Happy Friday. WTTW News science and nature reporter Patty Wetli is back with another end-of-the-week column. Plus, stories on gun violence and IDOC from WTTW News.
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(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
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Patty Wetli: I guarantee you that if I used GPS to navigate the route from my home on Chicago’s North Side to my brother’s home in St. Louis, the AI assistant would point me west to the Kennedy Expressway.
Maybe that’s the fastest way to go. I couldn’t tell you — I always defy logic and head east to use Lake Shore Drive. Because why would I not take advantage of every opportunity to travel the most scenic route? Even after decades of living in Chicago, the city’s lakefront still takes my breath away. Every single time.
Thanks to some early visionaries, namely Aaron Montgomery Ward, Chicago has this incredible green and blue front yard that’s a magnet for residents and visitors alike.
If you’ve watched any of our own Geoffrey Baer’s lakefront specials over the years (a new one just dropped Monday), you’ve likely heard the phrase “open, clear, and free” in reference to Chicago’s shoreline. Most of us take for granted it will always be like that; most of us assume there are ironclad laws guarding the city’s crown jewel from development.
Not really. In a new report, the nonprofit conservation organization Openlands called the lakefront’s protections “precarious.”
The primary deterrent to development on the lakefront is a simple municipal ordinance — the Lakefront Protection Ordinance — which wasn’t enacted until the 1970s. The ordinance itself is based on “The Lakefront Plan of Chicago,” a document Openlands says isn’t publicly accessible. And neither the plan nor the ordinance has been substantially updated in 50 years.
The report states: “For far too long, we have governed the lakefront through a piecemeal approach, where serial debates over individual development proposals lead to chronic legal disputes. As a result, champions of lakefront protection are forced to respond defensively, and the onus for upholding Chicago’s heralded commitment to its shoreline has frequently rested on the courts.”
In its analysis, Openlands made five recommendations that would strengthen lakefront protections:
Require periodic updates to The Lakefront Plan of Chicago and the Lakefront Protection District. And make the plan easily accessible to the public.
Establish design and use standards for objective review.
Mandate environmental impact studies.
Ensure healthy public engagement and discourse.
Establish higher standards for large developments.
If you’re looking for beach reading this summer, the full report is available online.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at an event at the Pullman Community Center on April 17, 2025. (WTTW News)
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The Peacekeepers program, an initiative that seeks to reduce harm in some of the Chicago neighborhoods most affected by gun violence, has led to significant reductions in shootings in recent years, a new report has found.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson and other public officials lauded the program after a new Northwestern University study found that specific “hotspots” where peacekeepers have been deployed have seen drops of more than 40% in gun violence between 2023 and 2024.
“Corner by corner, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, we are freeing our communities from the age-old patterns of crime and violence,” Pritzker said during an event Thursday at the Pullman Community Center. “That bold and innovative approach has produced truly remarkable results.”
Some backstory:
Under the Peacekeepers program, more than 1,200 individuals have been deployed into areas affected by gun violence to help defuse tensions and mediate conflicts among residents. Those individuals are often members of those communities and leverage their relationships to help stop violence before it happens.
The program, which is largely state-funded and implemented by the gun violence prevention nonprofit Chicago CRED, launched as a pilot program in 2018 in 14 community areas affected by gun violence: Austin, West Garfield Park, East Garfield Park, Brighton Park, North Lawndale, Little Village, Back of the Yards, Roseland, West Pullman, Greater Englewood, Humboldt Park, Woodlawn, South Shore and Greater Grand Crossing.
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(txking / iStock)
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A class action lawsuit was filed Wednesday claiming the Illinois Department of Corrections has systematically failed to provide adequate mental health treatment to those incarcerated. Uptown People’s Law Center and Equip for Equality filed suit against IDOC Director Latoya Hughes on behalf of the nearly 13,000 people with mental illness in the state’s prisons — approximately 44% of the population.
“For decades, the thousands of people who are incarcerated in the Illinois state prison system have been denied needed mental health treatment while being subjected to conditions of confinement known to be harmful to mental illness,” the lawsuit states.
The Illinois Department of Corrections declined to comment on pending litigation.
What the lawsuit says:
The lawsuit alleges IDOC violated class members’ Eighth Amendment rights by failing to “provide them with adequate mental health care and treatment while subjecting them to conditions of confinement known to be harmful to their mental health during their custody, which places them at substantial risk of harm.”
It also alleges IDOC violated federal disability laws, including the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, by “subjecting them to isolative confinement that disparately impacts them due to their mental illness.”
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Back in the Day: April 18, 1991 - Chicago White Sox Lose 16-0 in Debut of New Comiskey Park
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On this day 34 years ago, a new era began for the Chicago White Sox as the baseball team unveiled a new stadium then called Comiskey Park II (its formal name is now Rate Field). Following a prolonged political battle over funding and team owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s threats to move the team to Florida, the White Sox secured more than $137 million in public funds to build it. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 7, 1989, with Mayor Richard M. Daley in attendance, and less than two years later on April
18, 1991, the Sox held their first home game there. Former Gov. Jim Thompson threw the ceremonial first pitch and said, “Chicago now has the best new ballpark in America and, in Wrigley Field, Chicago has the best old ballpark in America. We deserve it because we have the greatest city in America.” The team lost 0-16 against the Detroit Tigers.
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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.
Last weekend, the cherry trees in Jackson Park were just beginning to blossom. This weekend, they’re in full bloom (bordering on post-bloom). Check out the show before it’s over!
The One Earth environmental film festival kicks off April 22 — Earth Day! — and runs through April 28. Themes include climate change, conservation, environmental justice and sustainability. Most screenings are free, with a suggested donation of $8. This year’s lineup includes “The Hill,” which examines the toxic sites Chicago’s shuttered steel mills left
behind.
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is holding a number of events this weekend in advance of Earth Day, ranging from celebrations and nature walks to clean-ups and bike rides. Choose your adventure.
Wanna up your bird photography game? Check out this session, Saturday, noon to 2 p.m., at North Park Village Nature Center. Jorge Garcia will offer tips and then lead a hike for people to practice their new skills. The program is free but requires an RSVP.
Stewardship activities have been scheduled at a bunch of Chicago Park District natural areas on Saturday, including 63rd Street Beach, the South Shore Nature Sanctuary, Wooded Island in Jackson Park and Loyola Beach. To volunteer, RSVP to the appropriate site steward.
Black-crowned night herons are back at Lincoln Park Zoo! What’s the big deal? These are state-endangered wild birds and for some reason, they’ve chosen the zoo as the site of their nesting colony (aka rookery). They can be seen inside the Children’s Zoo, as well as flying to and fro.
Looking for a challenge? Try completing the “Bridges of Will County” circuit, which connects five different forest preserves. Hit up all five in a single weekend or savor each preserve individually.
It’s not too early to start thinking about next weekend. April 26 is the 40th anniversary of Friends of the Parks' annual Earth Day cleanup, 9 a.m. to noon. The organization needs volunteers to help clean and green a whopping 150 parks. Sign up to pitch in at a park near you.
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This year, lawmakers in Springfield and Washington D.C. are attempting to make daylight saving
time permanent. What do you think? Let us know and 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:
“Bad idea. In the winter it would still be dark out at 8:00 a.m. I'd never get up!” — Carla K.
“It's terrible. Standard time should be ... standard ... if there is going to be an end to changing clocks. DST in the winter would mean the sun rises after 8 o'clock. That's ridiculous.”—John L.
“Time doesn't change, so why should the clocks?”—@chap.bsky.social
“Extending DST season into winter would do as much harm today as in 1974. Both AM and PM light are important, and standard time balances them fairly.” – Mike G.
“Can't wait until December when everyone will be complaining about going to work and school in the dark. Forget gun control, health care, property tax relief, school funding and infrastructure, at least our lawmakers are tackling the big issues.” — @whrlaw.bsky.social
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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