|
It’s the weekend, Chicago. Read on for a new column from Patty Wetli, a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of a man who was incarcerated at Stateville, and more from WTTW News.
|
|
|
|
|
|
City in a Garden: Back to the Future |
 |
|
Edward Warden, president of Chicago Ornithological Society, introduces the final Year of the Peregrine program. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
|
|
Patty Wetli: Sometimes it helps to look backward to see a way forward. For the past year, the Chicago Ornithological Society has been celebrating the 25th anniversary of a wild 1999 election that saw the peregrine falcon installed as the official bird of Chicago.
“It was just awesome fun,” recalled Suzanne Malec-McKenna, who was head of the Department of Environment at the time. Malec-McKenna reminisced about the heady days when nature was king in Chicago during the final Year of the Peregrine event held Wednesday at the Field Museum, swapping stories with Judy Pollock of Chicago Bird Alliance and Mary Hennen, director of the Chicago Peregrine Program and an assistant collections manager at the Field.
As whimsical as the bird election may have seemed, it was a way to educate the public about urban wildlife, and served as a springboard to other issues, Hennen said. Indeed, the late ‘90s and early 2000s saw the beginning of the Park District’s natural areas and bird sanctuaries, and a “tremendous flowering of interest” in native landscapes, Pollock said.
“When the mayor is in favor of your causes, you can get stuff done faster,” Pollock said, referencing then Mayor Richard M. Daley’s interest in environmental issues. Some of that momentum and good will stalled under subsequent mayoral administrations, but a renewed interest in birds is reinvigorating conservationists.
“There’s a lot of people coming into birding and they’ll start caring about the conditions” those birds encounter, Pollock said.
Fun Fact: The election of Chicago’s bird was followed by a vote for the city’s official fish. That process was hijacked by WGN-TV, Malec-McKenna said, which pushed for the longnosed dace, as a symbol of Chicago’s long-nosed (aka “lying”) politicians. The dace won in a landslide, the results got tossed, and future wildlife elections were scrapped.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learn more about advertising & sponsorship with WTTW. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Attorneys and family gather outside Stateville Correctional Center on Nov. 14, 2024, to announce the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit over the death of Michael Broadway. (Blair Paddock / WTTW News)
|
|
A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed over the death of Michael Broadway, a 51-year-old man who died while in custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections.
“When (Broadway) needed help from the people who were entrusted to help him, whose job it was to help him, he was failed at every turn,” said Terah Tollner, one of his family’s attorneys.
Broadway, who was incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center, died on June 19 due to bronchial asthma, with hypertensive cardiovascular disease and heat stress as “significant contributing conditions,” according to an autopsy report from the Will County Coroner’s Office that was provided to WTTW News.
Broadway’s widow, Chunece Jones-Broadway, filed the eight-count lawsuit against IDOC, Wexford Health Sources, Inc. — the controversial private health care provider for IDOC — and individual employees of both entities on Thursday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outdoor Recommendations From Patty Wetli
|
 |
|
Lightscape at Chicago Botanic Garden. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
|
|
Every Friday, WTTW News highlights the best things to do outside.
Nature makes a stunning backdrop for some of our favorite holiday light displays, most of which are opening this weekend. It’s nice to visit these places early in the season when the temps are above freezing. All of the wonder and magic, none of the numb fingers and toes.
Illumination at Morton Arboretum: Stroll along a one-mile path, where lights and music transform the landscape into an immersive experience. Ticket prices vary by date but roughly range from $20 to $40 for adults.
At the Chicago Botanic Garden, Lightscape’s dazzling installations have been charming visitors since 2019. Favorites like the Winter Cathedral are back, but many of the features are new. Tickets are $32 to $39 for adults.
ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024. A new feature this year is the Light Lounge — a place to rest, recharge and maybe grab an adult beverage. Tickets are $7-$10; admission is free on select Mondays.
And Brookfield Zoo’s Holiday Magic opens next weekend with new experiences including Candy Cane Lane. |
 |
|
Back in the Day: November 15, 1979 - Unabomber Strikes Plane Leaving Chicago
|
|
Flying has been a stressful experience lately. TSA lines can be lengthy, studies show that climate change is making turbulence worse, and there have been relatively recent engineering and quality problems with some Boeing planes. No matter what is giving you airplane-induced anxiety, breathe easy knowing that we no longer have to deal with the Unabomber. On this day in 1979, 45 years ago, American Airlines Flight 444 departed from Chicago to Washington, D.C. Hours into the flight, an improvised bomb failed to properly detonate in the cargo section, burning and filling the cabin with green smoke and forcing an emergency landing at Dulles International Airport. No one was killed or severely injured, but several were treated for smoke inhalation. The botched explosion was one of 16 confirmed bombings by domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski, who was born in Chicago. Apprehended in 1996, Kaczynski died by suicide in prison in 2023.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Where can we find the best cheeseburger in Chicago? Tell us where and why it’s the best. |
|
|
|
Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. Here's what readers had to say:
For the price and quality you can't beat Red Hot Ranch on Ashland. For less than $10 you get a delicious burger and fries. Red Hot Ranch 3057 N Ashland Ave. — Erik C.
ABC Bakery and Deli at Lawrence and Overhil (Norrige, IL)— @Idemo222222
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
5:30 PM | 7:00 PM | 10:00 PM |
|
|
|
|
Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
|
Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
|
|
|
|
