasn’t. Why would anyone pay a delivery fee plus a tip to a third party? If the restaurant has its own delivery, use that. If not, order carryout and pick it up yourself.” — Beverly Brown
“It has made me spend more because they sneakily add on to the price of each item in addition to the crazy service charges. As much as possible, I try to order from a restaurants’ website.” — Erik Kirkstein
“Delivery takes too long. Cold food is terrible. I still use apps to order food but I get it myself. But I prefer to order ahead via app anywhere I eat. It’s easier to follow written instructions.” — Daniel Egan
“When I realized how much it was adding to the bill, I stopped using them completely.” — John Egan
“I loved them at first. But it’s a scam at the end of the day. It’s costing the restaurants, and, in the end, users a ton of money.” — Eric Janzen
“I don’t know. My family uses the ‘Dad App’ — ‘Dad, can you make this for us, or pick this up for us?’ Much cheaper and basically works for free without any hidden fees.” — Robert Lisowski
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