Afternoon Edition: June 24, 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 91 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 70. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a chance of showers and thunderstorms and a high near 89. Sunday will be mostly sunny with a high around 81.

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

What’s next after Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling?

This morning, the Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The decision in the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization will lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

With the United States now facing an uncertain future for a person’s right to choose to have a safe abortion, our Andy Grimm answered some key questions for Illinois residents about abortion rights in the state.

Is it still legal to get an abortion in Illinois now that the U.S. Supreme Court has issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization?

Yes. Abortion rights activists have worked hard in recent years to ensure that state law explicitly protects access to abortions in Illinois. In 2017, they successfully lobbied the Legislature to throw out a “trigger law” that would have reinstated a ban on abortions automatically if the Supreme Court rolled back Roe vs. Wade.

In 2019, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Reproductive Rights bill, which enshrined abortion as a fundamental health care right, required insurers in Illinois to cover abortion procedures, and generally regulated abortion as it would any medical procedure.

Last year, the state repealed a law requiring notification of parents when a minor seeks an abortion.

“The hard work was already done in Illinois,” said Brigid Leahy, director of government relations for Planned Parenthood Illinois. “We have the Reproductive Health Act in Illinois ensuring access to care, and that abortion in Illinois is not only legal but also accessible.”

Read the rest of Grimm’s breakdown of the future of abortion rights in Illinois here.

More news you need

1. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Hobbs decision, public officials and residents across Illinois have sounded their concerns for both the future of abortion rights and other rights that could be overturned through Supreme Court decisions. Read reactions from former presidents, key local officials, candidates in current primary races and residents to the end of Roe v. Wade.
2. Focusing specifically on the reaction of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Illinois’ top office holder said today he will call the General Assembly into special session in the coming weeks to “further enshrine” reproductive protections. With the Dobbs decision freeing states to ban abortion, Pritzker reiterated that he wants to do the opposite and protect the right in Illinois.
3. The Cook County Land Bank Authority is barred from putting in a claim on occupied property, but it did so for a popular South Side restaurant and held onto it as the business kept operating and its unpaid taxes kept piling up. Lauren FitzPatrick and Tim Novak have more on Josephine’s Cooking and the restaurant’s unusual tax situation.
4. The Chicago Park District’s security camera program is under fire by parks advocates and some Chicago City Council members. The cameras are costly but worthless as a deterrent to crime in neighborhood parks given their poor quality, some officials say.
5. The Chicago Federation of Labor today called on union workers citywide to “work for justice” and help tamp down violence. Mariah Rush has more on the first statement about area violence in the union’s 126-year history.

A bright one

This comic tells the true story of how Chicago LGBTQ+ house leaders, health experts worked to boost COVID vaccination rates

In “Vaccinated at the Ball: A True Story About Trusted Messengers,” comics journalist Josh Neufeld uses the comic-book form to tell the true story of an effort in Chicago last year to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among Black and Latino members of the city’s LGBTQ community.

The effort centered on Chicago’s famed house balls.

As Neufeld explains in the comic, “A house is a group of like-minded LGBTQ+ people who join together for community and support.

“In Chicago house balls, people in the local Black LGBTQ+ community compete for prizes.”

Below, check out the first panel of Neufeld’s work:

View the rest of the comic and learn more on Neufeld’s background in the full story here.

From the press box

• The Blackhawks have agreed to hire Luke Richardson, a Canadiens assistant for the past four years, as their next head coach, according to a report. An announcement isn’t expected until next week.
• Bears linebacker Matt Adams, who followed head coach Matt Eberflus from the Colts to Chicago this offseason, was arrested last night and charged with misdemeanor illegal gun possession and possession of a high-capacity magazine and metal-piercing bullets.

Your daily question ☕

How do you feel about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade?

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

Yesterday, we asked you: What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever received? Here’s what some of you said...

“When people show you who they are, believe them.” — Terri Korman

“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” — Janet Bissing Hohn

“Begin with the end in mind.” — Dave Dulany

“From my dad - ‘When you find the right woman, you will just know.’ 51 years of marriage confirms that!” — Scott Skinner

“Due upon to others what you want done upon to you!” — Jose A Rivera

“Never make fun of how somebody sings or laughs because they may be hurt enough to stop altogether.” — Barbara Burden

“Treat others the way you want to be treated. If you look inside their body it is the same color, organs and you couldn’t tell who it was.” — Patty Hutchinson

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