Chicago arts orgs push for more state funding: The Rundown
Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and remember to send your mail-in ballots early to make sure they’re postmarked on time. Here’s what else you need to know today.
1. Chicago arts organizations want the state to increase their funding
In a hearing convened yesterday by state Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet (D-Chicago), leaders addressed the economic impact of arts and culture organizations and the sector’s outlook, my colleague Erica Thompson reports.
Illinois’ more than 1,000 museums generate about $3 billion in economic impact and nearly 40,000 jobs, but they face constraints from flat funding in Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed state budget and rescissions of some federal money.
Pending legislation that would offer support include House Bill 4593, which allocates $5 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Natural Resources for capital grants to public museums. Meanwhile, House Bill 4594, an amendment to the Department of Natural Resources Act, removes the requirement for public museums to match state funding for capital development.
While some members of the Illinois House Committee on Museums, Arts, Culture and Entertainment expressed support for the sector, others voiced concerns about diversity, equity and inclusion at museums. Committee members also asked if the arts organizations could increase free admissions. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Chicago Transit Authority officials presented a revised safety plan yesterday to the Federal Transit Administration, which had been threatening to cut a $50 million grant if the CTA did not revise its security plan to the FTA’s liking.
As my colleague David Struett reports, the FTA has been pressuring the CTA to improve system safety since a woman was set on fire in November on a Blue Line train.
The agency plans to commit to 75% more policing hours on its system, including help from the Cook County sheriff’s office involvement. This summer, the sheriff’s office will lead a public safety task force to determine if Chicago-area transit needs its own police department.
Officials will also test high-barrier entry gates to prevent fare evasion, though these don’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and will begin more forceful messaging about paying fares.
The CTA said its increased enforcement since December is already having a positive impact. Assaults on transit workers were down 25% in January, and 29% in February, according to the CTA. The agency also pointed to violent crime decreasing 19% this year, through the end of February, compared to the same period in 2025. [Chicago Sun-Times]
The couple, described as elderly, were found deceased in their destroyed home in Lake Village, Ind., Newton County officials said.
One supercell resulted in at least four tornadoes across Livingston and Kankakee counties in Illinois, and Newton, Jasper, and Starke counties in northwestern Indiana, according to the National Weather Service.
In Kankakee, hail between three to five inches in diameter fell, with one hailstone measuring at six inches and possibly setting an Illinois state record for the largest hailstone, according to the weather service.
Another supercell produced two to four inches of hail across the southern and western Chicago area. A hailstone measuring 4.8 inches in diameter was found in Darien, Illinois. [Chicago Sun-Times]
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly is running a final TV ad that shows top Senate rivals Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi appearing in attack ads.
As Kelly watches the competition between the two, she’s getting a boost from pro-Krishnamoorthi forces trying to take votes away from Stratton. The latter appears to be gaining momentum in the final weeks of the contentious race, my colleagues Tina Sfondeles and Mitchell Armentrout report.
Progressive Values Illinois has spent $303,000 on mailers to boost Kelly and oppose Stratton. Protect Progress, another super PAC and part of the pro-crypto Fairshake group, is also spending $90,000 to boost Kelly. Fairshake is funded primarily by Trump megadonors and business partners Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. [Chicago Sun-Times]
5. Chicago’s craft beer closures have brewers on guard
At least five Chicago breweries have closed or announced closures this year, and industry experts predict more are on the way, Ambar Colón reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Alarmist Brewing & Taproom in Sauganash permanently closed on Feb. 1, and not long after, Berwyn’s Flapjack Brewery and Forest Park’s Casa Humilde turned off their taps. Two more are shutting down: Whiner Beer Company in Back of the Yards will close March 29 and Illuminated Brew Works in Norwood Park will close June 28.
A steady decline in drinking is partially to blame. The U.S. drinking rate reached historic lows in 2025, according to data from Gallup. But the recent string of local closings was accelerated by rising operational and production costs, including aluminum tariffs, and what many feel is an oversaturated market, owners said.
Surviving brewers said they are looking at everything from better-than-average food to live events to stay afloat in 2026 and beyond. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Amid the tumult, two of the city’s larger brewers, Half Acre Beer Company and Maplewood Brewing & Distillery, plan to merge. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Here’s what else is happening
- Member nations of the International Energy Agency will release 400 million barrels from their strategic reserves of oil, as the Iran war causes the worst disruption to energy markets in decades. [NPR]
- The Trump administration restored Global Entry because of the partial government shutdown causing long security lines at airports. [CBS News]
- Here’s a practical guide to making friends as an adult. (Even as a raging introvert, I think this advice is reasonable.) [New York Times]
- Chicago’s Chance the Rapper is facing off with his former manager in court amid a yearslong legal battle that spotlights independent artist-manager partnerships and the risks of verbal contracts. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Oh, and one more thing …
To date, there are no wind turbines of the Great Lakes, much less Lake Michigan — though it isn’t for lack of wind. The wind that sweeps across the lakes is more consistent, stronger and less turbulent than its land-based counterpart, which could translate to significant carbon-free electrical generation. WBEZ’s Curious City looked into what’s behind the holdup.
Every attempt to tap the wind power of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem has failed. Without state, regional and federal policies to support the burgeoning industry, offshore wind farms in the region remain unlikely.
Whether offshore wind farms ever become an answer to the region’s impending clean energy deadline hinges largely on local officials, said Melissa Scanlan, director of the Center for Water Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“They can if they choose to. If they choose not to, then nothing happens,” Scanlan said. [WBEZ]
Tell me something good …
What’s your favorite book that has been banned, whether it was years ago or currently?
Anita writes:
“I have many favorite books that have been banned, but my current one is called ‘Ban This Book’ by Alan Gratz. It’s for children ages 8 - 12, and it came to my attention because it was banned in some parts of Florida. It’s about a 4th-grader whose favorite novel gets banned from her school library, along with a long list of other books. So Amy Anne and her friends start a banned books library out of her school locker. It’s very well-written, with three-dimensional characters and plot developments that are both funny and serious. We read it in the children's book club that I facilitate in a neighborhood after school program, and the kids loved it! It really got them thinking and talking about who gets to decide what kids can read. And that’s the goal of our book club: to get kids to read and think (and eat yummy snacks!).”
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.
Discussion in the ATmosphere