The Rundown For Monday, Aug. 26, 2019

Chicago Teacher Union Strike 2012
The last time Chicago teachers went on strike was 2012, and that was the first strike in 25 years. Now, the Chicago Teachers Union says it will hit the picket line if an agreement with Chicago Public Schools isn't hammered out before Sept. 26. M. Spencer Green / Associated Press
Chicago Teacher Union Strike 2012
The last time Chicago teachers went on strike was 2012, and that was the first strike in 25 years. Now, the Chicago Teachers Union says it will hit the picket line if an agreement with Chicago Public Schools isn't hammered out before Sept. 26. M. Spencer Green / Associated Press

The Rundown For Monday, Aug. 26, 2019

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

Hey there, it’s Monday! And this had me laughing all weekend. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago teachers reject contract terms, increasing prospects of a strike

The Chicago Teachers Union has rejected contract terms recommended by an independent lawyer, opening the door for a possible strike as soon as Sept. 26 if no deal is reached by then.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who is expected to address the city’s $1 billion budget gap this Thursday, said today that the rejected offer “would represent the largest and most robust salary and benefit package in CTU history.”

At issue between the two sides are yearly raises, the amount of health care contributions and the length of the contract, among other matters. Take a look here for specifics on the negotiations. [WBEZ]

2. G-7 summit ends without major consensus

The Group of Seven summit of global leaders ended today without major agreements regarding the world’s most pressing issues, reports the Washington Post.

French President Emmanuel Macron, the summit’s host, said the group did agree to a $20 million emergency aid package to fight fires in the Amazon rainforest, but leaders were unable to persuade President Donald Trump to quickly resolve the trade war with China.

“What’s bad for the world economy is uncertainty, and the quicker an agreement is arrived at, the quicker uncertainty will dissipate,” Macron said. [Washington Post]

President Trump, meanwhile, brushed off concerns of global economic stability and defended his tactics with China, saying, “Sorry, that’s the way I negotiate.” [AP]

Trump also skipped the meetings on climate change, and later said he won’t lose America’s wealth to “dreams and windmills.” [USA Today]

3. A rushed vote helped Lincoln Yards get $1.3 billion from taxpayers

A controversial megadevelopment on Chicago’s North Side received $1.3 billion in taxpayer subsidies because Chicago aldermen rushed their vote, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis.

The area, tucked between Bucktown and Lincoln Park, needed to meet at least five state standards to be considered “blighted” in order to qualify for that amount of taxpayer funding.

At the time of the vote in April, it met the bare minimum. Less than six weeks later, new property assessments were conducted and the district no longer met all five standards.

The findings raise questions for the city and developer Sterling Bay about their reasons for rushing the vote. The analysis also comes as community groups are asking a judge to reverse the City Council decision on Lincoln Yards. [Chicago Tribune]

4. New Democratic primary poll shows Biden, Sanders, Warren in virtual tie

A new poll from Monmouth University shows a virtual three-way tie in the race for the Democratic nomination for president.

In a national poll of 800 adults conducted between Aug. 16-20, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren each garnered 20% support while former Vice President Joe Biden received 19%.

California Sen. Kamala Harris received 8%, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg each received 4% and entrepreneur Andrew Yang received 3%.

“The main takeaway from this poll is that the Democratic race has become volatile,” said the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Monmouth says the poll has a +/-5.7% margin of error. [Monmouth University]

5. How do we talk to our kids about interacting with police?

That’s the most recent question to hit the desk at Curious City, who enlisted the help of a child psychiatrist, a public defender and a police officer to help prepare kids for interacting with the police.

The adolescent psychiatrist said it’s important that parents talk with their kids about police interactions as early as age 6, and then to include more and more details as they get older.

And the Chicago police officer, a black father who said he’s given his own children “the talk,” said parents should teach children to stay calm, cooperate and — if they feel they’re being treated unfairly — take down the information they need to deal with it later.

“What I tell my kids, and the children I teach, is just comply,” the officer said. [Curious City]

Here’s what else is happening

  • A judge ruled Johnson & Johnson helped fuel Oklahoma’s opioid crisis and ordered the company to pay $572 million. [AP]
  • Three mysterious prison deaths in downstate Illinois are linked to falsified documents and an “unknown substance.” [WBEZ]
  • Allies of the president are working to discredit news organizations by publicizing damaging info about journalists. [New York Times]
  • Police say a Chicago armored car driver stole $537,088.22 — in coins. [Chicago Tribune]

Oh, and one more thing …

Apparently there’s a movie out there titled The VelociPastor and, yes, it is about a priest who receives a prehistoric velociraptor fossil from a dying woman, gets a Spider-Man-style infection from said fossil and then starts fighting evil as a half-man, half-dinosaur.

It looks like I might have to pay $3.99 to stream this online, but with reviews like this how can I not?: “I am pleased to report that, whatever image you had in your head of the VelociPastor, it looks way, way stupider than you could ever dream.” [A.V. Club]

Tell me something good …

I’m going camping over Labor Day weekend, and that got me wondering: Where’s the best place to camp near Chicago?

A few years ago I went to Potato Creek State Park outside South Bend, Indiana. It’s a pretty small park, but really quiet with a nice lake and easy hiking paths. Definitely a decent spot to pitch a tent.

Please email or tweet us your favorite campgrounds and your answers may get included here this week.

therundown@wbez.org

Thanks for reading and have a nice night!

-Justin Bull, in for Hunter Clauss

P.S. Want to get this briefing via email every day around 4 p.m.? Sign up to receive the Daily Rundown in your inbox.