Afternoon Edition: Sept. 9, 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 mostly sunny with a high near 76 degrees. Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low around 57. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 81.

Top story

Historic treasures offer journey back in time at Claude Barnett, Etta Moten Barnett estate sale

With such a treasure trove of history, it was a matter of time before museums swooped in.

And now a fourth of the Bronzeville estate of Associated Negro Press Founder Claude A. Barnett and his legendary actress/socialite wife Etta Moten Barnett is en route to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

That leaves plenty remaining for this estate sale to be conducted Sept. 18-19, at an undisclosed Bronzeville location. Offering a journey back in time — and a peek at lives once considered Black royalty — the sale is being handled by Estate Sale Goddess, a rare Black-owned firm operating in the lucrative estate liquidation industry.

There are the Swarovski, Waterford and Cartier crystal, the diamonds, gold and Tiffany; St. John, Prada, Yves St. Laurent and other designer haute couture of decades past.

But then there’s the never before seen ephemera and historic artifacts of a trailblazing couple, handed down through two subsequent generations.

“This is the most important collection that we have ever seen in our lives, and we don’t know if we will ever top this,” Lynne McDaniel said of the treasures that once filled the Barnett/Ish family’s three-story Victorian mansion on South King Drive.

Maudlyne Ihejirika has more on the Barnetts’ legacy and the upcoming estate sale.

More news you need

1. The mayor of suburban Crestwood, Louis Presta, intends to plead guilty to charges in his federal red-light camera bribery case, a lawyer for Presta told a judge in court today. The guilty plea would scuttle a trial that’s set to begin in early December.
2. With nearly $11 million in donations from West Coast supporters, San Francisco venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan officially entered the Republican race for Illinois governor today. Sullivan, 37, is the latest — and so far, best-funded — Republican to announce a challenge to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
3. The Rev. David Ryan has been reinstated as pastor at St. Francis de Sales Parish and School in Lake Zurich after an independent archdiocese investigation determined decades-old allegations of child abuse were unfounded. Ryan was asked to step away from pastoral duties last November following accusations he sexually abused minors about 25 years ago.
4. The Chicago Police Department increased its nightly police presence in River North last weekend after a recent uptick in violent crime prompted an outcry from community leaders, residents and business owners. In a press conference yesterday announcing the new initiative, police said the increased presence will be permanent.
5. A federal judge today gave six months of community confinement to Matthew Knight, a key player in a large-scale, international gambling ring based around Chicago. He is the sixth person to be sentenced in a series of related gambling cases filed in Chicago’s federal court since early 2020.
6. A New York museum is collecting meaningful artifacts, aiming to ensure that the nearly 3,000 people who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 won’t be forgotten. Among those remembered is Chicago trader Andrea Haberman, who was 25 and on a business trip in New York City that day, the Associated Press reports.

A bright one

Latest book lets novelist Colson Whitehead ‘have a bit more fun’

The 36th Printers Row Lit Fest, which is scheduled to kick off Saturday, will include novelist Colson Whitehead’s first public appearance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whitehead, who has written 10 novels including the Pulitzer Prize-winning works “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys,” is co-headlining this year’s event with award-winning journalist and novelist Dawn Turner. (Other panelists and speakers include Sun-Times editorial board member Lee Bey.)

“I’m excited,” said Whitehead. “I’m excited for the new book, and being in Chicago. I love Chicago for a lot of events, but I haven’t been in the last couple years, so I think it’s a great place to return to doing events.”

Chris Close

Whitehead’s latest creation, “Harlem Shuffle” (Penguin Random House, $28.95), comes out Sept. 14. It’s set in 1960s New York, where a furniture salesman named Ray Carney, who is descendant of a thief, is involved in a crime saga.

As for the lit fest, all programs are hosted in tents and indoor venues; masks are required and guests over the age of 12 will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result from the previous 48 hours, along with a valid photo ID.

The festival encourages guests to adhere to CDC-mandated social distancing or to wear masks whenever that is not possible.

Read more from Evan F. Moore’s conversation with Whitehead here.

From the press box

• Will the Bears take down the Rams in their season opener on Sunday night? Our reporters make their Week 1 predictions.
• Only three players have had more jerseys sold since Aug. 1 than rookie passer Justin Fields: The Bills’ Josh Allen, the Patriots’ Mac Jones and the Buccaneers’ Tom Brady.
• White Sox lefty Carlos Rodon is expected to return to the starting rotation tomorrow when the team opens a three-game series against the Red Sox.
• Mike Clark breaks down the weekend’s best high school football games, including Loyola-St. Rita and Batavia-Wheaton North.

Your daily question ☕

How did Sept. 11, 2001 change your life?

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: What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever received? Here’s what some of you said...

“Look out for #1 and don’t step in #2.” — Greg LaVeau

“Two actually: When you know better, do better. Release the idea that things could’ve been any other way.” — Peg Dusza

“The best advice I’ve ever received was from my late Grandfather: ‘Follow your dreams and you will find happiness.’” — Erika Hoffmann

“When I became a mom for the first time, my mother gave me advice I’m still using 24 years later: ‘Talk to your kid, listen to what she says, and don’t be afraid to admit you are not perfect.’” — Oneda Cushman

“‘Keep your friendships in good repair.’ My grandpa used to say it and he was right.” — Michael R Butz

“You can learn something from everyone, so long as you listen.” — George Curran

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