Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
And happy solar eclipse day.
Earlier this afternoon, all eyes were on the sky to catch the moon passing over the sun.
My Sun-Times and WBEZ colleagues have been covering this phenomenon and talking with the folks all over the city who stepped outside for the moment.
Below, we have some of that coverage, including some photos from our visual journalists, for you.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on the death of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, the future of an iconic public art piece and more community news you need to know this afternoon. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Solar eclipse brings Chicago together for moment of wonder
Reporting by the Sun-Times and WBEZ
Did you see it?: The solar eclipse came and went Monday, with many in the Chicago area stepping outside to watch the phenomenon unfold. While the city wasn’t in the path for a total eclipse, we did experience a partial eclipse just past 2 p.m., as the moon covered about 94% of the sun.
Witnessing history: While crowds gathered Monday for eclipse watch parties at locations like the Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Pullman National Historical Park, many Chicagoans watched from the city’s beaches or simply looked up from the streets.
Opportunity to marvel: About 800 students at Marquette Elementary School gathered outside the school to watch the solar eclipse. Principal Michael Marzano, a former science teacher, said the viewing is an opportunity for students to marvel at the natural world, sparking scientific curiosity. Fifth grader Angel Hernandez, 11, said he was excited for the “one-time experience.” He watched a video of the eclipse to prepare beforehand, he said. “I’m excited to see it, but you also gotta be careful with blindness,” he said, holding his solar eclipse glasses.
Rare for Chicago: Total eclipses aren’t rare — there are about three each year somewhere on Earth — but it is quite rare for one to pass over the exact same area within as little as seven years, as was the case this year. That typically happens “every few hundred years,” said Joshua Frieman, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago. The next solar eclipse that will be visible from the United States won’t be until Aug. 23, 2044.
You can find much more eclipse eclipse coverage, including video of the moment, here.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Cook County Clerk mourned: Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, a trailblazing Maywood Democrat who served in public office for more than two decades, has died after undergoing treatment for an undisclosed medical condition. She was 73.
- Remembering Paul Phillips: A Chicago Symphony Orchestra violinist for four decades, Mr. Phillips loved traveling the country and world with the orchestra and going to restaurants and museums along the way. He died March 27 at age 77.
- Financial literacy for students: Illinois has become one of an increasing number of states that have added financial literacy to its core curriculum for high school students. But experts say more could be done.
- Democratic convention prep: More details are emerging about how the Democratic National Convention in Chicago will handle logistics for the scores of media coming to Chicago in August, with hundreds of journalists expected at a “walk-through” for news outlets May 22 at the United Center.
- ‘Snoopy in a Blender’ moves: “Monument with Standing Beast,” a sculpture that has stood outside the Thompson Center for four decades, will be moved by the end of the month to a yet-to-be-determined state facility.
- 4 stars for ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’: Nate Burger and Erik Hellman have a chemistry that crackles in Charles Newell’s staging, which plays up the metatheatrics of Tom Stoppard’s absurdist take on Shakespeare, writes Catey Sullivan in a review for the Sun-Times.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Green City Market opens 25th season earlier than ever, bringing thousands to Lincoln Park
Reporting by Violet Miller
Crowds hungry for a taste of spring came in droves Saturday to hunt for farm fresh fare and artisan baked goods on the opening day of the Green City Market in Lincoln Park.
Mary Wongkamalasai, owner of Edgewater’s pHlour Bakery, sold out of everything she brought with still hours to go before the market closed. Standing next to an empty display case, she told people another batch of their beloved sourdough bread was on the way from the bakery.
After seven years at the market, Wongkamalasai said selling out on opening day was “very unusual.”
“[The market has] grown our business tremendously,” she said. “It’s a great community event.”
Green City Market opened its 25th season earlier than ever this year thanks for help from a slew of grants and community donations. The seasonal market hosted more than 40 vendors on opening day — about double what is typical at this point in the season, organizers said.
Mandy Moody, executive director of the twice-weekly market, said many of the vendors sold out within hours of opening on Saturday, thanks to the thousands of customers anxious to buy fresh produce.
“Our community rallied around us and donated,” Moody said. “It’s such a great way to start the 25th season.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Did you catch the solar eclipse today? Tell us where you watched it — and what you thought of it. 🕶️
Email us (please include your first and last name). 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: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers
