The Rundown: A high-stakes push to employ teens

Plus, a fight is brewing between Johnson and the City Council. Here’s what you need to know today.

A security camera and a metal barricade are seen at Millennium Park in the Loop
A security camera and a metal barricade are seen at Millennium Park in the Loop on April 20, 2023. Pat Nabong / Chicago Sun-Times
A security camera and a metal barricade are seen at Millennium Park in the Loop
A security camera and a metal barricade are seen at Millennium Park in the Loop on April 20, 2023. Pat Nabong / Chicago Sun-Times

The Rundown: A high-stakes push to employ teens

Plus, a fight is brewing between Johnson and the City Council. Here’s what you need to know today.

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Good afternoon! I hope everyone had a great week. I know life can be stressful, so here’s a song I had stuck in my head to help you kick off your Friday night. And here’s what you need to know today.

1. Downtown mayhem raises the stakes for Johnson’s goal to double youth employment in his first 100 days in office

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s transition team has already begun laying the groundwork to boost opportunities for teen workers this summer, but his plan faces big hurdles, reports WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel.

The toughest challenge is time. Not only is the summer quickly approaching, but so is a big deadline. Johnson will be sworn in just two weeks before the city closes applications for summer employment.

Today, WBEZ talks to experts on crime and youth employment to see what potential problems Johnson’s incoming administration could face — and what solutions might be available. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, security in Chicago’s Loop is expected to tighten after last weekend’s large and chaotic gatherings. [WBEZ]

2. A major fight appears to be brewing between Johnson and members of the City Council

Lines are being drawn over the City Council’s declaration of independence, reports my colleague Fran Spielman.

If you’re just tuning in, council members are pushing a plan to reorganize the chamber and assign cushy committee spots, a job that’s technically up to them but has long been delegated to the mayor.

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s team is working behind the scenes to tweak that plan by putting his allies in key spots to help advance his agenda.

But Ald. Scott Waguespack, who could lose his leadership post on the influential Finance Committee under Johnson’s changes, is telling the incoming mayor to butt out or risk a defeat early in his tenure.

“I don’t think anybody wants to have that kind of fight. We’re all working to make sure the city can move forward. But if you’re looking at just spending your time on undermining the independence effort and the co-equal branch effort that the Council has undertaken for the first time ever, it’s not starting off on a good foot,” Waguespack said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. The Supreme Court could soon weigh in on access to a commonly used abortion pill

The nation’s high court is expected to decide by midnight today whether access to the pill, mifepristone, will stay unchanged as a legal challenge over its federal approval proceeds.

A lower court last week restricted access to the drug, such as blocking patients from receiving the medication through the mail.

The Biden administration then asked the Supreme Court to intervene, putting the debate over abortion rights back before justices for the second time this year.

More than 5 million people in the U.S. have used mifepristone since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000. Opponents of abortion rights argue the FDA’s signoff on the drug was flawed. [AP]

4. Mass killings are happening at a record pace in the U.S.

Eighty-eight people have lost their lives in 17 mass killings so far this year, reports The Associated Press, which notes that only 2009 saw as many tragedies during the same time period.

“The bloodshed represents just a fraction of the fatal violence that occurs in the U.S. annually,” the AP reports. “Yet mass killings are happening with staggering frequency this year: An average of once every 6.53 days, according to an analysis of The AP/USA Today data.”

While this year’s pace is setting a record, that does not necessarily mean the nation will end the year with a record number of mass shootings.

“In 2009, the bloodshed slowed and the year finished with a final count of 32 mass killings and 172 fatalities,” the AP reports. “Those figures just barely exceed the averages of 31.1 mass killings and 162 victims a year, according to an analysis of data dating back to 2006.” [AP]

5. Biden is expected to announce his reelection campaign next week

President Joe Biden is preparing to kick off his reelection bid, with his aides finalizing plans to release a video on Tuesday to coincide with the anniversary of his 2020 campaign launch, reports The Washington Post, citing three people briefed on these plans.

“The planned announcement would move the country one step closer to what could be an extraordinary presidential campaign,” the Post reports.

“Biden, 80, would be 86 at the end of a second term, considerably older than any other president in U.S. history. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, 76, the man he defeated in 2020, has announced his own bid to reclaim the Oval Office, signaling a return to a highly unorthodox presidency should he succeed.” [Washington Post]

Here’s what else is happening

  • Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson scored a four-percentage-point win over Paul Vallas, so why did most polls have it the other way around? [WBEZ]
  • This father finally has a safe home for his children. It all came from his arrest on gun charges. [WBEZ]
  • Lao Sze Chuan, a chain of local Chinese restaurants, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for its Michigan Avenue location. [Chicago Tribune]
  • Nickel, a sea turtle that survived swallowing a coin, is celebrating 20 years at the Shedd Aquarium. [Block Club Chicago]

Oh, and one more thing …

Since tomorrow is Earth Day, I’d like to direct your attention to a large bucket of food scraps.

It belongs to my colleague Courtney Kueppers, who wanted to know what happens to compostable waste after it’s picked up.

She signed up for WasteNot — a Chicago compost collection company started by North Side native Liam Donnelly when he was just 15. She recently hopped on an electric van and went on a compostable-waste adventure. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for things to do for Earth Day, WBEZ’s Indira Khera looked at noteworthy events taking place in the Chicago area. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What is your favorite game to play? It can be a video game, board game or whatever. And it can either be a game you enjoy now or when you were a kid.

Antonio Adan writes:

“My wife and I love Wingspan, a bird-themed, engine-building game and that’s so much fun! If you like multi-strategy board games and friendly competition, this is a great game that also helps appreciate birds in nature. The card illustrations are beautiful. We now have a network of friends in Upper Michigan that also love the game, and we call them the Flock Familia.”

And Andrea writes:

“My favorite board game is Rummikub. I began playing it in Mexico with my friend’s family as a teen and only now that I’ve purchased my own and invited others to play, have I realized that this is a multigenerational game that’s enjoyed all over the world. It’s the best!”

Thanks for all the responses this week. I’m sorry I couldn’t share them all but it was nice hearing from you.