Happy Thursday, Chicago. Here’s what’s happening around the city.
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A dog at Chicago Animal Care and Control at 2741 S. Western Ave. in the Lower West Side on May 20, 2024. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)
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In late March, the city-run animal shelter Chicago Animal Care and Control partnered with rescue groups for a weekend-long adoption event that led to about 60 animals being adopted out from the shelter. Spokesperson Armando Tejeda described the event as a “huge undertaking.” However, the relief was short-lived.
“As soon as those cages got empty, it just got filled up with another animal,” Tejeda said. “I really try to focus on: Let’s celebrate the win tonight and then tomorrow we just start over again.”
During the month of March, an average of about 40 animals – predominately dogs and cats – entered the city shelter each day. So far this year, the city has seen over 3,200 animals that were either taken in as strays or relinquished by their owner, up 20% compared to the same time period last year, according to city data.
Euthanasia remains a reality at the city shelter despite yearly comparisons showing increases in number of adoptions.
Some backstory:
Local animal advocates say persistent issues are at the root of the city shelter’s overcrowding: animal overpopulation from backyard breeders and owners not getting their pets spayed or neutered, in addition to barriers that prevent people from keeping their pet or adopting such as rising living and pet care costs, and housing insecurity and restrictions.
Last year, euthanasia at the city shelter increased for the third consecutive year, amounting to 2,455 animals, of which 60% were dogs.
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Rioters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (File photo)
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A City Council committee on Wednesday advanced a measure to block those who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol from working in city jobs after most were pardoned by President Donald Trump.
With the endorsement of the City Council’s Workforce Development Committee, the measure, authored by Alds. Gilbert Villegas (36th Ward), Matt Martin (47th Ward), Chris Taliaferro (29th Ward) and Bill Conway (34th Ward) now heads to the full City Council for a final vote on April 16.
“You should not be allowed to work for the government you tried to overthrow,” said Villegas, a former Marine, who added that he would not allow what happened on Jan. 6 to be “whitewashed.”
More context:
Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th Ward) was the only City Council member to vote against the ban. “We keep talking about an insurrection but what it really was, was a protest that went bad and turned into a riot,” he said. Sposato also repeated debunked right-wing talking points that some people were “waved in by security guards” only to be charged with a crime.
Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were convicted of attacking the Capitol as part of an effort to overturn the 2020 election shortly after taking office in January.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker directed state hiring officials to block the employment of anyone who took part in the attack.
Mayor Brandon Johnson declined to follow the governor’s lead, prompting Martin to partner with Villegas, Taliaferro and Conway, who are all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, to craft a ban with a city ordinance.
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(Courtesy of Illinois Humanities)
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A decision by the Trump administration to cancel $175 million in grants to arts and cultural groups could soon be felt in Illinois. That’s because more than 1,000 grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities for cultural programs across the country were terminated by the administration last week. The NEH has also seen up to 80% of its staff cut. The abrupt move means that Illinois Humanities — which was expecting $2 million from the NEH for 2025 — is now looking at a $1 million shortfall in its budget. The cuts will likely impact the agency’s ability to deliver programming in communities large and small across the state.
What this could mean:
“There are over 1,000 museums across Illinois,” said Jeanne Schultz Angel, president of the Illinois Association of Museums and associate vice president of humanities at Naper Settlement. “Most of them are small, volunteer-run, or one or two-person-staffed places, but those places are essential in small communities all over the state. They are keepers of their heritage. They’re keepers of history. So to cut a source of funding for grant projects for exhibits, for collections, for whatever is going to make an impact, and it’ll have a ripple effect.”
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More From WTTW News
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In the latest massive settlement prompted by a police pursuit that violated department policy, city lawyers recommended that taxpayers should pay $32 million to the family of a St. Louis man who was struck by a driver being chased by Chicago police and lost both legs.
A key city panel is set to reconsider the proposed deal to resolve the civil rights lawsuit sparked by the fatal police shooting of Dexter Reed during a March 2024 traffic stop with a $1.25 million payment to his family.
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Back in the Day: April 10, 1982 - 25,000 March in Chicago to Protest Arms Race
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To mark the nearly 40 years since scientist Enrico Fermi’s first nuclear chain reaction under Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, which marked the beginning of the nuclear age, almost 25,000 peaceful protesters took to the streets of Chicago calling for the end of America’s nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. Activists Pearl Hirschfield and Shirley Lens organized the march, which happened on this date 43 years ago in 1982 and called for President Ronald Reagan to take steps for nuclear disarmament. As WTTW points out, “The march ran for two miles and ended in a rally in Federal Plaza where speakers from all backgrounds, including then-Representative Harold Washington.” B.E. Ross, 79 years old, said he “'marched through the 1960s and I’m still marching. But this, I think, is the biggest of all because life in the whole world is involved.”
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This Week’s Arts and Culture Recommendations
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Every Thursday, WTTW News arts correspondent highlights the must-see cultural events in Chicago.
Marc Vitali: Sometimes I wish arts organizations sold their product with the zeal of an infomercial huckster:
“For a limited time only, experience a beloved painter and music in a historic cathedral! But wait – there’s more art! Act now, and witness dancers soaring under strobe lights. Want more? Don’t wait! These offers are not available in stores!”
“Frida Kahlo’s Month in Paris” – Art Institute of Chicago
Frida goes to France. It opened a week ago, so maybe the crowds have died down – because the art and life of Frida Kahlo always draws a crowd. This exhibition tells the little-known story of a cross-cultural exchange between the beloved Mexican painter and Mary Reynolds, an avant-garde artist and bookbinder at the center of the Paris art world. Through July 13
“We Stand with Ukraine” – St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral
Members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Ukrainian musicians join forces for a musical tribute to the resilience of Ukraine. Set inside the beautiful St. Nicholas cathedral (check out the mosaics and massive chandelier) the concert benefits injured soldiers and the Ukrainian Medical Association. Tickets are $40 – a bargain for a benefit in a rare setting. Sunday April 13, 2 p.m.
“Obliteration” – The Revival
The Revival is a South Loop improv theater, and here they host a fusion of stand-up comedy and theater. A big hit at Steppenwolf ’s LookOut Festival last summer, “Obliteration” is the story of two comedians trying to make sense of the world. It’s written by Gift Theatre’s Andrew Hindraker and performed by Michael Patrick Thornton and Cyd Blackwell. Expectations are high for this one. Through May 4
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What's your favorite meal on the South Side? Tell us where.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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