Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and I hope everyone is staying safe and warm on this snowy day in Chicago. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. NAACP asks the Justice Department to charge Jason Van Dyke ahead of his release from prison tomorrow

The NAACP is urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to file federal civil rights charges against Jason Van Dyke, a former Chicago police officer who murdered 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014.

The Justice Department is under mounting pressure to charge Van Dyke, who is scheduled to be released from prison tomorrow after serving less than half of his state sentence of six years and nine months.

But as the Chicago Sun-Times points out, charging a police officer with a federal civil rights violation is not easy. Federal prosecutors must prove an officer’s actions “willfully broke the law and were not simply the result of a mistake, negligence or bad judgment,” the newspaper reports. [Sun-Times]

A former federal prosecutor told WBEZ that the Justice Department is unlikely to charge Van Dyke, given it has had enough time to do so since launching an investigation in 2015.

But a former department official says he believes “the federal government would step in, but you wish they would have done so sooner and not because of the outcry that they are currently seeing.” [WBEZ]

2. Chicago’s basic income program, touted as one of the largest in the nation, still hasn’t gotten off the ground

Three months after the City Council approved to send checks of $500 a month to 5,000 needy families for a year, the city still hasn’t sent out payments nor accepted any applications, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

The pilot program so far is stuck in a bureaucratic bottleneck, with City Hall this week requesting proposals for agencies to “administer and execute outreach for the pilot.”

Ald. Gilbert Villegas, who has pushed for a basic income program, says he is frustrated and is calling on the city to quickly find a solution.

“I’ll just continue telling constituents that they have to hold out although we’ve got the money because we haven’t been able to get it out the door,” Villegas told the Sun-Times.

“That’s the bureaucratic way. Just to continue to talk about it and talk about it until this freaking problem goes away. By the time this is finalized, the pandemic will be over with.” [Sun-Times]

3. Biden will deploy 3,000 more troops to Eastern Europe to reassure NATO allies

President Joe Biden will send about 3,000 troops to Eastern Europe, including 1,000 already in Germany, as the Pentagon warns a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent.

Earlier this week, Pentagon officials said Russian President Vladimir Putin has amassed enough troops and military resources along Ukraine’s border for an invasion. More than 100,000 Russian troops have been dispatched to the border, Pentagon officials say.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby today told reporters the U.S. deployments will not enter Ukraine and are meant to reassure NATO allies who are anxious about Russia’s next moves. [AP]

Meanwhile, Putin will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week in Beijing. As The New York Times reports, China gives Russia a lifeline that could complicate U.S. efforts to isolate Moscow. [NYT]

4. Nearly $1 billion in tax relief takes center stage in Pritzker’s $45.4 billion spending plan for 2023

Gov. JB Pritzker today unveiled a spending plan that “was heavy on tax relief and bolstered his campaign narrative that the state’s historically glum finances have turned rosy during his watch,” reports WBEZ’s Dave McKinney.

The state will end the fiscal year in June with a rare surplus — to the tune of $1.7 billion — that will be used to pay for one-time tax relief that includes suspending a 1% sales tax on food, freezing a sales tax increase on gasoline and offering up to $300 in property tax rebates for eligible homeowners.

Also in Pritzker’s plan, which needs legislative approval, is funding increases for primary and secondary education, universities and social services; adding $500 million more than is required to the state’s annual $9.6 billion pension payment; and boosting the state’s rainy day fund to $879 million, the highest balance since its creation roughly two decades ago. [WBEZ]

5. Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Eminem are among the first-time nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame today announced the nominees for its class of 2022, including first-time nods for A Tribe Called Quest, Beck, Duran Duran, Eminem, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon.

They are joined by previous nominees that include Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, Devo, Eurythmics, MC5, New York Dolls, Judas Priest, Rage Against the Machine and Dionne Warwick.

Fans can vote through April 29, and the top five vote-getters will be submitted on a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with other ballots from the music industry.

The inductees will be announced in May, with a ceremony slated for the fall. [Pitchfork]

Here’s what else is happening

• Hundreds of city workers in Chicago face the possibility of being placed on “no pay” status after missing Monday’s deadline for getting COVID-19 vaccinations. [Chicago Tribune]
• Chicago activists want federal immigration officials to release detainees instead of transferring them. [WBEZ]
• The Washington Football Team will officially be known as the Commanders. [NPR]
• Punxsutawney Phil says we’ve got six more weeks of winter, while Charles G. Hogg says we’ll have an early spring. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

With each snowstorm comes the great debate over “dibs,” when Chicago residents use random objects to mark a parking spot on the street that they cleared of snow.

Is it legal? Nope!

WBEZ’s Curious City looked into the history of dibs a couple of years ago, and found that while it’s illegal, city officials — like Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel — have endorsed the custom.

“You often see situations where practices are illegal as a matter of law but develop by way of custom,” said University of Chicago law professor Richard Epstein. “And the people who enforce the law see the custom has some benefits, so they kind of let it ride.” [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

So I’m babysitting the nephews this week, and I’d like to know what fun activities you like to do with young kids.

Joan writes:

“I don’t know what age your nephews are but if they are primary school age, you might try playing Mad Libs (such silly fun). They will need to understand what adjectives, nouns, verbs are. I actually enjoy Mad Libs.”

And Maggie writes:

“Play-Doh. All the Play-Doh. Just get ready to silence your screaming when all the colors get mixed together. There’s nothing that can stop it.”

Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah, and your responses might be shared here this week.

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