|
Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The annual Dave Caucus party is tonight at Boone’s at 7:30 pm, with the Boat Drink Caucus performing live at 8…
We’ll see you there. * Tribune | Patty García gets Congressional Progressive Caucus endorsement in race to replace US Rep. Jesús ‘Chuy’ García: The political arm of the Congressional Progressive Caucus is following U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García’s lead in backing the Southwest Side Democrat’s former chief of staff to succeed him in the House next year. The caucus’s political action committee on Tuesday endorsed Democratic nominee Patty García as its candidate in what’s expected to be a crowded field on the Nov. 3 ballot to represent Illinois’ 4th Congressional District. Patty García, who isn’t related to the congressman, could face as many as five opponents in the November general election, including three fellow Democrats planning to run as independents. * Tribune | Chicago-born Patti Smith is the winner of this year’s Harold Washington Literary Award: The latest honor was announced Tuesday morning by the Near South Planning Board. On Sept. 10, Smith will be in Chicago to receive the Harold Washington Literary Award. It will be presented at a dinner at the Union League Club of Chicago, signaling the launch of the following weekend’s 41st annual Printers Row Lit Fest. This award is named for the city’s first African American mayor and has been presented since 1989, two years after Washington’s death in office. It is intended to recognize “diverse and stimulating authors who address issues of contemporary life and whose literary achievements include a significant body of work that has touched the public mind and imagination.” * Tribune | The Heavy Rotation is a listening club, a place to slow down and focus on the music: “We felt like we were really losing that aspect of what we used to have, that easy, ‘Oh, OK, I really like this song’ energy,” Frahm said. “It’s easy to share that over text, but it doesn’t really feel the same. So we were basically trying to carve out that time again.” Thus, The Heavy Rotation was born. Ewing described their initial attempts as a sort of book club meeting amongst friends at someone’s house, but due to busy schedules and a text chain that never quite went anywhere, the idea was tabled. It was Frahm who insisted on reigniting the event in the summer of last year. * Sun-Times | What’s a macabre Chicago museum doing reissuing John Wayne Gacy’s death row confessional?: Manon’s holdings include a lengthy, unpublished death row manuscript Gacy wrote going back to his earliest memories. Manon estimates his collection at 30,000 items, which includes the killer’s brain in a jar in the Chicago suburbs. “I am definitely sort of the foremost authority on Gacy,” said Manon from his Savannah, Ga. museum-gallery. “Literally I own everything and I know everything.” * Daily Herald | 20,000 trucks a day: Suburban warehouse boom raises safety fears: The Times used satellite imagery, government documents and interviews with residents, law enforcement officers and traffic safety experts to identify some of the largest clusters of warehouses in the Chicago metropolitan area. Then, using state data from January 2014 through December 2024, reporters counted the number of crashes involving trucks that occurred on the surrounding roads. Truck accidents on those roads increased by 8% from 2021 to 2024 compared with truck accidents from 2016 to 2019, the four-year period before the COVID pandemic. This is all while crashes involving other types of vehicles on these roads dropped sharply, and truck crashes across the state remained largely flat. * Sun-Times | Put safety over surveillance, Cook County Jail inmate advocates urge: A coalition of community and advocacy groups is urging the Cook County Board of Commissioners to reject a proposed $1.12 million contract for the use of AI-powered surveillance technology at the county jail, arguing that officials should first address the number of deaths at the facility. In a letter to commissioners, the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice and 80 community, faith and policy organizations framed the conditions at the Cook County Jail as a “human rights crisis.” They urged the officials to delay a vote on a three-year contract with BriefCam until a review of the jail is completed. * Daily Southtown | Cook County program provides free at-home maternal care to south suburban mothers: The program launched in January, said Michele Spikes-Cain, associate director of nursing at the Cook County Department of Public Health. “If mother is uncomfortable meeting in the home, we can meet at the doctor’s office, library,” Spikes-Cain said. “We just want to meet them where they are so we can provide the resources, education and just wrap-around support they need during the critical part of pregnancy.” * Daily Southtown | Calumet City seeks state help for eminent domain of River Oaks mall after court delay: The city plans to refile its claim within the court system, but in the meantime is asking the General Assembly to grant the quick-take of the property for economic development. Rep. Marcus Evans Jr., D-Chicago, has sponsored the measure. Quick-take action would give the city control of the mall while the court determines how much Namdar should be compensated. * Daily Herald | Lake County authorities investigate officer-involved shooting in Mundelein: When officers arrived, the woman was seated on the back patio. Officers were speaking with the caller when the woman stood up and approached the rear sliding doors, armed with two knives. Police said the woman began yelling and “aggressively opened” the sliding doors to enter the home. An officer inside the home then shot the woman. * Pioneer Press | Northbrook appoints Tamara Reese as new Village Board trustee: Trustee Tamara Reese, a six-year Northbrook resident and the outgoing president of the District 28 Music Parents Club, was appointed to the Board and approved by fellow trustees last month. “I am very excited about this opportunity,” Reese said. “We moved quite a bit for my husband’s job before deciding to settle here. I have gotten to know the community in many diverse ways.” * WCIA | First Central Illinois gas stations selling at $5 per gallon, GasBuddy reports: GasBuddy released on Monday the results of its weekly survey of gas stations in Champaign-Urbana, the State of Illinois and the nation as a whole. While not included in the survey, GasBuddy’s current fuel price reports show at least three gas stations in Central Illinois are selling at higher than $5 per gallon — two in Springfield and one in Decatur. * WAND | Blowing Dust Advisory issued for parts of Central Illinois: Blowing dust is a concern with the strong wind gusts. There is a Blowing Dust Advisory in place until 7 p.m. Tuesday evening. If you find yourself in a low-visibility situation, make sure to pull over and turn off the car engine. Sit in place until the dust clears. * WTVO | Proposed solar farm in Rockford faces opposition from Curran’s Orchard: The five-megawatt facility faces opposition from the orchard owner, Pat Curran, who has expressed concerns about its potential impact. The Winnebago County Zoning Board of Appeals will consider the project during a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Curran, who has been operating Curran’s Apple Orchard for four decades, states that the solar farm would be just steps away from his orchard trees. He has been fighting the potential development for more than a year. * WAND | Springfield Police Department rolls out new officer wellness initiative: Chief Joe Behl shared a new wellness initiative he put in place since taking over the department. This will include updating the department’s gym, launching a “Yoga for First Responders” program, bringing in culinary experts for healthy cooking classes and offering chiropractic care to officers. * WAND | The Avett Brothers to perform at the Illinois State Fair: The Avett Brothers are known for songs like, “The Carpenter,” “Magpie,” and “The Dandelion.” “The Avett Brothers bring an energy and authenticity that will make this a can’t-miss night at the Illinois State Fair,” said Illinois State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark. * NPR Illinois | WQNA nearing return to Springfield’s airwaves with eclectic volunteer mix: Ken Pacha, vice president of Springfield Community Broadcasters, joined Community Voices to share how the all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit is working to relaunch the low-power FM station. Originally based at the Capital Area Career Center, WQNA spent nearly four decades offering an eclectic, personality-driven mix of music and community conversation. By the time it went dark in 2019, it had evolved into a fully community-staffed station known for its “checkerboard” format — hip-hop followed by blues, metal after classic deep cuts — with each show reflecting the passion of its host. * CNBC | Consumer prices rose 3.8% annually in April, the highest since May 2023: Energy prices, which jumped 3.8%, accounted for more than 40% of the headline gain, while food prices also climbed 0.5%. For energy, that put the 12-month gain at 17.9%, while food was up 3.2%. The gasoline index increased 28.4% annually. Food at home prices increased 0.7%, the biggest monthly gain since August 2022. * AP | Trump FDA chief is leaving after angering pharma CEOs, vaping lobbyists and anti-abortion groups: Makary’s handpicked deputy, Dr. Vinay Prasad, was pushed out of the agency twice in less than a year for running afoul of specialty drugmakers and groups for patients with rare diseases. Makary appeared poised to weather the controversy, despite an ongoing pressure campaign calling on Trump to fire him. Recent weeks brought fresh criticisms from other interest groups that the White House considers key to Republican chances in November elections. * Inside Higher Ed | Instructure Pays Ransom to Canvas Hackers : Although the monetary value of the deal is unknown, Instructure says the cybercriminals have returned the hacked personal data and offered assurance “that no Instructure customers will be extorted as a result of this incident.”
|
