Afternoon Edition: June 3, 2021

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 86 degrees. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 67. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high near 89.

Top story

Chicago ready to move to full reopening on June 11, Lightfoot says

Mayor Lori Lightfoot today abandoned her July 4 timetable for a full reopening and said Chicago is ready to join the rest of the state in lifting all capacity restrictions on June 11.

She made the announcement that bars, restaurants and hotels have been waiting for on the Facebook live show that Chicago Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady has been hosting during the pandemic.

“The numbers are looking great. Better than they’ve been, I think, through the entirety of the pandemic,” the mayor said, pointing to the 135 cases-a-day in Chicago and to the city’s 2% test positivity rate.

Face masks will still be required in schools, in health care settings, on public transit and in some businesses. Anyone who is not vaccinated should continue to wear a mask.

Now is the time, if you haven’t been vaccinated, to get the shot, Arwady said.

Fran Spielman breaks down what to expect during Phase 5 here.

More news you need

1. Three teens chased a 14-year-old girl down a sidewalk in Back of the Yards and shot her in the head yesterday after asking what gang she belonged to. She was walking her dog and headed to a corner store before being confronted, officials said.
2. A bill creating a 21-member elected school board in Chicago is likely to pass the House after already passing the Senate, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said today despite opposition from Lightfoot. The mayor recently branded the proposed board “unwieldy,” saying it’ll make the search for a new CPS head more difficult.
3. After the death of Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s mother, Stratton made it her mission to help others caring for Alzheimer’s patients. It’s culminated in a bill making Illinois the first state to require Alzheimer’s training in health care.
4. The remains of a local Navy sailor have been identified nearly 80 years after the St. Charles man died during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Leslie Delles will be formally buried Oct. 23 in Sutter, California.
5. Vaccinated Illinoisans can now get an alcoholic beverage of their choice under a bill Gov. Pritzker signed into law last night. The bill also extends a business’ ability to sell cocktails for pickup and delivery.
6. Bubba Wallace stopped by Pilsen’s Boys & Girls Club yesterday to make a few donations and win over some new NASCAR fans. A driver on Michael Jordan’s racing team, Wallace said it felt like a full circle moment.
7. Beloved piping plover pair Monty and Rose’s nest was attacked by a skunk at Montrose Beach Dunes last night. They are OK, but the skunk ate all four of their eggs.

A bright one

Bud Billiken Parade to return Aug. 14 to the South Side

Bud Billiken is back.

After a year hiatus due to the pandemic, the parade will return to the South Side for the 92nd time on Saturday, Aug. 14. The typically annual event attracts tens of thousands of spectators and marchers to Washington Park.

The parade route will be shorter, though, starting at 51st Street and continuing to 55th Street, rather than launching from 39th as it has been in the past. The route has been shortened in hopes of limiting crowds, said Antawn Anderson, executive administrator and program director of the Bud Billiken Parade.

The number of parade performers, including dance troops and bands, will also be cut in half due to COVID-19 safety precautions.

James Foster/Sun-Times

But bringing back the event will restore a tradition featuring dances and performances that generations of South Siders and others have enjoyed.

“It’s more than a parade, and it’s more than one day,” Anderson said. “Individual leaders and dance directors put their lives into these children. And the reality is, in our community, dance saves lives.”

At the parade’s end, the annual free community festival is set to take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nina Molina has more about the parade’s return here.

From the press box

1. While Andy Dalton continues operating as the Bears’ starting QB, Justin Fields has been taking second-team reps over Nick Foles in the team’s OTA practices. It’s a good sign for the rookie passer that he’s already getting reps over one of the veterans, Mark Potash writes.
2. Post-COVID Wrigley Field isn’t exactly the same, but Neil Steinberg says he choked up for a moment the first time he gazed back upon the friendly confines from his seat at a recent Cubs game.
3. Michael O’Brien, who covered Jon Scheyer in high school, looks at how Mike Krzyzewski’s handpicked successor at Duke will handle stepping into some big shoes.
4. White Sox TV voice Jason Benetti will take some time this summer to call Olympic baseball games for NBC.

Your daily question ☕

What music genre defines Chicago? Tell us why.

Reply to this email (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: Which Chicago neighborhood has the best food? Here’s what some of you said…

“Little Village because Mexican food is the best food.” — Raulito Hernandez Jr.

“Garfield Ridge: Three bakeries and several great pizza places.” — Phyllis Schriedel

“Greektown for all their Puerto Rican food.” — Rigo Banuelos

“River North has top-notch cuisine of every type, but the prices are high!” — Jerry Goldner

“Clearing. Lithuanian, Polish, Mexican.” — Andrea Moore

“That depends on your taste! I have gotten good food from Pilsen to Cabrini and everything east to west!” — Charles E. Blalark

“Downtown and Rogers Park because there are all types of foods.” — Myrna Kar

“Andersonville, N. Clark and Foster. Three traditionally Swedish Restaurants: Svea, Tre Kronor, and Ann Sathers. Sorry, Ann Sathers closed years ago!” — Randy Johnson

“Bridgeport for three places: Connie’s Pizza, Phil’s Pizza and Ricobene’s! You can’t find better anywhere else.” — Mark Quintero

“Anywhere you go every neighborhood has its own unique foods. CHICAGO is the best!” — Deborah Betancourt

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