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No extremist groups on list barring Chicago police officer membership, only street gangs
Facing sharp criticism for tolerating officers with ties to extremist groups, the Chicago Police Department implemented new rules earlier this year aimed at barring officers from joining such organizations. But the department’s registry of “criminal and biased organizations” does not list any of the far-right groups that officers have associated...
Chief Keef's long road back to Chicago: Music industry insiders weigh in
The anticipation surrounding Chief Keef’s return to the Chicago area is at a fever pitch. Locals and industry insiders are already using phrases like “historic” and “iconic” to describe the rapper’s upcoming performance this weekend at the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash festival. The Leaders 1354 retail store in West Loop has even launched a Chief Keef pop-up store, and staff say they are fielding a flood of Instagram messages about the merch and the show.
Where to commemorate Juneteenth in Chicago: ‘A celebration of freedom’
Live performances by musicians like Chicago’s own Common, educational exhibits, dancing and more are just a few ways to celebrate Juneteenth across the city in the coming days. The holiday is celebrated June 19, honoring the day in 1865 when the last enslaved African Americans learned they had been...
As the DNC looks for thousands of volunteers, past helpers share stories of the convention’s influence
In August of 1968, the song “People Got to Be Free” by The Rascals was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The nation was still reeling from the assassinations of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.
CPS elementary reading scores rise, surpassing pre-pandemic levels
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez announced Thursday that preliminary state test scores show more elementary school students are proficient in reading compared to last year, putting performance “above pre-pandemic levels” for the first time. Martinez said this growth was “led by our Black students, who made the...
Toronto’s Abigail Lapell on recording love songs in a 200-year-old church
Toronto singer and songwriter Abigail Lapell is out with a new album, Anniversary, which features 11 intimate songs that explore youth, grief and eternal love. The multi-instrumentalist joined fellow Canadian group Great Lake Swimmers at the historic St. Mark’s Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario to record this latest project. Inspired...
What’s in season: Herbs, strawberries and peas
Whether you’re poking around at farmers markets or tending a veggie garden, learning what’s ready to be harvested is a way to get in rhythm with the seasons in the Midwest. Plus, it often means eating produce at peak ripeness. Reset talks about what to cook from the...
Secretary of state brings the DMV to the driver
Renewing a driver’s license or applying for a Real ID might become a little easier with the rollout of a DMV on wheels. The Illinois secretary of state’s office unveiled its first unit Wednesday in Daley Plaza. The aim is to offer more flexibility for busy people who might not have time to drive to an office, stand in line and wait to be served.
Residents near Douglass Park have mixed reactions to Riot Fest's move
Riot Fest will play on this year, just not at Douglass Park on the West Side, and for some neighborhood residents that was music to their ears. “We’re happy because there won’t be any more festival,” Ignacio Corral, 70, who lives across the street from the park, told the Sun-Times in Spanish. “For us, the community, we’ll be more comfortable.”
Female doctors often provide better care for patients, but they’re being ‘chased out of medicine’
Dr. Shikha Jain wants women to thrive in the medical field. Jain is the founder of Women in Medicine, a Chicago-based nonprofit helping women advance to leadership positions as medical professionals while empowering men to help reduce and eliminate the gender gap in the field. So she wasn’t surprised by...
What’s the lifespan of a book at the Chicago Public Library?
After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Queen Victoria of Great Britain donated 8,000 books that would become the foundation of the Chicago Public Library collection. While none of those original books are currently in circulation, at least one title from around that time can still be checked out today.
The wilds of Chicago: 10 places to bask in nature without leaving home
Yes, summer visitors will marvel about our city’s architectural gems, bustling eateries and cultural array. But Chicago also offers plenty of natural wonders that provide a respite from the hustle and the heat, from well-considered city parks to tree-lined hiking paths. Here are 10 in the city and nearby...
How Chicagoans have celebrated Black queer joy across history
Until 1970, dancing with someone of the same gender was illegal in Chicago. It wasn’t so long ago that gay bars were facing police raids, and today, LGBTQ+ spaces continue to come under threat. Those spaces are deeply connected to a history of LGBTQ+ resistance and protest. There is...
Riot Fest is leaving Douglass Park; organizers tease new location
Riot Fest is leaving Douglass Park on the West Side after nearly 10 years at the location. The festival’s co-founder, Mike Petryshyn, shared the announcement in a video posted to social media and on the festival’s website Tuesday evening. Petryshyn, also known as Riot Mike, blamed the Chicago...
How was the Electoral College created?
Every four years, when the presidential election rolls around, national pundits discuss strategies for candidates to win key battleground states. In any other election – from Congressional races to state-level contests – the focus would be on winning the most votes instead of prioritizing votes in specific geographic areas.
Exit CSO composer in residence. Enter Jessie Montgomery, Chicago’s most in-demand classical collaborator.
The composer Jessie Montgomery is sitting in the studio of Third Coast Percussion, the Grammy-winning percussion quartet based in Chicago, workshopping a piece for next season. The high-ceilinged room is a wonder emporium of percussion instruments, with shelving on every wall housing drums, bells, chimes, a vanishing-point array of triangles. Several bulky keyboard percussion instruments line up to form aisles.
Will more than half of Americans have cardiovascular disease by 2050?
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and around the world – and cases are on the rise. The American Heart Association just came out with new studies that found if risk factors trends continue the way they are now, a heart-stopping 61% of people in the U.S. will have cardiovascular disease in the coming years.
Ed Burke’s lawyers swamp judge with glowing letters of support ahead of sentencing: ‘I know who Ed really is'
As sentencing nears for Chicago’s 80-year-old, longest-serving City Council member, lawyers for ex-Ald. Edward M. Burke braced a judge this week “for a biblical flood of stories and letters from people of all walks of life who have been touched by his kindness and generosity.”. And then they...
Black chamber music collective D-Composed wants you to ‘come as you are’
Before Bridgerton’s string quartet renditions of pop songs, D-Composed was performing chamber music Beyoncé covers in Chicago. D-Composed events aren’t stuffy affairs. The Black chamber music collective rarely charges for tickets, and they want audience members to “come as you are.” That goes for the ensemble’s musicians, too.
New initiative to expand gender-affirming care across Illinois
A new initiative aims to help organizations serving LGBTQ+ communities by expanding gender-affirming care across Illinois. The Illinois Department of Human Services announced Monday that the new Transgender and Gender Diverse Wellness and Equity Program will provide organizations with comprehensive and medical care for transgender, gender-diverse and LGBTQ+ people. “Transgender,...
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