While it might not feel like it, we have made it through the worst of the cold. Dare we say it, with next week's relatively warm weather maybe spring is just slightly in sight? (We will not be held liable for any March snowstorms.)
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YouthBuild Lake County’s pre-apprenticeship program students George, Joshua and Khalis working on a mockup for an affordable housing unit they will be constructing. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
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Over the last quarter century, anti-violence efforts have been formalized, quantified and studied in a way that hadn’t been seen before, driven by a set of best practices adaptable to different communities and a mindset that violence should be treated like a public health problem. That mindset was born out of work that began in Chicago and has spread to other communities around the U.S. and world.
First launched in West Garfield Park in 2000, CeaseFire focused on targeted interventions aimed at people likeliest to commit acts of violence. They deployed “interrupters” to talk with gang members and others liable to pick up a gun, trying to stop the cycle of violence that shootings often spark.
After about two decades of direct intervention work, CeaseFire has transitioned into an organization called Cure Violence Global. The violence interruption model championed by Cure Violence Global is one that is now helping organizations around the world deploy.
Like who?
Brooklyn-based Save Our Streets is a violence interruption program established in 2010 that employs the Cure Violence model. Within two years of implementation, average monthly shooting rates decreased 6% while surrounding areas saw increases between 18 and 28%.
Roca, an organization thinking through those root causes and their effects on mental health, runs violence interruption programs in Baltimore, Maryland, in addition to sites in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
YouthBuild Global offers education and workforce training. Many of its programs focus on developing construction skills and building affordable housing.
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U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin speaks in Chicago on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (WTTW News)
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U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin joined members of Illinois’ congressional delegation, labor leaders and university researchers at two news conferences Monday to speak out against President Donald Trump’s ongoing funding cuts. At risk, they said, are social safety net programs, teachers’ jobs and the future of medical research in America.
Some backstory:
Over the weekend, the Trump administration terminated probationary employees with the FDA. Thousands of employees in the Department of Health and Human Services have also been fired, while additional staff cuts have hit the FAA and the Department of Justice. Beyond that, the president has sought to freeze trillions in federal loans and grants that had already been allocated to states.
Last week, attorneys general from 22 states, including Illinois, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for slashing funding for medical and public health research at universities.
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(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
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Bird flu is believed to have caused the death of a bald eagle found earlier this month in the Busse Woods forest preserve in the northwest suburbs, according to officials. The bald eagle is the latest victim of a strain of deadly bird flu that has been circulating since 2022 and has killed more than 150 million poultry and an untold number of wild birds.
Because there’s no way of knowing how many dead wild birds are never found, and there’s limited capacity to test for the virus in birds that are found, experts say the death toll is likely massively undercounted. Sadly, for Chicagoans who thrilled at the sight and sound of migrating sandhill cranes just a few months ago, hundreds have died from the virus on their journey south.
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Back in the Day: February 18, 2020 - Trump Commutes Prison Sentence of Ex-Illinois Gov. Blagojevich
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Did last week's news about former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pardon give you deja vu? On this day five years ago, President Donald Trump commuted Blagojevich's prison sentence. He had served eight years of a 14-year term for myriad political corruption charges, including wire fraud, attempted extortion, bribery and conspiracy for attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama. After the commutation, Trump told the press, “I don’t know him very well. I met him a couple of times
— he was on, for a short while, on ‘The Apprentice’ years ago. Seemed like a very nice person.” A half-decade later, Trump gave Blagojevich a full pardon, which will allow the politician and jogging enthusiast to potentially run for Illinois office in the future.
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The Week's Staff Recommendations
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers recommend the things they love in Chicago.
Hi readers, I’m Katelyn, WTTW News’ social media editor. With the abhorrent cold weather coming in this week, sometimes you just want to curl up and feel cozy, but still want to leave the house! I put together a list of my favorite cozy spots around the city to sit and catch up with friends or read a good book with a glass of something (whatever you may choose!)
Websters Wine Bar: The window ledge stuffed with pillows is the reason to stop by, in my opinion. It is a great spot to chat with friends and feel like you’re in your own living room. It’s great for a cozy drink before or after dinner in Logan Square.
Barrel cheese & wine: The lights are always low, the seats are cozy with couches and deep chairs to sink into for a night of people watching. Come for the vibes, stay for their cheese boards.
Uvae Kitchen & Wine Bar: This list is about a cozy spot to get a drink this winter, and it is, of course, with cozy velvet chairs in the front and tables throughout the restaurant for dinner. But the main attraction here is the charcuterie board that is the size of your table. Come hungry.
Wilde Bar: This restaurant is known for its Irish pub food and easygoing atmosphere, but I love it because it makes you feel like you are in a cozier version of the library in “Beauty and the Beast.” I like getting a hot drink and sitting with a good book here, maybe even by the fireplace.
The Getaway: Another good fireplace spot, I recently went here with friends and we felt like we were in a 1970s living room with fun frames, wallpaper and cheap(ish) drinks. Be prepared, the strobe lights come out after 10 p.m.
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Do you believe in Chicago's 'dibs' tradition? Why or why not?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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