Afternoon Edition: Nov. 5, 2021

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

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An off-duty Chicago police officer was fatally shot Tuesday at this home in the 8500 block of West Winona Street, authorities say.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times

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.

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Afternoon Edition


Chicago’s most important news of the day, delivered every weekday afternoon. Plus, a bonus issue on Saturdays that dives into the city’s storied history.

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Top story

CPD officer shot police officer husband as they struggled over weapon she threatened to kill herself with: Prosecutors

A Chicago police officer shot her husband to death as they struggled over a gun that she had threatened to kill herself with when they argued at their Northwest Side home, Cook County prosecutors said today.

Jacqueline Villaseñor, 39, was arguing with her husband, also a CPD officer, about 7 p.m. Tuesday at their house in the 8500 block of West Winona Street when she pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot herself, prosecutors told Judge Susana Ortiz.

German Villaseñor, 44, grabbed for the weapon and a struggle over the 9-mm handgun ensued, prosecutors said. As he tried to take the weapon, German Villaseñor was shot in the chest; the bullet pierced his heart and exited his back before lodging in a wall, prosecutors said.

The couple’s 16-year-old son heard the shot and went to his parents’ upstairs bedroom, where he found his father lying on his back and his mother performing CPR, prosecutors said.

Jacqueline Villaseñor told her son to get her medical kit bag from her car and call 911, which the boy did, prosecutors said.

An off-duty officer heard the radio call that an officer had been shot and was the first on the scene, prosecutors said. Jacqueline Villaseñor allegedly told him about the argument, which she said was over a previous affair she had, and the struggle over the gun when she threatened suicide.

Matthew Hendrickson has more on the shooting here.

More news you need

  1. Will County sheriff’s deputies say they have arrested a “prime suspect” in a Halloween mass shooting in Joliet Township that killed two young adults and wounded nine other people. The man, who has not been charged in the case of the mass shooting, was arrested Wednesday on an unrelated warrant at a home in Joliet, the sheriff’s office said.
  2. Mayor Lori Lightfoot acknowledged today that the Chicago Park District’s “brand” has been “hurt” by the sexual harassment and abuse of lifeguards. She hinted strongly that Park Board President Avis LaVelle may soon be history.
  3. In Chicago casino news, the mayor set an aggressive timetable for forging ahead on plans to build a gambling center that had eluded Chicago mayors for decades. Lightfoot said she plans to send a “final list to recommend” to the Illinois Gaming Board “sometime in the first quarter” of next year.
  4. Lightfoot also announced today that city workers will have two hours of paid time off on Nov. 12 to allow families to get kids ages 5 to 11 vaccinated as soon as possible. The measure coincides with Chicago Public Schools closing for the day to encourage vaccinations.
  5. Family, friends and former colleagues are mourning the death of Chicago lawyer Stephen Carlson, who died recently at age 70. Among the generations of young lawyers Carlson mentored at Sidley Austin was former first lady Michelle Obama, who previously worked for the firm.

A bright one

Southwest Side mental health clinic’s walls bear testament to the power of art

A series of murals at the Greater Lawn Mental Health Center, 4150 W. 55th St., stands as the product of five artists who worked to beautify the building. 

Collectively, the murals are titled “Health, Wealth and Knowledge of Self.” They’re heavy on symbolism, each section containing a message for people who come to the clinic for help.

For artist James Allen, 69, going to a city of Chicago-run mental health clinic saved his life. So, when he had the chance, he said was happy to give back through his art.

Damien Perdue, 44, of Logan Square, was hired by the city to lead the project. Perdue — who paints under the name DMNOLOGY — had another artist, James Jankowiak, create a “visual structure” to keep the different parts of the murals separate.

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“Health, Wealth and Knowledge of Self” at the Greater Lawn Mental Health Center, 4150 W. 55th St. was the product of five artists.

Provided

At the center, Perdue, a vegetarian, painted a cornucopia, including an avocado — his favorite — to symbolize the role a good diet plays in mental health.

Terence Byas, a 39-year-old Auburn Gresham artist who goes by the name Dredske, painted a mural including a man in a wheelchair shooting a basketball — “the human spirit triumphing” over adversity, he says.

Irene Zuniga, 33, of Avondale, who goes by the name Zeye One, painted a geometric butterfly and grasping hands — a representation, she says, of growth and the bridging of generational gaps.

“Before, when you would walk in to the building, it looked so depressing by itself,” Zuniga says. “We needed that mural so people can feel safe.”

Zack Miller has more on the murals here.

From the press box

Your daily question ☕

In honor of ABBA’s new record, what’s something else from the 70s you think should make a comeback?

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: Where do you think the Chicago casino should go?

Here’s what some of you said…

“McCormick Place Lakeside Center would be lovely. Just off the lake, close to the Loop and access to public transportation. Nice add to the Chicago Skyline as well.” — Tajan Harris

“The Chicago casino should be located at the south end of Northerly Island and shaped like a giant castle in the style of the Chicago Water Tower. Parts of it should be cannabis-friendly and the whole island should be developed as a year-round resort.” — Dan Dumelle

“The Roosevelt and Kostner location they were considering anyway. That giant lot been there my whole life and needs something beneficial put on it. It’ll help the neighborhood financially and the location is a main street of Chicago that can be easily commuted to from expressway or street.” — Ronald Woods

“The old Michael Reese Hospital site. You know, the one that Richie bought for $40mil so he could bid on the failed Olympic Games. The one where Chicago was knocked out in the 1st round.” — Angelo Charles Anthony

“On the U.S. Steel property Southeast. Should be modeled after Mystic Lake in Minnesota. Include a 5-star hotel, entertainment lounge and great restaurant. It can be reached off the expressway, south Shore Drive. The casino in Minnesota is built away from the central city, is reached by expressway and folks travel from all states to visit it and of course the mall.” — Sarai Jackson

“Where Soldier Field is, since they are moving the Bears west of the city.” — Kathy Crain

Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition.Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

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