|
Good morning. It’s Tuesday. WTTW News has the latest on the Department of Justice’s complaint against the city of Chicago’s employment practices, calls for protections for local reproductive health centers and, of course, sunbathing turtles. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Mayor Brandon Johnson addresses the news media on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Heather Cherone/WTTW News) |
|
Federal prosecutors will probe whether Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson improperly hired city employees because they are Black, the Trump administration announced Monday.
“The Department of Justice is opening an investigation to determine whether the City of Chicago, Illinois, is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race” in violation of federal law, Assistant U.S. Attorney Harmeet Dhillon, the head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, wrote to Johnson.
Johnson is “proud to have the most diverse administration in the history of our city. Our administration reflects the diversity and values of Chicago. Unfortunately, the current federal administration does not reflect either,” according to a statement from his spokesperson.
Dhillon, a legal adviser to the Trump 2020 campaign, told Johnson she opened the probe after the mayor told Byron T. Brazier, the pastor of the Apostolic Church of God on the city’s South Side, during a Sunday evening event that he had purposely surrounded himself with senior advisers who are Black.
Johnson, who has routinely touted his efforts to appoint the most racially diverse cabinet in Chicago history, said that was part of a strategy to “ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business.”
The mayor's office workforce was 30% White, 34% Black, 24% Latino and 7% Asian American, according to data released Monday afternoon. The city’s overall workforce was 38% White, 29.5% Black, 26.5% Latino and 3.4% Asian American, according to city data.
The people of Chicago are 31.4% White, 29.9% Latino, 28.7% Black and 6.9% Asian, according to the 2020 U.S. census.
“Considering these remarks, I have authorized an investigation to determine whether the City of Chicago is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination,” Dhillon wrote. “If these kinds of hiring decisions are being made for top-level positions in your administration, then it begs the question whether such decisions are also being made for lower-level positions.” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Damage to a building is seen after an explosion in Palm Springs, Calif., on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) |
|
Cook County’s top prosecutor is renewing her calls for a new state law that would define attacks on reproductive health care centers as terrorism, days after a California fertility clinic was bombed.
State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke on Monday called on Illinois legislators to pass a bill that would amend the terrorism article of the state’s criminal code to include language protecting reproductive health care facilities.
This comes after authorities said a 25-year-old man detonated a car bomb Saturday that left him dead, injured four others and damaged a fertility clinic in Palm Springs.
More on the legislation:
That legislation promoted by O’Neill Burke, HB2679, was introduced in February, but was re-referred to the Rule Committee the following month. A similar bill in the state Senate was referred to Assignments in February.
O’Neill Burke’s office this month introduced a new Choice Protection Unit, which it says is a first-of-its-kind initiative that brings together a courthouse supervisor with attorneys, investigators and administrative personnel to handle cases involving violence against abortion providers or patients seeking abortion care.
“As more women visit Illinois for these services after the demise of Roe V. Wade, the CPU ensures women’s access to reproductive services will not be harmed and serves as a model for other prosecutors’ offices to follow,” the state’s attorney’s office said in a statement. “In Cook County, the CPU will be a legal bulwark against threatening tactics and brings together a resourced team to study and stay on top of activities and trends in this emerging area of jurisprudence.” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
A turtle seen basking on an armchair near the North Branch of the Chicago River, May 15, 2025. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) |
|
It's basking season for turtles, who've raised sunbathing to an art form. This time of year, you'll find our hard- and soft-shelled friends soaking up rays — it’s how they regulate their body temperature — perched on logs, rocks and quite often each other. You don't expect to see them reclining in an armchair. And yet, we witnessed just such a thing with our very own eyes.
On the one hand, adorable. On the other, it's not great to have an abandoned chair lodged in the middle of the North Shore Channel, just a couple hundred yards from its confluence with the North Branch of the Chicago River. Significant effort has gone into restoring habitat along this stretch of the river, and it's paid off for wildlife.
How to report something like an armchair in the Chicago River?
The best place to start is with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), which operates skimmer boats.
People can notify the agency by clicking on the “Report an issue” link at the bottom of the page on the MWRD website.
Friends of the Chicago River also welcomes emails about litter, said Margaret Frisbie, the organization’s executive director.
Send the info to friends@chicagoriver.org, with the subject heading “Litter Report,” she said, and Friends will follow up as part of its Litter Free Chicago-Calumet River program. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back in the Day: May 20, 2015 - Riot Fest Moves to Douglass Park |
|
Following the 2014 iteration of the music festival, Riot Fest’s status as Chicago’s foremost punk rock event was in flux. The three years it had spent at Humboldt Park were rocky. Neighbors and organizers had complained about the disruption the festival caused with park access, damage to the park, and other factors. Ald. Robert Maldonado, once a staunch advocate for the festival, came out against its return. Eventually, they announced they were leaving the West Side neighborhood. On this day 10 years ago, Riot Fest announced that it’d be moving to Douglass Park in Lawndale. Upon the announcement, Mayor Rahm Emanuel warned Riot Fest that Chicago doesn’t have a “three-strikes-and-you’re out rule.” Riot Fest would ultimately remain at Douglass Park for the next 10 years (they announced a move to Bridgeview in 2024 but it didn’t pan out). The next Riot Fest is Sept. 19-21 and the festival has agreed to stay at the South Side park until at least 2027. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
This Week’s Staff Recommendations: Chicago-Set TV Shows |
|
Each Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things about Chicago. This week, it’s yours truly, newsletter producer Josh Terry, on locally-filmed TV shows that aren’t “The Bear.”
Josh Terry: In a little over a month, the entire fourth season of the Chicago-set chef dramedy “The Bear” will stream via Hulu on FX. The breakout series has been a love letter to the Second City. It's responsible for a wealth of “Yes, Chef!” memes, Jeremy Allen White lookalikes and making the lines at the Michelin-starred Philippine restaurant Kasama longer than ever. If you don't want to wait until June 25th to get your local fix on the silver screen, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry has compiled a shortlist of Chicago-set TV shows. You won't find heavy hitters like “Chicago Med,” “Chicago PD” and “Chicago Fire” but you will find great shows that are actually filmed in this great city.
“Easy” (Netflix)
Few film directors have used Chicago as a backdrop more than Joe Swanberg, whose staunchly independent movies have featured the city like "Happy Christmas," "Drinking Buddies," and "Win It All." For his TV debut, the Naperville Central alum makes an anthology show called "Easy" about what it means to live in Chicago during the mid-2010s. You'll recognize your favorite businesses and your favorite actors in this delightful and human dramedy.
“South Side” (Max)
The most hilarious local sitcom since "The Bob Newhart Show" is about the city's "South Side." Two of the show's creators, Sultan and Bashir Salahuddin, are actors from Chicago who star respectively as Simon, the lead role, and Officer Goodnight. There are whipsmart jokes, outrageous plot lines and a whole lot of heart. Though it was canceled after three seasons, it's an underrated, uproarious treasure.
“Shining Girls” (Apple TV+)
Starring an electric Elisabeth Moss, this eerie, supernatural serial killer thriller follows a Sun-Times archivist who tracks down a monstrous murderer with secret powers.
“The Bob Newhart Show” (Prime Video)
An icon for a reason. The Chicago-born comedian Bob Newhart stars in an innovative sitcom that first aired in 1972 and is still funny in 2025. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
What’s your favorite Chicago-area farmers market? Let us know and tell us why. |
|
|
|
Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
5:30 PM | 10:00 PM |
|
|
|
|
Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
|
Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
|
|
|
|
