1. Music Legend Steve Albini Wants to Know Why His Carrots Look So Freaky

Chicago’s favorite uber-producer also happens to have a green thumb. Grub Street catches up with him.

2. Jabari Parker’s Homecoming Is a Win for Both Sides

Chicago gets back a hometown hero, and the Simeon grad gets to play on a team where he could soar. The Ringer digs into his game.

3. Lori Lightfoot Claims She’s the Next Progressive Darling, Democratic Socialists Say Otherwise

The mayoral challenger is seeking to replicate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional primary win in New York—but the two may diverge in significant ways. Think Progress takes a look.

4. Operation on Danny Farquhar’s Brain Didn’t Change What Was in White Sox Pitcher’s Heart

On April 20, White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm in the team’s dugout and nearly died. Three months later, he’s recovering in California and eyeing a return to the diamond. The Tribune catches up with the pitcher.

5. For Illinois Roads, Needs Are Growing. Funding Isn’t.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is altering its approach to repairing roads. But without financial investment, the new strategy could fall short. NPR Illinois reports.

6. The Obama Center Leaves Chicago Communities In Its Shadow

Does the former president’s center in Jackson Park amount to little more than “gentrification you can believe in”? The Nation makes the case.

7. Precious Possessions: The Genocide Survivors Who Kept Them Tell Their Stories

A new exhibition at the Illinois Holocaust Museum burrows into survivors’ memories. The Tribune goes deep on four such people.

8. The Fight Over Chicago’s Largest Private Police Force

After a University of Chicago police officer shot a student in early April, advocates have called for reforms. South Side Weekly tracks the fight.

9. Chicago’s Abusive Police State Is Untenable

Amid unrest following the killing of Harith Augustus last weekend, Slate’s Osita Nwanevu goes long on CPD.

10. What Officials Are(n’t) Doing About Chicago’s Lead Pipes

What are lawmakers doing to fix Chicago’s lead problem? Monica Eng explains.