CPS investigating Lightfoot campaign, Chicago U.S. Attorney Lausch to leave office and more in your Chicago news roundup

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a five-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be cloudy with a high near 37 degrees. Tonight will see a chance of rain and snow showers with a low near 29. Tomorrow will be cloudy with a chance of flurries and a high near 33.

Top story

CPS IG investigating Lightfoot campaign for emailing teachers to recruit students as campaign volunteers

The inspector general for the Chicago Public Schools today launched an investigation into Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s attempt to recruit CPS students to volunteer for her reelection campaign in exchange for class credit.

Lightfoot called a news conference this afternoon to address the burgeoning controversy amid word that a similar request was made to teachers and students at the City Colleges of Chicago, whose board is also appointed by the mayor.

The Lightfoot campaign claims the now-rescinded solicitation to CPS students used email addresses for teachers that were “publicly available.” But CPS IG Will Fletcher said he is attempting to determine whether the campaign’s request violated any district policies.

“CPS OIG has opened an investigation into this matter and we are currently gathering information to determine which, if any, policies have been violated,” Fletcher said in a one-sentence statement.

The CPS ethics policy prohibits district employees from forwarding or passing along materials from political campaigns. The policy further prohibits school staffers from using their positions to engage in political activity or doing political work on school time.

Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg was a bit more cautious — even though her mentor and predecessor Joe Ferguson has branded the Lightfoot campaign’s solicitation as “deeply, deeply problematic.” Witzburg said she has “been in touch” with Fletcher and is in the information-gathering stage that may well be a prelude to a full-blown investigation.

“One of the things to be considered here is, if something went wrong, whether that issue was cured by calling it off,” Witzburg told the Chicago Sun-Times. “If there is any appearance that people are using their public position for political advantage, that would be a concern and I don’t know yet whether that has happened here.”

Fran Spielman and Nader Issa have more on the investigation here.

More news you need

1. A worker was hospitalized in “grave” condition after being trapped under debris when part of a building collapsed this morning in Bronzeville. The worker was trapped under three to five feet of debris, a fire official told reporters at the scene.
2. Ald. Derrick Curtis’ daughter was accidentally shot in the leg last week during a concealed carry class Curtis was teaching at a church in Ashburn. The shooting comes months after the 18th Ward alderperson accidentally shot himself.
3. After the assault weapons ban was signed Tuesday, gun sellers across the state saw hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory become illegal to sell. But many believe the ban is unconstitutional and are holding on to their now-illegal stock in hopes of one day selling it in Illinois. David Struett has more here.
4. Thousands of people in Chicago are on a criminal conviction registry, including registries for gun crimes, sex offenses and murder and violence against youth. People on the registry have to show up yearly, quarterly or weekly, or risk getting locked up. But WBEZ has found men are repeatedly being turned away because of staffing shortages in CPD’s registry office.
5. Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters today that Chicago U.S. Attorney John Lausch plans to leave the Justice Department “in early 2023” for the private sector. Lausch in his five years in office has overseen major public corruption investigations that have led to charges against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and many other public officials.
6. The government is not set to ban gas stoves outright, Consumer Protection Safety Commission leaders clarified yesterday. This comes after multiple news outlets reported a ban was on the table, in light of findings showing that gas stoves emit chemicals linked to asthma, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Illinois is one of five states where more households use gas stoves than electric stoves.
7. Objections to nominating petitions reached a 40-year low in this year’s municipal election cycle. “I think everybody was surprised at how few challenges there were,” said longtime Chicago election attorney Michael Dorf. WBEZ’s Amy Qin has more on the decline in ballot petition challenges here.
8. If you thought traffic in Chicago was bad, well, you were right — traffic congestion in Chicago is the worst in the U.S., and drivers in the city lost more hours waiting in traffic last year than counterparts in any other city in the country. That’s according to a report released this week by transportation analytics firm INRIX.

A bright one

The future of U.S. figure skating includes rising stars Alexa Gasparotto and Nathan Chapple

Gliding across the ice, figure skaters Alexa Gasparotto and Nathan Chapple look like ribbons that have been released into a windstorm. Each movement is akin to the effortlessness with which a small band of fabric dances on the back of a breeze, painting a picture as it twists and turns through the air.

But Gasparotto and Chapple aren’t objects at the mercy of something as temperamental as the wind. They command their direction, motion and rotation in flight, making each second they paint the ice with their artistry all the more breathtaking. Their movement is the result of body, mind and soul connecting in harmony to a song that speaks to their individuality and over a decade of commitment to a sport that is all-consuming. Later this month, both skaters will headline two of the sport’s premier competitions in singles events, making history in the process.

“The short answer is [we’ve given up] a regular life in general for this sport,” Gasparotto said.

Gasparotto was 4 when she put on her first pair of ice skates. Chapple was 7. Both were introduced to the sport by their mothers. Inspired by speedskater Apolo Ohno, Chapple participated in a learn-to-skate program 20 minutes from his home in Cleveland. He was quickly ushered through the levels of the program before progressing to private lessons.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

About 160 miles northwest of Cleveland, Gasparotto’s young career was unfolding. The first time she walked into a rink was with her soccer team for an open skate. While her teammates struggled to overcome nerves and fear as they attempted to find their footing, Gasparotto remembers shouts of “slow down” coming from her mother. By the time open skate ended, Gasparotto’s entire team had retired rinkside, leaving her to be the last skater on the ice.

Neither Gasparotto’s or Chapple’s career in figure skating began with the intention of making history or changing the trajectory of the sport’s future, but that’s exactly what they’re accomplishing.

Chapple will become the first Black figure skater to compete for the U.S. at the World University Games on Jan. 14 and 15 in Lake Placid, New York. At the end of the month, Gasparotto will compete for the first time at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California. Starr Andrews will be among her competitors, marking the first time in over 20 years two Black women have participated in the senior women’s event. The last time the competition included two Black women was in 2000 with Cohen Duncan and Andrea Gardiner.

“It’s a big deal for me,” Chapple said. “There aren’t that many of us out there. It’s 2023, and I’m the first Black figure skater at that competition. It should be a really good thing for me and people like me.”

Annie Costabile has more with Gasparotto and Chapple here

From the press box

• Kevin Warren, the Big Ten commissioner, will become the next president and CEO of the Bears, the team announced today. Warren, who also served as Vikings COO when they built U.S. Bank Stadium, will replace Ted Phillips, who filled the role for 23 years.
• Whether it’s newly available DeAndre Hopkins or someone else, the Bears need to have a No. 1 receiver on their priority list this offseason, Mark Potash writes in his latest 1st-and-10 column.
• The Cubs Convention returns this weekend after a two-year hiatus, and with Marquee Sports Network covering the event for the first time, Jeff Agrest spoke to Marquee general manager Mike McCarthy about the network’s plans.
• With the DNP-CDs racking up for Dalen Terry, the Bulls rookie is doing his best to wait his turn, Joe Cowley writes.

Your daily question☕

What do you think the city could do to address heavy traffic in Chicago?

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 first thing every new Chicago resident should do upon moving here?

Here’s what some of you said...

“Go to the Art Institute. It’s a world-class museum.” — Steven Smith

“Learn them neighborhoods frfr!” — Jennifer Dillon

“I think the best thing a new Chicagoan could do is learn the number and grid system. Do it the way I did as a kid, by reading the station signs on every L platform!” — Michael O’Connor

“Buy appropriate winter gear.” — Rohan Suppal

“Head to the lakefront. It’s a democratic resource, something which unites us. From Juneway all the way down to Calumet, the lakefront is dotted with beaches. Gorgeous sunrises, though dusk is nice as well.” — Jacob Kolar

“Get a library card and a CTA pass.” — Nancy McDaniel

“The first thing you should do if you move to Chicago in the winter is to get a humidifier for wherever you live. I moved here in early January after only living in warm climates. After a couple of weeks, I mentioned to my new workmates that I had had a terrible nosebleed. They casually mentioned that I needed a humidifier for my radiant heated apartment. I did not even know what a humidifier was.” — Jo Ann Potashnick

“The first thing every new Chicagoan should do is to ride each CTA L line to the end of the line, get off, take a photo, if there’s a restaurant or bar there drop in for a bite or a drink, then get back on to ride back to the Loop. Among other fascinating places, you’ll visit both airports, the Loop, and the awesome Bahai Temple. This may take several days, but you’ll really get to know the city. The second thing is to attend a game for each major sports team. This will take several months. The contrast between the fans is the most interesting thing, since most Chicago teams are pretty dismal these days. However, that does make it easier to get tickets.” — Roger Deschner

“Get a library card. Not only do you have access to books and movies, but adults can also check out ‘passports’ to a number of our beautiful museums.” — Pat Burns

“Drive or ride your bike to the Lake. It makes you realize from first glance how special Chicago is naturally.” — Leslie Howell Tarman

“Take care of each other and respect all citizens.” — Mohammad Ali Khalid

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