It’s Friday, let’s get outdoors, savor the remnants of warm weather and catch up on what’s happening in Chicago.
Let us know what you think about this newsletter by emailing us at DailyChicagoan@wttw.com.
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"Broken Flight" (credit: Erika Valenciana)
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There was a dead woodpecker on the sidewalk in front of our condo building earlier this week. I’d seen the bird myself, laying lifeless on the pavement, flies swarming, when I’d gone for a run. I saw it again when I came back from my jog.
I knew we should do something, but I choked. I admit a lot of it came down to not wanting to scoop up death or hold it in my hand. “If it’s still there tomorrow, we’ll figure something out,” my husband said. The next morning, the bird was gone. Someone else, or something else, had done the job I couldn’t. I was off the hook, but not absolved of responsibility.
This sweet bird, which I originally thought had fallen out of a tree, actually had struck our building. I don’t live in a towering glass skyscraper, but rather a modest four-story brick condo building, with the kind of residential windows most people have. Ones capable of killing birds.
Every day, stories like this play out across Chicago. I know because I report on them, as well as efforts like “Lights Out” during migration seasons, and the push for bird-friendly glass requirements. I also report on the heroes — the volunteers with Chicago Bird Collision Monitors — who rescue birds injured in building strikes and retrieve ones that can’t be saved, affording them dignity and respect.
I don’t think I fully appreciated what that kind of work entails, mentally and emotionally, until I couldn’t do it myself. I’m mad at myself for being skittish and squeamish, but at the same time I’m grateful to and full of admiration for the people who roll up their sleeves and do the hard things.
Bird collision monitors are receiving some well-deserved and overdue recognition as the subject of a short documentary, “Broken Flight,” which will screen during the upcoming Chicago International Film Festival.
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A migrant shelter at a former CVS in Little Village that opened in January will close Nov. 3, officials said. (WTTW News)`
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Officials announced Thursday that a migrant shelter opened at the height of the crisis in a vacant Little Village CVS drugstore will close Nov. 3. The shelter at 27th Street and Pulaski Road, which opened in January, now houses 146 people, state officials said. They will be offered spots in other migrant shelters, and efforts will be made to keep children close to their schools.
The shelter will be the fourth to be closed by state and city officials between the beginning of October and the beginning of November. Shelters in Pilsen and in the West Loop closed Oct. 1 and a shelter in Hyde Park will close Oct. 24. After the four shelters close, the city will have approximately 1,800 additional beds, officials said. That will ensure that the city could handle an unanticipated surge in the final weeks before the presidential election, officials said.
Some more facts:
There are approximately 5,100 people living in 15 facilities as of Thursday, a 6.4% drop in the past month, according to city data.
In all, 49,454 migrants have made their way to Chicago, an increase of 3.5% in the past month, according to city data.
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State Sen. Ram Villivalam calls for tighter gun safety measures during a news conference on Oct. 10, 2024. (Amanda Vinicky / WTTW News)
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Gun violence prevention advocates called on state legislators Thursday to increase firearm safety guidelines, despite opposition from gun rights’ groups. They want Illinois to shorten the period of time in which a gun must be reported as lost or stolen from 72 hours to 48 hours, and mandate that dealers check a gun’s serial number in a state database before it can be bought or sold.
Sponsoring Rep. Kevin Olickal, D-Skokie, said the point of the forthcoming bill is to “reduce the stream of firearms that become trafficked to criminals and violent offenders” by making it so that law enforcement can “quickly realize that these guns are missing, and are able to greatly improve their changes of preventing that weapon from being used in a crime.”
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Back in the Day: October 11, 1994 - Museum of Science and Industry Raises Admission Price to $6
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(Courtesy of Griffin Museum of Science and Industry)
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Chicago’s many museums are essential to why this city is one of the best in the world. You can live here your whole life, pop into the Art Institute, the Field Museum, or the Adler Planetarium once a year and learn about so many new things each time. No matter the cost, each visit might feel like a steal. That said, visiting the Museum of Science and Industry used to be much cheaper. On this day 30 years ago, the Chicago Parks District Board of Commissioners approved a measure that would raise the price of admission from $5 to a whopping $6 for adults, and from $2 to $2.50 for children. Today, the museum is now called the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry thanks to a
Florida-based billionaire and getting into the place will run you $25.95 if you’re an adult and $14.95 if you’re three to 11 years old. Illinois residents get in free on select dates like next Tuesday and Wednesday. Check the museum’s website for more details.
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Outdoor Weekend Events
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Mums are the star of the show in Cantigny's fall garden displays. (Cantigny / Facebook)
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Visiting a buried nuclear reactor might not be everyone's idea of weekend fun but it certainly is for WTTW News reporter Patty Wetli. This week’s “Pick Six” features the Cantigny Fall Festival, a scavenger hunt, a particularly beautiful 400-million-year-old bedrock and more.
COOK COUNTY: Go Nuclear
The history of this relic of the Atomic Age will take centerstage during a presentation by former Argonne scientist Dave Dolak, followed by a guided walk to the site. The event runs Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; ages 16 and up. Meet at the Sagawau Environmental Learning Center in Lemont.
DuPAGE COUNTY: Cantigny Fall Festival
It wouldn't be a Midwestern weekend in October without a fall festival, so round up the family and head to Wheaton for Cantigny's three-day celebration of all things autumn.
KANE COUNTY: Picturesque Rock
The Les Arends Forest Preserve in Batavia is a sweet little spot along the Fox River. Swing by Saturday to pitch in on a volunteer work day, 9 a.m. to noon, and then stick around to hit the trails.
LAKE COUNTY: Take a Gander
We love how practically any topography that isn't pancake flat gets dubbed a mountain in Illinois. That's the case with Gander Mountain in Antioch, the highest natural elevation in Lake County.
McHENRY COUNTY: Big Woods Planting Party
The McHenry County Conservation District has been working to reforest parts of the county once covered by the "Big Woods." Join Saturday's planting party, 1 to 3 p.m., at Coral Woods Conservation Area in Marengo, and help establish oak seedlings.
WILL COUNTY: Scavenger Hunt
Pick up your first clue at the Plum Creek Nature Center in Beecher and away you go. Once you've solved the mystery, head back to the nature center to collect a prize.
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If you were to move to Chicago for the first time, what neighborhood would you
choose? Longtime locals and transplants, tell us why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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Your answers took us all around the city. Here are some responses.
I lived in Buena Park, Lincoln Square and West Loop in my time in Chicago. All wonderful for different reasons. If I moved back, I always wanted to live in Southport. —@jobin_theman
I'd choose Jefferson Park. My wife and I lived there (and Albany Park) for years. Jeff Park is convenient to the expressway, depending on traffic you can be at O'Hare or downtown in no time. Don't want to drive? The "L" and Metra are close by. Beaches? Straight down Foster Ave. Restaurants? Great choices close by, and a real plus, some great Polish bakeries right on Milwaukee Ave. Plus typically quiet streets where you know your neighbors. We're in California now, but if we ever move back, it'll be to Jeff Park.— Steve H
Though I love Ukrainian Village, if I had a blank slate and moved to Chicago for the first time, I'd choose Bridgeport. It always feels like home when I'm visiting and it's got incredible restaurants and one of my favorite bars in the city with Maria's Packaged Goods and Community Bar. I've heard it called the "community of the future" and that feels dead on.—WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry
Uptown, close to the lake and a representative from every nationality in the world. Close to Andersonville, Lakeview, Edgewater, and Ravenswood.—@Sundaylofan2
Lincoln Park. Close to beach, free zoo, park and walkable to downtown. Loads of bars and restaurants. But $$$—Toni H.
The Cubs lost last night. With their playoff hopes fading, the defeat hands the NL Central title to the Milwaukee Brewers.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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