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 31 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 25 degrees. And less than a week after the region weathered its largest snowfall in two years, a winter storm arriving tomorrow afternoon could dump between 6 and 9 inches of snow on Chicago this weekend.
Top story
Housing advocates in Chicago aiming to help tenants ahead of a potential wave of evictions
When Luz Franco got sick with COVID-19, she missed work and knew she wouldn’t have the money to pay the rent on her apartment in Brighton Park.
Franco, 51, figured she could give what she had to her landlord until she was able to catch up.
But the landlord told her she was a year behind on rent, and soon she found the heat had been turned off in her apartment, and one day her son found some of their belongings on the front lawn.
She knew that wasn’t how she should be evicted but, worried about the safety of her son, decided to move to a smaller apartment with the help of a community organization, Little Village Unete.
“There was nothing we could do,” Franco says.
A year into the coronavirus pandemic, housing advocates say that — despite moratoriums meant to stop most evictions — renters like Franco still face problems.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has extended Illinois’ eviction moratorium every 30 days, the latest one in place until Feb. 6. The moratorium blocks evictions statewide unless a tenant “poses a direct threat to the health and safety of other tenants or an immediate and severe risk to property.”
Nationally, on his first day in office, President Joe Biden extended the federal eviction moratorium through March 31. It applies to parts of the country that don’t have their own moratorium in place.
In Chicago, housing advocates say they continue to get calls from renters facing illegal evictions or face tactics meant to drive them out. The Metropolitan Tenants Organization said it has gotten more than 500 calls since last March about lockout attempts.
Little Village Unete, which helped Franco, and other organizations have created eviction defense teams to respond to lockouts and prepare for what they expect will be a wave of evictions once the moratoriums are lifted. Some lawmakers recently tried to extend the Illinois moratorium until September, but the measure didn’t go anywhere in the Senate.
“We already knew [housing] was a crisis pre-COVID because rents were skyrocketing,” said Sara Heymann of Little Village Unete. “This is a pot ready to burst. We need to make sure we have the system to make sure people in our community have support.”
Keep reading Elvia Malagón’s story here.
More news you need
- Negotiations over Chicago Public Schools reopening plans are in a “sensitive place” and are expected to continue through the weekend, Chicago Teachers Union leaders said today. About 62,000 students and 10,000 teachers are tentatively expected to return to school Monday.
- Several faith leaders and parents called for CPS to hold off on bringing kids back to classrooms and instead continue remote learning to keep everyone as safe as possible. “With the vaccine on the horizon, this is not the time,“ said the Rev. Paula Cripps-Vallejo of Humboldt Park United Methodist Church.
- Mayor Lori Lightfoot changed communications directors before she had even served 100 days in office. Now, it’s happened again, fueling questions about whether the crisis-filled times coupled with Lightfoot’s abrasive management style might be making it difficult for her to hold onto good people. Lightfoot’s communications director Michael Crowley abruptly resigned Friday after 18 months on the job.
- A federal judge in downstate Illinois agreed today to release a man allegedly seen on TikTok fighting with the National Guard during the U.S. Capitol breach, despite concerns about his past history of violence, mental health issues and failure to follow court orders. When a prosecutor raised concerns about Mathew Capsel’s “pretty significant social media presence,” Capsel said he’s been “banned from Facebook for life.”
- SC Johnson & Son, Inc., a multi-billion dollar manufacturer of household cleaning supplies, identified itself as the $250,000 corporate donor behind Ald. Anthony Beale’s Roseland “cop house.” “You can’t get any bigger and more credible than that,” Beale told our Fran Spielman.
- Chicago won a head-to-head competition with Hammond for the right to sell Lake Michigan water to Joliet, a deal that could ultimately flush Chicago’s water system with $30 million annually. The Joliet City Council voted 7 to 1 last night, ending a competition that included a personal pitch from Lightfoot.
- Five blocks of alleys in Edgewater used to be just that — garbage cans, parked cars, all the usual dreariness that says “Chicago alley.” Now, the stretch that’s bordered on one side by a CTA Red Line L viaduct is a full-blown artistic showcase, the scene of more than 100 murals by over 30 artists.
A bright one
‘Immersive Van Gogh’ Chicago run extended to September
The highly anticipated “Immersive Van Gogh” exhibit will call Chicago home for a little while longer.
Opening Feb. 11 at Lighthouse ArtSpace Chicago, a new presentation venue inside the landmark Germania Club Building, and originally slated to close May 2, the critically acclaimed immersive exhibition will now run through Sept. 6.
“Immersive Van Gogh is a new way of encountering art, as it quite literally surrounds viewers on all sides with the brilliant work of one of the greatest painters of all time,” said Immersive Art Space Co-Producer Corey Ross. “Merging state-of-the-art technology, theatrical storytelling, animation and some of the finest works of art ever created, ‘Immersive Van Gogh’ is a uniquely mesmerizing experience that seemingly transports the viewer into the artist’s mind to see these timeless works as never before.”
The exhibit will also feature extended hours and offer Saturday afternoon VIP and premium tickets throughout February and March.
A new block of tickets for the extended run go on sale at 9 a.m. tomorrow at vangoghchicago.com or by phone at (844) 307-4644.
Read Miriam Di Nunzio’s full story here.
From the press box
The Cubs’ signing of free agent outfielder Joc Pederson to a one-year, $7 million contract bolsters both their defense and offense against right-handed pitching.
The Blackhawks’ 22-year-old defenseman Ian Mitchell, one of the team’s young players, is going through growing pains as he navigates his first NHL season. The team has a pair of games against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center this weekend, tonight at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. (NBC Sports Chicago).
And Bulls center Daniel Gafford hopes to make a good impression as he fills in for the injured Wendell Carter Jr. The team faces the Portland Trail Blazers tomorrow at 7 p.m. (NBC Sports Chicago).
Your daily question ☕
Do you think Chicago Public Schools should remain remote until teachers can get vaccinated, or do you think it’s more important that students return to classrooms ASAP? Tell us why.
Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you: With all the news about GameStop lately, did you invest any extra money into the stock market this week? Here’s what some of you said…
“I tried, but Robinhood wouldn’t let me.” — Leroy Kleimola
“I pumped my Tesla profits into GameStop. Would have added way more positions, but I was hamstrung by Robinhood. I will gladly sacrifice a few hundred dollars to tank a hedge fund.” — Julien Christopher Smasal
“Tempting as it’s been to go hard like the Redditors, I’ve opted to play it safe with my simple roboadvisor stuff. The schadenfreude of these hedge funds getting hosed is pretty sweet though.” — Greg Hammell
“Threw my whole savings on GameStop, gone just like that. Wife is not happy.” — Ryan Flynn
“Nope. Going to take my gains over the last few years and put them in safe investments. Think we’re in for a ride.” — Kevin Roecker
“I didn’t realize how much it exploded until it was too late.” — Eric Franckowiak
