Cubs push for more parking near Wrigley Field: The Rundown
Good afternoon! It’s Thursday, and watch out for wind gusts as high as 60 mph tomorrow. Here’s what else you need to know today.
1. The Chicago Cubs plan to add nearly 260 parking spaces and 3 signs overlooking Wrigley Field
A number of Lake View residents balked this week at a proposal from the Cubs to significantly expand a parking lot when the team has seen fewer people park at its lots over the past three seasons.
As my colleague Abby Miller reports, the Cubs want to add 259 parking spaces at its Camry lot, at the corner of Racine Avenue and Grace Street. The lot currently has 688 spaces, according to Will McIntee, director of government and community affairs for the Cubs.
The expansion comes after Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago sold its Grace Street property, 1114 W. Grace St., to the team. The site was home to the House of the Good Shepherd, but the organization decided to move the shelter and its programs to another building, said Brendan O’Sullivan, Catholic Charities’ director of government and corporate relations.
The Cubs said its lot expansion plans would need to be green-lit by the Chicago Plan Commission. Mike Lufrano, executive vice president of community and legal affairs for the Cubs, said the team will first take feedback from Tuesday’s meeting and return to neighbors “as quickly as we can” with an updated plan.
McIntee said the additional spaces will keep Cubs fans from parking in the neighborhood. But about 37% of game attendees drive to Wrigley Field while 63% use alternate modes of transportation, according to the team. The Cubs said fewer drivers are likely because of its advertising push encouraging public transit use to Wrigley Field. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Despite demands that agents once led by U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino be prosecuted, Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has “never stated publicly that she has any intention to investigate these crimes,” the group said. That may be for fear of retaliation from President Donald Trump.
Loevy & Loevy law firm filed the petition today on behalf of a coalition that includes U.S. Reps. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Delia Ramirez, both Democrats, and former U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo, who was appointed to the bench in 1994 by President Bill Clinton.
As my colleagues Jon Seidel and Sophie Sherry write, it’s unclear whether a path to a special prosecutor exists under the law. But O’Neill Burke said the petition will only make it more difficult for her office “to prosecute and win convictions” against agents who committed crimes during the deportation campaign.
Still, it could increase the pressure on O’Neill Burke, even if unsuccessful. Loevy & Loevy used its lawsuit in federal court last fall to secure strategic wins, such as court appearances and depositions from federal officials and the public release of a tranche of records. That’s even though the case was ultimately dismissed. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Overall absenteeism this year is comparable to last year, but a new report found it is markedly worse among students learning English, my colleague Sarah Karp reports for WBEZ.
A coalition of community groups and a parent advocacy organization asked for more frequent updates about attendance trends and designated safe spaces, where students and parents can retreat should they encounter a threat while going to or from school.
It isn’t clear if President Donald Trump will ramp up immigration enforcement to levels seen this past fall. For now, there are no signs of a spring surge, as these tactics are under scrutiny and top officials, including Bovino, are no longer in their positions. [WBEZ]
4. The Chicago River Swim will return for its second year in September
Last fall, more than 300 swimmers plunged into the Chicago River for the first organized open-water swim in 98 years. Swimmers will return Sept. 20 to complete 1-mile and 2-mile courses along the river’s main channel Downtown, the city announced today.
Proceeds from this year’s event will support Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research and support the Chicago Park District’s efforts to expand access to free swim lessons and water safety education across the city.
Applications will open on March 31 and remain open for four weeks. Swimmers must meet safety and experience requirements. The event expects to select 500 participants, announced the week of May 4. [Chicago Sun-Times]
5. Lizzo, Labrinth, Ricky Martin and Hugh Jackman will make their Ravinia debuts this summer
Also gracing the north suburban festival’s stages this season are Billy Idol, Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper and guitarist St. Vincent, the latter in performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
The venue’s freshly named and redesigned Hunter Pavilion, part of a $75 million multiyear renovation of Ravinia’s 36-acre music park, reopens this summer. Last year, the festival revealed the first of its renovated venues, The Audrey.
The first concert at the Hunter Pavilion takes place July 11, when 21-year-old South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim joins the CSO alongside conductor Marin Alsop with Maurice Ravel’s “Piano Concerto in G major.” Lizzo will perform the flute with the CSO that night too.
Tickets go on sale at Ravinia.org on April 23, but donors can request them as early as this upcoming Tuesday. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Here’s what else is happening
- A man armed with a rifle rammed a vehicle into a Michigan synagogue and was fatally shot by security. [AP]
- Willpower is no match for junk food and screens. Instead, experts now recommend structuring your life to avoid these temptations. [NPR]
- Tiffany Henyard, the embattled former mayor of south suburban Dolton, is running as a Republican in Georgia. [Chicago Sun-Times]
- This tale of a Chicago school book ban was inspired by true events. [NPR]
Oh, and one more thing …
The new movie “For Worse” feels like a throwback to the golden age of romantic comedies, Courtney Kueppers writes for WBEZ.
Chicago native Amy Landecker wrote and directed the film about a woman named Lauren who has just gone through a divorce. Lauren gets invited to a younger friend’s wedding, where, despite being sober, she ends up acting more like a drunken 20-something bridesmaid.
It’s a classic storyline: Lauren acts like a mess in public, hits rock bottom and eventually makes it through to the other side, a little wiser and better off than where she began. The film — which Landecker said she made in under two weeks with less than $500,000 — draws heavily from her own experience with divorce.
“In my real life, I have a really lovely happy ending, and I wanted to bring in the hope of coming out the other side of that situation, whether it’s divorce or a breakup,” Landecker said. [WBEZ]
Tell me something good …
What’s your favorite book that has been banned, whether it was years ago or currently?
William writes:
“My favourite banned book is the ‘Marquis de Custine's Empire of the Czar.’ This is because it is a book that is both a travelogue of its author’s travels in Tsarist Russia during the first half of the nineteenth century and commentary about his interactions with the Russian court during his sojourn there. While not banned here in the U.S., it was definitely banned in Russia by Tsar Nikolai/Nicholas I because it not only exposed social inequality within the Russian realm but also referred to the Tsar’s court as a cesspool of hypocrisy.
If you want to see a book banned, let there be a good reason (i.e., truth being spoken) — and the folly of its banning being thoroughly exposed.”
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.
Discussion in the ATmosphere