Good morning, Chicago. ✶
And Happy Memorial Day.
In today’s special edition newsletter, we’ve got the story of Chicago sailor Michael Malek.
Listed as missing for decades, Malek will be buried with honors after his remains were found recently. We speak with his family, who plan to attend the service.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on the state Senate approving a $53.1 billion budget plan, weather cutting short the Sueños Music Festival and more community news you need to know.👇
📝 Keeping score: The Cubs fell to the Cardinals, 4-3; the White Sox lost to the Orioles, 4-1.
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S WEATHER 🌥️
Mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms and a high near 72.
TODAY’S TOP STORIES
Navy sailor from Chicago killed in Pearl Harbor attack will be buried with honors
Reporting by Violet Miller
Lost and found: Two Illinois men were killed at Pearl Harbor and deemed “non-recoverable” four years after World War II ended. More than 80 years later, their remains have been identified and they’re being given a final resting place.
One sailor’s story: Seaman 2nd Class Michael Malek wasn’t accounted for until February 2021, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, a U.S. Department of Defense division that works to identify missing soldiers. Malek was 17 when he was killed aboard the USS Oklahoma during the Pearl Harbor attack Dec. 7, 1941.
‘Sense of closure’: Malek’s niece Sandra Hannan and her husband plan to attend Malek’s June 6 service at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. They’ll be joined by her youngest son and Malek’s namesake, Michael. “To have the story completed for our family, there’s a good sense of closure,” Hannan said.
‘Looking through my dad’s eyes': Son publishes Chicago vet’s photos from World War II front lines
Reporting by Jessica Ma
Preserving the past: Fred Brems grew up captivated by the tales his father told about his days serving in World War II. Now, Brems hopes to share those stories with others as a way of honoring his father, who died in 2014. He spent 18 years compiling his father’s photos and stories from the war into a book titled “Knights of Freedom.”
Chicago kid with a lens: Lt. Col. Frederick C. Brems, from Belmont Cragin, loved photography “from the get-go” and helped sell cameras at a Chicago department store. He took his Rolleiflex camera to war, documenting burning vehicles and snapping portraits of his comrades. “The camera was part of him,” his son said.
Connecting generations: Karen Dellinger’s father, Ray Stewart, served alongside Brems’ father. Though Stewart died this year, his daughter said she learned about him from reading Brems’ book. “A lot of these guys go through experiences they don’t repeat,” Dellinger said. “If we don’t reach out to younger people and let them know the stories, they will be forgotten.”
Illinois Senate approves $53.1 billion budget plan
Reporting by Tina Sfondeles, Nader Issa and Sarah Karp | WBEZ
Budget approved: The state Senate on Sunday night approved a $53.1 billion budget that largely mirrored Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s budget proposal and priorities — a point of contention for state Republicans.
Breaking it down: Just before 10 p.m., the Democrat-led Senate voted 38-21 to approve the spending plan. A revenue measure — which will raise $865 million — passed 37-22 and a budget implementation measure was approved 41-18. It also includes cost-of-living pay raises for lawmakers — and no action on pension reform.
Other moves: Budget aside, senators in rapid succession voted on bills with large implications, including a measure that effectively bans delta-8 products and another that reforms the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, requiring it to livestream some of its meetings.
Mayor intervenes: Mayor Brandon Johnson intervened to get his way in Springfield, to kill a bill that would have extended a ban on Chicago school closings and limited the Board of Education’s authority to make budgetary and admissions changes affecting selective enrollment schools. Johnson sent a letter to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon on Thursday asking him to hold House Bill 303, which had already passed the Illinois House and needed a final vote in the Senate.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED
- Weather shortens Sueños: Organizers of the sold-out music festival evacuated Grant Park by about 8 p.m. due to the threat of severe weather. Superstar Peso Pluma was among the artists not able to perform. Despite cancellations, a few shows did go on. Find our full festival coverage here.
- UChicago encampment fallout: A student is alleging the University of Chicago is withholding his degree — and those for three other students involved in the pro-Palestinian encampment on the Hyde Park campus — until the resolution of a school disciplinary process.
- RTA board nominee withdraws: The Rev. Ira Acree withdrew Friday as Mayor Johnson’s nominee to the Regional Transportation Authority board, branding those who called him unqualified as “opponents of African American empowerment.”
- Push for electric power: City and state leaders as well as officials from the U.S. Department of Energy gathered Friday at the Chicago Housing Authority’s Dearborn Homes to flip the switch on the Bronzeville Community Microgrid, part of a larger push to create ComEd’s “smart communities.”
- Cicada buzzing begins: After 17 years underground, the periodical cicadas have emerged, and their telltale chorus of buzzing has begun in some parts of the Chicago area. Peak emergence, when the noise will be at its loudest, isn’t expected for at least another week.
- Beaches officially open: As of Friday, the city’s 22 beaches are open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day through Labor Day, Sept. 2.
- 3 stars for ‘The Big Cigar’: André Holland does a brilliant job of capturing the complicated and charismatic Black Panthers co-founder Huey P. Newton in this well-made series, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.
PICTURE CHICAGO 📸
Maria Medina takes a selfie with her mother, Virginia Cruz, and son Juan Bahena on Saturday with the sculpture “Of Migratory Paths and Milkweed” by Alice Hargrave. It’s part of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s “Flight of Butterflies” new exhibit along the Magnificent Mile.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
FROM THE OPINION PAGE 🗣️
- Support for veterans: Suicide risk is high among veterans and active-duty military. We need ways to lower that, writes April Smith, associate professor of psychological sciences at Auburn University.
- Vet recalls D-Day: As one of the few living World War II veterans, Gene Kleindl reflects on his experience and upcoming trip to Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. “When you are one of the few who are left, it’s up to you to remember those who did so much,” Kleindl says.
- Reasons for remembrance: This Memorial Day comes amid a difficult time: Americans trying to come to grips with a hot button presidential election, our country’s role in overseas conflict and war being questioned, writes columnist Michael Sneed.
- Laughter through challenges: In his latest Someone in Chicago advice column, Ismael Pérez talks with Chicago comedian Anthony Corrado, who has brought fans laughter on TikTok — even through his cancer treatment.
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏈🏀⚽
- The Caleb Effect: You can feel the energy Caleb Williams’ potential and personality have brought to the Bears, but it’s not a dominant theme at Halas Hall, writes Mark Potash.
- Craig Counsell and Dansby Swanson: Counsell and Swanson may not be Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, but their relationship reveals how the Cubs manager approaches his job, writes Maddie Lee.
- Sky’s ticket sales skyrocket: Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso are among this year’s rookies who brought a new level of excitement to the Sky’s season — and boosted ticket sales for the home opener Saturday.
- Caitlin Clark has transformed WNBA: Rather than applaud the Clark Phenomenon, some are questioning it, writes Rick Morrissey.
- Cari Roccaro champions mental health: When the NWSL Players Association was negotiating with the league to establish its first collective bargaining agreement, the Red Stars midfielder made clear the need to pay attention to mental health.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s one way you plan to enjoy summer in Chicago this year?
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!
In Friday’s Afternoon Edition, we asked you: What’s your defining Maxwell Street Market memory?
Here’s some of what you said…
“Walking through the streets with dad. He was always looking for work tools, but I remember the blues music blaring out through the streets."— Patricia Rangel Guerrero
“My mom taking me there to purchase a dress for my junior prom. I was in awe of all the shops and vendors. This was in the mid-1950s. I did get my dress and it was beautiful."— Harriet Meaders
“Grew up as a flea market kid setting up shop with my pop to sell beauty products. It was a community; we knew each other and looked out for each other. I loved getting there early ... then splitting a steak and egg breakfast from White Palace Grill. The sounds, the foods, the comradery — it was great growing up here!"— Nathalie Magallanes
“I was a young nun on the West Side. To raise money for the school, we sold snow cones on weekend nights. Around 10 p.m. [one night], we were running out of syrup. Without telling anyone, I grabbed the keys to the convent car, took off my veil so I wouldn’t stand out, headed to Maxwell Street and bought more syrup. When I got back to the convent the pastor was waiting for me — he was not pleased!"— Jerry Snider Delaney
“In the early 1970s, with my new husband, I went to Maxwell Street’s Sunday market to find furnishings for our first apartment. The delicious, heady aroma of grilled Polish sausage permeated the air, and we always hoped we had enough money left over from our household purchases — dishes, tableware, a table for our stereo, etc. — to afford a sausage to split!"— Paula Risk
Thanks for reading the Sun-Times Morning Edition!
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Written by: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
