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Happy Friday, Chicago. Start your weekend with a column from WTTW News nature reporter Patty Wetli and an in-depth interview with Sen. Dick Durbin. |
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A young Ferris, before the Montrose chicks had even received their names. (Courtesy Chicago Piping Plovers) |
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Patty Wetli: This past week started on a tragic note, with news that one of Chicago’s piping plover chicks, Ferris, had … died? … been killed? … was eaten?
I struggled with how to characterize what happened to Ferris. “Died” suggested an illness, which wasn’t the case.
“Killed” implied “murder,” which kind of was what happened, but kind of not.
Chicago Piping Plovers used the word “predated” in announcing the loss of Ferris: “Predated” as in preyed upon, as in killed by a predator, in this case a red-tailed hawk. “Predated” is one of those clunky nouns-turned-verbs that as a lover of the English language, I balked at using.
In the end, I went with “killed by a hawk.” It more or less conveyed the circumstances of Ferris’ death, but it also did a disservice to the hawk. When’s the last time you ate a hamburger and were called a killer?
I saw some very “anti-hawk” comments online. But the hawk was just doing what hawks do — surviving. It’s likely dined out on many a small bird in Chicago, just not one that happened to be an adorable endangered chick with a name and a legion of fans. In fact, I saw what I assume was a different hawk chowing on another bird several weeks ago in a park near my home.
The entire situation is a great reminder that while nature so often brings us joy, it’s also quite brutal, and it doesn’t play favorites. This is why I usually watch nature documentaries with my hands over my eyes.
It’s probably also worth pointing out that the reason piping plovers are endangered has nothing to do with hawks or the natural order of things, and everything to do with humans.
ICYMI: We also put to rest recent hyperbolic headlines about a zoo in Denmark soliciting people’s pets to feed to their predator animals. |
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Sen. Dick Durbin appears on "Chicago Tonight" on August 7, 2025. (WTTW News) |
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Illinois braces for change as U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is set to retire after five terms in the Senate.
The longtime Democratic lawmaker sat down with WTTW News’ “Chicago Tonight” for a wide-ranging interview last night — weighing in on everything from gerrymandering and Trump to the future of the Democratic Party.
On Israel and Palestine:
“I believe in Israel, I believe it has a right to exist and defend itself, and that’s been my position throughout my career, but what we’re seeing in Gaza is horrific and unacceptable and violates the rules of war. As far as I’m concerned, using starvation as a weapon of war is against the rule of law, and I think we should be very vocal in opposing Netanyahu’s efforts.”
On the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’:
“The major issue is health care and the belief that the president’s big, beautiful budget was a disaster when it came to health care. To think that 15 million Americans are going to lose their health insurance, to think that the cost of medical care and health insurance is going to go up for so many others, that we’re going to lose hospitals, we’re going to lose clinics in the process, that nursing homes are going to be unable to stay open.”
On public media:
“We need more independent voices speaking to the American people. … I think the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has proven itself reliable over the years. I don’t believe it’s partisan. Perhaps the other side does, but to say that we’re going to quiet this voice and give fewer options for information to the American people is just plain wrong.”
On retirement:
“I’ve served longer as an elected U.S. senator in Illinois than anyone in history. I’m honored to have had that opportunity. … You notice that age takes its toll on many people. I want to walk out the front door of this job rather than being carried out the back door, and I think this is the time to do it.” |
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Church of the Holy Family opened in August 1860 with an interior by architect John Mills Van Osdel. (Marc Vitali / WTTW News) |
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A kind of architectural homecoming took place at Church of the Holy Family on Roosevelt Road last week.
The great-great-grandnephew of John Mills Van Osdel — Chicago’s first architect — toured the glorious church interior designed by his relative in the mid-19th century.
Bud Hopkins is himself a retired architect. The 88-year-old native Midwesterner has lived in Texas for 60 years, and he visited the church created by his great-great-granduncle bearing a family gift — more on that in a moment.
Holy Family Church survived the Chicago Fire of 1871, which started about one mile east. The O’Leary family, in fact, were parishioners.
After it opened in August 1860, Holy Family became known as the “Ellis Island of the Midwest” for its welcoming attitude toward immigrants. It’s estimated that a third of Chicago’s Irish population can trace their roots directly to the church.
WTTW News met Bud Hopkins as he entered the historic church built by his distant uncle. |
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Back in the Day: August 8, 1976 - White Sox Wear Shorts |
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When promoter and businessman Bill Veeck owned Major League Baseball franchises, he was known for outlandish promotional stunts and his tongue-in-cheek marketing prowess. From exploding scoreboards to Disco Demolition nights, a night at the park was always a spectacle when Veeck was involved. On this day in 1976, Veeck, then-owner of the Chicago White Sox, decided to try something new: new uniforms that included shorts. For three games in 1976 beginning on Aug. 8, the South Siders donned Bermuda shorts. The promotion only lasted three games (among the many issues with the choice: how does sliding into a base work?) but the White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-2 in the first game of a doubleheader. The following and final two times the White Sox donned shorts, they bested the Baltimore Orioles 11-10 in Aug. 21 and then 7-3 on Aug. 22. Yes, the Chicago White Sox are undefeated when wearing shorts. |
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Nature Calls: This Week’s Outdoorsy Events and Activities |
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Every Friday, WTTW News science and nature reporter Patty Wetli highlights the best ways to get outside.
Patty Wetli: If you’re headed to the Illinois State Fair — now open through Aug. 17 — be sure to swing by Conservation World, sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. They’ll be handing out 100 buy-one get-one coupons daily for Illinois state park campgrounds (get one night of free camping when you pay for at least one other night). Look for the Illinois State Parks: A Century of Fun tent to grab your voucher.
Full Moon Jam brings its unique brand of performance — expect fire breathers, dancing and lots of drumming — to Chicago’s Rainbow Beach Park, Friday, 7-10 p.m. Free and open to all.
Join self-taught botanist Shane Alden, aka the Wild Dryad, for an urban plant ID workshop and nature walk. Get tickets: Saturday in Maggie Daley Park or Sunday near the Lincoln Park Conservatory.
Saturday is Fullersburg Day in DuPage County. Celebrate one of the county’s oldest preserves — Fullersburg Woods — 1-4 p.m. Head to the Oak Brook preserve for hands-on activities; visit the nature center, which houses the remains of a woolly mammoth; tour the historic Graue Mill; and more. Free, no registration required.
Wanna hang out with some hummingbirds? Check out the green roof at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook. There are feeders everywhere, so all you have to do is grab a seat and enjoy the show. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.
If you’re a fan of all things creepy and crawly, Bugapalooza at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is for you. There are activities and educational opportunities for people of all ages. Tickets are $20 to $30 per person, which includes museum admission.
Looking ahead: Tickets are on sale now for Dahlia Fest 2025, Sept. 7, at Flowers for Dreams in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. |
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It’s been hot, mild, smoky, rainy and stormy this summer. What’s your ideal weather 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:
"I was raised on the Westside of Chicago, Madison and Pulaski, Sumner Elementary School, Austin HS, in the '50's and '60's. Columbus Park and Garfield Park and the Legler Library were my playgrounds and refuge as were the alleys behind VanBuren and Kostner. We had no AC back then. We did not even have a fan most of the time...This summer, right now, brings me back to that time when the days were hot and humid for weeks at a time... The past few years have been mild. I am happy to have this hot weather back and put my face to the sun." —Joyce G.
"Not this!!! FALL!!" - @kendallhuffbryson
"This weekend was perfect. High 70s low 80s, sunny, slight wind (minus the bad air quality." - @claire_yvonne
My ideal weather is a “real” fall day. Sunny crisp sweater weather. I come alive in the fall. — Lucy P.
"Chilly enough for a couple layers." - @lilsnow
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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