{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreicdt4nhquktz6yn7xow33nvfkskild4kpdu7kvobnbtq5uffss4ju",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:fcdmaxq5qly33pzgxlwm6ub4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfonozuqta52"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreifsvpkh6htk3463cicprv74dstckrnej6c4m6t57ad4mj4xxlyhbq"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 328930
  },
  "path": "/wbez-newsletter/2026/02/24/the-rundown-4-years-after-russias-invasion-of-ukraine",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-24T21:45:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.wbez.org",
  "textContent": "<p><i>Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and puzzle fans who </i><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wieners-circle-crossword-pop-up-tickets-1983580800571?aff=Rundown\" target=\"_blank\" ><i><u>complete a mini crossword</u></i></a><i> in less than 90 seconds next week will get a free Chicago dog from The Wiener’s Circle. (You’ll also get roasted by staff.) Here’s what you need to know today.</i></p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/nation-world/2026/02/24/ukraine-russia-war-fourth-anniversary-reaction\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>1. Four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Chicagoans reflect</u></b></a></p><p>As disagreements continue over the future of Russian-occupied Ukrainian land and postwar security, more than 40,000 Ukrainians have found new homes in the Chicago area, my colleagues Violet Miller and Stephanie Zimmermann report.</p><p>Iryna Potishma is among the conflict’s 5.9 million refugees. Her loved ones, who live in the western part of Ukraine, have mostly been spared from battle, though missiles struck a building near her brother’s apartment months ago. Adapting to life in the U.S. has been her own struggle, both in moving across continents and knowing what the people she cares about face at home.</p><p>For Oksana Koledova, a Vernon Hills resident who moved to the U.S. from Ukraine 19 years ago, the fight for her home country is her “daily life.” Her husband is a Ukrainian diplomat, and her father has been running meals and supplies to soldiers since the start of the war.</p><p>An estimated 1.8 million soldiers have been killed, wounded or are missing on both sides since February 2022, according to a report last month by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But that number doesn’t include many of Koledova’s loved ones who have returned from the battlefield with mental health struggles. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/nation-world/2026/02/24/ukraine-russia-war-fourth-anniversary-reaction\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/politics/2026/02/24/dick-durbin-original-dreamer-guest-president-donald-trumps-state-of-the-union-speech-illinois-democrats-boycott\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>2. U.S. Sen. Durbin plans to bring the original ‘Dreamer’ to Trump’s State of the Union speech, as several Illinois Dems boycott it</u></b></a></p><p>As my colleague Tina Sfondeles reports for the Chicago Sun-Times, Tereza Lee of Chicago inspired Durbin to introduce the DREAM Act 25 years ago.</p><p>The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act would allow noncitizens without legal status brought to the U.S as children — and meet certain education, military service or work requirements — to earn lawful permanent residence. The measure remains stalled.</p><p>Lee, born in Sao Paulo, came to the U.S. with her parents at age 2 legally on visitors’ visas and grew up in Chicago. A Lane Tech High School music teacher helped her get accepted into the Merit School of Music. Lee went on to obtain a doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music and has been a teacher there since 2011. She played her debut at Carnegie Hall in 2009 and is now a U.S. citizen.</p><p>U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, along with U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley, Sean Casten, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky and Eric Sorensen, said they won’t listen to the president offer his account of the state of the nation after a year of forceful deportation campaigns and health care cuts. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/politics/2026/02/24/dick-durbin-original-dreamer-guest-president-donald-trumps-state-of-the-union-speech-illinois-democrats-boycott\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p>Here’s what to know about the speech, which is expected to begin at 8 p.m. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/02/24/nx-s1-5717048/trump-congress-state-union\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/small-business/2026/02/23/business-license-fees-increased-chicago\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>3. Business license fees increased this year, some by as much as 400%</u></b></a></p><p>Fees for two-year regulated business licenses jumped from $250 to $1,000 on Jan. 1. And on Feb. 1, the annual license fee for a charter/sightseeing vehicle increased to $1,000 from $500, Amy Yee reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>Some advocates contend higher business license fees present another burden for small businesses facing economic headwinds, including inflation, tariffs and higher costs for health care and labor. Weaker consumer demand and raids by federal immigration agents last fall have also hurt many small businesses in Chicago.</p><p>The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection said it has updated all license fees on its website. It also included the new fee information in its January/February newsletter, sent industry notices and informed partners that work with small businesses. Fees for regulated and limited business licenses hadn’t changed since 2012 and were lower than in peer cities. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/small-business/2026/02/23/business-license-fees-increased-chicago\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/02/24/chicago-overcharge-city-sticker-violations-parking-tickets-fine-cap-cook-county-ruling-refunds\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>4. $1,600 in fines for 4 city sticker violations? The city must refund millions for ticket overcharges</u></b></a></p><p>Cook County Circuit Court Judge William Sullivan ruled cash-strapped Chicago is liable for overcharges and interest on more than 1 million tickets issued from 2012 to 2022. If the ruling stands, refunds would add up to nearly $104 million, Fran Spielman reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>Kyle Garchar, one of two named plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit, racked up four city sticker violations within weeks in 2017 and 2018 while parking on the street in front of his house. Garchar said the $1,600 debt deprived him of his ability to earn money from his job as a ride-share driver, since the city notified Uber and Lyft about his unpaid tickets.</p><p>The city’s Law Department issued a statement saying City Hall is considering an appeal of Sullivan’s ruling. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/02/24/chicago-overcharge-city-sticker-violations-parking-tickets-fine-cap-cook-county-ruling-refunds\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/arts-culture/2026/02/24/andrew-bird-debut-chicago-symphony-orchestra\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>5. Andrew Bird will make his CSO debut this fall</u></b></a></p><p>The Chicago-area native will celebrate the 20th anniversary of his album “The Mysterious Production of Eggs” with a Chicago Symphony Orchestra collaboration in November.</p><p>The performances will take place Nov. 13 and 14 at Downtown’s Symphony Center. It will mark Bird’s first time performing the album in its entirety alongside a full orchestra, Courtney Keuppers reports for WBEZ.</p><p>According to the CSO, “the program balances swelling sounds with jazz, folk, and pop melodies.” After performing the full album with orchestra arrangements, Bird will also play other fan favorites from his decadeslong career.</p><p>Tickets go on sale to the general public March 20. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/arts-culture/2026/02/24/andrew-bird-debut-chicago-symphony-orchestra\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><b>Here’s what else is happening</b></p><ul class=\"rte2-style-ul\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;\" id=\"rte-8b2e56b1-11c7-11f1-9257-dbca801383af\"><li>The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Americans can’t sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-postal-service-missing-mail-7ce97a5b7d56373cdeaa6ecc9a9132f5\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>The Louvre Museum’s director resigned in the wake of October’s brazen jewel heist in Paris. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/02/24/g-s1-111343/france-paris-louvre-museum-heist-director-resigns\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>Chicago-area residents may see more coyotes as mating season peaks. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/23/chicago-coyote-sightings-mating-season/\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Tribune</u></a>]</li><li>Review: In Definition Theatre’s “Black Cypress Bayou,” a strong Black matriarch clings tightly to her secrets and skeletons. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/theater-stages/2026/02/23/definition-theatre-black-cypress-bayou-review-family-chicago-stages\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</li></ul><p><b>Oh, and one more thing …</b></p><p>A plan to rehab the Greyhound bus terminal on Harrison Street offers a long-needed refresh to a lively piece of 1980s architecture previously at risk of being lost, Dennis Rodkin writes for In the Loop’s “What’s That Building?” series.</p><p>Above the low, red-brick terminal, two rows of 10 tall masts lift a broad, flat panel. Suspended from the masts by giant cables, it’s both a roof for the indoor terminal and a canopy for the outdoor bus bays.</p><p>Though it may not be familiar because of the bus station’s out-of-the-way location, it’s a dramatic element of the design, a floating roof suspended from vertical supports. And it sets Chicago’s terminal apart from the hulking, flat-roofed terminals Greyhound built around the same time in other cities in the 1980s. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/architecture/2026/02/24/whats-that-building-greyhound-terminal\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><b>Tell me something good …</b></p><p>What are your favorite movie adaptations of novels?</p><p>Skip writes:</p><p>“HANDS DOWN !!!!!! ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’”</p><p>Deborah writes:</p><p>“My favorite adaptation from novel to film is ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ by Laura Esquivel. I loved the book and saw the film twice. I’ll never forget it or the passion — both human and culinary — and humor it expressed.”</p><p>Jerry writes:</p><p>“‘The Godfather’ is one of my favorite movies, and the film adaptation breaks the rule about ‘the book was better.’ IMHO, the movie by far eclipses the book due to the stellar casting and performances that told the story with heightened drama and relevance. So many young actors that went on to stellar careers; an amazing work of art.”</p><p>Vel writes:</p><p>“My (two) favorite movie adaptations are both from a single book, with 4 novellas: ‘Different Seasons’ by Stephen King.</p><p>Both ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ and ‘Stand By Me’ are movies I’ve watched multiple times, with each time seeing it a little differently as I’m in a different part of my life. (I read, after viewing ‘Stand By Me,’ King was visibly shaken, hugged director Rob Reiner and told him it was ‘perfect.’)”</p><p>Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.</p>",
  "title": "The Rundown: 4 years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-24T21:45:01.577Z"
}