Nausheen Husain/Sun-Times
Ventra adventures
“Ventra is here!” — that’s what the CTA has been happily declaring all week. But the “new way to pay” hasn’t arrived for lots of Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus users who are still waiting on their new cards to arrive in the mail. “Quick is here!” — another Ventra line from this week — also hit a snag as riders discovered to their horror one way it can slow users down: You have to take the Ventra Card out of your wallet before tapping, lest the electronic payment system charge your credit/debit cards too. Meanwhile, the CTA announced plans to eliminate 149 positions, about a third of which are due to Ventra making some cash-collecting responsibilities obsolete. [Sun-Times, Voices]
Flooding catastrophe
Thousands in Colorado are being evacuated as flooding across the state continues. [Denver Post]
Dulles danger
Today, Rahm visited the South Side elementary school that has been urging staff to clear the building and parking lot immediately after dismissal for fear of neighborhood violence. But he wasn’t there to talk about that. [Sun-Times]
Stop and frisk
The tactic made headlines in New York this summer, but it poses potential race-based problems here, too. WBEZ wades through police data to provide some much-needed scrutiny. [WBEZ]
Happy anniversary!
Remember the Chicago teachers’ strike with a gallery of “photographs, drawings, paintings, and other artifacts” commemorating the one-year anniversary. [Reader]
Flying high
If you were lucky enough to snag free United tickets thanks to a snafu yesterday, the airline says it’ll honor your purchases. [Sun-Times]
Mike’s HQ
Everyones favorite… uh… hard lemonade maker is now headquartered at Jackson and Jefferson. [DNAinfo Chicago]
Riot Fest 2013
It’s here, and we have an awesome preview video. [Voices]
Golden tickets
Vikings at Bears is the second-hottest game in the NFL this week, based on its average ticket resale price of $386. [Voices]
The Bright One
Rick Telander says Jay Cutler has bigger things to worry about than Brian Urlacher’s hurt feelings — like running an offense, and winning football games. [Sun-Times]
Commute
Sudoku; Weather; Traffic; CTA; Metra; Flight delays
And finally
Patrick Kane can handle a stick. [Voices]
