Afternoon Edition: July 7, 2020

| Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be mostly sunny, with a high near 93 degrees and a chance of some scattered showers and thunderstorms. Tonight’s low will be around 74 degrees. Tomorrow will be even hotter: sunny with a high near 94 degrees and heat index values as high as 97, ahead of some more very hot days.

Top story

Englewood early learning center forced to close as city moves to new funding system

An early childhood learning center in Englewood that served families for 26 years was forced to shut its doors last week after the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services denied its proposal for funding.

Over half of Little Angels Learning Center’s operational budget came from city funding, and parents and staff of the learning center have been engaged in a nearly yearlong fight to get the city to explain why Little Angels’ $300,000 proposal was turned down. They’re also demanding the city restore funding.

Little Angels was previously awarded over $3 million from the city and state to build a new facility on a vacant lot across the street from the church basement where they currently operate, but the learning center can’t break ground without guaranteed day-to-day funding.

Executive Director Nashone Greer-Adams said she wants to find a solution to the funding problem, but city officials haven’t kept communications open with them. Two meetings with the mayor’s chief of staff and the deputy mayor for education and human services were abruptly canceled last week.

“We’ve been in this fight for almost 10 months now asking for transparency, asking for clarity and, as of this date, we still haven’t received no clarity,” Greer-Adams said. “We know that [Mayor Lori Lightfoot] is concentrating on high-quality programing, so we don’t understand why our high-quality programing is being ripped away from us.”

Greer-Adams said the center’s retention rate is over 90%, and 87% of its students go on to selective enrollment schools. A history of success, Greer-Adams said, is why the city awarded them the money to expand in the first place.

Little Angels lost funding in 2019 when Family and Support Services launched a new application process for early learning centers that prioritized programs that advanced kindergarten readiness, had lower child-to-adult ratios, higher teacher salaries and a more stringent staffing qualification. Though its application was denied, Little Angels received funding through a City Council resolution that helped 25 early learning centers remain open until the end of June. But on July 1, that funding dried up, forcing Little Angels to close its doors.

For weeks, parents and educators have camped out in front of Lightfoot’s Logan Square home demanding a sit-down conversation. They’ve even been holding classes outdoors near the mayor’s house to show that Little Angels is more than a daycare center.

Cherelle Bilal, a parent organizer, said Little Angels didn’t just provide quality education for her children, it also helped her survive domestic violence. Because of the center’s family bonding and career growth classes, Bilal said she was able to “flourish,” going back to school and working on an early childhood education degree.

“If you take this out this community,” Bilal said, “you will be taking away a safe haven.”

Read the full report from Manny Ramos.

More news you need

1. United Airlines has started notifying tens of thousands of employees about potential layoffs or furloughs starting Oct. 1, after already announcing plans to cut 3,400 of its managers due to coronavirus-related revenue loss. The latest move is expected to take a chunk out of its Chicago headquarters.
2. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act passed by Congress in March included funds to create the Paycheck Protection Program, a financial lifeline intended to help employers keep people on the payroll and pay some overhead expenses. We compiled a database of Illinois businesses that received PPP loans of $1 million or more.
3. President Donald Trump, who often brags about his degree from the University of Pennsylvania, had someone take his SAT for him to get into its prestigious Wharton School, his niece, Mary Trump writes in her new memoir. Lynn Sweet shares more highlights from the book, which comes out next week.

A bright one

South Side singer Jonathan McReynolds is taking gospel music to new heights

Chicago gospel singer Jonathan McReynolds has a lot going on.

McReynolds, who grew up between South Shore and South Chicago, continues to release music, teach gospel band at his alma mater, Columbia College, and run his nonprofit organization, Elihu Nation.

He’s also one of the judges for BET’s “Sunday Best,” a gospel-based singing competition that rebooted as a virtual show after taking a filming break due to the pandemic. As a judge, he’s looking for someone to lead the gospel music genre into the next generation: “We’re carrying a message of hope and love and joy,” he said. “We’re kind of picking a new teammate that’s gonna come from the next generation and really help us continue this charge in this way.”

Jonathan McReynolds stands on Michigan Ave near his alma mater, Columbia College, on Wednesday.

The three-time Grammy Award nominee, who is also a recent inductee to Mensa (the international high IQ society), is fast on his way to becoming a bonafide star in gospel music. His new album, “People,” debuted at No.1 on Billboard’s Gospel charts in April.

But McReynolds puts his success in perspective amid the pandemic, police killings, and the protests in their aftermath: “The songs are really strangely relevant to where we are right now,” he said. “It means a lot more when you can’t even go to church. It means a lot more when you can’t go to the cathedral, to actually become one on your own.”

Read the full profile by Evan F. Moore.

From the press box

A day after one club withdrew from the MLS Is Back Tournament due to a spate of positive COVID-19 tests, the Fire’s opening match against Nashville SC was postponed due to several players from that team testing positive. It’s unclear whether Nashville will be allowed to play in the tournament now.

Max Christie, Illinois’ most well-regarded prep basketball prospect in years, also made a big decision today by choosing to commit to Michigan State over Duke. The Blue Devils landed past elite Chicago talents Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor, but Christie opted to go with the Spartans.

Your daily question ☕

If beaches and pools were open right now, would you go swimming? Tell us why or why not.

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you what you did for the Fourth of July, and how it differed from your normal Independence Day traditions. Here’s what some of you said...

“I’ve been going to the beach every July 4th since I was little. This year, thanks to COVID-19, we stayed home and grilled in the backyard with my immediate family. It felt sad… really missed the beach.” — Rosy Medina

“We just relaxed at home instead of our annual picnic in the park. We also saw fireworks at a different venue than the one we usually go to.” — Phil Kirschbaum

“We walked around our neighborhood after nightfall and watched all of the fireworks from our neighbors. Quite spectacular.” — Tom Griffin

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