WBEZ’s Rundown Of Today’s Top News: Chicago Prepares For A More “Normal” Summer

Chicago lakefront
Gulls occupy the 31st Street Beach in Chicago on Monday, May 25, 2020. Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo
Chicago lakefront
Gulls occupy the 31st Street Beach in Chicago on Monday, May 25, 2020. Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo

WBEZ’s Rundown Of Today’s Top News: Chicago Prepares For A More “Normal” Summer

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 Friday! We did it! The sun’s out, and there’s a lot of great news that’s making the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel look a whole lot brighter. Here’s what you need to know today.

(By the way, if you’d like this emailed to your inbox, you can sign up here.)

1. Chicago prepares for a summer that could be closer to “normal”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has asked top officials at the Police Department to draft security plans for the possibility of large-scale summer events, reports the Sun-Times. This is the first real sign from City Hall indicating when Chicago could transition into a post-pandemic world.

The Police Department didn’t tell the Sun-Times which events it is planning for, but there’s no shortage of them. Summers in Chicago typically include Lollapalooza, the Taste of Chicago, Pitchfork Music Festival, baseball games, the Chicago Pride Parade and many neighborhood festivals. [Chicago Sun-Times]

The news comes a week after President Joe Biden suggested there will be enough COVID-19 vaccines for every adult by the end of July.

Several scientists interviewed by The New York Times say they are optimistic that the summer will usher in some return to normalcy. But they also warn the U.S. could see another wave of infections if government officials and the public do not remain vigilant. [NYT]

Meanwhile, officials today formally announced that Chicago’s United Center will serve as a mass vaccination site beginning March 10. People will be able to get vaccines via drive-thru or at temporary walk-in facilities. The first appointments are expected to be limited to people who are 65 and over. [WBEZ]

WBEZ’s Vivian McCall recently talked to Chicago restaurant workers who say they are anxiously waiting for vaccines as some pandemic restrictions are being lifted. [WBEZ]

2. The House is poised to vote on Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package

The Democrat-controlled House is expected to vote today on President Biden’s relief plan, which would provide $1,400 stimulus checks to many Americans, beef up weekly unemployment benefits and provide billions of dollars to states and local governments.

One big wrinkle with the package is a push to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.

Congressional Democrats today are scrambling to find ways to salvage the wage increase after the Senate’s parliamentarian ruled last night that the legislation, as written, would violate Senate rules.

Democrats are using a process known as budget reconciliation in an effort to get the legislation out the door as quickly as possible. The Senate has strict and complex rules on what can be considered under budget reconciliation, and the minimum wage increase doesn’t pass that test, the nonpartisan parliamentarian said. [AP]

3. Illinois congresswoman’s husband owned truck with far-right militia decal near U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6

You might remember U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., who approvingly quoted Hitler in a speech in D.C. the day before the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Turns out her husband, Illinois state Rep. Chris Miller, is the owner of a pickup truck seen in a restricted area near the Capitol that sported a decal of a far-right, anti-government militia known as the Three Percenters.

Chris Miller did not return emails or messages from WBEZ, but he told Springfield TV station WCIA in a statement that his son got the decal from a family friend who said it symbolized “patriotism and love of country.”

David Goldenberg, the Midwest regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, told WBEZ that Miller’s explanation is not adequate.

“Nobody puts something on their car randomly,” Goldenberg said. “People need to understand what they’re embracing. Declaring ignorance, especially ignorance from an elected official, is a completely unacceptable answer.” [WBEZ]

4. Arsons in Chicago increased by nearly 65% last year

That’s according to an analysis from the Chicago Sun-Times, which found that a majority of suspicious fires took place on the city’s South and West sides. Last year saw a total of 583 arsons compared to 375 in 2019, the newspaper reports, citing police data.

Matthew Smith, the executive director of the Washington-based Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, said there has been an increase in arsons across the nation, and his group is examining if there’s a connection to the pandemic.

“After the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009, we saw a dramatic spike occur in real estate fires and auto fires and autos ending up at the bottom of lakes and rivers,” Smith said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. What we know about the U.S. airstrike on Iranian-backed militias in Syria

The Biden administration last night carried out an airstrike on facilities used by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias in Syria, killing at least one fighter and wounding several others, reports The Associated Press.

U.S. officials told the AP that the airstrike was ordered in retaliation for a rocket attack that killed a civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member last month in Iraq.

The airstrike is the first use of military force under President Biden, and it comes as his administration seeks to open diplomatic channels with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. Some Middle East experts say the airstrike is a signal to Iran that it can’t improve its situation by attacking U.S. interests. [AP]

Meanwhile, the Biden administration today released an unclassified intelligence report that says Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia approved the 2018 assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. [Axios]

Here’s what else is happening

  • Black officers in the Chicago Police Department have formed their own organization in an effort to counter divisive messages from the union president representing rank-and-file officers. [Chicago Tribune]
  • Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris could become the first woman and first person of color to lead the Democratic Party of Illinois. [Chicago Sun-Times]
  • The weather is going to be great in the Chicago area this weekend. [Chicago Tribune]
  • Russian diplomats literally had to push themselves out of North Korea. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

This is so messed up: A man walking Lady Gaga’s dogs was shot in the chest Wednesday evening before two of the singer’s French bulldogs were dognapped.

According to CNN, the dog walker was in critical condition this morning, and the dogs have not been found.

The Los Angeles Police Department reportedly has obtained surveillance footage that shows two men approached the dog walker after they exited a light-colored sedan.

Lady Gaga is offering half a million dollars for the return of her dogs, who are named Koji and Gustav. [CNN]

Tell me something good …

What book have you recently read and loved?

Sarz Maxwell writes:

“I’m 66 years old now, but we’re never too old for Laura Ingalls Wilder. Last week I re-read (for about the 10th time) The Long Winter. She describes lockdown-fever so very well, and gives us reasons to be thankful for what we have now.”

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

Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I’ll see you on Monday. And if you like what you just read, you can subscribe to the newsletter here and have it delivered to your inbox.