1. A Chicago Without ComEd
Should Chicago refuse to renew ComEd’s franchise agreement and become a public power community? Aldermen tell Chicago it would save customers money and allow the city to transition to renewable energy.
2. Players 2020
Who’s the biggest name in Chicago theater? Tarell Alvin McCraney, the Steppenwolf ensemble member who won an Oscar for co-writing Moonlight. New City’s list digs deeper into the local theater scene, too, spotlight storefronts and struggling actors.
3. People Are Crossing State Lines to Buy Recreational Cannabis in Illinois
Illinois is surrounded by buzzkill states: weed is illegal in Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky. High Times reports that out-of-staters were big customers at border town dispensaries.
4. Bears’ Off-Season To-Dos Start With Finding an Identity for Offense and Mitchell Trubisky
The Bears are committed to Trubisky as their QB, so now they need to find an offensive scheme that works for a “below-average pocket passer with so-so accuracy.” If they can’t, says ESPN, “everyone’s job is in jeopardy after the 2020 season.”
5. Battlelines Already Forming for 2023 Mayoral Contest
Lori Lightfoot looks “unbeatable,” but that doesn’t mean her rivals won’t try. Possible contenders include the CTU’s Stacy Davis Gates, aldermen Brendan Reilly and Ray Lopez, and Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. Russ Stewart of Nadig Newspapers predicts the field.
6. When the Teamsters Dumped Cabs in the Chicago River
A version of that scene in The Irishman was at the heart of a labor dispute between the Outfit and local cabbies. Chicago revisits what really happened.
7. Rep. Dan Lipinski Takes Heat for Signing Onto Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court to Overturn Roe v. Wade
As he faces another tough primary against 2018 challenger Marie Newman, Lipinski is allying with Republicans seeking to restrict abortion. CBS Chicago reports on the fallout.
8. Illinois Spent the Last Decade Losing Population and Learning Nothing
Illinois lost 159,000 people in the 2010s, more than any other state. Reason blames high taxes and a budget that “line[s] the pockets of government employees.”
9. A Homeless Elgin Man Built Himself an Abode in the Woods. Now He’s Being Evicted From It.
Doug Henke calls his tent “Camelot.” Unfortunately, it’s on the property of the Fox River Water Reclamation District. The Daily Herald says Henke plans to move to a new campsite, which he’ll call “Aerthindell.”
10. Weedman’s Day
Marijuana legalization is supposed to put dealers out of business, but one weedman is expecting more, as people become more comfortable with cannabis, and find out the dispensaries are more expensive. The Chicago Reader follows him on his rounds.