Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
In today’s newsletter, we’ve got the latest on the Board of Education’s plans to direct Chicago Public Schools officials to remove police officers from dozens of high schools.
We’ll explain how we got here and the next steps below.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s stadium pitch to state lawmakers, a recap of last weekend’s Lunar New Year celebrations and more community news you need to know this afternoon. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Board of Education moves to pull school police officers
Reporting by Nader Issa
Police out of schools: The Board of Education is directing Chicago Public Schools officials to remove police officers from dozens of high schools by the start of the next school year.
A victory for activists: The expected move represents a massive victory for students and activists who have protested against the police presence in schools because of unequal policing of Black children and kids with disabilities. And it comes after Mayor Brandon Johnson gave his blessing last month to end the school district’s $10.3 million contract with the Chicago Police Department.
Thursday vote set: A school board resolution set for a vote later this week calls on CPS to develop a policy that lays out a holistic approach to student safety and “addresses root causes and contributing factors” for disparities in student discipline. The resolution added that “the policy must make explicit that the use of [school resource officers] within district schools will end by the start of the 2024-2025 school year.”
Chicago police partnership plans: The board said it expects the district “will continue its strong partnership with the mayor’s office and the Chicago Police Department, which have always, and will continue to, provide critical support for all our schools.”
Key context: This year, there are 16 local high schools with two officers and another 23 schools with one. The rest, more than half of CPS’ 91 district-run high schools, no longer have any police. There are no officers in elementary schools.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Reinsdorf’s big ask: White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was in Springfield Tuesday to meet with lawmakers about his proposal for a stadium complex in the South Loop. Reinsdorf is reportedly seeking about $1 billion in public money to fund the project.
- Chicago doctors in Gaza: A senior advance team of several doctors, including at least four from Chicago, traveled to Gaza for more than two weeks to help provide care at MedGlobal’s 10 clinics in January. They were forced to evacuate when the fighting got too close. They shared their experiences with the Sun-Times here.
- Mongo’s Hall of Fame race: Recently elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, former Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael — who is battling ALS — is fighting with all he has to get to the hall’s location in Canton, Ohio, writes Sun-Times sports columnist Rick Telander.
- Shattering expectations: Hundreds of Honda HR-V owners in Illinois and around the country are complaining that their rear windows suddenly shatter after using the rear defroster — a problem the automaker acknowledges is happening with some 2023 vehicles.
- Beloved tackle shop closes: After 52 years, the venerable bait and tackle shop Salmon Stop in Waukegan is reeling in its line for good. “If these walls could talk, it would be good things and bad things,” said owner Lori Ralph.
- 3 stars for J. Lo film: The shiny, ambitious, strange, ludicrous and occasionally fantastic “This Is Me ... Now: A Love Story” sees Jennifer Lopez put trippy musical therapy sessions on Prime Video, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.
SUN-TIMES STAFF SUGGESTS ✈️
Look to the skies at the Chicago Executive Airport
Today’s Sun-Times staff suggestion comes from my colleague Robert Herguth, a reporter here and author of our Murals and Mosaics newsletter.
Robert recommends doing some sky gazing at the Chicago Executive Airport, near Prospect Heights and Wheeling.
Robert’s go-to: “Over the years I’ve heard about places near O’Hare and Midway airports to plane spot — get up close and personal with planes coming and going,” Robert tells me. “But my go-to place, especially when my kids were younger, is the Chicago Executive Airport along Milwaukee Avenue and Palatine Road in the northwest suburbs, straddling Prospect Heights and Wheeling.”
Easy to get to: “There’s a little lot off the Palatine Frontage Road where you can pull in and park right against the fence to the airport,” Robert says. “You can sit in the car, atop the car or on a set of aluminum bleachers right there and watch the planes take off and land at the airfield, once known as Palwaukee Municipal Airport.”
Why you should go: Mostly general aviation planes land at Chicago Executive. And while that might not elicit the same thrill Wayne and Garth felt watching jets fly by on the hood of their car in 1992’s “Wayne’s World,” it’s “a nice place, nonetheless, to experience the buzz of the skies — and keep the kids occupied, even if briefly,” Robert says.
📍 Chicago Executive Airport Viewing Area, 28 Palatine Frontage Road, Wheeling
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Chicago comes together to celebrate Lunar New Year
Reporting by Violet Miller and Kaitlin Washburn
Thousands gathered in Uptown and Chinatown last weekend to celebrate the Lunar New Year and ring in the Year of the Dragon.
In Uptown Saturday afternoon, the Argyle Lunar New Year Parade made its way down the street.
The more than 40-year-old parade — which kicked off at West Argyle Street and North Winthrop Avenue — was just part of the slew of celebrations set for the area Saturday, which included performances at various local businesses and activities for kids. Leading the charge were the lion dancers, donning their iconic costumes at the front of the parade.
On Sunday, revelers packed the narrow streets of Chinatown for the 112th annual Lunar New Year parade there. The neighborhood was decorated with red lanterns and colorful dragons. Restaurants, shops and cafes up and down the bustling streets were packed with paradegoers and had lines out the door.
The parade — featuring traditional dragon and lion dancing teams, decorated floats and marching bands — wove through Chinatown from 24th Street and Wentworth Avenue to Cermak Road and Archer Avenue. Though it was a chilly day, attendees basked in the cloudless, sunny afternoon as they wished one another a happy new year.
“The essence of celebrating the Chinese New Year is that people are united. People gather together, no matter what we are doing. It’s just important to be together and be united,” said University of Chicago law student Mark Liang, who attended the parade Sunday with classmates.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s a moment that made you bond with your neighbors?
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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers
