Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
Summer festivals are in full swing in Chicago, including the Windy City Smokeout this weekend.
Alongside some of the biggest names in country music, some 10,000 sausages, 12,000 pounds of ribs, 18,000 pounds of brisket and 12,000 pounds of pulled pork will be served up by some of the nation’s best pitmasters over the festival’s four days, Tricia Despres reports.
I’ve been salivating over the barbecue photos our Anthony Vazquez took. I love Lexington-style barbecue from North Carolina — chopped or sliced smoked pork shoulder with tomato-vinegar sauce and a side of spicy red slaw. But Anthony’s photos have convinced me I need Lillie’s Q’s walking taco as soon as possible.
However, Saturday-only tickets to the Smokeout don’t come cheap. Maybe I’ll just get Lem’s instead.
If this intro is making you hungry, too, we’ve got some hot links below — just not the sausage kind.
⏱️: A 6-minute read
— Ellery Jones, audience engagement specialist (@elleryrjones)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Rev. Jesse Jackson stepping down as president of Rainbow PUSH
Reporting by Lynn Sweet
Civil rights leader retiring: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, will step down as president of Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization he founded and whose national headquarters is on the South Side.
Health a factor: One of his sons, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., said Friday there “is a determination made that in his current health and condition that he has appointed a successor and will formally announce it Sunday.” Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017 and his son said “it is progressive” and his father often uses a wheelchair.
Decades of activism: Jackson’s public activism began decades ago, when he was one of the “Greenville Eight,” a group of Black college students protesting at the whites-only public library in Greenville, South Carolina, where Jackson grew up. In the years since, he remained active in the movement, formed Operation PUSH in 1971 and has, multiple times, successfully negotiated the release of U.S. citizens being held hostage abroad. The Rainbow Coalition, which grew out of his 1984 presidential campaign, merged with PUSH in 1996.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
A sign above the office of Semrad Law Firm, which advertises as DebtStoppers, at 11101 S. Western Ave. The biggest bankruptcy law firm in Illinois, it has now filed for bankruptcy protection.
Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times
- DebtStoppers files for bankruptcy: The Semrad Law Firm, which advertises as DebtStoppers, got millions in taxpayer-backed PPP loans while cutting U.S. staff and employing a Bulgarian company.
- Video gambling mogul and wife owe $5 million in income tax: Rick Heidner and his wife, of Barrington Hills, didn’t contest that they owe $5,083,274 in personal federal income taxes from 2021.
- Lori Lightfoot, Ald. Jim Gardiner accused of ethics violations: The city’s inspector general found probable cause that the former mayor misused Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges emails in her reelection campaign and that the 45th Ward alderperson directed city employees to punish a critic.
- Man who stole treasured Nancy Pelosi photo sentenced: Prosecutors say Chicagoan Kevin Lyons drove through the night to arrive in Washington, D.C., on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021. He faces four years in prison.
- Boyfriend charged in slaying at Evergreen Park Mariano’s: Murder charges have been filed against a man police identified as the boyfriend of woman fatally shot Thursday at her Mariano’s workplace.
- Wilt Chamberlain’s AI-generated ‘voice’ narrates doc: Exploring both his impact on the game and his hedonistic lifestyle, the visual biography is worthy of the enormous footprint he left, Richard Roeper writes.
WEEKEND PLANS 🎉
Thursday–Sunday
The festival returns for the 10th year with a stellar country lineup, including Zach Bryan, Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan and many more. Plus you’ll find 30 of the best barbecue pitmasters from around the country.
📍 United Center parking lot, 1901 W. Madison
Admission: $70+
Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
State Street will be transformed into a pedestrian walkway with an interactive block party featuring art, culture, food, shopping and more.
📍 State between Lake and Adams
Admission: Free
🍽️ Taste of Chicago Pullman Park
Saturday, noon–8 p.m.
With NASCAR and other events taking up Grant Park for much of the season, the city moved Taste of Chicago to mid-September and sprinkled pop-ups across different neighborhoods throughout the summer. The Pullman edition features more than 20 vendors along with music and dancing.
📍 Pullman Park, 11101 S. Cottage Grove
Admission: Free
Sunday, 1 p.m.
The whirlwind, multicity Durango Fest makes its Chicago stop at Little Village concert venue Plaza Garibaldi. Headliners include Alacranes Musical, Grupo Montez De Durango, K-Paz De La Sierra, Diana Reyes and Patrulla 81.
📍 Plaza Garibaldi, West 26th Street and South Rockwell
Admission: $70
Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sheffield Garden Walk returns with a walking tour of the always wonderful neighborhood gardens. There’s also a children’s festival at Oscar Mayer Magnet School.
📍 Sheffield from Webster to Fullerton
Admission: Free
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Enjoying life immensely at 109
Reporting by Neil Steinberg
Happy birthday to you, Edith Renfrow Smith!
While Neil Steinberg’s column is not typically directed toward one specific individual, Ms. Smith, who turns 109 years old Friday, is no typical individual.
Readers might recall her incredible story from two years ago, on her 107th birthday — she was the first Black graduate of Grinnell College. Class of ’37, who came to Chicago, where she became secretary to Oscar DePriest, Chicago’s first Black alderman. Future jazz great Herbie Hancock lived across the street, and taught her daughter to play “Chopsticks.”
When Ms. Smith turned 108, Steinberg revisited, and was rewarded with sound advice (“This is a wonderful world, and you need to take care of it”) and a jar of her homemade raspberry jelly. He figured, if turning 107 and 108 were noteworthy, how could 109 not be?
Besides, Steinberg was curious: How’s she doing?
“Oh, I’m just fine,” said Ms. Smith. “I’ve been doing fine.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Where is the best barbecue in the Chicago area?
Email us (please include your first and last name and where you live). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!
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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Ellery Jones
Copy editor: Angie Myers
