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.
We’ve got a stormy afternoon in the forecast, with rain and strong winds moving through the Chicago area and a high near 67 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 46 degrees. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 72 degrees.
Top story
As Pritzker pushes no-knock warrant ban, Chicago police allow them, but tightened search rules
Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he wants to ban no-knock search warrants in Illinois, but Chicago police officials say they rarely conduct those kinds of raids and have revamped their search-warrant policy as part of a risk-management evaluation.
Pritzker announced his proposed reform this past week in reaction to the no-knock warrant for drugs that led to the fatal shooting by police of Breonna Taylor in March in Louisville, Kentucky. Taylor’s boyfriend, who said he didn’t know it was the police entering their apartment, shot an officer, and Taylor was killed when officers returned fire.
Even though they obtained a no-knock warrant, the officers knocked on the door, and one witness said they announced they were cops. No drugs were found.
National protests erupted after a grand jury last month declined to charge the officers with murder. One officer was charged with wanton endangerment for firing into a neighbor’s apartment.
The Chicago Police Department isn’t taking a stance on the governor’s proposed ban on no-knock warrants, a spokeswoman said. By their nature, searches are high-risk operations in which cops have about 90 seconds to enter a home and make sure it’s safe. The Chicago Police Department executes 1,500 to 2,000 search warrants a year.
Most warrants require officers to knock and announce themselves. State law allows no-knock warrants when police believe a weapon will be used against an officer or another person and that knocking would prompt someone in the home to destroy evidence.
“It’s extremely rare that a no-knock warrant is used by the Chicago Police Department. No-knock warrants are only used in the most extreme and dangerous cases,” said the police spokeswoman, who couldn’t say how many there have been.
No-knock warrants have resulted in lawsuits against the city and the police department accusing officers of entering the wrong home or using excessive force.
On Jan. 3, the police department updated its search-warrant policy to try to limit its civil liability. No-knock warrants are still allowed, but one of the major changes is that two uniformed cops with body-worn cameras must enter the home with the rest of the officers on a raid. In the past, many searches weren’t recorded because not all officers are equipped with such cameras.
The new policy also requires officers to take additional steps to plan a search to make sure they’re at the address listed on the warrant and to know whether children or other vulnerable people might be in the home. Searches involving an address that’s not on a warrant will result in an automatic internal investigation, according to the police.
Read Frank Main’s full story here.
More news you need
- State and county politicians renewed calls to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day today. “Today must be the last day our state recognizes Columbus Day as a state holiday,” State Rep. Delia Ramirez said.
- State health officials announced today that another 2,742 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Illinois, with 13 more dying of the virus. The state’s seven-day positivity rate — the metric by which health experts measure the virus’ spread — has again increased.
- Five people were killed and 48 others were injured in shootings across Chicago over the weekend. Five of those wounded were teenagers.
- Southwest Airlines intends to begin flying out of O’Hare Airport by the middle of 2021, the airline announced today. The expansion won’t cause any changes in service at Midway, which is among Southwest’s busiest airports.
- Season 2 of HGTV’s “Windy City Rehab” ends tomorrow with host Alison Victoria mostly rid of former partner Donovan Eckhardt and contending with multiple stop work orders and buyer complaints on a project in Ukrainian Village. Here’s a recap (with spoilers!) of tomorrow’s season finale.
A bright one
Annual Chicago Christmas tree contest is underway
Those who love the holiday season in Chicago might have been disappointed to learn that there’s no Christkindlmarket mug to collect this year, but not all local traditions will be lost to the coronavirus: the search for the city’s official Christmas tree is now underway.
If you want to help find the city’s 107th Christmas tree, you can nominate one. To be considered, the tree must be at least 45 feet tall, located less than 50 miles from Chicago’s Loop (the closer to the Loop, the better) and preferably be a Norway Spruce or Fir (pine trees are ineligible, because they’re not sturdy enough). Submissions are being accepted until Oct. 23.
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Nominations must include a written description of why it qualifies to be Chicago’s official Christmas tree, and what makes it special. Officials also want two photos of the tree, one from afar, and one from up close.
Once chosen, the tree will be displayed in Millennium Park near the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Washington Street. Details on the tree lighting will be announced later, the city said.
Here’s how to nominate a huge tree near you.
From the press box
The White Sox made the unexpected decision to part ways with manager Rick Renteria this morning. Renteria, who also managed the Cubs in 2014, led the Sox back to the playoffs in his fourth season with the club.
The Blackhawks also continued their offseason shakeup by adding defensive-minded forward Mattias Janmark on a one-year contract. Janmark recorded 21 points in 62 games with the Stars last season.
Your daily question ☕
What have you learned about yourself during the coronavirus pandemic?
Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Friday, we asked you: Are you noticing anything different about your dreams since the pandemic started? Here’s what some of you said…
“They’re either about masks, politics, or going to the store. One time I dreamt they had Lysol in stock. Woke up disappointed. I legit use it to clean my floors so I am not happy right now.” — Ken Jackson
“For the first couple of months, I would wake up from crazy dreams. They were kind of frightening and bizarre. As the pandemic has worn on, that type of dream has faded a bit.” — Beth Schuman
“Vivid and filled with people and places I don’t know.” — Brigette Williams
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