Good afternoon! My husband’s friend Andrea was in town from the West Coast and thought Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria was spelled Illuminati’s Pizzeria because the pronunciations are close. What secrets are buried within that butter crust? Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Many students are denied from marching in this year’s slimmed down Pride Parade

All schools that participated in last year’s Pride Parade have been dropped from this summer’s annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, my colleague Mariah Rush reports.

The news comes as parade organizers say the event is “downsizing this year due to safety and logistics concerns raised by the city.” That means the number of groups will be capped at 125, about a 40% decrease from last year.

But in an email to the denied schools, organizers didn’t mention safety concerns.

“The Pride event is supposed to be one of the most inclusive places that you can go, where you can be your authentic self and not be in any fear to do so,” said Karen Liszka, a teacher at Francis W. Parker School, which is among the affected schools.

“And not having community in the form of school, which embodies and reflects the community at large, seems a bit ironic.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. The City Council tomorrow is expected to vote on spending another $70 million to help migrants

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration says the money is needed as Texas Republicans are expected to send more migrants to the city leading up to the Democratic National Convention.

Behind the scenes, Johnson’s allies have been lobbying recalcitrant council members in recent days, hoping to avoid a defeat that they say would revive scenes of migrants sleeping at police stations.

Among those calling council members is Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, my colleague Fran Spielman reports.

“Before the lobbying squeeze, key members of the Black Caucus, in closed-door briefings, had strenuously opposed new migrant funding,” Spielman reports. [Chicago Sun-Times]

That lobbying effort may be paying off. The spending plan sailed through a committee in a 20-8 vote on Monday. [WBEZ]

3. The family of a 9-year-old killed over the weekend says they’re not involved with gangs, countering police suggestions

Ariana Molina, 9, was killed in a mass shooting that wounded 10 other people on Saturday in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Police said the shooting was likely gang related. But family members and Increase the Peace, an anti-violence advocacy group, said the family was not affiliated with gangs.

“My family was celebrating a religious event and we are not gang-affiliated,” said Ariana’s cousin, Esmeralda Vargas. “It breaks my heart to see comments that we deserve this. We need to fix that narrative because that’s not what happened here.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

My colleague Natalie Moore in 2012 reported on how the Chicago Police Department labeled most murders as “gang related,” sparking criticism from some crime experts who say police are too loose with the term. [WBEZ]

4. The WNBA Draft gave Chicago Sky fans renewed optimism

The team’s future appeared murky after it traded former franchise player Kahleah Copper, one of the last vestiges of the 2021 WNBA championship team, in February.

But the team’s fan base appears rejuvenated after the Sky picked up center Kamilla Cardoso of South Carolina and forward Angel Reese of LSU in last night’s WNBA Draft, my colleague Kyle Williams reports.

‘‘They got the best player available for their needs,’’ said Tim Libretti, who has been a Sky fan since 2014. [Chicago Sun-Times]

My colleague Annie Costabile writes that the “greatness Cardoso and Reese bring lies in the battles they carried out for years while competing against each other in the SEC.

“Both dominated opposing defenses this season, and stifled them on the offensive end with their superior rebounding skills. When they went against each other, it was a guaranteed box-office hit. Now the two will share the court with the Sky, and the team and the WNBA will reap the benefits of their star power together.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. A missing neon sign from a beloved Chicago bar reappears

A vintage “Schlitz On Tap” beer sign that hung outside the now-closed Danny’s Tavern was reported stolen in 2021.

Then last week, a former employee of the bar was driving in West Town when he saw the sign hanging from a building at the corner of Grand and Damen avenues, Block Club Chicago reports.

Behind the sign’s mysterious disappearance is a dispute over its ownership.

Jann Dragovich, whose family has long owned the Danny’s building, said the sign belongs to her because the original lease for the space didn’t mention the sign.

But Terry Alexander, who owned Danny’s Tavern, said the sign belongs to him after he and a business partner bought the bar in 1989.

“Jann has my number, I’m around,” Alexander told Block Club. [Block Club Chicago]

Here’s what else is happening

• The U.S. Supreme Court today heard arguments in a case that could impact some charges against former President Donald Trump. [AP]

• U.S. officials expect Israel’s response to Iran’s weekend attack will be limited in scope. [NBC News]

• Severe storms could unleash hail and tornadoes in the Midwest. [CNN]

• A cryptic Taylor Swift mural popped up in Chicago for her upcoming album. [USA Today]

Oh, and one more thing …

A Chicago jazz wunderkind is taking a dramatic career swerve.

Thaddeus Tukes, 30, was among the heirs apparent to Chicago’s straight-ahead jazz community, WBEZ contributor Hannah Edgar writes.

But he recently backed away from a skyrocketing career to pursue a new calling: music therapy. He finishes up his degree this year at Illinois State University, in downstate Bloomington–Normal.

“I uprooted my whole life in Chicago to go down there, just because I feel called to do it,” Tukes said. “It’s revitalized my interest in performing.”

This Saturday, Tukes will debut a new project he calls VybeKat, an outlet for originals that wend through R&B, hip-hop and pop. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What summer isn’t complete without a beach read? So I’d like to know what was your favorite book to read while bathing in the sun?

Nancy Hagen Goldstucker writes:

“My favorite memory of a beach read is from 1975 when I was 15. The movie Jaws was hot and I was nowhere near a theater. I read the book on Old Orchard Beach in Maine. I was terrified!”

And Susan Price writes:

“ I don’t actually read on beaches (too bright, and for years I needed to keep an eye on two active sons as well), but throughout my college years and for about a decade after, I reread The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy each summer. The pacing that some find annoyingly slow (all those detailed descriptions, all that hiking) seemed to me the perfect pace for a relaxing summer (re)read.”

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