Daywatch: Thompson Center redevelopment gets underway
Good morning, Chicago.
Developers have begun the long-awaited transformation of the James R. Thompson Center into a high-tech home for Google, a move heralded by state and city officials as a new beginning for downtown Chicago, which is still struggling with empty offices and storefronts.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a Monday news conference that Google’s arrival could bring some magic back to the Central Loop.
“Google is one of Chicago’s great corporate citizens, and we are so proud to see it become a central feature of downtown Chicago,” Pritzker said. “This is an incredible investment in (Google’s) future, and ours.”
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Brian J. Rogal.
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A Chicago police officer is not required to be on duty and in uniform for their injuries — or death — to have occurred in the line of duty.
The Chicago Police Department and its pension board have now each determined that former Officer Danny Golden was performing official police duties just before he was shot and paralyzed outside a bar in the Beverly neighborhood nearly two years ago.
It’s a decision that came months after Golden applied for on-duty disability benefits in December, highlighting what can appear to outsiders as a subjective process with no hard and fast rules on how long it may take to reach that decision, or which officers or their families are certain to receive them.
Sexual abuse was rampant at Illinois youth facilities, lawsuit claims
Sexual abuse of juvenile detainees was rampant in youth centers across Illinois for more than two decades, according to a sweeping lawsuit.
In all, 95 people have joined in on the suit filed in the Illinois Court of Claims alleging the state allowed sexual abuse to thrive at juvenile facilities. Some claimants independently allege abuse by the same staffers, indicating the possibility of serial abusers among facility employees.
Johnson reverses course on moving migrants from downtown to proposed shelter in 11th Ward after stiff opposition
Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Monday he is pulling his proposal to move migrants from downtown to a new shelter in the South Side 11th Ward before the Democratic National Convention in the face of stiff opposition from the local alderman and the building’s owners, the latest setback in the administration’s attempts to house asylum-seekers.
The change came after the owners of the property said Johnson never informed them of his plans to use the building at 3951 S. Canal St. for a shelter. When the Tribune asked the city about that apparent disconnect, the Department of Family and Support Services released a Monday statement saying the city is “no longer considering” doing so.
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard vetoes hiring of former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard vetoed action by trustees to hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to conduct a probe into the mayor and village finances during a raucous Village Board meeting Monday.
“How dare you think you can come into someone’s town and do work,” Henyard said, saying trustees who voted to hire Lightfoot an an April 8 meeting overstepped their authority.
Lake, Porter County voters have contested races to choose from in Tuesday’s primary
As Lake and Porter County residents head to the polls Tuesday, they will face a few contested races, including Republican candidates for governor and Republican candidates for U.S. House of Representatives District 1.
Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox to partner with new network — Standard Media Group — but there are hurdles ahead
The Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox have partnered with Standard Media Group to form a new regional sports network with plans to begin broadcasting games in October, a source confirmed to the Tribune.
However, the Chicago sports teams face several hurdles.
Work-life balance: Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese walks the Met Gala red carpet after practice Monday
Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese made a surprise appearance on the red carpet at the Met Gala on Monday, the only WNBA player to attend the high fashion event.
Reese — who the Sky traded up to select No. 7 in this year’s WNBA draft — wore Marco Capaldo 16Arlington. The gala doubled as a birthday event for the rookie, who turned 22 on Monday.
Review: Gangnam Food Hall isn’t Korean, but serves Asian American style and substance in Chicago
Gangnam Food Hall serves fantastical Asian American Chicagoan food and drinks with surprising style and substance, writes Louisa Kung Liu Chu.
Despite its name, it is in fact not Korean. Even though there’s a bulgogi steak burrito stuffed with kimchi fried rice. Nor is it a food hall with various vendors.
Review: ‘Thanksgiving Play’ at Steppenwolf Theatre is a biting satire, humanly played
Larissa FastHorse’s play, previously on Broadway, is set at an elementary school where a teacher tries and fails to do the right thing. Tribune theater critic Chris Jones has this review of the production.
The Dearborn Station Trainshed (47 W. Polk St.) was torn down in 1976. From “Lost in America: Photographing the Last Days of Our Architectural Treasures” by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams. (Cityfiles Press, 2023)Column: New book ‘Lost in America’ offers ghost stories of buildings in Chicago and across the country
A building is not, of course, a living thing but buildings can die and a fascinating, indeed haunting, new book offers us a graveyard in black and white, writes Rick Kogan.
“Lost in America: Photographing the Last Days of Our Architectural Treasures” is the latest visually striking, marvelously written offering from Richard Cahan and Michael Williams, who have been at this for more than 20 years with their CityFiles Press.