Cop's record raised alarms before he fatally shot partner
Good morning, Chicago. ✶
???? Below: Before he fatally shot his partner, Krystal Rivera, top brass initially blocked Chicago Police Officer Carlos Baker from joining the tactical team over his lengthy disciplinary history.
????️ Plus: A potential Downtown hotel tax spike, a stationery boom thanks to a "return to analog" and more news you need to know.
???? Keeping score: The Bulls beat the Jazz, 128-126.
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⏱️: A 7-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER ????️
Mostly sunny with a high near 26 and wind chill values as low as zero.
TODAY’S TOP STORY ????
Chicago police brass rejected troubled cop’s move to elite unit before he fatally shot partner
By Peter Nickeas, Tom Schuba and Casey Toner
Decision reversed: Carlos Baker, the cop who fatally shot his tactical team partner during a chase on the South Side last year, initially had his appointment to that unit blocked by a top Chicago Police Department official because of his disciplinary history, but that decision was reversed less than a year later, even though he’d racked up more complaints, records show.
Approved anyway: Chief of Patrol Jon Hein ultimately approved Baker’s transfer to the Gresham District’s tactical team despite having denied his request for the move less than a year earlier because of "discipline" problems.
Key context: On June 5, a few months after being moved to the tactical team, Baker shot Officer Krystal Rivera as they chased a gunman into an apartment building. Police officials called the shooting unintentional. Rivera’s family filed a lawsuit last month against the city and Baker, saying Rivera had broken up with him shortly before the shooting after finding out that Baker had a live-in girlfriend and threatening to disclose their relationship to her.
Since then: Since Baker’s fatal shooting last year of Rivera, investigators found that he tried to interfere in a separate investigation in which he’s accused of battering an off-duty female police officer outside a bar. Baker hasn’t been charged in that incident. He hasn’t been disciplined in connection with Rivera’s death. A Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigation into the shooting remains open, a spokesperson said.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED ✶
- Remembering Kristen Pierce-Sherrod: Harold's Chicken Shack founder Harold Pierce's daughter, 55, became the CEO of the chain and co-founder of the therapy organization Chicago Children Equestrian Center. Mrs. Pierce-Sherrod's family announced her death Wednesday.
- Cop shoots at man: A Chicago police officer fired four gunshots at an armed man cops found sleeping inside a car early Monday in Austin, according to the city’s police oversight agency and court records.
- Ex-nurse charged: A former nurse in Chicago has been charged in federal court with distributing counterfeit Ozempic weight-loss drugs.
- Funding education: The Illinois State Board of Education voted Wednesday to recommend the state increase education funding about the same amount as previous years, but far less than what would be needed to fully fund education across Illinois.
- Time Out Market to close: The food hall, which opened in 2019, announced it will shut its doors Jan. 29, citing inconsistent foot traffic following the COVID-19 pandemic. It also plans to close its Boston location.
CITY HALL ????️
- Mayor considers curfew: Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday that he has warmed to a newly revised curfew ordinance aimed at preventing teen takeovers from turning violent.
- Hotel tax could spike: The tax on Downtown hotel rooms may soon rise to 19% — the highest in the nation — to generate $40 million in new revenue to attract conventions and tourism.
- Adopt a Midway?: Mayor Johnson’s administration is testing the waters on the idea of selling naming rights and sponsorships at O’Hare and Midway airports.
- Help for Congress Theater: A City Council committee agreed to support providing a $25.2 million federal loan — backed by Chicago’s share of community development block grants — to breathe new life into the landmark Congress Theater.
HEALTH ❤️
Trump administration reverses cuts to mental health, substance abuse programs
By AP and Elvia Malagón
Feds reverse: In less than 24 hours, the Trump administration reversed course and said it would not cut nearly $2 billion in funding to substance abuse and mental health programs across the country.
Bipartisan backlash: Following swift bipartisan backlash to news that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on Tuesday night canceled grants for some 2,000 programs, the federal government said late Wednesday it would restore the funding, according to NPR. The reversal followed intense lobbying of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the program that made the cuts.
IMMIGRATION ✶
New documentary aims to chronicle Chicago under ICE occupation
By Ambar Colón
Work in progress: For the past year, a five-person crew has been working on the documentary "Shouldering Sanctuary," examining Chicago’s response to federal immigration enforcement operations launched here by President Donald Trump.
The doc: "Shouldering Sanctuary" will feature several individuals whom the crew has been following through Downtown courtrooms, across Little Village, alongside rapid response teams and inside City Hall — and will include hotseat interviews, bodycam footage and videos from social media. The completed film is set to be finished by spring.
Early screening: The group will screen their work-in-progress film Thursday at Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, with hopes of learning how the audience will react. The showing will be followed by a discussion with local politicians and advocates.
More headlines:
- Chicago law firm investigates Minneapolis shooting for Renee Nicole Good’s family
- U.S. will suspend immigrant visa processing from 75 countries over public assistance concerns
- Federal officer shoots man in Minneapolis
FROM THE PRESS BOX ????????????
- Caleb Williams look-alike contest: The Wieners Circle will hold a contest to find out who most resembles the Bears quarterback. The winner will receive a gift card, merchandise and more, the restaurant said.
- Chicago Bandits softball: The Chicago area now has its own pro softball team after the Athletes Unlimited Softball League announced permanent homes for its six clubs this week. The Bandits will play at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont.
- Boys basketball: We've got Wednesday's high school boys basketball scores, including Brother Rice’s 64-47 upset of St. Laurence.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD ????
Today's clue: 1A: Chicago ___ hole (phenomenon scientists believe was actually made by a squirrel)
BRIGHT ONE ????
Shoppers fill stationery shops as social media touts ‘return to analog’
By Mariah Rush
A line of shoppers is often seen outside the Andersonville stationery shop Paper & Pencil. At the front of the line, a store employee acts as a bouncer, preventing overcrowding in the 400-square-foot shop.
The store’s capacity has been tested since the Christmas shopping season, with customers arriving soon after it opens 11 a.m. Earlier this month, it announced plans to maintain a queue system, especially for weekends and holidays, whereby customers must wait for an employee to let them into the store.
Stationery stores like Paper & Pencil — packed with stickers, fountain pens, washi tape, planners and notebooks — have seen sales surge. But it’s not because consumers are looking to get organized in the New Year, though that has been a factor. Chicago shop owners credit social media and influencers who have marked this year as a return to analog, opting for physical media, entertainment and, yes, pens and paper.
"In the last year, I realized a lot of the things I was doing in my life were very automated, like getting groceries and food delivered, and people were sending me Google Calendar invites for everything," Julie Jachym, 28, said, while shopping at Paper & Pencil. "I wasn’t very intentional about what I was doing … Being more analog with my life has been very helpful in being more mindful."
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