Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a five-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
This afternoon will be breezy with showers and thunderstorms possible and a high near 73 degrees. Showers are also expected tonight with a high near 59 degrees. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm are forecast tomorrow as well, with a high near 65.
Top story
Chicago’s new civilian police oversight commission off to a slow start
Chicago’s fledgling civilian police oversight commission has so far filled only one of 14 staff positions — a painfully slow start to reform vital to restoring the trust between residents and police that can be pivotal to solving violent crimes, alderpersons were told today.
Testifying at City Council budget hearings, Adam Gross, executive director of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, called the commission a “start-up.”
Out of 14 positions in the 2022 city budget, only one person other than Gross is “hired and on staff,” Gross said, while another staffer is at the “end of the fingerprinting process.” Another has started the vetting process. Three more are in the “late stages” of being interviewed. Two additional jobs have been posted and may be filled by year’s end.
That would leave five additional vacancies going into 2023, when the commission will have 23 jobs to fill and a budget of $4.3 million, including stipends and fringe benefits.
“We’re a start-up. We’re going from zero to something,” Gross said.
As a council champion for civilian police oversight, retiring Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) was alarmed by the painfully slow start.
Osterman said he’s well aware there are more than 5,000 vacancies in all of city government, and that hiring takes too long.
But, he said, civilian police oversight — a fixture in Los Angeles for nearly a century —cannot succeed in Chicago without the support it needs to get off the ground.
“Other departments that are large have the luxury of having vacancies. You don’t have that luxury. … We do not have the luxury of time. When it comes to public safety in Chicago, we’re on borrowed time. We have to go back and try to fix things every single day,” Osterman said
Fran Spielman has more on the commission here.
More news you need
- The family of an 11-year-old sexual assault victim gathered outside police headquarters this morning to express outrage that a man believed to have committed the crime was released from police custody. Our Mitch Dudek has the latest in this developing story here.
- Police discovered bloody rags along the lakefront and human remains in a freezer inside a boarding house as they searched for the building’s owner yesterday, turning a missing person case into a homicide investigation. A suspect was taken into custody after pulling a knife on a tow truck driver he hired to help transport a “large plastic bag” to the lakefront, police said.
- A Palos Park man who was left a quadriplegic after an incident at an iFly indoor skydiving facility is suing the company for negligence and misrepresentation. Schilling hit the glass wall of the vertical wind tunnel headfirst and suffered a severe spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic, according to a lawsuit.
- The owners of Hollywood Casino Aurora want to close their facility in downtown Aurora and rebuild it on a site closer to Interstate 88, they announced yesterday. The new casino complex would have a 200-room hotel with about 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space, the Daily Herald reports.
- In his continued drive to defeat Republican election deniers and conspiracy mongers, Rep. Adam Kinzinger has released his list of endorsements for the November elections — including Democrats and incumbents. Our Lynn Sweet has more on Kinzinger’s list here.
- The Chicago International Film Festival kicks off this week, boasting 94 features and 56 shorts over 12 days. The festivities all start tomorrow on Southport Avenue with an opening night block party.
A bright one
Bakery plans move to Southwest Side building getting new lease on life
A new source for puff pastry and other goods is coming to the Southwest Side.
Cadinho Bakery is moving into a flatiron building in McKinley Park that’s getting a new lease on life. The triangle-shaped building, at 3479 S. Archer Ave., has been vacant since 2020. Construction recently began to rehab it and the Portuguese bakery is the first tenant to sign a lease. It will occupy the building’s first-floor space, right where Archer, 35th Street and Hoyne Avenue all intersect.
For Maria Alejandra Rivera, the woman behind the bakery, it’s a big step for the venture she’s been running out of her home using any available DIY hack, including an electric blanket.
“You’d laugh at the creative things you come up with to get the right temperature for baking at home,” Rivera said.
For McKinley Park residents, the brick-and-mortar location will be an overdue and welcome addition to the neighborhood.
“People want to see more family-owned businesses and mom-and-pop type shops that they can walk to,” said John Belcik, president of the McKinley Park Development Council.
The lifelong McKinley Park resident says that while a number of bakeries and coffee shops have come and gone over the years, there’s a distinct void for one today.
“We’re all really excited for a bakery to show back up,” he said.
Michael Loria has more on the bakery via his interview with Rivera here.
From the press box
- The Red Stars have named Kim Vender Moffat the chairwoman of their board of directors after the board voted to remove majority owner Arnim Whislerfrom the role, Annie Costabile reports.
- Ben Pope breaks down how Alec Regula earned a Blackhawks roster spot.
- Coby White is up for an extension on his rookie contract, but he also has been mentioned in trade rumors since last season. The Bulls’ front office has a decision to make, Joe Cowley argues.
- In his latest column, Rick Telander argues that the Bears being better than we thought and a mediocre league both mean everything is winnable.
Your daily question☕
What is the best restaurant in your neighborhood? Tell us why.
Send us an email at newsletters@suntimes.com and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you: If tiny homes became popular in Chicago, would you be willing to live in one?
Here’s what some of you said...
“No, could too easily get covered in snow in a blizzard. And too easily hit by a snow plow.” — Stephanie Iniguez
“Absolutely — as long as they were affordable.” — Laura Nichols
“Never. We worked too hard to move into a tiny house.” — James Robert
“I would. Living and owning such a place would force me to be mindful of how much I buy and how much I keep. I would love to live in a cozy place that is just big enough for me.” — Hillari Hunter
“No. Where would I put my books?” — Tony Galati
“Housing is a human necessity. The lack of affordable housing has caused homelessness and weakened our economy. Tiny houses offer one alternative to high rents and mortgage payments.” — Sue Fitzsimmons
“No, no, no. Don’t give developers any bright ideas. This is not Manhattan, I refuse to sleep in my kitchen/bathroom.” — Julien Christopher Smasal
“Yeah. I’m one person, and I don’t need much to be content. Just put it close to a bus stop, and I’m good.” — Brian Ray
“No, because to me, you live tiny to be in the wilderness — not a city.” — Janet Ann Davis
“Yes. All I need is enough room for me and the Mrs. to lie our heads, cook and bathe. Stuff is just a burden for those who’ll be left behind. A TV, a computer for reading the Sun-Times and a few good books is all we need. Oh and a small garden (no lawn) to grow our veggies.” — Paul Fedrick
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