Happy Friday. Kick off your weekend with these local stories from WTTW News.
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Supporters react to election results coming in during a primary election night watch party for Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wis. (AP Photo / Kayla Wolf)
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Democrats remain mixed over what ideological direction the party should take. But across a series of closely watched primaries, they are sending a clearer message about the party’s path forward: They want change.
In marquee Senate primaries in Michigan and Minnesota, progressive candidates defeated two members of Congress with significant backing from party leaders. Wisconsin
voters narrowly rejected a democratic socialist and chose David Crowley, a 40-year-old county executive who is seeking to become the state’s first Black governor.
The results so far this month deliver no clear ideological mandate. Instead, they add to mounting evidence from this year’s primaries of a Democratic appetite for turnover that is cutting across the party’s traditional divisions.
More context:
“A lot of what’s powering a lot of things in these elections is being anti-establishment,” said Jason DeSanto, a political speechwriter and professor at Northwestern School of Law. “We’ve heard about the power of money, both for and against candidates, the power of organizing, the power of anti-tech.”
The immediate challenge for Democrats is whether they can harness the frustration fueling revolts against their own party and turn it against Republicans in November. Beyond that looms the 2028 presidential race, when a new generation of leaders will compete to shape a changing Democratic Party.
Peter Giangreco, a partner at Democratic political consultancy The Strategy Group, worked on Crowley’s campaign. Giangreco said challenges from the left could give Republicans an opportunity to maintain control of Congress in 2026 and the White House in 2028.
“The left gave us Mandela Barnes, Francesca Hong tried to give us Graham Platner in Maine,” Giangreco said. “This is the problem we have with the left — they embrace really unpopular positions like abolishing Thanksgiving.”
Crowley’s win illustrates a tension for the party’s ascendant left flank. Candidates running on populist economic messages have found growing success with Democratic voters. But some positions associated with the progressive movement’s recent past remain vulnerabilities — particularly among voters worried about electability in November.
Sean Duffy, co-chair of the Chicago Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, pushed back on the notion that DSA candidates can’t win general elections.
“I think voters were thinking about, ‘How do I afford to put food on my table?’” Duffy said. “ That’s what DSA candidates are focused on. We’re focused on how we can center a working class agenda that understands people’s needs matter more than anything else.”
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Caseworkers Ell Fabricius (left) and MG Hibionada perform outreach to riders using the CTA as a shelter of last resort in a 2024 file photo. (Kathleen Hinkel / Block Club Chicago)
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The Chicago Transit Authority’s board of directors approved an array of new efforts aimed at aiding passengers who need shelter or healthcare, as well as new crisis and community violence intervention programs.
Calling the approvals a “historic moment,” acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen said the agency is positioning itself as a national leader on alternative interventions.
Directors approved pilot programs with four different nonprofits for a total of $9 million. Three of those agencies will be placing crisis intervention teams of at least two workers across the CTA’s Red, Blue and Green Lines to aid riders experiencing problems including homelessness, substance abuse disorder and mental health issues. Those aid workers will be trained on things like deescalation and trauma-informed care, and have hygiene and care bags that include Narcan.
The fourth agreement is for 20 community violence intervention specialists who will work daily in two shifts on the Red Line between the Roosevelt and Lake stations downtown, both at the stations and on trains. Those workers are intended to interact with people engaging in disruptive behavior with the goal of resolving problems without involving law enforcement.
The board also signed off on two agreements with the city’s Department of Family and Support Services. One measure renews a $4.2 million annual agreement for outreach to ridings using the CTA as a shelter of last resort. The other agreement with DFSS amends an existing pact to funnel an additional $412,500 to specifically fund at least 30 dedicated beds for people riding the CTA in need of shelter, which are set to be available before the winter.
Director Roberto Requejo praised the CTA for taking on the thorny issue of homelessness.
“Most agencies either turn a blind eye and say this is not something we want to talk about, or they have a punitive approach,” Requejo said at Wednesday’s meeting. “CTA is going in the other direction, which is something that makes us all proud.”
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(Drone footage courtesy of Foremedia Productions LLC)
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Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said Thursday that “at this time,” the team remains focused solely on potential sites in Hammond, Indiana, as they continue working to finalize plans for a new stadium.
Warren offered brief updates on the ongoing search process at a media briefing, noting that while the organization has had “occasional” meetings with Illinois state officials, the team is continuing to prioritize a pair of sites in Indiana.
“Our sole focus at this point in time is working on a world-class stadium and mixed-use development in Hammond, Indiana,” Warren said Thursday.
Warren said the team does not currently have an offer from Illinois for any type of legislative assistance to keep the Bears in the state.
Some backstory:
That comes months after Illinois state legislators adjourned their spring session without a bill that would’ve financially incentivized the team to build a new stadium in Illinois. Many state officials have maintained there are still signs the team is interested in continuing conversations with their current home state.
According to Warren, the Bears have completed their due diligence process on a site located near the Lost Marsh Golf Course in Hammond. That process included environmental, geographical and topological studies, and according to Warren, that location remains a viable site for a new stadium.
But he said the team has also identified a second Hammond location near the Wolf Lake Terminals, where the team is conducting additional studies.
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: August 14, 1939 - White Sox Play Their First Night Game
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Much has been made of how the Chicago Cubs waited until 1988 to finally play a night game at Wrigley Field, the historic stadium that until that year lacked lights. But their crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox, had been playing night games at home for almost 50 years before the North Siders did. On this day 87 years ago, the lights turned on at Comiskey Park for the first time ever in a game vs. the St. Louis Browns. The Chicago Tribune reported that night, noting longtime Sox owner
J. Louis Comiskey had died the month prior, “baseball under the stars was a hit from the moment young Charles Comiskey II [Louis’s son] pressed two switches at 8.25 o’clock that brought out the green in relief. It was as though one had suddenly walked into bright sunshine.” Sox pitcher and Oak Park native John Rigney led the team to a 5-2 victory.
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What’s your favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago? Tell us why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. Here's what you had to say:
“Any of the surviving ones on Oakley (Heart of Italy) are good: Ignotz’s Ristorante, Bruna’s Ristorante, Bacchanalia Ristorante, Il Vicinato (think they changed name) a couple blocks away on 24th Pl/Western” — @bsdtectr.bsky.social
“Rosebud on Taylor Street. The Shrimp De Jonghe alone keeps me coming back! I recently took my fiancé there for his first time, and it was just as good as I remembered. I love that Rosebud still feels like classic Chicago Italian, with big portions, great red-sauce dishes and old-school favorites you don’t see on every Italian menu.” — Ann Margaret J.
“Piccolo Sogno. Best patio, and the branzino special. You know you’re in the right place when the news is on and it’s in Italian.” — Barbara H.
“Franco's on 31st St in Bridgeport. Family owned, great location, quality service and delicious food.” — John C.
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