WBEZ’s Rundown Of Today’s Top News: Ex-Chicago Lifeguards Describe Decades Of Abuse

lifeguard raft in a swimming pool
Nearly a dozen women who worked as Chicago lifeguards spoke to WBEZ about experiencing sexual misconduct while working at the city’s beaches and pools. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
lifeguard raft in a swimming pool
Nearly a dozen women who worked as Chicago lifeguards spoke to WBEZ about experiencing sexual misconduct while working at the city’s beaches and pools. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ

WBEZ’s Rundown Of Today’s Top News: Ex-Chicago Lifeguards Describe Decades Of Abuse

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Hey there! It’s Thursday, and I’m debating whether to pony up for Paramount+ so I can watch the adult reboot of iCarly. Here’s what you need to know.

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1. Former lifeguards describe decades of sexual abuse at Chicago’s beaches and pools

Amid an ongoing Chicago Park District investigation into recent claims of misconduct at the city’s pools and beaches, nearly a dozen women told WBEZ there’s been a pervasive culture of sexual harassment and physical abuse among the aquatics staff for decades.

WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos spoke with 11 former lifeguards who say supervisors or older lifeguards harassed or abused them with impunity, often when they were underage. The women, whose time with the park district spans five decades, also allege that city officials have failed to adequately deal with the problem since the 1970s.

“Sexual harassment was the norm, daily, and assault was common and dealt with in-house,” said one woman, who worked as a lifeguard at a beach on the North Side when she was 17. “It happened to all of us.”

Top park district officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment. A spokeswoman for Mayor Lori Lightfoot declined to comment, citing the pending investigation. [WBEZ]

2. Illinois residents finally get a shot at a vaccine lottery

Would you get vaccinated against COVID-19 for $1 million? Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is betting on it and today announced a statewide lottery to convince residents to roll up their sleeves.

Once you’ve gotten your first vaccine dose, you’re automatically entered in the contest. There will be multiple drawings throughout the summer, with a range of possible prizes. Three adults will win $1 million, and 40 will take home $100,000. Vaccinated youth will have 20 chances to win a $150,000 scholarship. [Block Club Chicago]

Statewide, 46.08% of the population is fully vaccinated. [IDPH]

Meanwhile, Illinois public health officials have identified 64 cases of the Delta variant, a highly contagious COVID-19 strain first discovered in India. [Chicago Tribune]

3. Despite promises, Lightfoot hasn’t improved racial disparities in policing

Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned on a pledge to reform the Chicago Police Department, but not much has changed during her first two years in office, the Chicago Tribune finds.

Black and Latino people still make up 90% of arrests. And the police force hasn’t made much progress in diversity, as the number of Black officers remains around 20%.

“Nothing has changed,” Aislinn Pulley, a founder of Black Lives Matter Chicago, told the newspaper. “I would say that Lori is on par with Rahm, and that really is not a compliment. It’s a condemnation.”

Meanwhile, shootings are up 18% compared to the same period last year, with three mass shootings in just the past four days. [Chicago Tribune]

A WBEZ analysis finds there’s been 124 mass shootings in Chicago since Jan. 1, 2019 — by far the most in the U.S. [WBEZ]

4. Unemployment claims rose for the first time in months

New jobless claims increased last week for the first time since April with 37,000 more Americans filing for unemployment benefits compared to the previous week, the Labor Department announced today.

Given the speed of the nation’s economic recovery, the increase came as somewhat of a surprise to U.S. economists. However, the four-week average, which smooths out weekly fluctuations, reached its lowest point since March 2020.

“The big picture is that while we are not back to a ‘normal’ level yet of initial claims, they are no longer astronomically high,″ said AnnElizabeth Konkel of the Indeed Hiring Lab. [Associated Press]

In Illinois, more than 27,000 people filed new unemployment claims last week, according to Labor Department estimates. [CBS Chicago]

5. The Supreme Court again upholds Obamacare

The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, by striking down a challenge brought by Texas and other Republican-led states.

The case stemmed from changes to the individual mandate provision, which originally required people to sign up for health insurance or face a penalty. Congress eliminated those penalties in 2017, which prompted critics to claim the entire law was thus unconstitutional.

But in a 7-2 decision, the justices ruled the GOP challengers lacked legal standing because they aren’t hurt financially by the law. [NPR]

So, the ACA — which provides roughly 31 million Americans with health insurance — remains the law of the land. Here’s a look at what that means for you. [CNN]

Here’s what else is happening

  • Could the Chicago Bears leave Soldier Field? [Chicago Sun-Times]

  • Mayor Lightfoot is joining other U.S. cities in declaring systemic racism a public health crisis. [Chicago Tribune]

  • Juneteenth is now a federal holiday. [AP]

  • JPMorgan Chase plans to invest $150 million on Chicago’s South and West sides. [Chicago Sun-Times]

  • Chicago is one signature away from an elected school board. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

The so-called “murder hornets,” which popped up last summer as some sort of cruel pandemic side plot, are back.

Washington state authorities yesterday announced a dead, dried-up Asian giant hornet had been found in a town north of Seattle this month, the first sighting of 2021.

Given that the hornet was already dead, experts say there’s no need for alarm.

“I want to very much clarify that a single dead specimen does not indicate a population,” entomologist Sven Spichiger said.

As a precaution, local officials are now setting up traps near the spot the hornet was found — and encouraging “citizen scientists” to help out. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

What do you enjoy about public radio, whether it’s your favorite show, podcast, host or memory?

Mike Barrette writes:

“There is only one possible answer and you’ll know where I am going when I say, Clement Clarke Moore, Charles Dickens, Frank Capra and … David Sedaris. NPR vaulted David Sedaris onto the Mount Rushmore of holiday traditions when they unleashed ‘Santaland Diaries’ upon the world. The holidays really have never been the same since that broadcast. Really, this is a slam dunk. I could have just written ‘Crumpet’ and called it a day.”

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