Afternoon Edition: March 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 59 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 31 degrees. Tomorrow will be partly sunny, but much cooler, with a high near 41 degrees.

Top story

Third man accuses Pfleger of sexual abuse

A third man has come forward alleging he was sexually abused by the Rev. Michael Pfleger, according to a lawyer for two brothers who publicly accused Pfleger in January.

In a sworn statement, the 59-year-old man said he was 18 when Pfleger molested him in the St. Sabina rectory, lawyer Eugene Hollander said. Hollander said he delivered the man’s affidavit to the Archdiocese of Chicago yesterday.

“This man is not filing a lawsuit, and he is not looking for money. ... However, he came forward because he wants the Archdiocese to know what kind of priest Father Pfleger really is so it can take appropriate action and remove him from St. Sabina,” Hollander said in a news release today. “He wants to support the victims who have come forward and the many who have not because of fear of retribution from Father Pfleger and his supporters.”

Pfleger’s attorneys, Michael Monico and James Figliulo, said today that Pfleger “definitively states” the alleged abuse “did not happen.”

“He never touched this man in any sexual or inappropriate way at any time,” they said in an emailed statement.

Hollander said the man attended St. Sabina grammar school and graduated in the mid 1970s. He then attended De La Salle Institute before graduating from Quigley South High School, which has since closed.

Read Mitch Dudek’s full story on the latest accusation against Rev. Pfleger, who’s denied all allegations.

More news you need

1. An array of proposed police reforms revealed this morning by Mayor Lori Lightfoot aim to prevent a repeat of the botched raid at Anjanette Young’s home last year. Changes include a ban on no-knock warrants except in “specific cases where lives or safety are in danger.”
2. Federal investigators have requested thousands of pages of documents regarding the Rahm Emanuel administration’s role in General Iron’s pending move from Lincoln Park to the Southeast Side. The outcome of the feds’ investigation into alleged civil rights violations could force Chicago to substantially change its practices.
3. More than 900,000 Illinois residents have now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 after the latest update from public health officials. That’s just 7.1% of the population, but the rate of vaccinations is expected to rise in the coming weeks with the arrival of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine.
4. More than 1,300 Peoples Gas customers in the Logan Square neighborhood remained without heat for a second straight day today due to an outage in the area. The process of restoring service to each household may last into this evening, the company said.
5. Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley and other fine actors can’t overcome “the nearly unwatchable and unlistenable execution of the main premise” in the new sci-fi film “Chaos Walking.” Read Richard Roeper’s full review of the movie, which permieres tomorrow at theaters around the country.

A bright one

‘Moxie’: Sweet high school movie follows teen’s conversion from nobody to rebellious zine girl

When Amy Poehler played the “cool mom” who was actually uncool and irresponsible in “Mean Girls,” she was all of seven years older than Rachel McAdams, who played her daughter.

Now here we are 17 years later and Poehler is playing a teenager’s mom who really IS cool in “Moxie,” a smart and sweet and inspirational comedy/drama directed by Poehler and featuring a winning ensemble cast of relative newcomers and reliable veterans.

Netflix

Premiering today on Netflix, “Moxie” starts off with a “Booksmart” vibe.

The movie hits a couple of minor plot road bumps along the way, and there’s a late, admittedly impactful development that would have carried an even more powerful punch had it not been telegraphed throughout the story. Still, this is a film that pulls off the difficult balancing act of carrying an important and uplifting message while delivering consistent laughs and introducing us to some wonderfully badass teens.

And let’s not forget that truly cool mom.

Read Richard Roeper’s full review of “Moxie,” which is out now on Netflix, here.

From the press box

White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal remains sidelined with inflammation in his right knee, but he’s “making progress” in his return, manager Tony La Russa said yesterday.

A salary cap crunch already forced the Bears to part ways with slot cornerback Buster Skrine two days ago. Will a pair of far more important players – Akiem Hicks and Kyle Fuller – manage to survive the team’s next series of big decisions? Mark Potash looks at the team’s situation.

And while the miraculous revival of Alex Smith’s career would give the Bears a fun storyline, they really need to pull off a trade miracle for an elite passer like Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson, Rick Morrissey writes.

Your daily question ☕

What’s your favorite thing about living in Chicago?

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: What’s something that’s changed about the world during the pandemic that you hope stays afterwards? Here’s what some of you said...

“Normalizing mask-wearing and staying home (from work, social gatherings, etc) when you have any symptoms of not feeling well. It used to be normal to ‘power through’ not feeling well at work, and I hope that will not return post-COVID.” — Carolyn Tomecek

“Working from home! Pre-pandemic my employer said it was a liability for us to work from home but they surely found a way for us to do it now. So no going back for me.” — Alexis Danielle

“Slower pace of life. Spending more time at home. Enjoying the simpler things.” — Shelly Lynn Rivera

“People standing six feet away from you in line at the checkout. Biggest pet peeve of mine before the pandemic was folks not understanding personal space in line.” — Bennie Woodell

“The curbside services at stores and restaurants. Or even the option for some places to be able to pick up an order when they didn’t have that at all before.” — Ewa Dziadkowiec

“Regular deep cleanings/sanitizations of stores, gyms, restaurants and workplaces.” — Baylee Steelman

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