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.
This afternoon will be sunny and hot, with a high near 99 degrees. Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low around 74 and a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 87.
Top story
Chicago Police Department unveils final foot pursuit policy, more than a year after 2 controversial fatal shootings by officers
The Chicago Police Department released a final version of a foot pursuit policy today, completing a lengthy process that came under heavy scrutiny after the fatal police shootings of 13-year-old Adam Toledo and 21-year-old Anthony Alvarez during chases last March.
The policy includes increased oversight, “clearer guidelines” and additional training for officers, as well as improved data collection to analyze pursuits, according to a department statement.
It will replace a temporary chase policy by the end of the summer,
The policy is based on “national best practices” and input from the Illinois attorney general’s office and the independent monitoring team tracking the department’s compliance with sweeping court-ordered reforms, according to CPD.
The monitoring team initially recommended the department adopt a foot pursuit policy last March, weeks before Alvarez and Toledo were fatally shot by officers during separate chases.
The CPD unveiled a temporary foot pursuit policy last May before releasing a draft of the final policy in February and soliciting the public’s input after facing criticism the temporary policy was vague and insufficient.
Much of that draft remains intact, including a portion that prohibits officers from engaging in chases unless “there is a valid need to detain the person” that “outweighs the threat to safety posed by pursuit.”
Tom Schuba has more on the policy here.
More news you need
- A major public corruption trial set for late summer has been postponed because of a delay in another major trial set to begin soon at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse — the child pornography trial of R. Kelly. The same judge presides over both R. Kelly’s case and a ComEd bribery case involving four members of Michael Madigan’s inner circle – which had been scheduled for back-to-back trials this year.
- Through an ordinance he plans to propose at tomorrow’s City Council meeting, Ald. Andre Vasquez wants to crack down on bike lane incursions — with sign requirements and stepped-up towing. He says his goal is to stop a repeat of the tragic collision that killed Lily Grace Shambrook, a 3-year-old struck and killed by a semi-truck driver while riding on the back of her mom’s bike June 9.
- Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Illinois on Friday, with stops planned for Plainfield and Chicago. The vice president intends to highlight the administration’s work on maternal health and will speak at a convention of Latino officials, Lynn Sweet reports.
- With temperatures topping the 100-degree mark for the second straight week, a City Council committee moved today to impose new cooling requirements on residential high-rises and senior citizen buildings. The ordinance is aimed at preventing a repeat of the tragedy at a Rogers Park senior home where three residents died in mid-May.
- Former state Sen. Thomas Cullerton was sentenced today to a year in prison in an embezzlement case that involved the Teamsters labor union and ended Cullerton’s career in Springfield. Cullerton pleaded guilty to embezzlement back in March, admitting he improperly took more than $248,000 from the Teamsters.
- Kellogg Co. announced today it will split into three companies focused on cereals, snacks and plant-based foods. The snack company will have dual campuses in Battle Creek and Chicago, with its headquarters in Chicago, the Associated Press reports.
- House Democratic 1st Congressional District candidate Jonathan Jackson is getting another major jolt of help from cryptocurrency political action committees. A new spending reported to the FEC brings the total spending by the crypto industry on ads to elect Jackson to $991,276 as of today. Lynn Sweet has more on other recent contributions from the crypto industry to elect Jackson here.
- A new name for the much-maligned Asian carp will be announced tomorrow by Illinois officials in an attempt to rebrand the fish as a delicious catch. Officials hope more people will eat the fish, leading commercial fishing operations to pull more Asian carp from the Illinois River and, ultimately, decrease the fish’s numbers and the risk it could enter the Great Lakes.
A bright one
Juneteenth giveaway in East Garfield Park launches nonprofit’s local branch
Standing in a line to enter the auditorium of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in East Garfield Park, a woman spoke of what she hoped to receive in a drawing at the church yesterday.
An ice maker, one woman said, sweating in the heat. “I’m going to sit by it and eat ice, all day,” she said.
She was one of several hundred people at the church, at 2622 W Jackson Blvd., to try their luck in the drawing and see what else was available at a giveaway held in honor of Juneteenth. Other items available ranged from bikes and superman slippers to purses and ceiling fans.
The $1.2 million-worth of goods available were brought by CityServe West Cook, the local branch of international nonprofit CityServe. This was CityServe West Cook’s inaugural event. Local faith leaders and politicians, including Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), spoke at the event about how CityServe would continue to “bless the community” with giveaways like the one held Monday.
Crissy Cochran, executive director of communications for CityServe International, said that Mount Vernon Baptist proposed Juneteenth as the day to kick off CityServe’s local wing. “It was the perfect opportunity to commemorate Juneteenth and what it meant to the African-American community in the neighborhood,” Cochran said of the holiday that commemorates the freedom of the last enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865.
CityServe West Cook plans to hold another giveaway in July and one every month, Cochran said. They also plan to hold smaller, more frequent giveaways at local churches, and 20 churches have already signed on to be local distribution points.
Michael Loria has more on the giveaway here.
From the press box
- Cubs catcher Willson Contreras looks on pace for the All-Star Game as he leads all National League catchers in fan voting at his position so far.
- Bears offensive lineman Dakota Dozier, who signed with the team just months ago, has been placed on injured reserve with a season-ending left knee injury, Patrick Finley reports.
- Eleven of the Bears’ training camp practices at Halas Hall will be open to the public. Here’s a look at the full training camp schedule.
Your daily question ☕
What is one essential Chicago House track everyone should know? Tell us why.
Send us an email at newsletters@suntimes.com and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you: If you could watch a Hollywood biopic about any Chicagoan, who would be the subject?
Here’s what some of you said…
“One of the great female musicians from here. Chaka Khan. Liz Phair. Koko Taylor. Mini Riperton. All have interesting stories that reflect a very specific time, place, and musical genre.” — Danielle Rue
“A John Belushi biopic would certainly be interesting.” — Laurie Alfaro
“I want to write a biopic about Harold Washington (starring Tracey Morgan or Brian Tyree Henry.) Mayor Washington was an iconic figure who is sadly known more for his tragic death and tumultuous Council Wars than the exceptional life he lived.” — Zeke Razby
“Ernie Banks, he was so nice and a gentleman. Would like to know his life story.” — Debbie Vogler Thompson
“Studs Terkel. He was curious about everybody. Chicago’s listener.” — Michael Vicari
“Al Capone was famous worldwide. I have seen endless movies and TV shows with Big Al in the movie, but never have I seen a biography of him, so a Hollywood biopic would be wonderful.” — Gene Tenner
“Sam Cooke. His life and death are polarizing. Im not sure many people know the story. Would love to see it on the big screen.” — Leah Ashley Johnson
“Mike Royko. Because he was such a deep, brilliant, and flawed person, and his story is so uniquely Chicago.” — Regan Robertson
“Myself! That would be the most interesting story.” — Erica Palmer
Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.
