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 with a high near 69 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 46. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 72.
Top story
Lightfoot makes case for proposed 2023 budget, urges City Council to ‘be bold with me’
Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged the City Council today to “be bold with me ... to continue to right historic wrongs” that have created two Chicagos: one for the haves, the other for the have-nots.
“Neglect is not only morally wrong. It is also fiscally foolish. ... We have all been carrying a heavy burden for our decades of neglect, whether we acknowledge it or not. It shows up in the billions that we have spent on policing and incarceration. ... It shows up in the trauma that shrouds too many of our homes and neighborhoods,” Lightfoot told alderpersons.
“What I have asked this body to do over three prior years and now again today ... is to be bold with me. To continue to right historic wrongs so that all of our residents who call this beloved city home will benefit and be able to fulfill their God-given potential.”
Delivering the 2023 budget address that will serve as her re-election platform, Lightfoot called for a laundry list of new and continued investments intended to ease the intransigent problems of violence, homelessness and poverty.
Still flush with cash from the $1.9 billion avalanche of federal coronavirus relief funds, Lightfoot’s proposed $16.4 billion budget features several new investments, including $100 million for public safety and $242 million to launch what the mayor calls a “new pension fund policy of pre-paying future pension obligations.”
Fran Spielman has more on Lightfoot’s budget proposal here.
More news you need
- Two days after a 3-year-old boy was killed in a road rage shooting in West Lawn, community activists gathered over the weekend to address the growing danger of drivers with guns. Tio Hardiman, president of Violence Interrupters, says the group wants to distribute 100,000 fliers around the city to educate about the risks of road rage and shootings.
- Argyle Street, a pocket of Chicago’s Uptown community area, has long been known as a refuge for Asian immigrants, but residents worry it’s becoming increasingly expensive to live there. Our Elvia Malagón spoke to voters in the neighborhood about the top issues on their minds ahead of the fall elections.
- Planned Parenthood will launch a mobile abortion clinic in the border regions of southern Illinois by the end of the year, officials announced today. The clinic will help address lengthy wait times in Illinois after some nearby states banned abortions.
- Sean Morrison, the lone Republican on the 17-member Cook County Board who’s seeking reelection, says he’s “very worried” conservatives may soon no longer have a voice on the board. WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch looks at the state of the board that oversees a roughly $8 billion county budget.
- Market analysts put the office vacancy rate around Chicago’s LaSalle Street corridor at 26%, a swath of unused space that amounts to roughly 5 million square feet. How will the city revive the once-bustling business district? Read David Roeder’s full story here.
A bright one
4-year-old boy realizes dream of becoming Chicago police officer thanks to Make-a-Wish
Khalil has known that he wanted to be a police officer his whole life.
On Sunday, the Chicago Police Department and Make-A-Wish Illinois fulfilled the 4-year-old’s dream by making him an honorary officer.
Khalil, who was diagnosed at birth with sickle cell disease, spent the day making the rounds at the department, visiting the SWAT team, bomb squad, equestrian unit, canine team and even going out on the lake.
Afterward, the department held a closing ceremony, complete with bagpipers, at the CPD academy, where Khalil was presented with a special certificate and small badge. His parents and siblings looked on as he was honored by CPD officials.
“What an honor for me, to have an opportunity to see our youth, to provide a wish, to work with a great organization like Make-A-Wish and to honor Khalil,” CPD Chief Ernest Cato said. “I want to tell you I’m very proud of you,” Cato said. I’m proud of what you’ve already decided to do at such a young age.”
Officials with the Fire Department also surprised Khalil with another certificate, making him an honorary CFD member.
But Khalil’s favorite part of the day was when he got a police escort from his home, his family said.
From the press box
- In the aftermath of the Bears’ 20-12 loss to the Giants yesterday, our reporters break it down: Rick Morrissey on Daniel Jones winning the QB matchup, Jason Lieser on Velus Jones Jr.’s crushing fourth-quarter fumble, Mark Potash on the defense’s inability to stop the bootleg, and Patrick Finley on Justin Fields’ latest underwhelming day.
- Following another weekend of high school football, check out Michael O’Brien’s Super 25 rankings entering Week 7.
- Coming off a rough first season in Chicago, Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson says the team feels “refreshed” with a “whole different dynamic right now” compared to last year.
Your daily question ☕
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Send us an email at newsletters@suntimes.com and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
On Friday, we asked you: How do you maintain a work-life balance? Here’s what some of you said...
“A large part is the ability to work from home.” — Ilya Samovskiy
“By finding things I really enjoy doing in my off-hours and looking forward to them. Whether that’s writing theater reviews or a monthly column for our weekly paper, taking part in a Toastmasters club, acting on stage in community theater productions, or co-hosting a podcast - all of them make me a more well-rounded person.” — Paul Lockwood
“Being organized.” — Cindy Mae Cata-Wilder
“No work emails, no work messages, no work calls, no work anything on my personal phone.” — Ed Schaefer
“Wait, we’re supposed to have a work/life balance?” — Alan Lopez
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