Former cultural affairs employee sues Chicago: The Rundown
Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and this recipe is a good spring salad option for those of us bored with winter vegetables. Here’s what you need to know today.
1. A former DCASE deputy filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city for wrongful termination
A former top deputy at the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is alleging she was subject to a “concerted campaign of professional isolation and the systematic stripping of her duties,” my colleague Courtney Kueppers reports for WBEZ.
The wrongful termination lawsuit filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court by Rosalyn Kimberly (“Kim”) Grigsby, DCASE’s former first deputy, names Kenya Merritt, who has been DCASE’s interim leader since October. Last week, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he has nominated Merritt to lead the department permanently, pending City Council approval.
In the lawsuit, Grigsby alleges her termination on Feb. 27 was retaliation for formal complaints she filed with the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General and the city’s Department of Human Resources reporting what she saw as a “pattern of misconduct, isolation, and retaliation to which she had been subjected.” The suit alleges the city violated the Illinois Whistleblower Act.
Kristen Cabanban, a spokesperson with the city’s Department of Law, said yesterday the city has not been served with the complaint and “does not comment on pending litigation.”
The lawsuit is the latest in a turbulent era for DCASE, which steers everything from large-scale Downtown events, including the Millennium Park summer music and film series, Taste of Chicago and Jazz Fest. The department also distributes more than $1 million annually in individual artist grants. [WBEZ]
2. The United Center owners’ massive 1901 Project could get a nearly $55 million property tax break
The mayor introduced the property tax incentives to the City Council last week, and the arena’s owners said it would help support their self-funded $7 billion project, my colleague Abby Miller reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Under Cook County’s Class 7b special assessment, the project’s property tax rate for the first phase would be 10% for the first 10 years, 15% for Year 11, then 20% for Year 12. The 1901 Project’s first phase is valued at $500 million; projects must be valued at $2 million or more to be eligible for Class 7b incentives, according to the city.
If approved, the tax break would be the first pool of public money boosting the project, which will turn acres of parking lots around the United Center into a vibrant entertainment district.
There have also been discussions between the United Center’s owners — the Wirtz and Reinsdorf families — and the city on public funding for a new Pink Line station near the United Center, though that proposal hasn’t advanced yet. [Chicago Sun-Times]
3. A delivery robot went viral after shattering a bus shelter’s glass in West Town
A video captures the moments after the robot went through the glass of the shelter near the intersection of North Racine and West Grand avenues, amassing 3.6 million views on X as of this afternoon, my colleague Mohammad Samra reports.
“We are stressing the importance of public safety and consistent monitoring of these robots to prevent harm to people, infrastructure, and property,” Ald. Walter “Red” Burnett (27th) said in a statement. “We have been informed that the company is in talks with the bus shelter provider, and both parties will look to have it repaired as soon as possible. We are glad that no one was hurt.”
Serve Robotics, which owns the robot, said the company was aware of what happened, worked with the bus shelter provider to “quickly clean up” the damages and is reviewing what happened in an attempt to make improvements.
Two companies — Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics — operate bots on Chicago’s north and west sides under a pilot program City Council passed in 2022. Coco came to town in 2024, while Serve started deploying its fleet last September. [Chicago Sun-Times]
As WBEZ’s Mike Davis reports, Kokandy Productions’ “Jekyll & Hyde” and Invictus Theatre’s “Angels in America” won seven awards each. The theaters that staged them each won eight awards in combination with other productions.
Three plays tied for the coveted award for new work, which recognizes premieres: Zach Barr’s “The Pilon,” by Red Theater; Omer Abbas Salem’s “One Party Consent” by First Floor Theater; and Chase Wheaton-Werle’s “The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince” by The Factory Theater.
The awards honor the standout local productions each year from storefronts and smaller theater companies in the Chicago area that aren’t unionized. You can see the full list of winners in the link. [WBEZ]
5. This Chicago Symphony Orchestra flutist took her baby on tour and kept a diary about it
Two years ago, Emma Gerstein kept a tour diary for WBEZ while traveling through Europe with the CSO and its longtime music director, Riccardo Muti. That trip marked the former maestro’s final tour with the orchestra. The diary helped illuminate an important transitional moment for Chicago as the Muti era came to an end and a new chapter began.
Gerstein’s dispatches also illustrate how parents working in the arts often contort themselves to juggle child care and concert performance, WBEZ arts contributor Elly Fishman writes.
Even at places like the symphony, where music directors like Muti and Georg Solti have helped make the orchestra more welcoming for families, there remains an enduring fear motherhood can be a career-killer.
Touring with a symphony orchestra already requires a practiced logistical choreography: flights, buses, rehearsals and late-night performances. For Gerstein, the week also included nap times, feedings and fever checks. She brought her sister along to help. (The cost of bringing child care on tour is an expense Gerstein, like any member of the orchestra, must cover herself.)
You can read excerpts from the diary in the link. [WBEZ]
Here’s what else is happening
- Pakistan’s prime minister said his nation is ready to facilitate talks to end the Iran war. [AP]
- Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin was confirmed as the next U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary. [NPR]
- As former U.S. Border Patrol leader Gregory Bovino leaves the agency, he said he only regrets not going further with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign. [New York Times]
- A judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily unfreeze Chicago Transit Authority funding. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Oh, and one more thing …
Next year, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry’s south entrance will be put to use for the first time in more than a century. As WBEZ contributor Dennis Rodkin reports, the Obama Presidential Center is opening nearby this summer, and the Griffin MSI’s centennial takes place in 2033.
There will be a lot of foot traffic to handle; Griffin MSI head curator Voula Saridakis said the science museum’s present visitor count of about 1.2 million to 1.3 million a year is projected to grow to more than 2 million.
Last year, the museum received a $10 million grant from the Driehaus Foundation for restoration and reopening of the south portico. And earlier this month, the Chicago Park District announced it has $1.2 million in federal funds for improving walkways, lighting and security on the route from the science museum to the presidential center. [WBEZ]
Tell me something good …
What song gives you a pick-me-up when you need it most?
Chris writes:
“‘American Girl’ by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and ‘We're Here for Good Time, Not a Long Time’ by Trooper.”
Dave writes:
“My go-to musical pick-me-up has to be ‘Egyptian Shumba’ by 60s girl group The Tammys. It’s a clarinet-led dose of feral rock and roll, and I can’t say that it didn’t inspire Kate Pierson [of The B-52s] in some small part. This is more or less a novelty one-off and I wish they’d put out more music like it; world might be a better place. Hope you enjoy it.”
And Allison writes:
“‘Shake’ by The Head and the Heart! My old band used to cover it, and the harmonies are like choir nerd candy. Rock on!”
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.
Discussion in the ATmosphere