Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
After hours of contentious debate, Chicago has become the largest city in the nation to demand a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Below, we’ll catch you up on what happened.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on the sentencing of former City Hall insider William Mahon, an update on the bid to block former President Donald Trump from Illinois’ March 19 primary ballot, a look inside a new indoor pickleball facility — and more community news you need to know this afternoon. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Chicago City Council passes Gaza cease-fire resolution as Johnson casts tie-breaking vote
Reporting by Fran Spielman and Sophie Sherry
Cease-fire resolution passes: Chicago became the largest city in the nation to demand a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday. The symbolic resolution was approved by a divided City Council at a raucous meeting that, once again, forced Mayor Brandon Johnson to cast the tie-breaking vote.
What the resolution says: “We, the Chicago City Council, do hereby call for a permanent ceasefire to end the ongoing violence in Gaza; call for humanitarian assistance including medicine food and water to be sent into the impacted region and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
Mayor broke the tie: Johnson helped to deliver the 24 to 23 vote by personally lobbying fence-sitting alderpersons on behalf of the resolution championed by Ald. Rosanna Rodriguez Sanchez, the Council’s Human Relations Committee Chair.
A contentious meeting: Johnson was forced to clear the Council chambers as alderpersons debated the resolution for hours amid cheers and jeers from cease-fire supporters, who ignored the mayor’s pleas to “demonstrate some restraint.”
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Former City Hall insider sentenced: William “Billy” Mahon, a former high-ranking aide to three Chicago mayors, was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison and fined $75,000 for his role in the collapse of a crooked Bridgeport bank with ties to the Daley family and its political organization.
- Trump and Illinois’ ballot: A bid to block former President Donald Trump from Illinois’ March 19 primary ballot has moved to state court, where challengers to the likely 2024 Republican nominee are hoping to move quickly in a case expected to make its way to the state’s Supreme Court.
- Decision on police disciplinary ruling punted: Mayor Johnson’s City Council allies Wednesday put off a vote on whether to reject an arbitrator’s ruling that would allow police officers recommended for firings or suspensions to bypass the Police Board in favor of an arbitrator who would hold proceedings behind closed doors. They left the decision to a Cook County judge.
- Senate confirms 7th Circuit judge: The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Joshua Kolar, a federal magistrate and a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, to a spot on the Chicago-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
- How much is Arlington Park worth? The Chicago Bears and three northwest suburban school districts are still far apart — $100 million to be exact — on their valuation of the former Arlington International Racecourse, the potential site of a new team stadium.
- Hot dog stand relishes new chapter: A new hot dog stand, called Modern Relish, has opened at the site where Duk’s Red Hots became a West Town staple for nearly 70 years. But that doesn’t mean you won’t still find some familiar faces there.
- 4 stars for ‘Masters of the Air’: Callum Turner and Austin Butler play U.S. airmen in this epic production with modern effects but old-fashioned spirit, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.
EXPLORING THE CITY 👟
New indoor pickleball complex in Lincoln Park blends sport with beach resort vibes
Reporting by Mitch Dudek
Pickleball in paradise. It’s not a Jimmy Buffett song — it’s the concept behind the newly opened indoor pickleball facility in Lincoln Park where palm fronds and cabanas flank eight indoor courts.
It’s called SPF (short for Social, Pickleball and Fun — but also sunscreen) and located at 2121 N. Clybourn Ave.
“We wanted to create an experience that went beyond just pickleball and gave people that getaway vibe,” said co-owner Rich Green, 42.
Pingpong tables, shuffleboard, Pop-a-Shot, air hockey, cornhole and “glow in the dark” pickleball under a black light are a few of the options available in the 42,000-square-foot space that previously housed Brooklyn Boulders, an indoor climbing facility.
A cafe counter near the entrance offers sandwiches, salads and coffee. A full bar is nearby. Slushy drinks can be ordered to cabanas via QR code. And a full kitchen is slated to open later this year.
But perhaps the most appealing aspect for picklers: They won’t have to compete for court time with tennis players — a common source of friction that’s plagued the pickleball community in Chicago as players seek out public spaces (mostly tennis courts) that double as pickleball courts.
And no membership is required, though it’s available for $59 a month or $599 for the year.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
‘Illinoise’ team puts dancers up front in adapting Sufjan Stevens’ album for stage
Reporting by Courtney Kueppers | WBEZ
Zombies, UFOs and sweet youthful discovery all set to a soaring, orchestral score. Sufjan Stevens’ seminal 2005 album “Illinois” is imbued with stories that seem tailor-made for the stage.
Or at least choreographer Justin Peck thought so. Stevens, it turns out, wasn’t immediately on board. Peck lobbied the Detroit-born musician for years before Stevens gave the green light to adapt the album into something new.
“It took me about five years to get him to give in and say, ‘If you’re really serious about this and you want to do something with it, go ahead,’” Peck recalled. That was in 2019, which was followed by a long gestation period, when the 36-year-old dancer-turned choreographer-turned-director explored a central question: What would a second life for a beloved album look like?
Now, Peck is leading the charge on that something new: a dance-forward musical called “Illinoise” that, like the album that inspired it, attempts to bend genres. Defying categorization, it draws audiences into a fantasy world that is not exactly musical theater, nor a full-length dance work. It is neither — and both: an “exciting, singular event,” as Rick Boynton, the creative producer at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater puts it.
On Saturday, the show, which had a quiet staging last year at Bard College in New York, will officially open in Chicago, complete with a first exposure to media reviews, before heading to the Park Avenue Armory in New York, and the team hopes, other high-profile stages beyond that.
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