Afternoon Edition: April 15, 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 cloudy with a high near 53 degrees. Tonight will remain cloudy with temperatures dipping to a low around 37 degrees. Tomorrow will be similar to today with lots of clouds and a high near 54 degrees.

Top story

Lightfoot says Chicago ‘failed’ Adam Toledo, vows to do more to save teens like him

Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined community leaders at a news conference this afternoon and called for calm, just hours before the video showing police fatally shooting 13-year-old Adam Toledo is expected to be released.

The planned video release comes one day after a private meeting between the city’s top attorney and lawyers for the 13-year-old’s family.

“We live in a city that is traumatized by a long history of police violence and misconduct,” Lightfoot said.

“It is certainly understandable why so many of our residents are feeling that all-too-familiar surge of outrage and pain. And it’s even clearer that trust between our communities and law enforcement is far from healed and remains badly broken,” she added.

“This lack of trust makes it even for more difficult for many of us to wait and hear all the facts before making up our minds . . . I urge each resident who cares, and loves this city, let’s wait until we hear all the facts.”

Lightfoot recalled that as president of the Police Board, “it was my job for many years to investigate police-involved shootings. These videos and these moments are never easy to bear witness to, regardless of the circumstances. And what I’ve learned is, you need to brace yourself beforehand. Let yourself feel the pain and anguish and the shock of these traumatic events to avoid becoming numb as you watch.”

Read Fran Spielman’s full story before the expected release this afternoon of video and other materials related to the police shooting of Adam Toledo.

More news you need

1. CPS and CTU have reached a tentative agreement to reopen the city’s high schools next week. The union’s House of Delegates is scheduled to convene at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon to review terms of the pact and set the stage for a full vote.
2. The city plans to use more than half of its $1.9 billion in upcoming federal relief funds to pay off a portion of the city’s substantial debt. Ald. Jason Ervin said the mayor’s plan to end “scoop-and-toss” borrowing would be a “tough sell” to Chicagoans who’ve been impacted financially by the pandemic.
3. Federal prosecutors told a judge today they “will be starting” the process of moving R. Kelly from Chicago’s downtown lockup to custody in Brooklyn, where the R&B singer appears likely to stand trial for racketeering later this year. Jon Seidel reports the latest on Kelly’s cases.
4. With movie houses closing around the area, could massive pot palaces end up taking over those buildings? Tom Schuba spoke with people in the legal marijuana industry about their efforts to turn a former AMC cineplex in Springfield into a large cannabis co-op.
5. Chicago Water Taxi plans to resume ferrying passengers Memorial Day weekend. Two of the company’s five yellow boats – the pair with the most open-air deck space – will be back in service beginning May 29.

A bright one

Through family foundation, ex-McDonald’s CEO adds education as focus in helping entrepreneurs

Before former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson and wife Elizabeth launched their vision of supporting food and beverage entrepreneurs through their successful venture capital firm, they’d dreamed of helping youth access the education that had propelled a couple from Cabrini-Green to the pinnacles of success.

Cleveland Avenue, LLC, launched upon Thompson’s retirement in 2015 — to focus on new food, beverage and restaurant concepts — is widely known for its incubator, Taste 222, and its backing of the uber successful, plant-based meat substitute firm, Beyond Meat.

But a year before that, the duo launched their family foundation, the Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education, (The CAFE), in order to give back to the Black community.

Provided

On April 28, The CAFE will unveil “The 1954 Project,” launched in 2019 to support goals of investing in innovative and culturally affirming approaches to teaching and learning, expanding educator and leadership diversity, and increasing economic mobility in the Black community.

The CAFE will dole out $1 million to each of five organizations achieving those goals nationwide at a virtual event headlined by folks like Chicago hip-hop artist Common, basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson and wife Cookie, actor/philanthropist Jay Ellis, and others: “The 1954 Project Presents: The 2021 Luminary Awards.”

Read Maudlyne Ihejirika’s full story here.

From the press box

Bulls guard Zach LaVine is expected to miss several games while in the NBA’s coronavirus protocol.

Alex DeBrincat mastered using his quick hands to score goals in the NHL years ago. Now the Blackhawks winger is learning to use those talents on defense, too, Ben Pope writes.

Former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon slammed the organization as “where quarterbacks go to die” during a recent interview, then compounded the pain for local fans by praising his stint with the Packers: “the best organization that I played for.”

Michael Jordan will be the presenter for Kobe Bryant’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame next month. Jordan also spoke at Bryant’s funeral last year.

Your daily question ☕

If you live with roommates, how has the pandemic affected your relationship with them?

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: How concerned are you about the Cubs/White Sox two weeks into the season? Here’s what some of you said...

“Sox have had many questionable lineup decisions in recent days but it is very early in the season. Plenty of time to hammer out the details and make a push for the pennant. Go Sox!” — Angel A. Alicea

“Cubs need to rebuild. Sox will get better as the season goes on.” — Pascual Madrigal Jr.

“Cubs: wait till next year. Sox: currently underperforming, but have some talent.” — Scott Barliant

“Sox will be fine. The Cubs will be lucky to finish .500 and I’m a Cubs fan.” — Ken Olenek

“Both teams hired the wrong manager. Joe Maddon is looking good in the Theo [Epstein] vs. Joe argument. Cubs’ offense is a pathetic repeat of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.” — Dennis Nowak

“Cubs need to get somebody that can hit the ball! Every batter thinks he’s a home run hitter and that will put them in last place at the end of the year.” — Jeffery Bryant

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

Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.