Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
Among several major events happening in Chicago this summer — looking at you, NASCAR and Lollapalooza — we have the Democratic National Convention coming into town Aug. 19-22.
The presence of President Joe Biden and other top officials in town all but guarantees protests that week.
Amid echos of the 1968 convention and the unrest that followed the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020, will the Chicago Police Department repeat past tactics?
In today’s newsletter, we’ll look into a new report from the city’s top watchdog that raises concerns about some of the steps the police department has taken to gear up for the convention.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on what’s in the Illinois House’s $53.1 billion budget, a look at stunning images of the city one photographer captured from the sky and more community news you need to know below. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Chicago’s top watchdog raises alarms about police tactics for handling protests during Democratic convention
Reporting by Tom Schuba
Sounding the alarm: The city’s top watchdog raised alarms Thursday about the Chicago Police Department’s planning ahead of the Democratic National Convention, warning that using pepper spray and corralling protesters “risks escalating tensions and violating constitutional rights of lawful demonstrators.”
Echoes of 2020: The report from Inspector General Deborah Witzburg’s office follows her office’s blistering analysis three years ago that the police department had been “outflanked, under-equipped, and unprepared to respond to the scale of the protests and unrest” that followed the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020.
Serious concerns: While Witzburg’s criticism was far more tempered in the new report, she expressed serious concerns about some of the steps the police department has taken to gear up for the convention in August.
Key quote: “As Chicago prepares to host the DNC — and reckons with the prospect of large-scale demonstrations to accompany it — we must be confident that the mistakes of 2020 will not be repeated,” she said in a statement.
CPD responds: In a letter attached to the report, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling disagreed with many of Witzburg’s harshest findings and insisted the department “has made considerable progress with respect to its mass gatherings since the events of 2020.”
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- CTA chief on the defense: A defiant CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. on Thursday lashed out at City Council members demanding his ouster, calling it part of Chicago’s sordid “history of attacking and trying to bring down” African American leaders.
- ‘Diddy’ accuser from Chicago: Among the multiple lawsuits now filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs is one by a music producer with strong roots in Chicago’s gospel community. Rodney Jones Jr., known as Lil Rod, is suing Combs in federal court, charging that Combs engaged in illegal drug activity and committed sexual assault.
- Measles outbreak declared over: City public health officials say the measles outbreak is officially over nearly three months after cases were detected at migrant shelters.
- Pritzker heading to Wisconsin: As speculation about a presidential run persists, Gov. J.B. Pritzker will give a speech before the Democratic Party of Wisconsin next month.
- UChicago Medical Center email hacked: Patients at University of Chicago Medical Center may have had personal information exposed in an email hack of the hospital’s workers.
- Beyond Wonderland guide: The EDM festival is making its way to Chicago for the first time this weekend, with Diplo, Tiësto, Kaskade and more headlining at Northerly Island. If you’re going, we’ve got some tips for you.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN 💰
Understanding the Illinois House’s $53.1 billion budget
Reporting by Tina Sfondeles and Mitchell Armentrout
Early Wednesday in Springfield, the Democratic-led state House eked out a vote of 60-47, the bare minimum needed to clear a revenue package — one of three budget bills that had been approved by the Senate Sunday.
The $53.1 billion budget relies on $1.1 billion in revenue from several changes to the state’s tax code — and includes more than $700 million in tax hikes. It now heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk to be signed.
Here’s what you should know.
Finding the money: The budget counts on a series of revenue sources — a $200 million tax hike on sportsbooks; capping the discount that retailers receive for collecting sales tax at $1,000 per month; and extending limits on the amount of operating losses corporations can write off on their income taxes. The last maneuver is estimated to generate $526 million for the state.
Child tax credit: The budget includes a child tax credit for children under age 12, which would provide a credit of 20% of the state’s earned income tax credit this year and 40% in 2025.
Money for migrant crisis: The budget also includes $182 million for migrants and $440 million in health care costs for undocumented people
Funding for Smart Start program: The education program, a Pritzker initiative, aims to add 5,000 preschool seats across the state.
What didn’t make it: Three key measures didn’t make it through the House after Senate passage, killing them for the spring session: a measure opposed by Pritzker’s office that would have made key reforms to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board; an omnibus cannabis measure; and another that would have banned unregulated hemp products such as delta-8.
Goodbye grocery tax? Lawmakers also voted to eliminate the 1% tax on groceries. Municipalities, however, can implement their own grocery tax of up to 1% without a referendum and without requiring fees.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Chicago photographer, new book capture stunning images of the city from the sky
Reporting by Cindy Hernandez
For Terry Maday, Chicago offers not only incredible restaurants and museums, but also amazing views.
The award-winning Evanston native has been in the videography business for nearly 30 years. For his most recent project, he sought to capture the Windy City in ways that couldn’t be achieved from the ground.
Maday, 56, is one of 15 photographers featured in “Above and Across Chicago,” a new book from Trope Publishing with a collection of photographs taken from helicopters, atop skyscrapers and with drones. The book includes unique views of Lake Michigan, the Chicago skyline and the Lincoln Park Zoo’s winter light display.
“I just helped execute the story, but I feel lucky to be a small part of it,” Maday told the Sun-Times.
Several of Maday’s photographs are featured in the book, but his favorite is one that doesn’t even look like it’s in Chicago.
“It’s a view along Michigan Avenue,” he said. “We, of course, all know Michigan Avenue, but as you look south it doesn’t even look like Chicago. It’s not even an epic shot to me — and some of the shots in this book are epic — but it just looks different. ... I’m always trying to find angles that would surprise someone.”
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Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
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