Good morning, Chicago.
Chicago Public Schools has announced a record-breaking graduation rate, with 84.1% of students graduating in four years and 86.5% graduating in five. This comes in addition to the district’s second-lowest dropout rates in years.
The district credits its most recent feat to investment in additional support for teachers and increased resources in schools, such as tutors and career-connected learning. Not only is the district trying to encourage more students to attend college, it’s also attempting to make it more accessible for students by setting up college and career centers within schools and helping students navigate financial aid. This year CPS students received $2.11 billion in scholarships.
While the district is supporting those pursuing college following graduation, CEO Pedro Martinez said they are making sure to not “put value on college versus career” and instead provide students with resources and opportunities to allow them to make their own choices. As a result, the district has invested in career-connected learning for students with 1,400 students participating in internships and 1,890 attaining Career and Technical Educator (CTE) certifications in 2024.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Gov. JB Pritzker and wife gave big for DNC, which raised $97M in all
When Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker helped land the 2024 Democratic National Convention for Chicago, he vowed city and state taxpayers wouldn’t be left with the bill and that he wouldn’t pick up the whole tab himself.
While federal campaign finance disclosures filed this week show Pritzker was correct on those counts, the billionaire governor and first lady MK Pritzker were still the largest individual contributors to the event. The couple, through their trust fund, shelled out $5.6 million — nearly 6% of the $97 million raised by the convention’s local host committee.
Chicago Plan Commission OKs transformation of Magnificent Mile office tower into residences
The Chicago Plan Commission yesterday approved a developer’s proposal to transform a 57-year-old office tower on the Magnificent Mile into a residential building.
Commonwealth Development Partners wants to gut the interior of 500 N. Michigan Ave., a 24-story building designed by noted architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and replace its office space with up to 324 apartments, including 64 affordable units.
Distressed about climate change, a ‘supermajority’ of young Americans across the political spectrum want bolder action
A “supermajority” of young Americans across the political spectrum feel distressed about human-made climate change and want bolder action from the government and corporations, a new study has found. Experiencing the worsening effects of a rapidly changing climate throughout their youth and into adulthood, this crisis has become existential for them.
The study showed high proportions of concern across the board, whether respondents identified as Democrat, Republican, independent or other.
Whooping cough hits decade-high level in US
Whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade for this time of year, U.S. health officials reported yesterday.
There have been 18,506 cases of whooping cough reported so far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. That’s the most at this point in the year since 2014, when cases topped 21,800.
Column: Can Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard fast-forward the rebuild? Hopefully fans can watch it happen.
Entering Year Two of the Connor Bedard era, the Hawks desperately are hoping it’s an improvement from Year One, when they finished second-to-last in points and experienced a noticeable decrease in interest during the 14-game stretch Bedard missed with a broken jaw.
There’s no debating the Blackhawks are in a rebuild, writes Paul Sullivan. The question is whether they’re still at the beginning or ready to take that next step toward contending.
Gregg Berhalter sees the Chicago Fire as a ‘sleeping giant’ — but the franchise’s new coach faces plenty of challenges
The Fire yesterday introduced Gregg Berhalter — the former U.S. men’s national team coach — in his first official appearance with the franchise since he was named coach and director of football last week.
“I really see this opportunity as a sleeping giant,” he said. “We’re going to give everything we have to return this team to the top of Major League Soccer. Chicago is about community, it’s also about sports, and that’s what’s exciting.”
Cleveland mayor says Browns owners have decided to move team from lakefront home to suburbs
The Browns are moving out of their lakefront home.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said yesterday he met with Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslem, who announced their intent to relocate the NFL team to suburban Brook Park despite the city’s efforts to keep it in Cleveland.
The Evanston City Council is partnering with a developer to renovate the Harley Clarke Mansion, shown looking west from Lake Michigan, into a wedding venue, hotel, speakeasy and ice cream parlor. (Genevieve Bookwalter/Pioneer Press)
Evanston’s Harley Clarke mansion set to become wedding venue, hotel, speakeasy, ice cream parlor
After more than a decade of failed proposals and continued deterioration of the Harley Clarke lakefront mansion, the Evanston City Council approved entering a 99-year lease negotiation with a private developer this week to turn the city-owned mansion into a mixed-use building that will serve both public and private uses.
Nearly $8M awarded to former Acadia restaurant employee targeted in 4-year harassment campaign
After four years of harassment, five days of testimony and two hours of deliberation, a jury awarded $4.5 million to a restaurant employee who sued an acclaimed chef in Chicago.
Cody Nason, a former service captain at the closed Acadia restaurant in the South Loop neighborhood, won a unanimous verdict against Ryan McCaskey, chef and owner of the fallen Michelin-starred establishment.
The last Chicago-area Chuck E. Cheese to boot the animatronic band embraces the future with trampolines, video screens and pizza
A newly remodeled Chuck E. Cheese restaurant opened this week in Gage Park on Chicago’s Southwest Side, promising all the arcade games, screaming kids and pizza-fueled mayhem that parents have come to know and endure.
The missing ingredient? The iconic animatronic house band, a larger-than-life, rodent-led ensemble that has performed nightly at the family entertainment chain for decades, has finally lost its gig.
Mitzi Gaynor at her apartment in Beverly Hills, California, on May 26, 2021. Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died in Los Angeles on Oct. 17, 2024. She was 93. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)
Mitzi Gaynor’s interview (‘Hi, darling! It’s Mitzi!’) with the Tribune in 2013
Mitzi Gaynor, who died yesterday in Los Angeles, put the “viva! in “vivacious,” the adjective most likely to succeed with columnists and press agents looking for a word to capture the quintessence of 1950s and ’60s flash and sparkle.
She was the sort of star who’d pick up the phone, having never met you, and belt out the line “Hi, darling! It’s Mitzi!” like a cue for an Act 1 finale, writes Tribune film critic Michael Phillips. That first interview came around the time of the “Anything Goes” national tour. Decades later, Phillips met her in person for a short, sweet 2013 interview preceding her Music Box Theatre introduction of a “South Pacific” screening set up by Turner Classic Movies. Here’s the story from that interview. May she rest in peace, and in dazzle, and in razzle.
The cast of the original Broadway production of “Some Like It Hot” at the Shubert Theatre in New York. (Marc J. Franklin)
What to do in Chicago: ‘Some Like It Hot,’ Open House Chicago and the Halloween parade
Also this weekend, the Chicago International Film Festival gets underway and Jacqueline Novak returns to the Den Theatre.
