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  "path": "/wbez-newsletter/2026/04/15/the-rundown-how-homeowners-can-reduce-flooding",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-15T20:45:00.000Z",
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  "textContent": "<p><i>Good afternoon! Happy Tax Day and </i><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://edm.com/music-releases/john-summit-new-album-ctrl-escape/\" target=\"_blank\" ><i><u>John Summit album release day</u></i></a><i> to all who celebrate. Here’s what you need to know today.</i></p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/environment/2026/04/15/what-can-homeowners-do-to-reduce-flooding-climate\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>1. What can homeowners do to reduce flooding?</u></b></a></p><p>Chicago sewers contain stormwater and wastewater, anything that you flush down your toilets or sinks at home. When rain falls fast and hard, some homes get that raw sewage gurgling up through basement drains, Brett Chase writes for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>The No. 1 recommendation from conservation, environmental and government sources is to redirect the downspout that pours water from your home’s rooftop gutters directly into the sewer. The idea is to cut the end off, add an extension and send that water to a garden or other landscaping.</p><p>You can also prevent rainwater from seeping into your home by using a rain barrel, a container that can fit under a gutter downspout. The 50 or more gallons of water captured can be used for irrigation. You can purchase a rain barrel from a number of hardware or garden stores.</p><p>Reducing the amount of hard surfaces, including concrete, around your property can also reduce the chance of basement flooding. Or introduce native plants, such as a black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower or rye grass, that can drink excess water. Make sure the landscaping allows water to flow away from your home and your neighbor’s.</p><p>Meanwhile, Friends of the Chicago River and others suggest conserving water on storm days. If you can avoid doing laundry or a lot of dishes when the rain is pounding down, it can save more space in the outdated sewers. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/environment/2026/04/15/what-can-homeowners-do-to-reduce-flooding-climate\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/04/15/hospitality-restaurant-worker-protection-warlord-noma-food-chicago-harassment-chaad-project\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>2. Cases at Warlord and Noma have prompted fresh questions about how to protect restaurant workers</u></b></a></p><p>Already this year, a pair of tectonic restaurant industry news reports have exposed years of alleged staff abuses by Trevor Fleming, the chef and former co-owner of Warlord, and Rene Redzepi, founding chef of Michelin-starred Copenhagen restaurant Noma.</p><p>Some observers expressed exasperation the accusations went unchecked for so long despite allegations going back years. But as WBEZ food contributor Maggie Hennessy reports, restaurants remain hierarchical small businesses with few formal systems for employee complaints. There are also power asymmetries between workers and higher-ups, whose names are often on the door.</p><p>Still, in Chicago, at least two grassroots groups are trying to give hospitality workers a voice and forging a path toward levying formal complaints: Survivors Know and Chicago Hospitality Accountability & Advocacy Database.</p><p>But for survivors, the paths toward safety, healing and, murkiest of all, accountability are fraught, slow-moving and routinely unsatisfying.</p><p>“The fear of retaliation is 100% real,” said a longtime hospitality worker and former employee of Warlord, where star chef Fleming was accused of sharing nonconsensual sexual images of a worker. “Sometimes there is no justice. It’s just removing yourself from the harm.” [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/04/15/hospitality-restaurant-worker-protection-warlord-noma-food-chicago-harassment-chaad-project\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/health/2026/04/15/west-suburban-medical-center-reopening-some-clinics-amid-eviction-fight\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>3. West Suburban Medical Center will reopen some clinics amid an eviction fight</u></b></a></p><p>The owner of the closed Oak Park hospital said it can gradually resume clinic services after launching a plan to catch up on about 120,000 outstanding billing claims. This comes as the owner’s partner tries to evict the hospital from its building, Kaitlin Washburn reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>Dr. Manoj Prasad, the owner of West Suburban and its private parent company Resilience Healthcare, said in a statement the hospital is resuming primary care clinics first and will soon start opening specialist clinics.</p><p>Patients are being contacted by phone and email to schedule appointments. Some employees are returning after being furloughed, but a spokesperson for Prasad said the exact number of returning staff was still being determined.</p><p>The general surgery clinic is expected to resume next week. The emergency room and inpatient services remain closed. Outpatient clinics are only reopening at the Oak Park campus at this time. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/health/2026/04/15/west-suburban-medical-center-reopening-some-clinics-amid-eviction-fight\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/04/15/mayor-brandon-johnson-subminimum-wage-tipped-restaurant-workers-veto-override-vote-failure\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>4. A push to slow Chicago’s subminimum wage increase failed</u></b></a></p><p>The hourly pay of Chicago’s tipped workers will rise again to match the cost of living after the City Council failed to override Mayor Brandon Johnson’s third veto, Fran Spielman reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>One month after freezing the phaseout of the subminimum wage at 76% to throw an economic lifeline to struggling Chicago restaurants, the Illinois Restaurant Association and its City Council allies did not pick up a single convert. Today’s vote was 30-19, four short of what’s needed to override a mayoral veto.</p><p>Johnson has now issued three vetoes in three years and made all of them stick. The first killed a snap curfew ordinance. The second killed a proposed ban on the sale of most hemp-derived products in Chicago and the third extinguished efforts to freeze the hourly pay of restaurant servers, bartenders and other tipped workers at 76% of the minimum wage. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/04/15/mayor-brandon-johnson-subminimum-wage-tipped-restaurant-workers-veto-override-vote-failure\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/04/15/unesco-international-jazz-day-chicago-music-kurt-elling-herbie-hancock-best-venues\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>5. UNESCO International Jazz Day puts the spotlight on Chicago music this month</u></b></a></p><p>On a single day later this month, jazz lovers can hear a world premiere by Ernest Dawkins in Englewood or a tribute to Randy Weston and Melba Liston in Hyde Park. On the West Side, they can enjoy a set by trumpeter Victor Garcia in Austin or a retrospective of Chicago jazz at the Garfield Park Conservatory.</p><p>As my colleague Erica Thompson writes, that’s only a sample of shows on “Neighborhood Jazz Night,” which takes place April 28 as part of UNESCO International Jazz Day programming. Chicago hosts the celebration for the first time, culminating in the All-Star Global Concert on April 30 at Lyric Opera House.</p><p>That performance will feature more than 40 artists, including Herbie Hancock, Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Terence Blanchard. It will be livestreamed to hundreds of millions around the world.</p><p>But the large-scale show only captures some of Chicago’s jazz scene. Happening all month, a wealth of events — many of them free — will explore the history of jazz in the city, honor homegrown talent and support local venues.</p><p>You can see the list in the link. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/04/15/unesco-international-jazz-day-chicago-music-kurt-elling-herbie-hancock-best-venues\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><b>Here’s what else is happening</b></p><ul class=\"rte2-style-ul\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;\" id=\"rte-f54697a0-3905-11f1-befc-a34deecc8283\"><li>The Trump administration moved to erase Jan. 6 riot convictions for seditious conspiracy. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/04/15/nx-s1-5785318/trump-jan-6-capitol-riot-seditious-conspiracy\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</li><li>U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. will impose sanctions in a “financial equivalent” of bombing Iran. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-04-15-2026\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>A jury found LiveNation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly in the live events and ticketing industry. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/15/politics/ticketmaster-live-nation-monopoly-verdict\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>CNN</u></a>]</li><li>A new bus shelter ad in Chicago features a delivery robot apologizing for breaking glass. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/04/14/delivery-robot-apologizes-in-new-bus-shelter-ad-after-shattering-glass-in-west-town\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</li></ul><p><b>Oh, and one more thing …</b></p><p>Andersonville’s popular Paper & Pencil shop is moving to a larger location next month, my colleague Mariah Rush reports.</p><p>The store’s tiny footprint made it cozy and intimate — but also meant customers had to line up outside its door, then jostle elbow-to-elbow once inside. Business has continued to boom for months, with every available surface used to sell stickers, notebooks, pens and washi tape.</p><p>“We did have a realization … that there was a very high likelihood that we were losing out on sales ... because there just wasn’t enough room for people to come in, or people didn’t want to wait in line to get in the shop,” co-owner Tyler McCall said.</p><p>The owners hope to open the new store by the end of May, ideally by its third anniversary on May 16. The new location, 5208 N. Clark St., is less than two blocks away and four times larger. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/small-business/2026/04/14/andersonville-stationery-paper-pencil-shop-moving-location-may\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><b>Tell me something good …</b></p><p>What nature-related travel memories stand out to you, whether it’s camping, hiking or something else?</p><p>Chris writes:</p><p>“Exploring the Great Sand Hills in southwestern Saskatchewan. Amidst the vast prairies of Saskatchewan is a pocket of huge sand formations that extends for many miles. It was truly awesome to experience first hand.”</p><p>Justin writes:</p><p>“Back in spring of 2017, my wife and I traveled down to Peru. After hiking one of the summits at Machu Picchu, we also traveled to Arequipa to hike down the Colca Canyon, camp overnight and hike back up the next morning. It was an incredible experience.”</p><p>Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.</p>",
  "title": "How homeowners can reduce flooding: The Rundown",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-15T20:45:01.336Z"
}