South Sider recalls childhood before home was demolished, CTA’s grime-fighting campaign and more in your Chicago news roundup

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

— Matt Moore (@MattKenMoore)

Weather 🌧️

Look for rain today, with a high near 46 degrees. Tonight will also see rain with a low near 40. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and a high near 50.

Top story

South Sider recalls life before the 100K tulips: ‘There was always music in the house’

Before tulips covered the ground at 53rd and Prairie Avenue, before it became a vacant lot, a six-flat stood there, housing a barbershop, an underground lottery and a number of residents, including Vivian Johnson, who was born there in 1935.

The building was one of several that stood near that intersection in Washington Park and throughout the South Side that have since been destroyed and left vacant.

Today, the lots are blooming with 100,000 red tulips planted in the shape of the houses that stood there as part of artwork by artist Amanda Williams.

The work, titled “Redefining Redlining,” aims to highlight the discriminatory practices that led to their destruction as well as many others throughout Black Chicago neighborhoods.

Williams and a team of graduate students are researching what led to the destruction of the buildings where the tulips are now and who lived there, but Johnson, 88, remembers firsthand.

“There was always music in the house,” Johnson said of the apartment at 5258 S. Prairie Ave. where her family lived until she was 6.

She recalled the pretty girl who lived upstairs whose dimples were the envy of the Johnson sisters; the red and white barber pole that signaled the barbershop that operated out of the basement; and the pretty French doors that separated the dining room from the living room inside the apartment, where she first developed a love for learning.

Neighbors visited to try their luck at the underground lottery run out of the barbershop, but the greatest excitements lay outside. Kids gathered together for baseball and double dutch and a house down the street would occasionally be quarantined due to scarlet fever.

Our Michael Loria has more with Ms. Johnson and her Chicago story.

More news you need

• A Cook County Jail detainee is facing charges of aggravated battery of a guard even though video of the incident involving the handcuffed man, who’s in a wheelchair, appears to contradict the account of the sheriff’s deputy. WBEZ’s Patrick Smith details the Oct. 25 incident.
• Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson today picked another City Hall veteran to join his administration, dubbing John Roberson his chief operating officer. More on Roberson’s career and frayed relationship with Mayor Richard M. Daley from our Fran Spielman.
• In a letter sent to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott yesterday, outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged Abbott’s administration to stop plans to bus migrants to Chicago, calling the move “inhumane” and “dangerous.” According to the letter, the Texas leader plans to resume busing migrants to cities throughout the United States, including Chicago, starting today.
• The CTA has launched a “Goodbye, Grime” plan, promising to power wash 145 rail stations once a month, upgrade 28 stations and complete a regular exterior wash of the rail fleet. The agency also says it increased janitorial staffing. WBEZ’s Samantha Callender details CTA’s efforts and its effectiveness so far.
• The operators of Maple & Ash, one of Chicago’s most successful restaurants, are accused in a lawsuit of misusing federal Payroll Protection Program pandemic relief money for personal use. According to the suit, Maple & Ash’s management company diverted some of the millions of dollars and used that money for country club dues and private jets.
• Chicago is obliged to provide “at no cost” to the Democratic National Convention Committee “police, fire, security, bomb disposal, emergency and rescue service and all other goods or services related to security” according to the contract, obtained by the Sun-Times. Now, Illinois lawmakers are asking Congress for a big boost in federal cash sent to host cities to help cover costs for next year’s gathering.
• Three new libraries are coming to Humboldt Park, Back of the Yards and Woodlawn. More on what each branch will offer residents from our Kaitlin Washburn.

Celebrating three years of La Voz Chicago 🗣️

In late 2019, the Sun-Times debuted La Voz Chicago as an experimental section in the newspaper to better serve Spanish-speaking readers.

After the test run, we made it official: On May 10, 2020, we launched suntimes.com/lavoz — which provided Spanish-first coverage of COVID-19 and other relevant issues impacting the Chicago area’s growing Latino communities.

In the past three years, editor Jackie Serrato has overseen La Voz Chicago’s expansion online and the production of several print editions inserted into the Sun-Times newspaper. Some of those sections were also distributed for free in ZIP codes with large Spanish-speaking populations. La Voz continues to gain readership through its popular daily newsletter, managed by Ambar Colón.

Now, on its third anniversary, we’re reimagining La Voz to better serve local Latino communities. With a focus on culture and lifestyle stories, the improved La Voz aims to showcase and celebrate the breadth and intersectionality of the diverse Latino communities in the Chicago area.

And today, we’ve got three stories to help mark La Voz’s third year and relaunch:

• Sueños bringing bigger roster of local DJs, Latino-owned businesses to Grant Park festival
• Meet the new face of the 26th Street business corridor, Mexican parade date announced
• Summer Guide 2023: Latino events abound in Chicago

A bright one ✨

Hyde Park store owner puts Black beauty vendors in space to thrive

In October 2022, business owner Leslie Roberson stumbled across a startling fact: Out of all beauty brands, only 2.5% were Black-owned, despite Black shoppers making up 11% of total consumers.

Roberson, a model and owner of a rental linen company, posted a simple callout on her Instagram that would six months later lead to a bustling beauty haven in prime Hyde Park real estate.

Last fall, Roberson asked for Black beauty vendors to contact her. Soon, she had a packed calendar filled with meetings with beauty companies. Now, 56 of them are stocked at the Black Beauty Collective at 5305 S. Hyde Park Blvd.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Roberson, 39, realized her experience working in the corporate world and ability to elevate the companies she worked with could help these Black-owned businesses compete at the level of a large beauty company.

Black Beauty Collective opened in April and showcases hair care, make-up and skin care that are often the brainchildren of doctors and estheticians. Candles, teas and fragrances are also stocked.

The collective business model aims to help small businesses earn more money and get more exposure than they would being in larger chain stores.

More with Roberson and Black Beauty Collective from our Mariah Rush.

From the press box 🏈⚾🏀

• Now that the NFL Draft is over, Patrick Finley answers the biggest questions facing the Bears.
• The White Sox ended their 10-game skid with a 12-9 comeback over the Rays yesterday.
• But Sox fans aren’t finished booing. They aren’t finished chanting “Sell the team!” Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has a fan revolt on his hands, Steve Greenberg writes.
• Maddie Lee breaks down what the Cubs’ April performance says about their identity.
• Kahleah Copper is more than comfortable in the driver’s seat for the Sky, Annie Costabile explains.
• CPS is in the process of updating several stadiums, Mike Clark reports.

Your daily question☕

What would you say is a Chicago rite of passage?

Email us (please include your first and last name) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

On Friday, we asked you: What’s the most romantic place in Chicago?

Here’s some of what you said...

“Promontory Point on the lake at 55th St. in Hyde Park. Magnificent views, invigorating fresh air, and a bit of semi-privacy if you take a step or two down.” — Roger D.

“The most romantic time we ever experienced in Chicago was at Geja’s Cafe. Forty-two years later, we still fondly remember the live music and our intimate fondue dinner.” — Amy Jackson

“Promontory Point. The lake, the sky, the skyline, the rocks.” — Kaye Grabbe

“Boat rides at night on lake Michigan. Chicago skyline at night on the lake is romantic and beautiful.” — Sheila Hodges

“Wrigley Field. Because it only takes one visit to fall in love with it.” — Gary Kinney

“Pratt Pier — that’s where my now husband told me he loved me for the first time.” — Jennifer Taylor

“Buckingham Fountain! The place has magic like no other area in Chicago.” — Daniel Rocky Greene

“Garfield Park Conservatory. It is where my husband proposed.” — Leigh Anne

“The Christmas Village, because everyone loves Christmas — and especially if it is snowing, it adds to the charm.” — Marsha Kling

“The most romantic thing you can do in Chicago is ride up and down lakeshore drive at night listening to music and holding the hand of your loved one.” — Tauron Butler

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