Afternoon Edition: Chicago's bad bill collecting habits

Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶

And happy Friday.

In today’s newsletter, we’re focusing on the latest from our Watchdogs reporters, who found that several events promoters and sports teams had outstanding bills they needed to pay to the city.

So our reporters made some calls to those businesses — and they began to pay their tabs. Why can’t the city, as tight on money as it is, do that on its own?

Plus: We’ve got reporting on a push to regulate hemp products, an artist’s quest to paint Chicago’s hot dog stands and more community news below. 👇

⏱️: A 7-minute read

— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)

TODAY’S TOP STORY

City Hall got $1 million in fees after Sun-Times asked promoters, teams: Why haven’t you paid up?

Reporting by Tim Novak and Mitchell Armentrout

Chicago’s uncollected bills: When Green Day, Def Leppard and Maroon 5 headlined separate concerts at Wrigley Field in August 2021, the city of Chicago billed the promoter nearly $24,000 to cover the cost of city employees working as traffic control aides. The bill went unpaid for 2½ years — among a $6.4 billion mountain of uncollected bills, fines and fees that City Hall has allowed to pile up over two decades.

Who needs to pay: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Finance Department won’t release details on traffic violators and many scofflaws, but it agreed to release data on $1.3 million in traffic control bills owed by the city’s sports teams, concert promoters and organizers of special events like the 2014 TV show “The Biggest Loser.”

Reporters make calls: When Sun-Times reporters began calling those businesses who owe money to the city, they began paying up. One million dollars of the $1.3 million in unpaid traffic control bills got paid, City Hall records show.

Paying their tab: Concert promoter Live Nation, for one, sent City Hall two checks last month totaling $46,881 for traffic control services for concerts at Wrigley Field that included performances by Green Day, Def Leppard and Maroon 5.

How we got here: One reason for the long-delayed payments is that the city, though it’s strapped for cash, takes a long time to send bills, according to Live Nation and others. “They never bill,” one promoter says. “I have to call their finance department.”

READ MORE

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times

• And did it Ed’s Way: After more than 30 years, Ed’s Way Food Mart, a beloved Forest Park grocery store, will shut its doors Sunday to make way for a planned 10-unit townhome building.
• ‘Ghost Army’ veterans honored: Hoffman Estates’ Bernie Bluestein, 100, was among those celebrated on Thursday in Washington, D.C., for their bravery as part of the World War II secret unit.
• A push to regulate hemp products: Second Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins is pushing to regulate hemp sales in the city as new research finds that the potency of hemp-derived products is often mislabeled, posing a threat to unsuspecting consumers.
• Pritzker goes West: Gov. J.B. Pritzker leaves Sunday for a five-night trip to California to promote Illinois to business and film leaders — and to raise funds for Chicago’s Democratic National Convention and two key abortion initiatives.
• Return of a classic: Tavern on Rush plans to reopen this summer inside the Thompson Hotel, just across the street from the Gold Coast location that attracted a loyal clientele for nearly 25 years before closing in 2022.
• Northwestern advances in NCAAs: The Wildcats will move on to the second round of March Madness after a 77-65 overtime win over Florida Atlantic on Friday.
• Girl Scout reaches cookie milestone: After seven years as a Girl Scout, 12-year-old Bristol Sjostrom hit a milestone this week by selling her 100,000th box of cookies in Chicago. “She goes out every single day after school,” says Marie Sjostrom, who’s also the leader of Bristol’s Girl Scout troop.
• 3 stars for ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’: Sharp one-liners, terrific VFX and callbacks to the 1984 original make bustin’ feel good again, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.

WEEKEND PLANS 🎉

Sun-Times file

🤝The Volunteer Fair
Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
📍Guild Row, 130 N. Rockwell St.
Connect with local nonprofits and community organizations and learn how to get involved in Chicago.
Admission: Free

🎨 Holi at Navy Pier
Saturday, 1-5 p.m.
📍Navy Pier, 840 E. Grand Ave.
Head to the pier to celebrate the Festival of Colors, with live music and interactive programming in the Aon Grand Ballroom — and powder throwing and DJs at the Navy Pier Beer Garden.
Admission: Free

☘️ Shamrock Shuffle
Sunday, 8 a.m.
📍Grant Park, at Monroe and Columbus Drive
As mentioned above, the shuffle returns Saturday. Race registrations are all filled — making for a perfect opportunity to support the participants and cheer for them along the route through the Loop. More on road closures here.
Admission: Free to watch

🗣️ Qawwali and Gospel: Singing Together
Sunday, 3 p.m.
📍Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St.
Sonny K. Mehta with Riyaaz Qawwali and gospel artist Markeyta Sconiers will meet for a performance combining gospel music with Qawwali, a devotional music tradition rooted in Sufi Islam.
Admission: $20+

BRIGHT ONE ✨

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Chicago artist is elevating the humble hot dog stand to fine art

Reporting by Stefano Esposito

Claude Monet had his water lilies, Vincent van Gogh his sunflowers and Andy Warhol his Campbell’s Soup cans.

Chicago artist Julia Hagen‘s muse has led her to that most cherished of Chicago still-life subjects: the hot dog. Well, not the hot dog itself, but the architecture surrounding it.

In her tiny, home studio in Logan Square, Hagen, 28, is painting hot dog stands — transforming the humble hut, with its sometimes garish and mostly neon decor, into oases of nostalgic warmth.

Hagen started last year, and she can’t stop. Nor would her tens of thousands of social media followers want her to.

“I now have a list of 50-plus hot dog stands that people want me to paint,” Hagen says. “I’ll keep going until I don’t want to do it anymore — or I don’t want to eat another hot dog.”

READ MORE

YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️

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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers