Good morning, Chicago.
Last night’s presidential debate was a re-run that featured two candidates with a combined age of 159, but it went especially poorly for one of them, President Joe Biden.
Already fighting voter concerns about his age, Biden, 81, was halting and seemed to lose his train of thought, sparking quick concerns among Democrats about the man they hope will keep former President Donald Trump from returning to office. For his part, Trump made repeated false claims and provocative statements. But Trump seemed smoother and more vigorous than Biden, who is only three years older than the Republican ex-president.
The debate covered a wide range of topics and included a former president — Trump — not backing down from his vows to prosecute members of Congress and even the man he was debating. But the overarching theme was the difference between the candidates’ performance.
Here are some takeaways from the face-off.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Today’s eNewspaper edition
Fallout from Supreme Court ruling just beginning in Michael Madigan racketeering case
The federal judge in the racketeering case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan hinted Thursday that prosecutors may have to significantly alter their game plan if they want to proceed, given this week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that walks back a key bribery statute contained in Madigan’s indictment.
Chicago hate crimes remain high after recent spike, city report shows
After nearly quadrupling in just three years, Chicago’s hate crime levels remain high, city leaders said Thursday.
The number of reported hate crimes has spiked from just 80 in 2020 to 303 last year, aldermen learned during an annual presentation. Meanwhile, the number of reported hate crimes this year is on track once again to end up far above the roughly 60 the city experienced most years before the recent spike.
Shradha Agarwal, former Outcome Health president, sentenced to 3 years in a halfway house
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced the former president and co-founder of the once-lauded Chicago startup Outcome Health to three years of confinement at a halfway house after she was convicted of fraud last year.
Shradha Agarwal, 38, was the second of a trio of former top Outcome executives to be sentenced this week for their roles in a scheme that prosecutors said defrauded pharmaceutical companies, investors and financial institutions out of $1 billion.
Automated ticketing of drivers in bike and bus lanes could have started this summer. Now it won’t.
In February, Chicago transportation Commissioner Tom Carney told aldermen a program that will test automated ticketing of drivers parked in bike and bus lanes downtown could be up and running by summer.
Transportation officials were “working toward trying to have it stood up by this summer, so that we can then start testing it out and implementation of the pilot,” he said at the time.
But the start of the program has been pushed back, the Chicago Department of Transportation confirmed. Now the program, on the books for more than a year, isn’t expected to start until fall, as the process to acquire supplies and services for the pilot is ongoing.
CTU lobbyist helped craft mayor’s letter to Senate president at heart of Springfield selective enrollment fight
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s letter to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon last month vowing not to shut down selective enrollment schools was directly edited by a Chicago Teachers Union lobbyist — and was preceded by an earlier version that made no such promise, the Tribune has learned.
During the waning days of the latest Springfield session, the mayor made a last-minute plea to Harmon in a letter asking him to not call for a vote the bill to extend a moratorium on all Chicago Public Schools closings. That capped off a weekslong power struggle between the CTU, which also opposed the legislation, and state legislators who wanted to ink the two-year extension to ensure selective enrollment schools would not be shuttered.
Cracks revealed between Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Teachers Union at June board meeting
With a month remaining before Chicago Public Schools finalizes its budget for the next school year, Chicago Teachers Union members gathered ahead of a Board of Education meeting Thursday to decry end-of-school-year layoffs among approximately 300 CPS staffers in teaching assistant and restorative justice coordinator roles.
Northwestern’s anti-hazing policies ‘robust’ but more is needed, former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s review finds
Northwestern University has “robust” policies and training against hazing and bullying in place but a lack of clear guidance on how to respond to concerns from student-athletes could lead to inconsistent responses and the perception that complaints are not being properly addressed, a team led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch concluded in a review that was commissioned last year in the wake of a football hazing scandal that expanded to allegations of abuse on other teams.
“While our recommendations are focused on the areas in which we believe improvement can and should be made, the results of our review have been largely positive,” Lynch and her team wrote in an executive summary of the report, released Thursday. “We have observed a commitment by the university and athletics department to the well-being of their student-athletes.”
Angel Reese ties WNBA single-season double-double record, but Chicago Sky lose to Las Vegas Aces 95-83
A’ja Wilson scored 31 points, Jackie Young had 22 and Kelsey Plum added 21 as the Las Vegas Aces beat the Chicago Sky 95-83 on Thursday night at Wintrust Arena despite rookie Angel Reese’s ninth straight double-double.
Reece’s 18-point, 11-rebound night tied her with Candace Parker for the WNBA’s longest streak of double-doubles in a season. Parker did it in 2015 and had a streak of 12 across two seasons (2009-10).
Blackhawks center Connor Bedard wins Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie: ‘It’s a cool honor for sure’
At 18 years, 246 days old, he’s the youngest player in franchise history to win the Calder, eclipsing Patrick Kane, who was 19 years,139 days in 2008.
Review: ‘Beehive: The 60’s Musical’ at Marriott Theatre is a fun way to revisit the songs of an era
The singing is solid throughout, the show bops happily along and the audience gets to play “The Name Game.” The show is a crisp and cheerful 85 minutes and, at Wednesday night’s opening, everyone was headed home even while it still was light outside, writes Tribune theater critic Chris Jones.
Review: In Strauss and Mozart, Ludovic Morlot’s Grant Park Music Festival tryout was more like a warmup
After two weeks led by outgoing music director Carlos Kalmar, the Grant Park Music Festival is heating up the search for his successor, in progress since he announced his departure in 2021.
What to do in Chicago: Pride Parade, The Rolling Stones and a breezy bike ride
Also around the area this weekend, the Millennium Art Festival, Visceral Dance and a ticketed event at Legoland in Schaumburg.
