Seeking safety for restaurant servers
Good morning, Chicago. ✶
???? Below: Amid accusations of staff abuse by the chef and ex-owner of a buzzy local restaurant, Chicago groups are doing what they can to protect workers from harassment and retaliation.
????️ Plus: Two hospitals face eviction, how to reduce home flooding and more news you need to know.
???? Keeping score: The Cubs toppled the Phillies, 10-4; the White Sox fell to the Rays, 8-5; the Fire beat Detroit City, 2-1.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER ????️
Cloudy with a chance of showers, thunderstorms and a high near 74.
TODAY’S TOP STORY ????
Warlord case prompts fresh questions about how to protect restaurant workers
By Maggie Hennessy
Abuse alleged: Restaurant industry news reports have exposed years of alleged staff abuses by Trevor Fleming, the chef and former co-owner of Warlord. Employee abuse in Chicago’s hospitality industry isn’t exactly a secret. Being part of a high-turnover industry built on relationships, workers have little incentive to speak up if something untoward happens.
At issue: Restaurants remain hierarchical small businesses with few formal systems for employee complaints. Power imbalances between workers and higher-ups are exacerbated by a tipped wage structure and by blurry lines of conduct. For survivors, paths toward safety, healing and accountability are slow-moving and routinely unsatisfying.
Working for better: At least two grassroots organizations are trying to advocate for hospitality workers, offer mental health support and create ways to lodge formal complaints: Survivors Know; and Chicago Hospitality Accountability & Advocacy Database, or CHAAD. And a growing number of restaurants are engaging workers over internal policy and culture.
No quick fixes: "Sometimes there is no justice. It's just removing yourself from the harm," said an ex-Warlord employee and longtime hospitality worker. Said Raeghn Draper, CHAAD executive director, "If your boss gets a whiff of you filing a complaint with an enforcement agency, you can get fired ... and there's not much to do in an at-will state."
CHICAGO LIFE ✶
Same-sex couple households increase more than 70% in Chicago since 2005
By Araceli Gómez-Aldana
National trend: New U.S. Census Bureau data shows same-sex couple households in the U.S. went up 78% since 2005, with most growth happening in the last 10 years. The survey uses American Community Survey one-year estimates for all years between 2005 and 2024. It shows about 1.4 million same-sex couple households in the U.S. in 2024.
Chicago POV: The two community areas with the highest percentage of same-sex couple households are a section including Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park, followed by the Lake View and Lincoln Park area, according to the data. Same-sex couples make up 1.7% of all couples in Chicago and about 0.75% in the rest of Illinois.
Key context: The rise in the count of same-sex couple households nationwide could reflect a more accurate representation. But experts point to various factors that can contribute to the data jump, from the evolution of census survey methods to the legalization of same-sex marriage.
ENVIRONMENT ????️
What homeowners can do to reduce flooding
By Brett Chase
Flooding frequency: Blamed in part on climate change, intense storms are happening more frequently and dumping more rain, increasing the risk of flooding. Chicago’s sewers can handle just 2 inches before a flood becomes likely. Sewers contain stormwater and wastewater. When rain falls fast and hard, some homes get that raw sewage gurgling up through basement drains.
What you can do:
- Redirect the downspout: Reroute the downspout that pours water from your home’s rooftop gutters directly into the sewer by cutting the end off, adding an extension and sending that water to a garden or other landscaping.
- Rain barrels: The container can fit under a gutter downspout, and the 50 or more gallons of water captured can be used for irrigation.
- Replace nonporous surfaces: Reducing the amount of nonporous surfaces, including concrete, around your property is another way to reduce chances of basement flooding. Pick water-absorbent surfaces like pavers or bricks with spaces between for backyard patios and walkways.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED ????️
- Corruption appeal: A federal appeals court ordered the release from prison Tuesday of former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and lobbyist Michael McClain, promising to grant a new trial on whether they sought to illegally influence ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.
- Remembering Kayla Winfrey: Fatally shot Saturday during a party for her 25th birthday at her home, loved ones gathered Tuesday to remember the youth mentor and former EMT. "Anybody that came across her and met her, they loved her," one cousin told the Sun-Times.
- Man charged in woman’s death: Deandre Bell Google searched "how to kill someone with a hammer?" before bludgeoning to death Davonta Curtis, his transgender on-again-off-again girlfriend, according to county prosecutors. A judge ordered Bell held pending trial
- Electrical fire killed boy: A fire that killed 10-year-old London Woodard in Washington Heights on Monday was caused by electrical issues, according to Chicago police.
- Hospitals face eviction: Notices posted to the doors of West Suburban Medical Center and Weiss Memorial Hospital are demanding nearly $25 million in back rent. One notice at West Suburban's River Forest location gives the hospital five days to pay up.
- Campus for sale: Trinity Christian College, set to close this year in Palos Heights, is being marketed as a possible redevelopment.
DELIVERY DRAMA ????
Chicago’s delivery robots and the debate over them
By Elleiana Green
Beep boop: As companies push to dispatch more delivery robots across Chicago neighborhoods, some residents are fighting their deployment, part of an ongoing debate about the electric couriers. As of last month, there are 100 delivery robots running in the city. They mostly deliver food.
Key context: Tech companies Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics have rolled out delivery robots across Chicago over the last two years. Coco’s began appearing in the 27th and 34th wards. Serve launched 50 robots across much of the North and West sides last September. The robots were first allowed by the city in 2022, when then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot ushered in a City Council-approved Personal Delivery Device pilot program. The program will not renew past May 2027 without action from the council.
Forget a bot it?: A CoCo Robotics delivery robot shattered the glass of an Old Town bus shelter March 24, a day after a video of a Serve Robotics delivery robot rolling through the shattered glass of the bus shelter it destroyed in West Town went viral earlier the same week. Nearly a month later, Serve Robotics put up a new ad to publicly apologize for the damage.
LET’S HEAR FROM YOU ????️
Should Chicago continue to have delivery robots on the city's streets? Tell us why or why not.
Reply to this newsletter (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM ????
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- What's next for Rainbow PUSH: Yusef Jackson, youngest son of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., has just taken the helm of the civil rights organization his father founded. The new CEO of Rainbow PUSH talks about the future.
- Protecting women: Guests Delilah Martinez of the Mural Movement and the "Protect Women, Period" campaign, and Tio Hardman of Violence Interrupters, discuss a citywide campaign that's a response to incidents of violence on the CTA.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- SNAP cuts: Guest Danielle Perry of the Greater Chicago Food Depository talks about working to fill the gaps for 250,000 Illinoisans set to lose their SNAP benefits May 1.
- Runner says goodbye: Joabe Barbosa, a Brazilian national and social media star who strove to run every block in Chicago, must leave the U.S. as his visa is expiring. He'll share why he loves Chicago and exercising. Callers can weigh in, too.
FROM THE PRESS BOX ????⚾????
- Azurá Stevens returns: The forward-center, a key piece of the Sky’s 2021 WNBA championship team, is back where the fit — and the money — made sense, writes Alissa Hirsh.
- The Grant Taylor vision: The White Sox say they're not taking their prized righty's versatility for granted — or stretching him out for traditional starts.
- Offseason plans: While missing the last five weeks of the season recovering from injury, Blackhawks rookie Oliver Moore talked about how hockey is played at this level. He plans to watch lots of film this offseason.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD ????
Today's clue: 1D: ABC 7 anchor Judy ___
BRIGHT ONE ????
Heray Spice creates opportunities in Afghanistan with saffron
By Amy Yee
Mohammad Salehi opens a jar of saffron and smells the dark crimson threads nestled inside. The spice has a rich, musky aroma that’s a reminder of home. Heray Spice, Salehi’s fair trade business, imports saffron grown by farmers in Herat in western Afghanistan, where he grew up.
Saffron, known as the world’s most expensive spice, lends its vibrant yellow hue to dishes such as paella, seafood and bouillabaisse. During Nowruz, the Persian New Year, many Afghans drink saffron tea and eat tahdig, a crispy rice dish with saffron, yogurt and butter. This year, Nowruz started March 20 and ended April 2.
Salehi started Heray Spice in 2017 with half a pound of saffron from his relatives’ farms in Herat. Now it sources from nearly 300 farmers and employs eight people in Afghanistan and six at its office near Lake View.
"Every time I hear from farmers in Herat about saffron, it’s deeply emotional for me," Salehi said. "It’s not just an agricultural crop; it represents community, dignity and hope."
WATCH: INSIDE HERAY SPICE ▶️
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Yesterday, we asked you: How do you feel about recent statements from President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV related to the Iran war?
Here’s some of what you said…
"Trump is being honest this time. MAGA does not support the tenets of Christianity. He is showing who they worship." — Howard Heath
"Pope Leo needs to stay out of politics. Trump is trying to bring stability to the Middle East by taking down the leadership in Iran. Trump is pro-life, which the Pope should praise." — Robert Pomplun
"Trump’s statements about the Pope seem to be based on the false assumption that the Pope is a political figure. He doesn’t appear to understand that the Pope is a spiritual leader with a set of values and beliefs that are rooted in faith, humility and compassion. It will be interesting to see how this plays out." — Jonathan Copulsky
"As a Lutheran, I stand with the Pope. Conservatives have a long history of co-opting the language of Christianity for votes without acting on those values ... I hope American Catholics and Christians at large don't brush this off." — Phoebe Murtagh
"I am horrified by Trump's statement about obliterating Iran off the face of the earth and ending a civilization! His rhetoric is violent, disrespectful and not acceptable! Pope Leo is reminding us to be peacemakers, and I totally agree with him." — Lizz Verbeten
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
Hat tip: Sun-Times’ Joel Carlson for today’s subject line, which you’ll find on the front page of today’s newspaper — on newsstands and online now.
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