Afternoon Edition: June 22, 2022

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 87 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 65. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 85.

Top story

CPS scraps plans for new $120M Near South Side high school — for now

In an eleventh-hour reversal, Chicago Public Schools officials today pulled their proposal for a controversial $120 million Near South Side high school.

Pedro Martinez, the school system’s chief executive, made the surprise announcement at the school board meeting at which members, some of whom had already expressed opposition, were expected to debate and vote on the plan.

The project was uncertain to win Board of Education approval and has faced criticism, even among advocates, for its lack of details leading up to the vote, incomplete community engagement and potential negative effects on neighboring schools.

The new building was also planned for Chicago Housing Authority land that used to be home to the former Harold L. Ickes Homes housing project.

The Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ examined those concerns in a story published this morning.

“I want to take a little bit more time to answer questions that exist in the community about this proposal and our partnership with CHA,” Martinez said. “Board members, I will bring this item back to the board in the near future.”

The decision appeared to surprise board members. Elizabeth Todd-Breland, who has opposed the new high school, asked Martinez, “What changed between yesterday and today?”

Until Martinez pulled the proposal, CPS officials were set to ask the Board of Education to approve their $70 million share of the project on top of $50 million from the state.

Our Nader Issa and Lauren FitzPatrick, along with WBEZ’s Sarah Karp, have more here.

More news you need

1. A man who worked as a security guard on the Far South Side is accused of kidnapping a woman and chaining her in an upstairs attic of an abandoned home for three days, prosecutors said in court today. He was arrested yesterday in Alsip and charged with aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping.
2. A Brazilian citizen who lives in Indian Head Park has pleaded guilty to her role in the U.S. Capitol breach, admitting she entered the Capitol without permission on Jan. 6, 2021, even though alarms were sounding within the building. Leticia Vilhena Ferreira, 33, told a judge during a plea hearing that she “didn’t pay attention” to those alarms.
3. Mayor Lori Lightfoot today used a disputed parliamentary maneuver to stave off defeat on the volatile issue of how fast motorists can drive before getting a speed camera ticket in Chicago. One day after the City Council Finance Committee voted to raise the ticketing threshold — from 6 mph over the speed limit to 10 mph — mayoral allies exercised their right to defer consideration of the higher threshold for one meeting.
4. An ordinance introduced at today’s City Council meeting calls for diverting 2% of the Chicago Police Department’s $1.7 billion budget to bankroll programs led by young people in neighborhoods impacted by gang violence. The so-called “Peacebook Ordinance” was introduced by Ald. Leslie Hairston and Ald. Roderick Sawyer on behalf of the youth group Good Kids Mad City.
5. Medical device maker Abbott will lease space in Willis Tower as a convenience for employees who don’t want to commute to the north suburban headquarters. The decision is another example of how large employers are recalibrating property needs after office staff adapted to working from home, our David Roeder explains.
6. And lastly — drumroll, please — the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ new name for Asian carp is ... Copi. The new name, a play on the “copious” amount of the fish in Illinois, is the culmination of a two-year rebranding campaign seeking to make the fish more appealing to consumers.

A bright one

Therapy dogs brighten up South side children’s hospital with weekly visits

Patients and staff at La Rabida Children’s Hospital on the city’s South Side are being treated by a new pair of physicians whose smiling faces and enthusiasm for their jobs is enough to brighten anyone’s day.

Ella, 3, is more of a laid back, calming presence, while Zilly, 4, is rambunctious and playful as he holds court on Tuesday mornings in the Outpatient Center of the lakeside hospital and visits with children being treated for a variety of complex issues and their families.

The charismatic duo are therapy dogs that have begun working at the hospital as part of a partnership between La Rabida and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Both pups came from shelters and were selected for their jobs based on their warm and welcoming personalities. The four-legged friends have been trained to comfort children, and Ella and Zilly also visited area schools following the Uvalde school shooting to offer their comfort to anxious students.

The new “dog-tors” have also helped the hospital’s staff to decompress after a rough couple years working through the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital’s CEO Brenda Wolf said.

“These last two and a half years have been trying times in so many different ways,” she said. “What is remarkable is when the dogs are in the building the staff will come by to stop and see them and they snuggle with them.”

Mariah Rush has more on the ‘dog-tors’ here.

From the press box

• With Caleb Killian now optioned to Triple-A Iowa, Maddie Lee looks at the reasoning behind the decision and what it means for the team’s rotation.
• While not much is known about the Bulls’ draft plans for tomorrow night, the team has been discussing guard Coby White with other teams, our Joe Cowley reports.
• Following the Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout over the weekend, Joe Henricksen looks at six players who opened eyes and raised their stock considerably.
• If you missed it last night, the Sky set a WNBA record.

Your daily question ☕

The Asian carp has a new name: Copi. What’s another food that should have its name changed?

Send us an email at newsletters@suntimes.com and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: What is one essential Chicago House track everyone should know?

Here’s what some of you said…

“So many to choose from — my pick is [Cajmere’s] ‘Percolator.’ The second I hear the phrase, ‘It’s time for the Percolator!’ I’m automatically hit with thoughts of good times.” — Steve Brumfield

“Dennis Ferrer, ‘Hey, Hey (I Heard You Say).’ Every serious Chicago house music DJ will include it in every set, every time.” — Lisa Morrison Butler

“Joe Smooth — ‘Promised Land’” — Don Stellato

“[Marshall Jefferson’s] ‘Move your Body.’ House music anthem and life coach instructions all in one!” — Luis E. Lopez

“If Ralphi Rosario’s ‘You Used To Hold Me’ isn’t on the list, then the list is wrong.” — Gerald Myers

“[J.M. Silk’s] ‘Jack your body!’” — Kristina Jelič

“‘Can You Feel It’ — Mr. Fingers.” — Gregory McPherson

“‘Yo yo get funky’ — Fast Eddie.” — Nick Calandra

“‘The Love I Lost’ by Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes — it’s Deep House at its finest. And ‘Move Your Body’ by Marshall Jefferson — it’s our anthem.” — Dimitrius Thomas

“True House Head would say ‘Ther But for the Grace of God Go I’ — Machine.” — Ray Black

“‘More bounce to the ounce’ and ‘Computer Love’ — both by Zapp and Roger. Also, I recall you have to mix it with some Disco like Chic. Then you would be on the dance floor for an hour or so.” — Cece Jenkins

You can find more answers here. Stream some of the selections below – or click here.

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