Good afternoon. My husband’s birthday is this weekend and I’ve been keeping a close eye on the weather. We’re hoping to take one of the architecture tours. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. The killing of Dexter Reed raises questions about police reform in Chicago

Efforts to reform policing in Chicago are under renewed scrutiny after city officials released body cam footage in the fatal police shooting of Dexter Reed, my colleagues Tom Schuba and Frank Main report.

Alexandra Block, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, said the Police Department’s approach to a federal consent decree has amounted to “a box-checking exercise” — and the promises of overhauling the culture haven’t been kept.

“The message that officers informally get is, go in guns blazing. … And that’s the way they’re actually operating in the culture that they are seeing every day,” Block said.

“So the consent decree process is being completely divorced from the actual on the ground experience of community members who are stopped by these officers.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case over laws targeting the homeless

The case — City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson — will determine if municipalities can use local ordinances to ban homeless people from sleeping outside with a blanket or other bedding materials, my colleague Esther Yoon-Ji Kang reports.

Advocates for the homeless say if the high court sides with Grants Pass, it could make it easier for municipalities to criminalize homelessness in Illinois and throughout the nation.

Earlier this month, nearly 30 Illinois advocacy groups filed an amicus brief in the case, saying that fining or jailing those who sleep outside will not help fix homelessness.

“We want to make sure that the Supreme Court sees that solution-driven approaches are more effective and that these punitive approaches really don’t do anything to solve homelessness,” said Camilla Krauss, an attorney with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless who drafted the brief. [WBEZ]

3. What we know of Mayor Johnson’s $70 million plan for migrants

Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to ask the City Council for an additional $70 million to address the ongoing migrant crisis.

The details of how exactly money will be used haven’t been publicly released yet, but my colleague Sophie Sherry nailed down some information.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, who has discussed the proposal with mayor’s office staff, told Sherry the funding would allow the city to shelter an additional 15,000 people.

Ramirez-Rosa would not share specific financial details until Johnson concludes his briefings with council members, but said it was his understanding the additional funding would come from the city’s general fund.

The news comes as city officials expect more migrants will arrive from Texas as the Democratic National Convention nears. City officials estimate more than 38,000 migrants have been transported to Chicago since the crisis began in August 2022. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. Who wants to go on a late-night joyride on an electric scooter?

The City Council advanced a measure this week that would allow the use of electric scooters in the wee hours of the night — between midnight and 5 a.m. Electric scooters currently can only be rented from 5 a.m. to midnight.

Supporters say the time change will offer more commuting options for those working overnight hours. And officials with Lime and Spin, the only companies operating in Chicago outside downtown, expect an increase in ridership.

But some council members are concerned about the program’s safety.

“I don’t have a problem with these devices when they’re used properly and when they’re used in the right places on our right-of-way, but on a daily basis, every single day, we’re seeing near misses on our sidewalks downtown,” Ald. Brendan Reilly said at a committee meeting this week. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. A good Samaritan stepped up in a deadly Rogers Park shooting

A bar owner is credited with saving a life when gunfire erupted this week near the Morse Red Line station, my colleague Jessica Ma reports.

Erik Archambeault, who owns Rogers Park Social, was relaxing on his 47th birthday when he heard gunshots shortly before noon on Tuesday.

He ran to help a man walking his dog who got caught in crossfire when a shooter jumped out of a car and opened fire, killing James Craig Smith Jr. and injuring the dog walker.

“I was like, ‘Get inside, lay on the couch, and let me look at your wound,’ ” Archambeault said. He grabbed towels to put pressure on the wound, while the general manager, 41-year-old Wally Andersen, brought ice. They stayed with him until paramedics arrived.

Tuesday’s shooting was the second in a month near Morse Avenue. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• O.J. Simpson died at age 76 after battling cancer. [NPR]

• Here’s a look at how the Florida and Arizona Supreme Court rulings change abortion access in the U.S. [NPR]

• Consumer Reports is pushing for the removal of Lunchables from school menus after finding concerning levels of lead and sodium. [NPR]

• Japan is giving the U.S. 250 new cherry trees to replace ones lost during construction in D.C. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

I know my nephews are going to go nuts when they learn an immersive Bluey pop-up is coming to Chicago next month.

Block Club Chicago reports the award-winning cartoon “is collaborating with kids store and experience center CAMP Chicago for Bluey X CAMP, which opens May 24 at 647 W. North Ave. It runs through Sept. 28.”

The pop-up includes a recreation of Bluey’s house and allows kids to play games from the show, like Magic Asparagus and Keepy Uppy.

Tickets are on sale starting at $39 online for a 50-minute session. [Block Club Chicago]

Tell me something good …

What’s your go-to TV show, movie or book you hit up when you’re feeling nostalgic?

Charlotte writes:

“Ferris Buller’s Day Off. Chicago is my city (grew up on the South Side and still live there today) and this was my childhood. Checking out downtown restaurants and a Sox game (not the Cubs), and of course the parades that would ruin traffic downtown for an entire afternoon. Classic Chicago in the ’80s — good time.”

And Adam F. in Wheaton writes:

“For me it has to be Friends. While I am conflicted about how much of the show’s humor stands up over time, it still provides a heavy dose of nostalgia, familiarity and comfort. Its immense popularity when I was in junior high and high school meant this was a network TV event every Thursday night with my parents and siblings. And some of the funnier moments have produced references that are proving to last a lifetime in my family.”

Feel free to email me, and your response might be shared in the newsletter this week.