Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: We reached out to officials in several cities to see how they address large, social media-fueled gatherings of teens.
🗞️ Plus: Latino-majority high schools are hit hard by CPS cuts, a women-led Lollapalooza lineup kicks off and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Cubs fell to the Cardinals, 3-2; the White Sox rallied past the Yankees, 6-5.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER ☀️
Sunny with a high near 87.
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Other cities struggle with teen takeovers – can Chicago learn from them?
Reporting by Kade Heather and Fran Spielman
Need for solutions: As Chicago struggles to find ways to rein in teen gatherings that at times have become chaotic and violent, experts say it can look to other cities for innovative approaches — like broadening summer activity choices and job opportunities instead of over-relying on law enforcement and punitive action.
Other approaches: At the heart of the challenge is finding the balance between creating safe spaces to get together for teens living in crime-affected neighborhoods, and ensuring “teen trends” that become violent don’t cast a pall on downtown commerce and tourism. The Sun-Times reached out to officials in several cities on addressing teen trends.
Baltimore: Baltimore has steered clear of expanded youth curfews in favor of a “two-fold strategy” that pairs a neighborhood safety and engagement office and more late-night activities for teens.
Detroit: Detroit has added youth programming and ramped up curfew enforcement. It also recently enacted a parental responsibility ordinance that fines parents $250 if their child is out after curfew and being disruptive.
Philadelphia: Like Chicago, Philadelphia has a curfew of 10 p.m. for minors. A nonprofit in Philadelphia offers an evening community resource center between 6-9 p.m. for teens to hang out and avoid curfew violations. The center also stays open until 2 a.m. for “police curfew handoffs” of teens who are out later.
EDUCATION 🍎
Latino-majority schools are hit especially hard by teacher cuts in CPS budget
Reporting by Sarah Karp, Cam Rodriguez and Kalyn Belsha
Budget cuts: When laying out the budget earlier this month, Chicago Public Schools said it was cutting nearly 1,000 core instructional positions, including English and math teachers, as well as art teachers. But CPS only on Monday publicly released information on how exactly budget cuts impact individual schools — days before Thursday’s budget vote and weeks later than it typically would share this information.
Our analysis: A WBEZ analysis of school-level budget changes shows that high schools with mostly Latino students are losing the most regular classroom teachers, both as a share of teachers and in overall positions. They lost 158, or 7%, of them. Overall, there are about 4% fewer teachers across all schools, not including those who work specifically with students in special education.
The last appointment: In other education news, Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Connie Anderson to fill a vacancy on the city’s school board representing the city’s Far South Side. Anderson will likely be among the last members ever appointed to the school board, as Chicagoans in November will vote for all 21 board members for the first time.
WEATHER 🌪️
What to know after tornadoes tore through Chicago suburbs
Reporting by Elijah James and Erica Thompson
Tornadoes confirmed: Powerful storms that swept across the Chicago area Monday left neighborhoods in the south suburbs picking up the pieces after five tornadoes touched down — damaging homes, uprooting trees and adding to what has already been an active tornado season in Illinois.
Record number: Meteorologists say multiple rounds of severe weather this spring and summer have contributed to Illinois’ record number of tornadoes, nearly 190 so far this year. Compare that to the University of Illinois climatologist’s count of tornadoes that occurred in the state in July for 70 years, from 1950 to 2020: 181.
Dance venue flooded: In Chicago, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts’ 100-year-old building suffered considerable damage after Monday’s storms flooded the venue’s lower area.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Revered coach fatally shot: Tim Bankston, 60, a former basketball star at Simeon Career Academy who went on to become a longtime coach at Thornton Fractional North High School in Calumet City, was found fatally shot Wednesday morning inside an Auburn Gresham home, police said.
- Oak Lawn father mourned: Joseph W. Huff, 65, was just getting settled into his retirement years when he died inside his Oak Lawn home during a heat wave this month. He’s the eighth person in Cook County to die from heat-related causes so far in July, officials said.
- Madigan’s SCOTUS ask: Former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal of his corruption conviction, which could keep him behind bars until he is nearly 90 years old.
- Push to postpone search: Anthony Driver, a key member of a Chicago police oversight body, urged the City Council on Wednesday to postpone the search for a permanent replacement for retired Police Supt. Larry Snelling until after the mayoral election.
- Hollywood producer accused of scheme: Jason Cloth, who has producer credits on “Joker” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” was charged this week with running a $100 million Ponzi scheme that ensnared several Illinois investors, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
- Remembering Glen Hansard: The Irish singer with deep roots in Chicago died in a motorcycle crash early Wednesday in Dublin. Hansard came to Chicago to perform as a young musician in 1998 and, for the next 28 years, he came back every chance he got.
LOLLAPALOOZA 🎶
Later today, Chicago’s biggest music festival will get underway in Grant Park, where Sun-Times and WBEZ reporters, along with our sister radio station Vocalo, will be on the ground covering it through the festival’s end Sunday.
Keep an eye on our website and social media channels to follow along throughout the weekend.
Your trusty neighborhood newsletter writer will be on site Friday and Saturday reporting — so say hi if you see me!
Here’s what you need to know:
- Women dominate lineup: This year’s lineup is dominated by women artists, with Lollapalooza offering one of the largest assortments of female headliners of any festival in years. We’ll have reviews of sets by Lorde, Charli xcx, Olivia Dean and Jennie; plus the Smashing Pumpkins, Clipse, Leon Thomas and many more.
- Irish wave: There’s also a wide range of talent from the Emerald Isle on the lineup this year. We break down the acts to know.
- Stream our Lollapalooza mixtape: The Vocalo team made a playlist of their favorite songs from artists on this year’s lineup, all for you to stream.
- 5 minutes to roll: Rock group Free Joel won a coveted slot at Lollapalooza’s Chicago Made showcase, which highlights local musicians. Check out a cartoon that captures how they’re preparing.
- If you go: We’ve got info on how best to get to Lollapalooza, which streets are closed, the fest’s bag policy, what you can bring inside and other things to keep in mind.
MUST-READ COMMENTARY 🗣️
- Natalie Y. Moore: A forthcoming memorial honoring victims of police torture under former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge is about acknowledging pain and healing.
- Rich Miller: House Democrats may need a policy change to properly handle complaints.
- Ben Jealous: Many Americans are paying for data centers. They shouldn’t have to.
- Lee Bey: Imani Village brings senior housing with style to Cottage Grove Avenue.
- Neil Steinberg: A root canal AND rotator cuff surgery? Lucky me.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- Love for mahjong: A look at the popularity of the 19th-century Chinese game in America and why it’s trending today. Taking part in the discussion are Annelise Heinz, author of Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture; Michael Wang of 144 Tiles Mahjong Club; and Luisa Jurado of Mahjong Chicago.
- Local at Lolla: Hip hop poet J. Ivy, musician and activist Ric Wilson and Jennie Oh Brown of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras talk about their performances at Lollapalooza this year.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- What keeps the blues away?: In honor of Buddy Guy’s 90th birthday today, Mary and Pat discuss the bluesman’s influence on the genre – and its enduring power. Callers weigh in.
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏈⚾🏒
- Camp connections: Bears coach Ben Johnson still “yells and curses” at Caleb Williams, but they’re connecting much better, the QB said.
- Trade chip or future piece?: Whatever his status is on the team, infielder Pedro Ramirez says he’s happy to help the Cubs. “It’s always been a dream of mine.”
- Rookie braces for NHL: We caught up with Blackhawks rookie Roman Kantserov to learn more about his NHL preparations, which include learning English quickly while training in Connecticut.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 7A: Sun-Times legend Roger
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
The life of cover bands on the Chicago festival circuit
Reporting by Erin Allen
One of the many beautiful things about summertime in Chicago is that, apart from Lollapalooza, there are plenty of ways to catch live music outside, thanks to the plethora of street festivals happening each week.
You’ll often find a cover band at these fests, rolling through a setlist of familiar tunes and keeping Chicagoans grooving as they go in on something fried or peruse craft vendor booths.
“It takes [people] back in time to times in their life when things are a little less stressful, maybe a little happier,” said Chrissie Olstad of the classic rock cover band The Gingers.
While it’s not a national tour, being a cover band on the summertime street fest circuit is a lot of work — and fun.
“It’s like you’re getting paid to party,” said Vinnie Van Action of the cover act Too Much Molly Band.
WBEZ’s Curious City program caught up with three bands on the circuit.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Give us some reading recommendations — what’s the best book you’ve read so far this summer? Tell us why.
Reply via email (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
Yesterday, we asked you: What’s the most memorable Lollapalooza performance you’ve seen?
Here’s some of what you said, edited for length and clarity.
“Sonic Youth in an epic thunderstorm in 1995.” — Alison Maggio
“In 2006, saw the Frames play on Sunday of that year. Glen Hansard called his Ma while on stage to say that her boy had made it and to tell her how ‘brilliant’ our city was. 💔” — Leslie Burgard
“2010: Green Day was a disappointment — too choreographed. So I left and wandered around and saw this French band Phoenix, who I had never heard of before. Excellent! The lead singer said they’d never played to a crowd that big! I’ve seen them twice since — still great!” — Andrew Hermann
“Foo Fighters in the pouring rain was such an epic performance in 2011.” — Kristy Litz
“Chappell Roan [in 2024]; that crowd size was amazing.” — Vicky Margaritis Perez
“Cage the Elephant [in 2011] — Matt Schutz walked into the crowd on [audience members’] shoulders! So much rain.” — Joe N. Patricia
“A tie. Lollapalooza 1992 [in] Tinley Park: Ministry; more of the lawn seemed to be flying in the air than on the ground. Lollapalooza ’96 [at] Winnebago County Fairgrounds: The Ramones wearing their signature leather jackets in 100-degree heat.” — Jim Dahlberg
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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