A big increase in same-sex couple households: The Rundown
Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and one piping plover has returned to Montrose Beach — but with a missing foot and subtle limp. (Don’t worry: Pippin is in good health otherwise.) Here’s what else you need to know today.
1. Same-sex couple households increase nearly 80% in Chicago since 2005, new census data shows
Same-sex couple households in the U.S. went up 78% since 2005, with most of the growth happening in the last 10 years, my colleague Araceli Gómez-Aldana reports for WBEZ.
Within Chicago’s defined community areas, the location with the highest percentage of same-sex couple households is the area consisting of Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park, followed by the area made up of Lake View and Lincoln Park.
The rise in the count of same-sex couple households nationwide could reflect a more accurate representation of couples living together across the country. But experts point to various factors that can contribute to the jump in the data, from the evolution of census methods to the legalization of same-sex marriage.
In 1990, the census began asking respondents about their sex, their age and their relationship to the household head, said Christine Percheski, an associate professor of sociology at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. They included a category for unmarried partners, so respondents could identify same-sex partners if they were the partner of the household head.
“They improved some of the wording and categories, and they’ve changed some of them over time,” Percheski said. “Between 1990 and 2000, we saw that category almost double in that first 10 years. But remember, that’s before same-sex marriage is legal in any of the states.” [WBEZ]
2. A City Council panel advanced a ban on cops joining the Proud Boys and other extremist groups
A measure aimed at rooting out Chicago police officers with ties to extremist, anti-government groups like the far-right Proud Boys or Oath Keepers is set for a City Council vote as early as tomorrow, WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel reports.
That’s after the 17th version of the measure passed the council’s Workforce Development Committee by a 6-3 vote yesterday, with some debate.
The proposal from Ald. Matt Martin (47th) would ban Chicago cops from engaging in “extremist activities,” defined in the measure as any attempt to overthrow any level of U.S. government through violence or “unconstitutional means.” The prohibition also applies to the planning, execution or “material support” of hate crimes.
In his appeal to colleagues, Martin said Chicago must defend against federal acts such as President Donald Trump’s Day 1 signing of roughly 1,500 pardons for those convicted of attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. [WBEZ]
On the table are two competing measures that would put the question of a so-called millionaires tax on the November ballot as an amendment to the Illinois constitution, Mawa Iqbal reports for WBEZ.
A proposed amendment from state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, would allocate all the funds toward property tax relief in the form of $1,500 rebates per property owner. Meanwhile, a plan by state Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, would allocate half of the millionaires tax’s proceeds to public schools and the rest toward property tax relief. With both options, net income in excess of $1 million would be assessed with the new 3% tax.
The scourge of rising property taxes is a potent electoral issue, underscoring how a fall ballot initiative built around property tax relief could offer political dividends for Democrats. A March analysis by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas found property tax bills rose at twice the rate of inflation for the past 30 years in Chicago and suburban Cook County. [WBEZ]
A jury in May 2023 convicted former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and lobbyist Michael McClain, along with two others, for their role in a lengthy conspiracy to illegally sway former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. But the case has been upended by a 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the reach of a bribery law, Jon Seidel reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.
During arguments before the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today, members of a three-judge panel asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Irene Sullivan about the pair’s conspiracy conviction, for which the jury could have found multiple “objects,” including bribery.
Judge Joshua Kolar eventually asked about the potential release of Pramaggiore and McClain, who were serving two-year prison sentences, if a new trial is ordered. Pramaggiore attorney Paul Clement followed up by offering to file a motion for release this afternoon. [Chicago Sun-Times]
5. Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Chief Keef and Baby Keem will headline Summer Smash 2026
Taking place June 12-14 at SeatGeek Stadium in southwest suburban Bridgeview, Summer Smash also features JT of the City Girls, St. Louis hip-hop artist Sexyy Red, rapper Fetty Wap, Swedish rappers Bladee and Yung Lean, Waka Flocka, Bigxthaplug and North West, the 12-year-old daughter of Kim Kardashian and Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
Lil Uzi Vert and Playboy Carti return as headliners to kick off and close out the fest, respectively. Notable this year is Saturday-night headliner Skrillex, as the festival “broadens its genre-spanning footprint” with the producer and Grammy Award-winning DJ, organizers said. Also on Saturday, Baby Keem performs as a “special guest.”
Along with South Side drill rapper Chief Keef, Chicago talent on the lineup includes G Herbo and Adamn Killa, who went viral last year for his “arrest me daddy” videos amid the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement campaign. [Vocalo]
Here’s what else is happening
- Israel and Lebanon are holding rare diplomatic talks in Washington, D.C. [NPR]
- Congress is fighting over a key tool of the U.S. spy community. [NPR]
- The nonprofit that operates the Pulitzer Prize-winning Baltimore Banner has bought the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, preventing the latter from shutting down next month. [New York Times]
- Plastic garden gear can add microplastics to soil. Here are some alternatives. [AP]
Oh, and one more thing …
A new private school where students will learn from AI, rather than from teachers, is set to open in Chicago this fall. Questions abound: What will happen to teachers? What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of relying on a relatively new technology to instruct children?
WBEZ’s “In the Loop” sat down with a panel of educators and AI experts to discuss how Chicago-area classrooms use these tools, whether students and teachers find them helpful and concerns over cheating and critical thinking skills.
One quote challenged me to think about multiple sides of this conversation: “I love the notion of replacing doomscrolling for kids with an educational environment that they find compelling, exciting and, dare I say, addicting.”
You can listen to the discussion on Spotify and Apple.
Tell me something good …
What nature-related travel memories stand out to you, whether it’s camping, hiking or something else?
Jerry writes:
“A trip to Antarctica has some challenges. Notably, it takes two full days to sail there from Ushuaia, Argentina, and the waves in the Drake Passage are among the most turbulent in the world. Once there, the oceans are calm and well worth the effort. A few highlights of my trip:
- walking near penguin colonies and stopping momentarily to yield to the traffic as denizens nonchalantly pass by as if you were part of the landscape;
- encountering a whale that breached closer than anticipated to our zodiac (a rigid inflatable boat) and gave us all an unforgettable thrill (and some anxiety for our guide who steered us away from the waves that could easily topple a zodiac);
- taking zodiac rides past floating icebergs, some with interesting shapes and unanticipated stripes of blue and green;
- watching a group of seals sunbathe and occasionally challenge each other by pushing or biting;
- hearing the thunderous echo of a glacier as it calved and a piece sheared off into the ocean;
- kayaking on a calm sunny day in a bay as penguins swam under and around us; the air temperature was 34 degrees on a day that the temperature in Chicago ironically was subzero.
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.
Discussion in the ATmosphere