Chicagoans pay respects to Rev. Jesse Jackson: The Rundown
Good afternoon! It’s Thursday, and I’m excited to catch up on the new Art Institute exhibits from the past few months this evening. Here’s what you need to know today, including upcoming CSO music director Klaus Mäkelä’s favorites from the museum.
1. Hundreds of Chicagoans paid their respects to Rev. Jesse Jackson at lying-in-repose services
The civil rights icon, who died last week at age 84, will lie in repose at Rainbow PUSH’s Kenwood headquarters today and tomorrow, my colleagues Erica Thompson and Cindy Hernandez report.
Color guard members paid respects to Jackson as his casket was removed from a hearse bearing the name Leak & Sons and carried into the building as Jackson’s family followed behind.
By 9:20 a.m., about 150 people formed a line down Drexel Avenue as recordings of Jackson’s speeches blared from speakers. Among them were people of all generations who said they came to show their gratitude for Jackson and be a part of a historical moment.
“He wasn’t traditional,” said Pastor King James Camper, who leads Camper’s Temple Church of God in Christ in Gary, Indiana, and said Jackson inspired him to go into ministry. “He was connected to the community and the people, and he connected religion with current events. It’s more than just seeking God but learning to live in this society and fight for rights with God’s help.”
Jackson will lie in repose for a second day tomorrow, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Additional services will take place March 2 in South Carolina and March 4 in Washington, D.C. A “People’s Celebration” will be held March 6 at 10 a.m. at House of Hope in Chicago. Private homegoing services are scheduled for 10 a.m. on March 7 at Rainbow PUSH. [Chicago Sun-Times]
2. Ten Democrats are running to replace U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin
Two members of Congress, a lieutenant governor and seven other Democrats are on the ballot in the contentious open U.S. Senate race.
As Tina Sfondeles writes for the Chicago Sun-Times, Durbin’s announcement last year that he would not seek a sixth term led to a game of political music chairs, with a long roster of Democrats who had been quietly jockeying for his position free to jump into the spotlight.
U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton have consistently ranked in the top three in several recent polls, according to a New York Times analysis. Rounding out the list are Steve Botsford Jr., Sean Brown, Awisi A. Bustos, Jonathan Dean, Bryan Maxwell, Kevin Ryan and Christopher Swann. In the Republican primary, candidates include R. Cary Capparelli, Casey Chlebek, Jeannie Evans, Pamela Denise Long, Jimmie Lee Tillman II and Don Tracy.
Money is playing an oversize factor in the race, with Krishnamoorthi raising $28.7 million for his Senate bid, an amount the Federal Election Commission ranks third nationwide in fundraising hauls. Gov. JB Pritzker gave a pro-Stratton super PAC called Illinois Future PAC $5 million that is funding two TV ads in the final weeks of the campaign. [Chicago Sun-Times]
3. Waymo took a step toward deploying autonomous vehicles in Chicago
The company, a subsidiary of Google’s parent Alphabet, said human drivers would use its vehicles to map the city “to lay the early groundwork for operations in Chicago.”
As my colleague Violet Miller writes for the Chicago Sun-Times, the cars will be used east of the Kennedy and Dan Ryan expressways, from the South Loop to Wrigleyville. A timeline for the test wasn’t provided.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office said the city was given a heads up. The Chicago test comes a day after the company announced it was dispatching its robotaxis in four more cities in Texas and Florida.
State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, has filed a bill in Springfield to allow autonomous vehicles to be tested in Cook County. [Chicago Sun-Times]
In an unprecedented move, Chicago Public Schools said it will transfer Aspira students out of their two high schools midyear to safeguard their “educational stability,” Sarah Karp reports for WBEZ.
Aspira has been relying on cash advances from CPS to make payroll, but the state limits how much CPS can do that. For months, Aspira and CPS have blamed each other for the charter school network’s financial problems.
Seniors from Aspira’s two high schools will be at the CPS board meeting this evening to try to convince members to change their minds. [WBEZ]
The wine industry may still be struggling, but in Chicago, in-store wine education is alive and evolving beyond lessons rooted in the historic powerhouse regions found in California, France and Spain. There’s a flourishing menu of classes representing viniculture from Baja California and Hungary, WBEZ food contributor Maggie Hennessy reports.
“We’ve done, gosh, I don’t know, hundreds, maybe over a thousand events? — and pretty much all of them sell out,” said Melissa Zeman, owner of BottlesUp! Since opening in 2019, this cheery storefront has hosted weekly 101 classes, from wine and cheese pairings and intros to wine from the Republic of Georgia to slightly sillier takes, like “Shuck Yourself,” marrying wine with oysters. In a combo dance lesson-wine class, attendees learn four dance styles, each paired with a different wine.
Meanwhile, pairing wine and food represent a nice jumping-off point for beginner oenophiles. Classes at Beautiful Rind in Logan Square break down how to pair cheese not just with wine but beer, tea and even margaritas. [WBEZ]
Here are eight shops with wine classes to check out. [WBEZ]
Here’s what else is happening
- Hillary Clinton testified she has no information on Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. [AP]
- The average home loan rate dropped below 6% for the first time since 2022. [NPR]
- Here are this year’s International Booker Prize nominees. [New York Times]
- Property tax incentives for the Chicago Bears advanced in the Illinois House despite the city's opposition. [WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times]
Oh, and one more thing …
Klaus Mäkelä may not officially assume the reins of the Chicago Symphony until next fall, but the phenom conductor is already busy, leading concerts, overseeing auditions and taking the ensemble on tour, as he does this week to Carnegie Hall in New York City.
But when Mäkelä visits his future home base, he spends precious free moments across the street from work at the Art Institute of Chicago, WBEZ arts contributor Hannah Edgar writes.
“I usually come at least twice, every time,” Mäkelä said. “After rehearsal, when you’ve been working on a million things, it’s a way to unwind. It’s cleansing, almost.”
He took WBEZ on a tour of his favorite works at the museum, including Marc Chagall’s “America Windows” and El Greco’s “The Assumption of the Virgin.” You can see photos of all his picks in the link. [WBEZ]
Tell me something good …
What are your favorite movie adaptations of novels?
Paul writes:
“‘The Wizard of Oz!’ A classic film with songs that have been endeared to many generations. ‘Over the Rainbow’ alone has been covered by tons of artists, and yet Judy Garland’s film version is a fantastic memory!”
Sam writes:
“One of my favorite book adaptations is Jurassic Park! An above average novel turned groundbreaking movie! I still remember thinking my parents were super cool for letting us go to the late night premiere on a Thursday school night. The fantastic musical score as well as cutting-edge special effects (for the time) made it a game changer and one of the few movies I think is better than the book.”
Ruth Anne writes:
“Brian Selznick’s ‘The Invention of Hugo Cabret’ (2007), an amazing one-of-a-kind middle grade kid’s book that won the Caldecott Award in 2008. The movie ‘Hugo’ with Martin Scorsese directing and starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley was released in 2011. Never a dull moment with either the book or the film (or the audiobook too for that matter!!).”
And Erin writes:
“My favorite movie adaptations are ‘The Last Unicorn,’ a perfect animated version of the fantasy novel by Peter S. Beagle. It captures the humor, wisdom, and imagination that make the story so endearing and timeless for kids and adults alike.
I also need to mention the Barry Jenkins film ‘If Beale Street Could Talk.’ As an ardent James Baldwin fan who loves the novel, I wondered if the film could live up to its source material. It’s so rare to find a movie that both deeply honors the novel while adapting the story to the screen in such a way that the film offers something unique in its own right. Hats off to Jenkins and all the cast and crew, because ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ certainly did that.”
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.
Discussion in the ATmosphere