It’s Friday. Whether you’re going to Riot Fest or relaxing around your neighborhood, here are the Chicago stories that will help you keep up with your city.
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An orb weaver spider (Credit: Patty Wetli | WTTW News)
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The big story in the natural world this week was the partial lunar eclipse. But on Tuesday night, as I stepped out my back door for a look at the moon, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from a different kind of orb. We had an orb weaver spider on our rear porch and it had created an absolutely stunning web, backlit by an outdoor light for maximum effect.
We’ve actually had a couple of amazing webs on the porch recently, like nothing I’ve ever seen. I think it’s because we haven’t been able to use our building’s rear stairs since spring due to structural issues, and in the absence of people interrupting their work, the spiders have gone to town. Spidey hung there like it owned the porch now. Poised smack in the center of its creation, big and fat.
I took some pictures and video, and texted my brothers, making a super nerdy “Lord of the Rings” Shelob reference. They both wrote back with ideas for how to annihilate the spider: one involved a blow torch, the other a leaf blower. Because that’s how we react to spiders. They scare us and we kill them. There are lots of theories about why spiders creep us out — I’m not sure that it really matters why, they just do.
What if we flipped the script?
The webs I’ve seen — works of art. Marvels of engineering. One of the silky strands on our deck ran midway across the width of our screen door. Every time I opened the door, the strand moved with it — elastic, unbreaking. I kept repeating the experiment, in awe. With a little googling, I learned that spider silk is among the strongest fibers in nature: five times stronger than steel, but much thinner than a single strand of human hair. How cool is that? I didn’t kill the spider.
Dig deeper: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has loads of info on spiders. Like, did you know when a spider takes down its web, it eats it? And can reuse it to make new silk?
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A hand holds a marijuana joint in a file photo. (Tunatura / iStock)
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Don't be fooled by this headline: Driving high is still illegal in all 50 states and toking up before you get behind the wheel is dangerous and ill-advised. That said, the Illinois Supreme Court just ruled that the smell of smoked pot on its own doesn’t give a police officer the right to search an adult’s car without a warrant.
While these searches were allowed when marijuana was illegal in the state, in a 6-0 opinion issued Thursday, justices say that changed when it became legal for adults in Illinois to use cannabis due to a change in state law.
Here's some more context:
A police officer may still legally conduct a warrantless search if a car reeks of pot and other factors are at play, the court indicated. Some examples of this include evidence a driver is operating a vehicle while impaired, or signs of unpackaged and unsecured marijuana in plain sight.
Under Illinois law, drivers and passengers can’t use pot when a car is in motion, and “no driver may use cannabis within the passenger area of any motor vehicle upon a highway in this State.”
Cannabis must also be transported and stored in a secure, sealed, odor-proof and child-resistant container that’s “reasonably inaccessible while the vehicle is moving.”
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Verböten, left to right: Tracey Bradford, John Carroll, Chris Kean and Jason Narducy. (Nathan Keay)
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Formed by Chicago-area pre-teens and teenagers in the 1980s, Verböten was a short-lived but surprisingly influential punk band that inspired a generation of young rockers — including one that would go on to drum for Nirvana and front Foo Fighters. After 40 years, they’re reuniting for Riot Fest. Marc Vitali interviews songwriter and co-frontman Jason Narducy, who performs as Split Single, below.
Some backstory:
In 1983, four friends aged 11 to 15 years old formed a punk band and played the Cubby Bear and a few other shows before amicably breaking up — basically the oldest kid wanted to tour, but the youngest was told that he had to finish 6th grade.
The oldest kid, singer Tracey Bradford, is cousins with Dave Grohl. Back in ‘83 Grohl was a Virginia teenager visiting family in Chicago. He attended the show at the Cubby Bear and later remarked, “That night changed everything I knew about music. Watching him (guitarist Jason Narducy) was the first time I ever thought, ‘If that kid right there does it, then I can do it, too.’”
Choice quotes from Narducy on Riot Fest and the group's new album:
“I’ve been fortunate to play Riot Fest both with Bob Mould and Superchunk. It’s a fantastic festival, and I’m thrilled that we’re doing this.”
One of the first things I said was, “We don’t even have enough music to play a show...,” so that’s when I went, “Maybe I should write a record so we have some material that we can be proud of,” and then we started this very unlikely project of making the record.
Verböten plays Riot Fest Saturday and will release their debut album, 41 years in the making, on Oct. 4.
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Also From WTTW News:
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Mistrial declared after jury deadlocks on whether ex-AT&T boss is guilty of bribing Michael Madigan.
It’s been a year since Illinois eliminated cash bail. On “Chicago Tonight,” prosecutors and researchers examined its impact.
The Smithsonian is hosting the “National Conversation on Race” program series in Chicago, which aims to explore the history and legacy of race and racism in this city. Eunice Alpasan has the details.
Joanna Hernandez looks at how the “Chicago Style” film and fashion show brings to life archival film while exploring Chicago’s Black fashion scene from the 1930s through the ‘80s.
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Back in the Day: September 20, 1929 - Prohibition Cops Meet Angry Dancehall Partygoers
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Ninety-five years ago today, two Chicago police officers had to be rescued from a rowdy Prohibition-era party held at the Polish Catholic Union Hall near Augusta Boulevard and Milwaukee Avenue. According to a 1929 Chicago Tribune report, a “crowd of dancers objected to [the officers’] curiosity to find out if liquor was being sold on the premises.” When a man shouted “mob them!” after the police officers inquired about illegal alcohol sales, partygoers swarmed them and the two cops drew their
weapons, fired a shot in the air and left the building. Unfortunately for the revelers, the Tribune states, “Several wagons of prisoners were taken to North Avenue and West Chicago Avenue stations.” To date, the national Polish Catholic Union of America headquarters is stationed at the corner of Augusta and Milwaukee.
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Other News From Around Town:
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What's your favorite Chicago park? Tell us why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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Here are your responses: |
"Northerly Island! The prairie and wetland are amazing and tranquil." —Michael M.
"Oz Park in the fall." — WTTW News video producer Nicole Cardos
“Loyola Park. Just yesterday there was impromptu house music set above the art wall. The smells of people grilling waft through the air.” — Jack B.
“All of the parks! Riley likes all of the things at the park!" — Riley S., age 3
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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