Good morning, Chicago.
Where most museums would open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Intuit Art Museum, following a landmark $10 million renovation, reopened to the public recently with a ribbon-tying.
Public officials and other guests turned to their neighbors and connected the ends of their ribbon scraps to create a long, interconnected artwork that will remain in the museum’s collection.
It was an apt way to ring in a new chapter for this West Town institution. Since its founding in 1991, the museum has collected work by self-taught artists, often called “outsider art.” Before that, it was called “art brut” or “primitive art.”
But all those terms are — forgive the pun — on the outs. After receiving a transformative grant from the city’s Department of Planning and Development to refurbish its space, Intuit took its facelift as an opportunity to rebrand. What was formerly “Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art” now avoids the divisive “outsider” terminology to simply become “Intuit Art Museum.” It has a catchy acronym to boot: IAM, pronounced “I am.”
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including the latest in the public transit funding debate, what Caleb Williams said about “evading” the Bears and our picks for dance performances to catch this summer.
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Trump commutes federal life sentence for former Gangster Disciples boss Larry Hoover
President Donald Trump has commuted the federal life sentence for infamous Chicago-born Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover, abruptly ending Hoover’s yearslong quest to win early release under the First Step Act passed during Trump’s first term.
The controversial move — part of a slew of clemency actions announced by the White House this week — appeared to have already sparked Hoover’s transfer out of the supermax prison compound in Florence, Colorado, that he’d called home for the past two decades. But Hoover isn’t going free.
- Trump officially pardons reality TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley, convicted in 2022 of fraud and tax evasion
- How many presidential pardons or sentence commutations have been granted to people from Illinois?
Gov. JB Pritzker vows no ‘broad-based’ taxes to address budget hole
As Illinois lawmakers continue to work on a spending plan in the final days of the spring legislative session, Gov. JB Pritzker offered no insight yesterday on negotiations but said he’d veto any spending plan that includes “broad-based” taxes to balance a budget that faces a shortfall estimated at $1 billion.
Illinois lawmakers ban police from ticketing and fining students for minor infractions in school
Illinois legislators passed a law yesterday to explicitly prevent police from ticketing and fining students for minor misbehavior at school, ending a practice that harmed students across the state.
The legislation comes three years after a ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation, “The Price Kids Pay,” revealed that even though Illinois law bans school officials from fining students directly, districts skirted the law by calling on police to issue citations for violating local ordinances.
Chicago Bears and Gov. JB Pritzker have quietly hired outside consultants for stadium talks
As the Chicago Bears have waffled over the past year on where to build a new stadium, one constant has been Gov. JB Pritzker’s skepticism about providing major public dollars to help fund the project.
But during that time, Pritzker has spent $100,000 in taxpayer funds for an outside legal consultant to advise the state in discussions with the team and the Bears have brought on an outside adviser with close ties to Pritzker’s political operation and other Illinois Democrats, records show.
Lawmakers file transit reform bill, but don’t yet address fiscal cliff
Illinois lawmakers filed a long-awaited bill yesterday that would reform the Chicago area’s public transportation system with changes to its overall governing structure and a new police force to patrol its bus and train lines.
But the bill, filed just days before the scheduled adjournment of the spring legislative session, does not include a proposal for how those reforms will be funded as Chicago-area transit agencies face an impending $771 million fiscal cliff at the end of this year.
Will you be able to get a COVID-19 shot? Here’s what we know so far.
Want a COVID-19 vaccination this fall? For many Americans, it’s not clear how easy it will be to get one – or if they’ve lost the choice.
Elgin man and juvenile indicted on hate crime charge for alleged attack at a McDonald’s
An Elgin man and a 16-year-old juvenile accused of attacking a lesbian woman at a Carpentersville McDonald’s, leaving her badly injured, have been indicted on a hate crime charge by a Kane County grand jury.
Caleb Williams addresses predraft ‘ideas’ about evading Chicago Bears — and declares: ‘I wanted to come here’
For 15 minutes yesterday, Caleb Williams worked his hardest to close the back cover on a story that raised eyebrows across the NFL.
Two weeks ago, excerpts from Seth Wickersham’s upcoming book “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback” offered new details and deeper insight into just how reluctant Williams was to play for the Chicago Bears before the 2024 draft.
Dance for summer 2025: Our top 10 includes ‘Superbloom’ at Botanic Gardens, tap and a super Joffrey premiere
This is a rare summer dance guide, in that most selections are surprisingly indoors. To be clear, there are a lot of chances to see dance en plein air if you want to, including all Chicago Dance Month has to offer. But more companies chose to extend their seasons into the warm months this year, including the Joffrey Ballet in a much-anticipated new ballet. That’s just one of many air-conditioned options.
Major Theaster Gates exhibit to open at the Smart Museum this fall
You know who’s never had a big solo museum show in his own hometown? Strange as this sounds: Theaster Gates, the renowned, longtime Chicago artist, sculptor, community developer, collector, painter and all-around renaissance man.
That’s why, beginning Sept. 23, the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park will open a landmark mid-career retrospective of Gates’ far-flung art practices, using most of the museum’s space, drawing on his paintings, pottery, films, installations and reclamation projects. “
