EVENING NEWS CLIPS – 2.7.20 MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT MLL JOINS STATE LEADERS TO SUBMIT EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS TO FEMA NBC5 News at 6PM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA *B-roll of MLL speaking at event *MLL: we identified an access of $37 million, $25 million on Chicago Park District property alone. ANCHOR: the state and city declared areas along the lakefront a disaster from January’s storms. but now it's up to the federal government to award much needed federal money. CBS2 News at 5PM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA *B-Roll of MLL speaking at press conference *MLL: what i mostly concerned about is properties that are right on the edge of the lake that are literally teetering on the edge of destruction because & other foundations are being eroded by the waters that are battering them. ANCHOR: now to the growing emergency along Chicago’s lakefront. the shoreline washing away, homes in danger because of highly levels. now the Mayor is declaring it a disaster. FOX32 News at 5PM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA *B-roll of MLL speaking at event *MLL: Lake Michigan is at historic levels, which seems remarkable because it wasn’t that long ago, maybe within five years, that we’re talking about the lake being at historic low levels. And as the senator said, this is climate change in action, right here in our city. ANCHOR: Mayor Lightfoot said she is working on a long-term plan to help Chicago’s lakefront after declaring it a disaster. the Mayor was joined by senator dick Durbin and the state’s ABC7 News at 4:30PM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA *B-roll of MLL speaking at event * MLL: This is not an issue that just affects Chicago or Illinois. The entire population that touches Lake Michigan, which encompasses several states, is affected by this. DURBIN: if you don't believe in climate change, lake michigan has a message for you. wake up. ANCHOR: a declaration of emergency. illinois leaders sounding the alarm about lake Michigan WGN News at 4PM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA *B-roll of MLL speaking to press *MLL: For federal disaster declaration, allowing us to receive critical resources and assistance, we need FEMA to act quickly and make funding available. ANCHOR: chicago and the state of illinois now turning to the federal government hoping for money to help rebuild the city's crumbling lakeshore. the lake is at record high levels and the pounding waves are responsible for the damages and continue to eat away at the shorelines. ABC7 News at 11:30AM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA ANCHOR: flood damage along Chicago’s lakefront is so bad that Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot have issued disaster proclamations. thank can help boost funding for recovery efforts. a storm on January 10 and 11 brought high winds, rain, snow and ice that caused significant property damage. the governor says he is also asking fema for more time to provide documentation needed for federal disaster declaration. WGN News at 11AM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA ANCHOR: well developing right now a day after declaring chicago's lake shore a disaster area Mayor Lightfoot is now turning to the federal government for help to make some of those repairs. WGN’s Nancy loo live on the lakefront in rogers park with more on that story morning LOO: good morning, stephen and Lourdes, disaster declarations welcome news to many NBC5 News at 11AM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA ANCHOR: now to the power of mother nature. today local leaders are submitting emergency declarations to FEMA asking for funding to protect and rebuild the city’s lakeshore. This all comes after storms caused major erosion at the lakefront. Kye Martin is live MARTIN: here off of jarvis and sheridan road rising lake levels are an everyday concern for the people in this area. but when it comes to funding long-term solutions, if Mayor Lightfoot has Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls for federal disaster designation for Chicago lakefront TRIBUNE//John Byrne Calling recent destructive Lake Michigan waves and flooding from historically high water levels "climate change in action right here in our city,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday made a plea for millions of dollars in federal funding to repair damages and prepare the lakefront for a future in which these types of storm events become more frequent. The mayor stood with Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, to request that the Federal Emergency Management Agency declare a lakefront emergency here, pointing to $37 million in damage caused in Chicago and Cook County by the January storms. Lightfoot wants emergency declaration from FEMA to repair $25M in storm damage to shoreline SUN TIMES//Fran Spielman Mayor Lori Lightfoot Friday put a $25 million price tag on the January storm damage to Chicago’s lakefront and asked for a quick emergency declaration from FEMA to free up federal resources to rebuild it. With Lake Michigan already four inches above its 30-year high and more than five weeks of winter yet to go, Lightfoot said fast federal action is needed to free up funding for a job that Chicago simply cannot do alone. Federal Funds to Protect Great Lakes Have Been Withheld for 2 Years; ‘Unacceptable,’ Says Durbin WTTW//Patty Wetli With Chicagoans’ homes “literally teetering on the edge of destruction” as their foundations are being eroded by Lake Michigan’s historic high levels, Mayor Lori Lightfoot called on the federal government to move quickly to provide funds needed to create a long-term plan to reinforce the city’s vulnerable shoreline. Speaking at a news conference Friday at La Rabida Children’s Hospital, Lightfoot was joined by Sen. Dick Durbin and Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who were united in their push for federal dollars. Lightfoot Declares Local Emergency Due to ‘Catastrophic’ Flooding, Damage To Lakefront BLOCK CLUB//Kelly Bauer DOWNTOWN — Mayor Lori Lightfoot has declared Chicago’s battered lakefront a local disaster. Lightfoot issued a local disaster proclamation on Thursday, and she’s asking Gov. JB Pritzker to make a similar move to recognize damage to the lakefront as a state emergency. If Pritzker does so, the state could use its resources and funding to help in repairs — and it’d be able to ask the federal government for more help. CPD AND CTA MEET TO DISCUSS CRIME-FIGHTING STRATEGIES ON CTA NBC5 News at 5PM: CPD and CTA meet to discuss crime-fighting strategies on CTA ANCHOR: today officials with Chicago police and the CTA met to discuss ways to improve safety. the meeting comes in the wake of two violent attacks on the CTA, including a shooting on a blue line train after a struggle over a backpack. under the new plan, Chicago police will allocate more resources to the CTA, putting more officers not only on platforms but on the trains and buses themselves. CBS2 News at 11AM: CPD and CTA meet to discuss crime-fighting strategies on CTA ANCHOR: happening today, CPD brass sit down with CTA officials after a rise in violent crime on the transit system. as cbs 2's eric cox tells us, high-tech solutions are helping but more needs to be done. COX: it was right here at the UIC- halsted blue line station wednesday where a man was shot and just a day before that, another man was stabbed at the jackson street red line station ABC7 News at 11AM: CPD and CTA meet to discuss crime-fighting strategies on CTA ANCHOR: there’s another effort to reduce violent crime untrained and buses in chicago. Police officials will be meeting with the CTA this afternoon. there was a shooting on the blue line earlier this week. jessica d'onofrio is live in the loop. She had a chance to get an update from Interim Superintendent Charlie Beck. LINCOLN PARK HS COMMUNITY WANTS TO MEET WITH MLL, DR. JACKSON NBC5 News at 6PM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: a demand for answers tonight over Lincoln park high school’s misconduct scandal. The local school council wants details about the sudden removal and reassignment of three administrators. CHICAGOAN: we have no information, we’ve received no information, we’re completely blindsided and left out of the process. NBC5 News at 6PM: CPD and CTA meet to discuss crime-fighting strategies on CTA ANCHOR: after two violent attacks in a matter of days the cta and chicago police are working on new ways to improve safety on public transportation. under the new plan chicago police will allocate more resources to the cta, putting more officers on platforms, trains and buses. just yesterday police arrested a man after they say he shot a blue line passenger over a backpack. police credit the cta's network of high definition security cameras for the arrest. FOX32 News at 5PM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson LUM: it has been a week of protests, walkouts and confusion here inside the school, and now the local school council is demanding better communication with cps and their school community. yesterday fights in the hallway upset students and teachers who say that the tension inside the school is disturbing. it began when the district removed the principal and assistant principal in connection to multiple misconduct allegations. NBC5 News at 5PM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: frustration from lincoln park high school misconduct scandal is mounting. Tonight, the local school council is demanding answers about the sudden removal and reassignment of three administrators. CHICAGOAN: what were the investigations, who was spoken with, when did those things happen, what evidence was collected? ABC7 News at 4:30PM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: in a week where students at Lincoln park high school held sit-ins and walkouts, parents are also speaking out. Today, they called for a meeting with Mayor Lightfoot and the CEO of Chicago public schools. they want to know why three school administrators were removed from their posts. it all stems from a sexual misconduct incident that apparently happened during a basketball team trip into Detroit. WGN News at 4PM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson *B-roll of MLL speaking at event *MLL: I’ve been read in to the circumstances in Lincoln Park High School and, quite frankly, it's horrifying. ANCHOR: we are also following the developments after the firing of school administrators a week ago set the lincoln park high school community on edge. Marcella raymond has been following this story for us all week, she's live in lincoln park once again this afternoon. WGN News at 11AM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: Lincoln park high school students are speaking out about growing safety concerns after students staged a sit-in and fights broke out. WGN’s judy wang is at lincoln park high school with our top story today. WANG: another interim principal just a few of the things that have happened during a tense week here at lincoln park high school. ABC7 News at 11AM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: it’s been a tumultuous week at Lincoln Park High School after the removal of three administrators. parents are calling for a meeting with CPS officials. yesterday students staged a sit in yesterday in the hallways. then they walked out of the classroom for the second time. mark rivera is live outside of lincoln park high school with the latest developments. NBC5 News at 11AM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: the frustration from Lincoln Park High School's misconduct scandal is building. today the local school council demands answers about the removal and reassignment of now three administrators. CHICAGOAN: we have no information. we're completely blindsided and left out of the process to start. Frustrated Lincoln Park High School parents want a meeting with mayor, CPS chief SUN TIMES//Stefano Esposito As tensions and frustrations increase at Lincoln Park High School over, among other things, the firing of two popular administrators there, parents on Friday said they want a meeting with Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools chief Dr. Janice Jackson. “The local school council believes we need to do this in a collaborative way with CPS, rather than in an antagonistic one,” said Marybeth Jones, a parent rep on the school’s council, speaking to reporters. Lincoln Park High School local council says it was ‘completely blindsided’ by removal of top administrators, ask Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to intervene TRIBUNE//Elvia Malagon and Hannah Leone Members of the Lincoln Park High School Local School Council say they were left out of the decision to remove top administrators and demanded more details from Chicago Public Schools officials. “We’ve received no information. We were completely blindsided and left out of the process,” said David Marren, a parent and council member. Lincoln Park High Allegations Test Chicago’s New Protocol For Investigating Sexual Misconduct Complaints CHALKBEAT//Cassie Walker Burke LINCOLN PARK — Investigations spanning multiple school agencies. Accusations of sexual misconduct on an overnight boys basketball trip, and an alleged cover-up. The dismissal of a school’s top administrators and coaches. The abrupt suspension of a team’s basketball season ahead of a big game. Student walkouts. And, in the middle of the investigations, the resignation of the city’s independent inspector general, Nicholas Schuler, amid rancor in his own office. Tell Us What’s Really Happening At Our School, Lincoln Park High School’s Local School Council Begs BLOCK CLUB//Justin Laurence LINCOLN PARK — After a tumultuous week, Lincoln Park High School’s Local School Council on Friday called for more transparency on what’s happening at its beleaguered school. The group called on Chicago Public School officials to give them more information on into what led the district to dismiss three administrators — Interim Principal John Thuet, Assistant Principal Michelle Brumfield and Dean John Johnson. The LSC, parents and teachers have defended the three amid the turmoil of the last week. Lincoln Park Students Protest, Demand Return Of Ousted Administrators WBEZ//Adriana Cardona-Maguigad Tensions and emotions are running high among students and teachers at Chicago’s Lincoln Park High School who have now seen three changes in their top administration in less than a week. This comes amid allegations of sexual misconduct involving the school’s boys and girls basketball teams and allegations of “egregious policy violations” at the school. OTHER MLL NEWS FOX32 News at 5PM: Curie HS Community demands answers over basketball coach removal ANCHOR: Curie high school parents are demanding answers from CPS after the district removed its longtime basketball coach. we learned mike oliver was removed from his position as security guard and coach on wednesday. all the district has said is that he's accused of getting into a physical altercation with a student last month. Aldermen green light crackdown on fake ride-hailing drivers DAILY LINE//Heather Cherone Aldermen advanced a measure Thursday that could send fake ride-hailing drivers to jail for six months and fine them $20,000. The City Council’s Public Safety Committee endorsed the proposal, authored by Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) (SO2019-8546), which is set to be considered by the full City Council on Feb. 19. Reilly said he was spurred to act after a “rash of serious incidents” involving people who were victims of crimes after getting into a vehicle they thought was there to give them a ride home, usually after a night of drinking. Will interim CPD chief's departmental shakeup outlast his tenure? CRAIN’S//A.D. Quig Interim Superintendent Charlie Beck believes he can boost officer morale and community trust in the Chicago Police Department and also comply with costly federal reform mandates—all while reducing violent crime. Mayor Lori Lightfoot's choice to succeed Superintendent Eddie Johnson is wasting no time leaving his mark on a department he soon plans to leave. Why Chicago's opportunity zone program is lagging other cities CRAIN’S//Danny Ecker After spending 18 months evaluating some 750 potential real estate developments in low-income neighborhoods around the country, Craig Bernstein is finding viable projects to bet on. Just not in Chicago. His Washington, D.C.-based private-equity fund is backing a new $45 million mixed-use complex near an upscale shopping center in Charlottesville, Va., its first foray into opportunity zones—areas designated by a two-year-old federal program meant to revive poor communities. Landmarked River North Bar Would Become Weed Dispensary Under Plan BLOCK CLUB//Justin Laurence CHICAGO — One of the largest cannabis operators in the state wants to open their first Chicago dispensary in a landmarked building in River North. PharmaCann, which is headquartered in Chicago but has yet to open a dispensary in its own backyard, shared their plans to convert a vacant building at 444 N. LaSalle St. into a four-story dispensary and event center. Fixed! Wicker Park Walk Signal No Longer Sending Pedestrians Into Traffic BLOCK CLUB//Hannah Alani POLISH TRIANGLE — A dangerously confusing traffic signal at a busy Wicker Park intersection has been fixed. Hours after a neighbor reported that a poorly aligned pedestrian walk signal at the corner of Ashland and Milwaukee avenues was sending unwitting pedestrians into oncoming traffic, the Chicago Department of Transportation sprung into action. By Friday morning, the light was fixed. Days After Firefighter Shot Putting Out Car Blaze In Albany Park, Another Car Fire Reported On Same Block BLOCK CLUB//Alex V. Hernandez ALBANY PARK — Less than a week after a firefighter was shot while extinguishing a car fire in Albany Park, another car fire was reported on the same block. Officers on patrol noticed the car fire at about 2 a.m. Friday at 3355 W. Wilson Ave. — just outside an apartment building that has been blamed for recent violence in the area. Reached Friday morning, fire department officials had no details on the blaze and could not say whether or not it was being investigated as arson. CHICAGO Chicago couple who contracted coronavirus released from Hoffman Estates hospital SUN TIMES//Mitch Dudek The two Chicago residents who were the first person-to person transmission coronavirus patients in the country have been discharged from AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates. The husband and wife “have been discharged to their home under the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois Department of Public Health,” Alexius Medical Center said in a statement Friday morning. Illinois couple treated for coronavirus discharged from local hospital, transitioning to ‘home isolation’ TRIBUNE//Angie Leventis Lourgos An Illinois husband and wife hospitalized for coronavirus in the first person-to-person transmission reported in the United States have been discharged, according to the hospital. A woman in her 60s caught the disease while traveling to Wuhan, China, in late December to take care of her sick father, and returned to Chicago in mid-January, health officials have reported. Her husband — who is also in his 60s and had underlying health conditions Three North Side Teachers With A Passion For Social Justice Nominated For Golden Apple Awards BLOCK CLUB//Alex V. Hernandez CHICAGO — Three teachers from the North Side are among the the 30 finalists in the state nominated for a Golden Apple award this year. Golden Apple is a nonprofit committed supporting teachers recognized for their lasting, positive effects on students’ lives and school communities. This year’s finalists were selected from a field of 732 nominations received from 64 counties in Illinois. Musician talks about getting stabbed on Red Line: ‘I was bleeding out everywhere. I just lit a cigarette, sat on a bench and watched her destroy my (stuff)’ TRIBUNE//Sophie Sherry, Rosemary Sobol, and William Lee Michael Malinowski, known as “Machete Mike” to riders of the Red Line where he regularly plays guitar, had just been stabbed by a woman angry his music was giving her a headache. Now she was tossing his guitar onto the tracks at the Jackson stop. "I was bleeding out everywhere,” Malinowski said. “I just lit a cigarette, sat on a bench and watched her destroy my s---.” Your CTA Bus Driver Might Just Be World-Famous Blues Man Toronzo Cannon BLOCK CLUB//Bob Chiarito LINCOLN PARK — In the city that works, Toronzo Cannon literally and figuratively wears the Chicago flag on his sleeve. But even if Cannon didn’t have the four six-pointed Chicago stars tattooed on his right wrist, it wouldn’t take long to learn Cannon, who grew up in the shadow of the Robert Taylor Homes at 49th Street and Michigan Avenue, is the embodiment of everything Chicago. $185M Aon Center observatory, with thrill ride and glassy exterior elevator, set to open in 2022 TRIBUNE//Ryan Ori A little later than expected, Chicago’s third observatory is coming into view as the owner of the Aon Center prepares to start building the long-discussed $185 million addition. The skyscraper’s owner, 601W Cos., expects to begin construction on the yet-to-be-named observation deck overlooking Millennium Park in the third quarter of this year, said Aon Center general manager Matthew Amato. ILLINOIS AND SPRINGFIELD Illinois tripled weed jobs last year CRAIN’S//John Pletz The legal weed business has generated a lot of money in Illinois and a lot of jobs: more than 6,000 of them. There were 6,156 jobs created in the legal marijuana business in the state last year, about double the amount created the year before, according to estimates by Leafly, a cannabis-industry website. Illinois sales of recreational marijuana totaled almost $40 million in the first month. FULL TRANSCRIPTS NBC5 News at 6PM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: a demand for answers tonight over Lincoln park high school’s misconduct scandal. The local school council wants details about the sudden removal and reassignment of three administrators. CHICAGOAN: we have no information, we’ve received no information, we’re completely blindsided and left out of the process. ANCHOR: cps says it is investigating allegations of student and adult sexual misconduct, retaliation and interference in an investigation. Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she's horrified by the allegations and is willing to participate in a meeting about it. NBC5 News at 6PM: CPD and CTA meet to discuss crime-fighting strategies on CTA ANCHOR: after two violent attacks in a matter of days the cta and chicago police are working on new ways to improve safety on public transportation. under the new plan chicago police will allocate more resources to the cta, putting more officers on platforms, trains and buses. just yesterday police arrested a man after they say he shot a blue line passenger over a backpack. police credit the cta's network of high definition security cameras for the arrest. NBC5 News at 6PM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA *B-roll of MLL speaking at event *MLL: we identified an access of $37 million, $25 million on Chicago Park District property alone. ANCHOR: the state and city declared areas along the lakefront a disaster from January’s storms. but now it's up to the federal government to award much needed federal money. political reporter marian ahern was with the elected officials as they toured the lake today at the south shore. AHERN: the commander for the army corps of engineers alongside senator dick durbin and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, getting an up close look at the highest lake michigan water levels in 30 years. it's going to be expensive to repair the damage from january's storm. MLL: we identified an access of $37 million, $25 million on chicago park district property alone. AHERN: lightfoot and governor pritzker have designated a disaster declaration for the shoreline impacted, setting up the request for federal funds. STRATTON: we cannot afford to sit idly by when people across our state pay such a high price for inaction. AHERN: of course there is concern between the uneasy relationship between the city of Chicago and president trump might impact the city receiving those much needed federal funds. DURBIN: we’ll do our best to make sure, since i'm on the appropriations committee and have something to do with this appropriation, that there will be fairness in the way it's distributed. AHERN: not just chicago, the record high water levels also impacting the shoreline in long beach, indiana. the sea walls there, already damaged, that protect lakefront homes. army corps of engineers commander aaron reisinger. REISINGER: one year you'll see the wind is pushing the water in one direction and you'll see damage in one area and then you have a storm that shifts in another direction, you'll see the sand can move quite extensively. AHERN: what has many very concerned, since there's been no hard freeze as in past years, it may be a challenging spring along the lake. marian ahern, nbc5 news. CBS2 News at 5PM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA *B-Roll of MLL speaking at press conference *MLL: what i mostly concerned about is properties that are right on the edge of the lake that are literally teetering on the edge of destruction because & other foundations are being eroded by the waters that are battering them. ANCHOR: now to the growing emergency along Chicago’s lakefront. the shoreline washing away, homes in danger because of highly levels. now the Mayor is declaring it a disaster. cbs2's marissa parra reports the city is telling the feds send help now. VALLARTA: this is all brand-new. PARRA: a lot has changed since the last time we met up with greg vallarta. VALLARTA: they dropped all this rock all the way around. so the stones there, all brand- new. PARRA: those stones are there to protect june way terrace park from erosion. this is what it looked like three months ago. collapsed sidewalks, sunken earth and though the stones seem to be doing their job for the short term, Chicago’s mayor says buckle up. it might get worse. MLL: what i mostly concerned about is properties that are right on the edge of the lake that are literally teetering on the edge of destruction because & other foundations are being eroded by the waters that are battering them. PARRA: today the city of chicago and state of illinois issued a disaster proclamation, asking for federal funding. this follows on the heels of that winter storm that ripped through the area last month. Lake michigan's wrath cost $37 million worth of damage. $25 million on the chicago parks district alone. the army corps of engineers says this is the highest water level for lake michigan in 30 years. REISINGER: we are at a period of elevated risk. right now in january we are at levels higher than we were a year ago and we are anticipating the forecast showing us going higher, even so as we get into the spring and summer time. PARRA: the next step he says is to get federal funding for the army corps of engineers so they can finish their study on the remaining shoreline and get the long-term solutions. PARRA: the army corps of engineers tells me we could find out about federal funding by monday. ANCHOR: the army corps of engineers activated an emergency operations center in july 2019. since then they have conducted 42 visits up and down the shoreline. FOX32 News at 5PM: Curie HS Community demands answers over basketball coach removal ANCHOR: Curie high school parents are demanding answers from CPS after the district removed its longtime basketball coach. we learned mike oliver was removed from his position as security guard and coach on wednesday. all the district has said is that he's accused of getting into a physical altercation with a student last month. it happened while he worked as a resource officer. parents want more information tonight. Oliver was once suspended in 2014 for letting academically ineligible students play on his basketball team. he led the Curie boys basketball team to the 4A state title four years ago. FOX32 News at 5PM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA *B-roll of MLL speaking at event *MLL: Lake Michigan is at historic levels, which seems remarkable because it wasn’t that long ago, maybe within five years, that we’re talking about the lake being at historic low levels. And as the senator said, this is climate change in action, right here in our city. ANCHOR: Mayor Lightfoot said she is working on a long-term plan to help Chicago’s lakefront after declaring it a disaster. the Mayor was joined by senator dick Durbin and the state’s lieutenant governor. she spoke today, Mayor Lightfoot says the historic lake levels have caused millions of dollars in damage. $37 million of damage was caused over just two days in January. MLL: Lake Michigan is at historic levels, which seems remarkable because it wasn’t that long ago, maybe within five years, that we were talking about the lake being at historic low levels. And as the senator said, this is climate change in action right here in our city. ANCHOR: on top of city and state funds, Mayor Lightfoot is also working to secure federal funds to help with lakefront situation as well. FOX32 News at 5PM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson LUM: it has been a week of protests, walkouts and confusion here inside the school, and now the local school council is demanding better communication with cps and their school community. yesterday fights in the hallway upset students and teachers who say that the tension inside the school is disturbing. it began when the district removed the principal and assistant principal in connection to multiple misconduct allegations. last week the basketball team season was suspended. then video surfaced of a temporary administrator grabbing a student in the hallway. she abruptly resigned. local school council members want a meeting with cps officials and the Mayor. JONES: our students deserve better. as the elected representatives of LPHS, students, faculty, staff, parents, and the community, the only way this will happen is with constructive dialogue with CPS leadership as soon as possible. DAVIS: and then bringing in someone who made us feel even more unsafe? for cps, it looks like they don't treat us with respect and that they are not giving this issue the time and quality it deserves. LUM: cps sent an email to parents acknowledging the frustration and they assured them that extra staff will be here to help students with this time of change. And also the new administrators in charge will meet with every class. At Lincoln park high school, joanie lum, fox32 news. NBC5 News at 5PM: CPD and CTA meet to discuss crime-fighting strategies on CTA ANCHOR: today officials with Chicago police and the CTA met to discuss ways to improve safety. the meeting comes in the wake of two violent attacks on the CTA, including a shooting on a blue line train after a struggle over a backpack. under the new plan, Chicago police will allocate more resources to the CTA, putting more officers not only on platforms but on the trains and buses themselves. NBC5 News at 5PM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: frustration from lincoln park high school misconduct scandal is mounting. Tonight, the local school council is demanding answers about the sudden removal and reassignment of three administrators. CHICAGOAN: what were the investigations, who was spoken with, when did those things happen, what evidence was collected? ANCHOR: chicago public schools is investigating allegations of student and adult sexual misconduct, retaliation and interference in an investigation. parents at another chicago public school are showing their support for a well-liked basketball coach. mike oliver was suspended from coaching and security duties at curie high school, he is accused of getting into a physical altercation with a student. many parents say the allegations are unfounded. the parents are holding a news conference this afternoon demanding answers about the situation from CPS. ABC7 News at 4:30PM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: in a week where students at Lincoln park high school held sit-ins and walkouts, parents are also speaking out. Today, they called for a meeting with Mayor Lightfoot and the CEO of Chicago public schools. they want to know why three school administrators were removed from their posts. it all stems from a sexual misconduct incident that apparently happened during a basketball team trip into Detroit. the mayor says she is open to talking with parents. GRANT: we have big statements and those are very concerning to us. we want to make sure we get to the bottom of that. And we as representatives of a community want to be part of that process. ABC7 News at 4:30PM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA *B-roll of MLL speaking at event * MLL: This is not an issue that just affects Chicago or Illinois. The entire population that touches Lake Michigan, which encompasses several states, is affected by this. DURBIN: if you don't believe in climate change, lake michigan has a message for you. wake up. ANCHOR: a declaration of emergency. illinois leaders sounding the alarm about lake Michigan shoreline, the damage and significant flooding are results of last week's intense storms and rising lake levels. chicago's mayor and other elected officials are calling on the federal government to take action. WALL: the ferocious storms that hammered the lakefront last month caused more than $25 million in damage to chicago's shoreline, with record high water levels in lake michigan, the Mayor joined Senator Dick Durbin and other leaders in getting a firsthand report from the army corps of engineers as they toured the lakefront near 67th street. DURBIN: the impacts of high water levels and storms can be seen up-and-down 5200 miles of lake michigan's shoreline. The damage is hard to miss. WALL: the mayor was hoping politics and the president’s animosity toward chicago would not be a factor in getting the Federal emergency management agency to provide money to protect and rebuild impacted areas. Yesterday, the mayor and the governor declared the shoreline a local disaster area, setting in motion the ability to ask for federal assistance. MLL: this is not an issue that just affects chicago or illinois. the entire population that touches lake michigan, which encompasses several states, is affected by this. WALL: water levels are at record highs, four inches above its highest point in the last 30 years, posing a threat to beaches, lakeshore trails, and retaining walls. work has already been completed to shore up more than nine miles. but that is only half of chicago's shoreline. STRATTON: we are seeing the effects of climate change right here in Illinois and urgent action is needed. we cannot afford to sit idly by while people across our state pay such a high price for inaction. ANCHOR: the Mayor said protecting the shoreline has to start with feds authorizing money to enable the army corps of engineers to do the studies and then the necessary work, but she has told her staff to start looking for other sources of funding. she says her biggest concern is some of those high-rises right along the lake, with the foundations being threatened. WGN News at 4PM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA *B-roll of MLL *MLL: For federal disaster declaration, allowing us to receive critical resources and assistance, we need FEMA to act quickly and make funding available. ANCHOR: chicago and the state of illinois now turning to the federal government hoping for money to help rebuild the city's crumbling lakeshore. the lake is at record high levels and the pounding waves are responsible for the damages and continue to eat away at the shorelines. WGN’s eric runge is live along the lakefront with that story here. RUNGE: good afternoon the sign that you see here behind me is a sign that we've seen plenty this winter as storms have really pushed waves up on to the lakefront trail here and have closed it several times, both the city and the state have declared a disaster and they're looking for help from Washington, and today, they got a pretty good outline in D.C. Some well-placed politicians taking a well-placed steps along the crumbling lakefront infrastructure near La vita hospital this afternoon. DURBIN: if you don't believe in climate change, lake michigan has a message for you: wake up, look what’s happening here. RUNGE: the erosion of chicago's lakefront has been happening faster than measures to reduce it have been built. Three beaches in rogers park are gone, more farther south could be next. DURBIN: we need to make investments that address climate change through both mitigation and resiliency the battle will be daunting. we haven't hit water levels like this in more than 30 years and storms have whipped up winds of more than 50 miles per hour. damage along the 18 miles of chicago's lakefront has been severe. The Mayor estimating that damage from the January 10th and 11th storm at 37 million dollars, both the city and state have declared disasters to open up funding, but that's not all they're hoping for. MLL: For federal disaster declaration, allowing us to receive critical resources and assistance, we need FEMA to act quickly and make funding available. RUNGE: federal funding would also allow the army corps of engineers to review what needs to be done to protect chicago's lakefront STRATTON: urgent action is needed. we cannot afford to sit idly by when people across our state pay such a high price for inaction. RUNGE: and the bad news is, the army corps of engineers says that they do not expect the water levels of Lake Michigan to go down any time soon. WGN News at 4PM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson *B-roll of MLL speaking at event *MLL: But I’m happy to sit down with him. *MLL: I’ve been read in to the circumstances in Lincoln Park High School and, quite frankly, it's horrifying. ANCHOR: we are also following the developments after the firing of school administrators a week ago set the lincoln park high school community on edge. Marcella raymond has been following this story for us all week, she's live in lincoln park once again this afternoon. RAYMOND: you know more trouble at lincoln park high school today, someone pulled a fire alarm evacuating the school one parent tells me everyone in that school and their parents and families are living on the edge. 2200 students left school after a fire alarm went off, some gathered on campus until it all cleared, others left altogether. luckily it was a false alarm, another prank at a school that parents and students described as in chaos. ingrid ferguson's daughter is a sophomore, she heard the sirens and then her phone started blowing up. FERGUSON: And then i get a text from another mom saying, “they're outside, it's pandemonium. i don't think they're safe.” RAYMOND: This was hours after the local school council held a press conference in front of LP high school, calling for a meeting with Mayor Lightfoot and CPS CEO janice jackson CHICAGOAN: that are lincoln park school community is hurting MLL: but i'm happy to sit down with him. RAYMOND: over the past week walkouts, sit-ins, fights at the school have happened since principal john thuet and assistant principal michelle brumfield were fired. the Mayor said there are 5 serious allegations that are being investigated that warranted removing the administration at the time. MLL: i've been read in to the circumstances in lincoln park high school, and quite frankly it's horrifying. RAYMOND: so after extensive media coverage all week, especially yesterday, cbs responded in a letter to parents that they sent me as well saying, they will continue to work with students and parents to make sure that the community heals and that they want to support them. They also said one of the first steps they took today was putting additional staff in the building for learning and safety and security, they say they want to quote “promote a calm and supportive environment.” ABC7 News at 11:30AM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA ANCHOR: flood damage along Chicago’s lakefront is so bad that Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot have issued disaster proclamations. thank can help boost funding for recovery efforts. a storm on January 10 and 11 brought high winds, rain, snow and ice that caused significant property damage. the governor says he is also asking fema for more time to provide documentation needed for federal disaster declaration. CBS2 News at 11AM: CPD and CTA meet to discuss crime-fighting strategies on CTA ANCHOR: happening today, CPD brass sit down with CTA officials after a rise in violent crime on the transit system. as cbs 2's eric cox tells us, high-tech solutions are helping but more needs to be done. COX: it was right here at the UIC- halsted blue line station wednesday where a man was shot and just a day before that, another man was stabbed at the jackson street red line station downtown. now cpd and personnel with cta are set to meet in less than an hour to discuss ways to cut down on crime. 38-year-old barbara johnson charged with stabbing a street performer on the jackson street cta platform tuesday. 31-year-old patrick walden under arrest, for shooting a fellow rider here at this stop wednesday. police say surveillance shows him walking off with the victim's backpack. the CTA has a vast network of cameras. at least 32,000 spread out across the system. still, as we found out, station attendants don't have access to a live feed of what's happening on the platforms or the tracks. police believe better utilization of this technology is the key to cutting down on crime. BECK: we will use those cameras and we will ensure that people that target victims on public transportation are prosecuted to the fullest extent. you know there's no resource that will be spared. COX: speaking of CPD, 200 officers assigned to the public transportation unit got a 10 person boost last month. that addition comes after 40 officers were added during the summer and stayed on with the unit. the interim superintendent says there will be no shortage of resources dedicated to cta safety. BECK: this is a system that affects all of chicago. every crime is important obviously. but when you attack a system that almost half of the people of chicago use every day, then that is something that affects everybody. COX: and with 145 train stations sprawled out all across the city, covering that ground is definitely difficult. so the topic of today's meeting between the cpd and cta? how to better deploy the officers. at the uic halstead blue line station, eric cox, cbs 2 news. WGN News at 11AM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: Lincoln park high school students are speaking out about growing safety concerns after students staged a sit-in and fights broke out. WGN’s judy wang is at lincoln park high school with our top story today. WANG: another interim principal just a few of the things that have happened during a tense week here at lincoln park high school. now a group of parents is asking for a meeting with the Mayor and schools chief Janice Jackson. the parents want former faculty members and the basketball season reinstated outside lincoln park high school parents and local school council members come together to address a community they say is hurting JONES: sadly this week. progress has turned into chaos. The clearly imperfect but very positive trend we were heading in has for the moment been broken. WANG: adding to an already chaotic week this video showing the interim principal just days on the job, putting her hand on the student's face will asking to see his id judith gibbs is no longer at the school GRANT: why is it an administrator that was chosen by cps and chosen by the network put it in this situation it was completely unfair it was completely inappropriate and you know the video speaks for itself. WANG: one week ago cps removed a popular principal and assistant principal and suspended the boys basketball season amid misconduct allegations. students staged a sit-in in protests fights broke out. On Monday students walked out of class including members of the basketball team. many parents demanded more information evidence to warrant what they see as drastic action. CPS says it's conducting 5 investigations of allegations that also include witness intimidation and misuse of athletic funds. CHICAGOAN: we have no information we've received no information were completely blindsided in left out of the process GRANT: we're asking to understand what happened what were those discussions and protecting the identity and the safety and security of those individuals WANG: in a letter sent to students and parents last night cps says well the images from inside the school may be troubling no one was seriously hurt it says. It says it is handling the situation. according to cps policy. in lincoln park judy way wgn news. WGN News at 11AM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA ANCHOR: well developing right now a day after declaring chicago's lake shore a disaster area Mayor Lightfoot is now turning to the federal government for help to make some of those repairs. WGN’s Nancy loo live on the lakefront in rogers park with more on that story morning LOO: good morning, stephen and Lourdes, disaster declarations welcome news to many lakefront residents. We’re in howard beach which is closed because there really isn't a beach here anymore and right now the city has put in big concrete blocks to block off even further erosion. on howard beach and many others, the waves of lake michigan used to be gentler and further out. CHICAGOAN: and the change is so profound and you see it you can see just like couple of these buildings are just like literally ready to go in the water SAVAGE: and that's why the angle like this LOO: bill savage has lived here his whole life and he remembers when there was a beach and it stretched more than 30 yards out SAVAGE: this isn't just about like my property values. this is an amenity for everyone in the city, this is a beautiful part of the city that he would become using the now is being transformed. in this way that is pretty in its own way, but it's not a beach anymore LOO: from above in skycam 9 the high lake level is obvious. beaches and piers are under water and residents say every storm brings new worry CHICAGOAN: it's rapidly deteriorated, but i mean it's obviously been a long time coming. because the damage has been fast and abundant LOO: much of the lakefront took a brutal beating a few weeks ago when a storm brought wind gusts over 50 miles an hour torrents of rain and waves of up to 23 feet. some stretches of the lakefront trail became piles of concrete rubble. it has prompted Mayor Lightfoot to declare a local disaster proclamation, which was followed by a state declaration by Governor Pritzker. more funding should come soon for repairs and more protection against erosion CHICAGOAN: on a windy day when the waves come you could see the water actually almost hitting the windows . and before that used to be beach. SAVAGE: i'm hoping that a disaster declaration will speed things up a little and get the resources that chicago needs not just rogers park. LOO: now in a couple of hours the aldermen here will be joining mayor Lightfoot Senator Dick Durbin as well as Lieutenant Governor Stratton at lot of rugby to campus, they'll be having a news conference about the disaster declarations and the fight to prevent even further lakefront erosion. we're live in rogers park, nancy loo wgn news. ABC7 News at 11AM: CPD and CTA meet to discuss crime-fighting strategies on CTA ANCHOR: there’s another effort to reduce violent crime untrained and buses in chicago. Police officials will be meeting with the CTA this afternoon. there was a shooting on the blue line earlier this week. jessica d'onofrio is live in the loop. She had a chance to get an update from Interim Superintendent Charlie Beck. D’ONOFRIO: i spoke to the acting superintendent one-on-one this morning. he tells me there will be a new face for crime deterrence on the cta. adding police and deploying them in the right places, that is part of the new plan to make riders on the cta to feel safer. BECK: we want to have more of a presence not only on the platforms, but riding the trains themselves. D’ONOFRIO: The City’s interim police superintendent is preparing to meet with CTA officials this afternoon to reduce violent crime on chicago's public transit system. BECK: it is safer public transportation compared to other major cities, but it is certainly not safe enough. D’ONOFRIO: after a rash of violence on the cta, we are hearing exclusively from the street musician stabbed on tuesday. michael malinowski says he was playing music on the platform and a woman try to push them onto the tracks and stabbed him. she was arrested a short time later. MALINOWSKI: she just hit me. i did not even realize i got stabbed right away. D’ONOFRIO: records show there have been nearly 6200 reports of robberies or attempted robberies on the cta in the last 10 years. of those, there were arrests in 835 cases. a little over 13%. beck wants to change that saying the cta does have some strong points, including its surveillance camera system that helped track down a convicted felon this week who allegedly shot and robbed a man on the blue line. But the cameras only help tracks expects after the crime. Beck, hoping to prevent it the first place, and respond quicker in the moment. BECK: there are models all over the u.s. in how to police transportation systems, and we will steal a little bit from some of those and give chicago the transportation system it deserves. D’ONOFRIO: beck tells me he will talk to cta officials about a couple of things that could increase safety on public transportation, but he did not want to go into too much detail ahead of this afternoon's meeting, which is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. he says he will release more details after they meet. reporting live, Jessica d’onofrio abc7 news. ABC7 News at 11AM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: it’s been a tumultuous week at Lincoln Park High School after the removal of three administrators. parents are calling for a meeting with CPS officials. yesterday students staged a sit in yesterday in the hallways. then they walked out of the classroom for the second time. mark rivera is live outside of lincoln park high school with the latest developments. RIVERA: Those parents, their message was they want their administrators back. they want the principal, assistant principal, and dean who were removed at lincoln park high school to be reinstated, and they want a meeting with CEO of CPS Janice Jackson as well as Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Uproar from local school council members in lincoln park. JONES: our community is hurting. our leadership was very suddenly taken away and our students, our staff, and our families are struggling with this inexplicable void. RIVERA: they're asking CPS for answers as to why three school administrators were removed from their posts, prompting a student walk out this week that stems from a sexual misconduct incident that happened during a basketball team trip to detroit over the holidays. GRANT: i think we need more information. RIVERA: cps says they cannot provide more because they want to protect the identities of the victims involved. but Eli Grant with the local school council says they are not asking for victims, they are asking about leadership. GRANT: we need to understand, what are the specific steps that were taken or not taken? RIVERA: in a separate incident, the interim administrator resigned after she was caught on camera apparently squeezing the face of a student. JONES: she was allowed a graceful exit when we all saw the video. we know why she left the school. RIVERA: leaving some students concerned about the future. SUTTON: the whole strike in october really messed as of and in this happening now is just, like, we can't get back on track. i am a junior. this is my most important year and i'm dealing with all of this chaos. RIVERA: that is why the local school council wants to talk to the people in charge. Now they did have a conversation with the head of safety and security at cps, but they are still waiting for that meeting with Mayor Lightfoot and CEO Janice Jackson. NBC5 News at 11AM: MLL joins State leaders to submit emergency declarations to FEMA ANCHOR: now to the power of mother nature. today local leaders are submitting emergency declarations to FEMA asking for funding to protect and rebuild the city’s lakeshore. This all comes after storms caused major erosion at the lakefront. Kye Martin is live MARTIN: here off of jarvis and sheridan road rising lake levels are an everyday concern for the people in this area. but when it comes to funding long-term solutions, if Mayor Lightfoot has her way the cash from FEMA will be coming to chicago to help. This afternoon the Mayor says she will formally ask the federal government for relief funds. yesterday the wheels were set in motion when the city issued a disaster proclamation and that activated a local emergency operation plan for the lakefront. water levels have reached record highs. experts say a storm from mid-January has left the lakefront and infrastructure at its breaking point. city officials estimate current damages so far just this season at $25 million and say repairs need to be funded for trails, beaches, piers and rock walls. We understand Mayor Lightfoot will be joined by Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin at this afternoon’s formal request to FEMA. To see how the ask goes, that’ll be on our news at 4. NBC5 News at 11AM: Lincoln Park HS Community wants to meet with MLL, Dr. Jackson ANCHOR: the frustration from Lincoln Park High School's misconduct scandal is building. today the local school council demands answers about the removal and reassignment of now three administrators. CHICAGOAN: we have no information. we're completely blindsided and left out of the process to start. GRANT: we need to understand the steps that went into that. what were the investigations, who was spoken with, what evidence was collected. JONES: we continue to believe strongly that they are part of the solution for our school based on the impact that they have made in their short tenure. ANCHOR: chicago public schools says it's investigating allegations of student and adult sexual misconduct, retaliation and interference in an investigation. the school district says interim administrators will visit classrooms to talk with students starting today. FULL ARTICLES Frustrated Lincoln Park High School parents want a meeting with mayor, CPS chief SUN TIMES//Stefano Esposito As tensions and frustrations increase at Lincoln Park High School over, among other things, the firing of two popular administrators there, parents on Friday said they want a meeting with Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools chief Dr. Janice Jackson. “The local school council believes we need to do this in a collaborative way with CPS, rather than in an antagonistic one,” said Marybeth Jones, a parent rep on the school’s council, speaking to reporters. Jones and others on the council say they are frustrated at the lack of information they’ve received about the abrupt firing last week of the school’s popular interim principal and assistant principal — among other issues. And they reiterated their support Friday for those administrators, interim Principal John Thuet and Assistant Principal Michelle Brumfield. ”We feel 100% confident in what we know today that (they) ... are the right folks for our school,” said Eli Grant, another LSC member. To date, CPS officials have released broad and vague allegations of misconduct at the school, but they have not said exactly what led to Thuet and Brumfield being ousted. ”We’re not saying, ‘CPS, you have to tell us the names of the individuals involved and what those things were,’” Grant said. “But we need to understand ... what were the investigations? What was the evidence collected?” On Thursday, students participated in a sit-in and there were reports of several altercations at the school. Lincoln Park High School local council says it was ‘completely blindsided’ by removal of top administrators, ask Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to intervene TRIBUNE//Elvia Malagon and Hannah Leone Members of the Lincoln Park High School Local School Council say they were left out of the decision to remove top administrators and demanded more details from Chicago Public Schools officials. “We’ve received no information. We were completely blindsided and left out of the process,” said David Marren, a parent and council member. A probe of alleged misconduct at the school has resulted in the removal or reassignment of several administrators and coaches and the suspension of the boys basketball season in recent weeks. But members of the elected council, made up of parents, community members and teachers, were most upset about the sudden removal on Jan. 31 of Interim Principal John Thuet and Assistant Principal Michelle Brumfield and the reassignment of Dean John Johnson pending multiple misconduct investigations at the school. Brumfield later confirmed to the Tribune that she was dismissed that day and placed on the district’s do-not-hire list. CPS has not confirmed whether Thuet also was terminated. Council member Eli Grant said they want more information about the three administrators’ roles in the handling of misconduct claims against students and other staff members. “I think we need more information about that,” Grant said. CPS has “not said specifically what (the three administrators) did.” What information has been provided, he said, is “incongruous with what we know about” the administrators. “We have have big statements (from CPS), and those are very concerning to us. We want to be part of the progress. … We’re 100% confident that, in what we know today, (the three administrators) are the right folks for school.” CPS officials announced Monday that four misconduct investigations were underway — that number has since grown to five — for a wide range of claims that include sexual misconduct, improper student discipline, dishonesty to families, allowing suspended employees to work, failure to create safety plans for students and interference with and withholding evidence from investigations, along with alleged sport recruiting violations and mismanagement of some sports-related accounts. But students, parents and community members have decried the fact that officials generally haven’t specified who the claims are against. Top of Form Bottom of Form Standing outside of Lincoln Park High School, the council members and other parents said they don’t want the details of the alleged misconduct to become public but want further explanation for the staff removals. Marybeth Jones, a parent and member of the Local School Council, read a statement saying the group wants to speak to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS CEO Dr. Janice Jackson to hear what steps were taken that led to the departures and to plan for the school’s future. “Lincoln Park has not been perfect, there have been security concerns and culture problems for years, but it’s a great school and since Interim Principal Theut, Assistant Principal Brumfield and Dean Johnson began, it was finally trending in a much better direction,” Jones said to a crowd of parents, students and media. Friday morning, students streamed into the school after a chaotic week. Outside, one sign was left at the school’s fence read: “No Blame 4 Brumfield.” After a week of student sit-ins and walkouts and an emotional meeting with community members at Lincoln Park High, Thursday was marked by what school officials called a small numbers of altercations. Videos that circulated on social media showed at least two violent confrontations among students. The district said there were no serious injuries but that extra safety and student support measures would be brought in. Created by The Chicago School Reform Act of 1998 to provide more neighborhood input to schools, local school councils have responsibilities that include approving how funds and resources are allocated, coming up with school improvement plans and selecting and evaluating principals. No experience or formal education is required to be on these councils, which are traditionally elected every two years but in some cases appointed. Most councils include six parents, two community representatives, two teachers, one non-teacher staff member, and one high school student. Lincoln Park High Allegations Test Chicago’s New Protocol For Investigating Sexual Misconduct Complaints BLOCK CLUB//Cassie Walker Burke LINCOLN PARK — Investigations spanning multiple school agencies. Accusations of sexual misconduct on an overnight boys basketball trip, and an alleged cover-up. The dismissal of a school’s top administrators and coaches. The abrupt suspension of a team’s basketball season ahead of a big game. Student walkouts. And, in the middle of the investigations, the resignation of the city’s independent inspector general, Nicholas Schuler, amid rancor in his own office. The recent revelations at Lincoln Park High School, a well-regarded International Baccalaureate school, have become a public test of Chicago Public Schools’ new protocol for investigating sexual misconduct complaints. The district’s response has set off a wave of parent and student protests and second-guessing. “The mood is somber, the school is in chaos,” Mary Shaughnessy, whose son is a junior, said Thursday. Amid the uproar, Chicago Public Schools says it had sufficient evidence to back the decisions to first suspend then terminate the school’s interim principal and one of its assistant principals. But it can’t detail what it has learned without running afoul of student privacy laws and exposing teenage victims. “As we have told the school community, we are investigating multiple allegations of serious adult and student misconduct,” school district spokesman Michael Passman said. “Our top priority is ensuring all students have access to a safe and supportive learning environment, and the actions we have taken are warranted and necessary based on the information we have at this time.” The allegations come at a critical moment for a campus that has experienced recent leadership changes and was seeking stability. They also test the Office of Student Protections, formed after a 2018 Chicago Tribune investigation revealed two decades of failure to protect students from sexual abuse. The sudden resignation of the school board’s inspector general at the mayor’s request raises questions about who leads investigations, the independence of the public schools’ investigative office, and how effectively Chicago Public Schools can police itself. Whether you’re just catching up or you’re curious about big-picture implications, here are six questions to consider as the investigation unfolds: 1. Why are parents and students so angry, and how will that impact the outcome? The allegations at Lincoln Park High School surfaced in early January, not long after the boys basketball team returned from an unsanctioned overnight trip. The district’s Office of Student Protections received complaints that students engaged in sexual conduct on that trip, some of it possibly captured on social media, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The district then removed the team’s popular coach. More allegations followed, prompting the district to open additional investigations into behavior of students and adults. The district then terminated the interim principal, John Thuet, and an assistant principal, Michelle Brumfield, and removed two more coaches. The list of issues under investigation now includes failure to properly report complaints, retaliation against witnesses, interference with the investigation by school leadership, and financial misconduct related to athletic program accounts. The district opened another investigation this week into the conduct of a retired principal who was brought in to stabilize the school, after a video surfaced that appeared to show her grabbing a student in the hallway. The district has replaced that temporary principal. Many parents and students demanding evidence have rallied to the defense of the ousted administrators and coaches. Students have protested this week, staging walkouts and sit-ins. About 50 students stood outside the school’s front gates Thursday morning holding signs and chanting. “All [CPS is] delivering to us is accusations, not evidence,” said Ben Shacter, a Lincoln Park sophomore. “If you’re willing to fire our two most beloved staff in the entire school, at least give us some evidence for why you did that.” Shacter said students are unclear on what exactly Thuet and Brumfield are being accused of, and said that the pair had made a noticeable difference in the community. “Brumfield every day would stand outside the door and hold the door and greet us: ‘Hey, queen. Hi, king. You look beautiful today,’” Shacter said. “It was really nice for the community. It helped build a really good chemistry that we didn’t really have with the previous administration.” 2. Who is in charge at the school? On Wednesday, the school district appointed two administrators, former principal supervisor Jerryelyn Jones and a former principal, teacher, and central office executive, Calvin Davis, to temporarily run the 2,200-student school. Two assistant principals remain in place. David Marren, a parent member of the Lincoln Park High School Local School Council, said that the council was “completely shut out” of the personnel decisions. On Monday, the council was interviewing candidates for permanent principal, he said, and was completely blindsided by the firings. The council has noticed a “palpable difference” in the school since Thuet and Brumfield took over, he said, noting the effort they made to address security problems. “They were taking on issues that had been languishing untouched for years at the school,” Marren said. Since the removal, there have been reports of fighting at the school, he added. 3. Who is investigating what? And how will the inspector general’s resignation impact the investigation? Two district offices, the Office of Student Protections and the Office of the Inspector General, are conducting five separate investigations involving the school. A district spokesman said the inspector general generally investigates allegations of misconduct by district-affiliated adults, while the student protections office looks into allegations of student-on-student harm. But some people — including Schuler — wonder whether the inspector general can truly be independent when the mayor appoints its chief. In a letter released Wednesday about his resignation, which is effective at the end of the month, Schuler said, “the statute that gives life to the [Chicago Public Schools inspector general] is silent on the critical issue of how the [chief investigator] can be removed and for what grounds. This inadequacy in the governing legislation can be exploited by those who wish to corral an independent IG.” He continued, “I know from long dealings with CPS that many people there have been displeased by the tenacity of my efforts and my willingness to speak frankly and publicly about our work. I am confident that Mayor [Lori] Lightfoot is firmly dedicated to independent IGs.” 4. Ultimately, who is calling the shots? According to Passman, the Chicago Public Schools spokesperson, each investigative body will recommend a course of action, but it is up to schools chief Janice Jackson’s team to rule on any permanent personnel decisions. Lightfoot will appoint a new inspector general to oversee the independent investigative office, which is tasked with rooting out fraud, waste, and mismanagement in the school district. 5. How much can the district do at this point and what can it say? The allegations were first reported to the district on Jan. 2. According to a Chicago Public Schools timeline shared in a parent meeting Monday night at the school, by Jan. 7 investigators were following up and the district removed some adults from their positions. The district notified parents and families in a Jan. 9. Later that month the district received separate allegations involving the girls basketball team. Protocols call for the district to remove adults immediately when it receives allegations of physical harm, but in this case, it did not remove administrators until the last week of January, per the timeline. Investigators so far have presented information that shows adults engaged in “egregious and systemic policy violations,” including failure to follow mandatory sexual misconduct reporting procedures, but it has not offered more details, citing an ongoing investigation and privacy concerns about the students involved. Because the administrators at the school have interim status and serve on at-will contracts, the district could terminate them immediately. Interim principals don’t get the same protections that their permanent colleagues do. The district must hold hearings for the coaches, for whom there is a more formal course of action. The district has refused to specify the nature and extent of the policy violations. But administrators have said that the new rules are hard to follow and even contradictory, according to Troy LaRaviere, a former principal who runs the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association. “They [the district] have failed miserably on communicating a clear and coherent set of policies, procedures and protocols to principals,” LaRaviere said. 6. How might the case affect the school district’s efforts to rebuild public trust? The Lincoln Park cases surface as Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson attempts to mend the district’s fractured relationship with parents and families. These efforts come in the wake of not just the student sexual abuse crisis but also widespread lapses in its special education program and lingering anger over mass school closings in 2013. Led by its new school board, the district recently has organized public hearings on key issues like school ratings, teacher diversity, and school funding. Jackson and school board members have said they will listen to the community in setting policy on those critical issues. But it’s unclear how the district will take parent and student reaction into account in responding to the crisis at Lincoln Park. On Monday, district officials emphasized that they are following a protocol designed to keep students safe and that leaders could only share so much without jeopardizing the well-being of the teenage victims in the case. Officials spelled out in a PowerPoint presentation their goal — to “move forward as a safe and supportive community.” Lincoln Park Students Protest, Demand Return Of Ousted Administrators WBEZ//Adriana Cardona-Maguigad Tensions and emotions are running high among students and teachers at Chicago’s Lincoln Park High School who have now seen three changes in their top administration in less than a week. This comes amid allegations of sexual misconduct involving the school’s boys and girls basketball teams and allegations of “egregious policy violations” at the school. On Thursday morning about 200 students staged a sit-in followed by a walkout and rally where they demanded the reinstatement of their fired principal and assistant principal. Chanting “Why are you hiding CPS?” students say they are fed up with the way Chicago Public Schools has handled the allegations of misconduct. “It doesn’t feel like a real school right now. It just feels like everything is falling apart, we don’t have a set system,” said Ella Wong, a junior. “We don’t have anything set in place, so it makes it very chaotic inside the school.” They want their ousted top administrators returned, including Interim Principal John Thuet and Assistant Principal Michelle Brumfield. They were fired last week. Lincoln Park’s Local School Council also sent a letter Wednesday to the mayor and CPS’ CEO demanding they be reinstated, along with Dean John Johnson. They also want the suspended boys basketball season to resume. CPS officials say five separate investigations have been opened since Jan. 2, leading to the firing, suspension or reassignment of six adults and the suspension of the basketball season. The allegations include student-on-student misconduct and adult-on-student misconduct, failure to follow mandatory sexual misconduct reporting protocols, ongoing retaliation against witnesses and complainants, improper student discipline and interference with an official investigation by school leadership and staff. CPS officials say students have been harmed, insist their actions are warranted to keep students safe and “necessary based on the information we have at this time.” They also say they can’t answer questions about individuals involved in an ongoing investigation. Bottom of Form To add to an already tense situation, the school district Wednesday night announced the departure of Judith Gibbs, who was brought in Monday to replace Thuet. In a letter to families, the district said Gibbs decided she was not a “good fit” for Lincoln Park. This came only after her third day at the school. Her departure comes after a video circulated Wednesday that allegedly showed her trying to grab a student by the chin. CPS said late Wednesday it had opened a new investigation regarding improper contact with a student. It was not immediately clear if this was connected to the video, though the Local School Council cited the video in a letter to parents Thursday and said they were “disappointed that the subsequent letter from CPS did not share the true circumstances of this sudden removal.” To replace Gibbs, school district officials are bringing in a different temporary veteran school leader, Calvin Davis, as a second “administrator in charge.” “To be honest, I feel kind of sad to represent the school right now, it’s really disappointing.” said Jovany Munoz, 17, who claims to be the student who Gibbs allegedly tried to grab as she tried unsuccessfully to get his ID. “It felt like a mother, when you grab someone’s kid. I am not a child, I felt weird, I felt funny.” Munoz wouldn’t describe what led to the confrontation. As frustration continues to escalate among students and teachers, Lincoln Park’s Local School Council is stepping in to claim a leadership role and defend Thuet and Brumfield. They said the pair “are beloved and respected by all stakeholders at the school. A breath of fresh air, they arrived in August, and in five short months completely changed the culture at LPHS." In the letter to the mayor and the CPS CEO Janice Jackson, LSC members acknowledged the severity of the initial sexual misconduct allegations and agree they must be taken seriously, but they also said, “The way in which CPS has engaged in this investigation has been like a bomb, destroying indiscriminately, CPS has either widely overreacted or — if not — then it has miserably failed to explain its actions.” They accuse the district of being inconsistent with the information it has provided to the school community. CPS officials say they have zero tolerance for any behavior that compromises the well-being of students. The allegations stem initially from a report of misconduct received Jan. 2 by the Office of Student Protections after the boys basketball team went on an unauthorized overnight trip in December. Aldermen green light crackdown on fake ride-hailing drivers DAILY LINE//Heather Cherone Aldermen advanced a measure Thursday that could send fake ride-hailing drivers to jail for six months and fine them $20,000. The City Council’s Public Safety Committee endorsed the proposal, authored by Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) (SO2019-8546), which is set to be considered by the full City Council on Feb. 19. Reilly said he was spurred to act after a “rash of serious incidents” involving people who were victims of crimes after getting into a vehicle they thought was there to give them a ride home, usually after a night of drinking. “This is a disturbing trend,” Reilly said, even as they are trying to make the right decision not to drive after drinking but end up putting themselves at “tremendous risk.” “In the last two years, four women have been raped by fake ride share drivers,” Reilly said. “We’ve had a number of incidents of people being robbed at gunpoint in alleys just feet from where they’re picked up. The one common thread here is that, typically, these folks have consumed a substantial amount of alcohol.” The original proposal, which has 34 co-sponsors, would make it a crime to impersonate a driver working for a ride-hailing firm such as Uber or Lyft by displaying fake signs, false identification cards or city-issued chauffer licenses. Violators of the ban could face fines between $10,000 and $20,000 and a six-month jail sentence, according to the proposal. Chicago Police Lt. John Cannon said officers would use the proposed ordinance to be “proactive” and attempt to arrest fake ride-hailing drivers before an unsuspecting driver gets into their car. Reilly noted that a similar measure was introduced in December 2018 by Ald. Edward Burke (14) and Ald. Anthony Beale (9) that never got a hearing, much less a vote. Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) told his colleagues that he and a group of friends fell victim to a fake ride-hailing driver after getting drunk while celebrating the Chicago Cubs’ 2016 World Series victory. “To be in situation where you are completely out of control — where you are at the sheer mercy of somebody who, at best, only wants to rob you — is something I’m glad our city and our police are taking seriously,” Lopez said. Representatives of Uber and Lyft said the ride-hailing giants support the measure. “The safety of our communities is essential, and we fully support the passage of this ordinance,” said Uber spokesperson Kelley Quinn. Uber launched a feature last month that offers riders a way to use a four-digit code to verify that they are in the correct car. Uber recommends having the driver confirm the passenger’s name and matching the license plate, car make and model, and driver photo with what’s provided in the app before a passenger enters a car, according to the safety guide on its website. Lyft launched additional vehicle identification options last spring. “The safety of our community is fundamental to Lyft, and we support efforts to increase penalties for impersonating a rideshare driver,” said spokesperson Campbell Matthews. “The best and most effective way for passengers to ensure they’re getting in the right car is to match the license plate shown in the Lyft app with the license plate of the arriving vehicle. This is the safest because it is done outside of the vehicle before passengers get in.” Musician talks about getting stabbed on Red Line: ‘I was bleeding out everywhere. I just lit a cigarette, sat on a bench and watched her destroy my (stuff)’ TRIBUNE//Sophie Sherry, Rosemary Sobol, and William Lee Michael Malinowski, known as “Machete Mike” to riders of the Red Line where he regularly plays guitar, had just been stabbed by a woman angry his music was giving her a headache. Now she was tossing his guitar onto the tracks at the Jackson stop. "I was bleeding out everywhere,” Malinowski said. “I just lit a cigarette, sat on a bench and watched her destroy my s---.” The woman, Barbara Johnson, was quickly arrested after the Tuesday attack -- for at least the 43rd time in her life. Malinowski was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for a cut to his left arm. Malinowski, 26, said Thursday he is recovering but it will be a while before he is able to play again. “It’s one thing to get beat up or robbed, but at this point, I feel like I got robbed in the worst way,” he said. “She essentially destroyed my arm and that’s my whole livelihood. That’s the whole reason I even have a career.” The attack was the second in two days on a CTA train. On Wednesday, a 30-year-old man was shot in the back by a gunman as a Blue Line train pulled into the UIC-Halsted stop. The victim was taken to nearby Stroger Hospital, and a suspect was arrested within hours. Like Johnson, he has an extensive arrest record. Johnson, 38, of Blue Island, told officers she began attacking Malinowski because the music was giving her a headache, according to police records. She was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery in a public place and criminal damage to property. Her court-appointed attorney said she suffered from “mental health illnesses” but a judge denied her bail, calling her a “clear and present danger to the community.” Court documents show Johnson has more than 40 arrests on her record, many of them for battery and resisting arrest. Malinowski said he was performing at the Jackson station, 230 S. State St., around 1:35 pm Tuesday when Johnson approached and unplugged his amplifier. Then she started to push him and pull at his hair and tried to shove him onto the subway tracks. Malinowski said he pushed back at Johnson, trying to create space between them, but she continued pursuing him, prosecutors said. Malinowski said he swung at Johnson repeatedly to free himself from her grip. When she appeared in court Thursday, she had a black right eye. Top of Form Bottom of Form Interim Chicago police Superintendent Charlie Beck said Thursday there “may have been some mental illness involved,” and added that it raises some tough questions for police. “I think this also brings up a really serious issue that faces Chicago and other major cities in the United States, which is the incidence of violence connected to mental health," he said. “How do we address that and what are the big systems we need to put in place.” Johnson was charged with aggravated battery to a peace officer in 2005, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm in 2012, aggravated battery to a peace officer in 2014, resisting a peace officer in 2017, and misdemeanor battery in 2017. She was cited for disorderly conduct on the CTA in 2010, records show. Beck said he planned to meet with officials Friday about deploying more police on CTA lines. Meawhile, Malinowski’s sister has launched a GoFundMe page to help her brother raise money for new equipment. The page had raised more than $4,700 as of early Friday. He was shocked his sister did that, but said he needs the help. Malinowski is due to release a second EP, titled “Stations Creation,” sometime soon. Like his first EP, “Tales of The Tunnels,” it will feature music he wrote while working in the subway. Illinois tripled weed jobs last year CRAIN’S//John Pletz The legal weed business has generated a lot of money in Illinois and a lot of jobs: more than 6,000 of them. There were 6,156 jobs created in the legal marijuana business in the state last year, about double the amount created the year before, according to estimates by Leafly, a cannabis-industry website. Illinois sales of recreational marijuana totaled almost $40 million in the first month. Massachusetts, which legalized recreational use two years ago, created 10,000 jobs last year. Florida, which has the nation’s largest medical market, with 300,000 patients, created 5,140 jobs last year. Oklahoma, which launched a medical marijuana program, added 7,300 jobs. Leafly estimates there are nearly 250,000 legal cannabis jobs in the U.S., or double the number three years ago. California has the most marijuana jobs, at nearly 40,000, according to Leafly. Illinois is 10th, with 9,176. Landmarked River North Bar Would Become Weed Dispensary Under Plan BLOCK CLUB//Justin Laurence CHICAGO — One of the largest cannabis operators in the state wants to open their first Chicago dispensary in a landmarked building in River North. PharmaCann, which is headquartered in Chicago but has yet to open a dispensary in its own backyard, shared their plans to convert a vacant building at 444 N. LaSalle St. into a four-story dispensary and event center. The art deco Veseman Building was landmarked in 2007 and most recently housed English, a bar that closed in 2013. It currently sits alone on LaSalle but a new 12-story office tower is set to be built and will wrap around the potential dispensary. The company plans to lease the entire building and the space is big enough to allow for internal queueing, which sets them apart from other companies hoping to open in the area, said Jeremy Unruh, co-founder and director of regulatory affairs for PharmaCann, told neighbors at a meeting at Maggiano’s Little Italy in River North Thursday night. The third floor of the building would be set aside for overflow crowds and to hold community events. Company officials said they have no plans to turn that space into a weed consumption lounge if and when Chicago passes an ordinance to allow it. Unruh told Block Club they won’t be making major changes to the building, and hope to bring it back to life. “We don’t intend to make any changes to the facade of that building other than to replace the English sign with a [Verilife sign],” he said. “…We will do as little to the interior as we have to, because it’s a construction timeline issue.” The landmark status has the potential to cause delays in construction at a time when the dispensary will be in an all out race against its competitors to build out the facility ahead of inspections from state regulators. In addition to PharmaCann, Cresco Labs, MOCA Modern Cannabis and Greenhouse Group all have filed applications with the Zoning Board of Appeals to open dispensaries within 1,500 feet of each other in the coveted neighborhood, but only one of the dispensaries will be allowed to open under state law because of their close proximity. The board could approve of all four, setting up the construction battle. If the dispensaries receive a special-use permit from the zoning board, they can begin the build out of their pot shops in preparation of an inspection of the property by state regulators, a last step before a license can be finalized. “The guidance we’ve gotten from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation…is that 1,500 foot flag gets planted when you get your operational certificate after you build your facility out, after you have staff. You could take a delivery the next day and open the day after,” Unruh said. Greenhouse Group will hold a meeting for it’s desired 612 N. Wells St. at 6 p.m. Friday at 350 N. Orleans St. The companies will appear before the zoning board on March 6. Three North Side Teachers With A Passion For Social Justice Nominated For Golden Apple Awards BLOCK CLUB//Alex V. Hernandez CHICAGO — Three teachers from the North Side are among the the 30 finalists in the state nominated for a Golden Apple award this year. Golden Apple is a nonprofit committed supporting teachers recognized for their lasting, positive effects on students’ lives and school communities. This year’s finalists were selected from a field of 732 nominations received from 64 counties in Illinois. Michelle Berrios, one of the nominees, has taught language arts to 6th and 8th grade students at the Jahn School of Fine Art, 3149 N. Wolcott Ave., for the past 11 years. “I want kids to love reading. I don’t want them to look at reading like ‘Ugh, I have to read now,’” she said. “But in order to do that you have to have to choose the right books.” Berrios treats her class like a book club. She doesn’t want children in her classroom to feel like their opinion is wrong or doesn’t matter. “My students were able to write these vignettes, short stories and poems, and their stories were incredible,” she said. “The stories they shared from their point of view are incredible. I love that they find the confidence to do that and when they share their work and are validated as individuals.” Representation is also important to Berrios. She was born in Chicago but her family went back to Mexico until she was in fourth grade. When she returned to Chicago, she attended Agassiz Elementary School, 2851 N. Seminary Ave., and remembers feeling like an outsider. The books she was assigned to read didn’t help. Some of the recent books Berrios has assigned her students to read and discuss include “The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child,” by Francisco Jiménez and “The House on Mango Street,” by Sandra Cisneros. “Growing up, I was the only brown kid in the class. I never read a book that represented me because the school didn’t pick Latino authors,” she said. “My students right now are predominantly Latinos, so representation is very important to me.” She is thankful for the Golden Apple nod. “This nomination is very humbling,” she said. Jenine Wehbeh, another Golden Apple nominee, has been teaching social studies to 7th and 8th grade students at John B. Murphy Elementary School, 3539 W. Grace St., for the past four years. When she first started teaching at Murphy, Wehbeh recalls having carts full of text books brought to her classroom that glossed over parts of history that reflected poorly on the United States. She quickly put those textbooks in storage. “Unfortunately, the social sciences curriculum and textbooks in general across the United States for centuries have been used to uphold oppressive systems,” Wehbeh said. “It’s made us forget the histories of marginalized people, queer folks, people of color, young people and women.” Students are more engaged when they can relate to history, which is why she focuses on how their own experiences intersect with history. “My curriculum is about my student’s experiences. What they’ve been through and the questions that they have about the world around them,” she said. This has led to class discussions on immigration, preserving DACA, restorative justice and restoring voting rights to formerly incarcerated people. Immigration is a topic that hits close to home for Wehbeh. She’s Palestinian and was born in Lebanon. Her family lived in Syria for a bit before they came to the U.S. as refugees in 1995 when she was seven-years-old. “Immigration is this huge topic right now, but it’s always been,” she said. “My approach to history is to show students that although it feels brand new and like a personal attack right now, people throughout the ages have gone through these experiences. Especially in the United States. “But they’ve also fought back and resisted. There’s beauty in that resistance and discussions around topics like that are what I hope to build into my curriculum year after year.” Wehbeh credits her fellow teachers and administrators at Murphy for creating an environment where she can focus on social justice in the classroom. “I would not remotely be the educator that I am if it wasn’t for this school,” she said. “Murphy is a neighborhood school that teaches restorative justice and pushes the boundaries of equity. It challenges us as educators to be creative and gives me space to do it. There’s a lot of teachers that don’t get that chance.” Encouraging students think critically about the world around them is also something that nominee Stefani Stallard also incorporates into her classes. She’s taught reading, writing and social studies to 4th grade students at Ravenswood Elementary School, 4332 N. Paulina St., for the past five years. “Social justice is a big part of why I teach, especially in our current climate. I want to teach children to use their voice to make the change that they want to see in the world,” Stallard said. In high school, Stallard’s teachers took her class on a trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The trip made her want to address education inequality and she initially studied education policy while in college. “I thought I wanted to be a policy maker and even interned for U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky when I was in college,” Stallard said. “But I realized I could have more of an impact teaching, so after college I joined Teach For America.” She taught kindergarten in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood for two years and then moved to India to work with an educational organization there before moving back to her hometown, Chicago. “I knew I wanted to be somewhere where the administration really trusted teachers to do this work in social justice. Ravenswood is a place that does that,” she said. “Everyone here has an inquiry-based social justice approach to teaching. And administrators really trust teachers to help their students learn in whatever ways they feel are most fruitful.” Stallard has her students write persuasive essays on topics important to them, including why people should eat less meat, why addressing climate change is important and why people should adopt pets from shelters. They’ve also written about why Indigenous Peoples Day should be celebrated instead of Columbus Day. “When students are in third grade here they do this long study about Chicago history that includes Jean Baptiste Point du Sable,” she said. “When they were working on their persuasive essays on Indigenous Peoples Day they listened to a Curious City episode about Native American history in Chicago as part of their research.” While listening to the Curious City podcast, her 4th grade students were shocked they didn’t learn about the Potawatomi woman named Kitihawa when they were studying Chicago history in the previous grade. Kitihawa married du Sable and translated for him and gave him access to a wide network for trading among indigenous people in the area. “My students were outraged. She was such an important part of why du Sable was successful founding Chicago and they had never heard anything about her in their textbooks until now,” Stallard said. “It’s was really fun to see my students be like, ‘We need to rewrite the textbooks to make sure she’s in there because she was just as important.’” This year’s award finalists will be honored on Saturday, February 22 at the Golden Apple Celebration of Excellence in Teaching & Leadership in St. Charles, Illinois. Winners will be notified in the spring with surprise visits at their schools. Each Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient receives a $5,000 cash award. Northwestern University, Golden Apple’s partner, will also provide a Spring Sabbatical to award recipients at no cost. Your CTA Bus Driver Might Just Be World-Famous Blues Man Toronzo Cannon BLOCK CLUB//Bob Chiarito LINCOLN PARK — In the city that works, Toronzo Cannon literally and figuratively wears the Chicago flag on his sleeve. But even if Cannon didn’t have the four six-pointed Chicago stars tattooed on his right wrist, it wouldn’t take long to learn Cannon, who grew up in the shadow of the Robert Taylor Homes at 49th Street and Michigan Avenue, is the embodiment of everything Chicago. Cannon continues to drive a CTA bus 26 years after first getting behind the wheel. He’s a devoted father and, as a bonus, an internationally renowned bluesman who has played for audiences all around the world. Cannon, who turns 52 on Feb. 14, is promoting his latest album, “The Preacher, The Politician or The Pimp.” He sat down with Block Club Chicago to talk about his career and the city he loves. Dressed in pressed blue jeans with sharp creases, a matching blue button-down shirt, Wayfarers and a black leather jacket and boots, Cannon looks more like the internationally respected musician he is than a regular working stiff — which he also is. But it’s Friday and Cannon is off, having arranged his schedule to work four 10-hour days to have three-day weekends to gig. Cannon has been around for years and has played Chicago’s Blues Fest in various capacities 10 times, ranging from side-man to headliner. But he’s only put out two albums on Alligator Records and in some circles is still regarded as a “newbie.” That may be something unique to blues, which often relies on life experience to give credibility to an artist — something Cannon definitely has. “I think the young guys have life experience but don’t talk about it much,” Cannon said, while sipping on a coffee in Lincoln Park, where he recently moved from Bridgeport. “They go with the old tropes of, ‘My woman left me’ types of songs. For me, there’s more stuff out there, especially where I work. So there’s more than, ‘My woman left me.’ That’s going to happen. If you have a woman, eventually she’s going to leave, statistically speaking.” Where he works is the subject of many stories about Cannon, and he’s the first to admit the “CTA bus driver by day, star musician by night” is an intriguing story and one his label has marketed to the max. “It shows I’m a regular person. I get to travel the world and then come back and I’m just a regular guy, a bus driver. I think it shows that this is a real blues guy because I’m still out in the streets,” Cannon said. Indeed, Cannon, given his first name by his grandfather to honor the Native American blood in the family, still works his day job, not only for the pay and benefits (something his song “Insurance” covers on his latest album), but for the inspiration. Despite that, he said some have questioned his dedication to the music over the years — but he offers no apologies and said for him having a safety net is essential and smart. “I don’t subscribe to the starving artist thing. I think sometimes people with my background, being from the neighborhood I grew up in, there aren’t a lot of second chances, so I’m always afraid to go out on a limb. There has to be a branch on that limb, I need to see some way out. “I’ve gotten into some strong discussion with other musicians who say I’m not taking my craft seriously, that if I don’t go out on a limb I’m not a real musician. Most of those guys who were talking had girlfriends or wives that have money so they could afford to go out on a limb. No one’s going to make me feel bad about my path to play this music.” Cannon said Bruce Iglauer, head of Alligator, the Chicago-based label that also happens to be the biggest blues label in the world, was hesitant to sign him because he was still working. “I don’t think he’s ever signed a blues man with a regular job,” Cannon said. “When I told him I could make things happen, take my vacation and do what I have to do — you know, the Chicago way. I do what I have to do to do what I want to do.” That’s exactly what Cannon has done, and he has risen to be one of Alligator’s most popular draws around the world, all while paying homage to the city he was born in and loves. And in turn, Alligator has done a great job promoting him and helped him with negotiating better concert deals, Cannon said. “When I first talked to Alligator I told them I didn’t want to be a regionalist blues man,” he said. “Chicago is where I was born, where I love. This is my area. I wanted to stand on Chicago’s shoulders. “With some blues musicians, you don’t know where they are from. They may talk about about Chicago but they may be from Florida or New York. … It’s just nice to be in the area where the soil is real fertile. I just want to do my part. I’m not trying to be king of the blues of Chicago.” Ironically, because of demand to play festivals around the country and overseas, Cannon only plays Chicago three to four times a year now, down from playing about 40 Chicago gigs annually just a few years ago. He said he loves to play Chicago but does think Chicagoans tend to take blues for granted. “I think we take it for granted because we can just roll out of the bed and go to a bar that’s open until 3:30 or 4 in the morning. I just played in Michigan last week and they don’t have that. In France and Switzerland, people drive two to three hours to see a show. It’s like a delicacy and it humbles me out because in my mind I’m like, ‘I’m just a bus driver.’ But thank you for coming out,” Cannon said. While Cannon’s music has taken him to the four corners of the globe, his “day job’” sustains his music, as he often comes up with song ideas while driving. His bus route changes every three months, so he gets to see all sides of the city, which only adds to his inspiration. Currently his route is on the West Side. “I’m in this vehicle 10 hours a day with myself watching for traffic, seeing poverty, seeing whatever. I have thoughts and think of scenarios and expound on that,” Cannon said. “So, everything is not directly what I see. It’s just that I’m in my thoughts all day. It can be pretty lonely in the front. You’re just driving.” Musically, Cannon said he’s not the best guitarist in the world and he is OK with that. He’d rather connect through the songs he writes. “I’m not Mr. Guitar Virtuoso. I get my point across. Bruce [Iglauer] told me a long time ago, ‘People leave your shows singing the songs, not the guitar solos,’” Cannon said. Indeed, listening to some of his songs it’s easy to see they were spawned while driving his bus, like “The Pain Around Me” from his 2016 Alligator debut, “The Chicago Way.” The song was written by Cannon when he was driving a West Side bus route and begins: “Six kids on the corner, up to no damn good. That’s six broken homes strugglin’ in my neighborhood. You got liquor stores everywhere on my side of town. I don’t want my kids to go outside, ‘cause the thugs are hanging around. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to sing this song. About the pain around me, Lord, but this is what I see, what I see.” While many of his songs are inspired by Chicago, Cannon said he does have songs that are not specific to any region, like “Insurance” on the current album, “Johnny The Conquer Root” from his 2013 Delmark album of the same name; and “Bad Contract” from “The Chicago Way.” “I’d still try to write about whatever was going on in my life and whatever was going on in the area where I am. I guess I can’t imagine no other area. But it’s not always about the area, sometimes it’s about life experiences,” he said. “I wrote ‘Bad Contract’ about divorce like five years ago. I’d say it’s a premonition song now. But I got that concept from a Howard Stern show I heard 12 years ago. Sometimes thing stick in my head and I remember him saying, ‘Look at marriage, that’s a bad contract.’ Years later I wrote a song about it.” Cannon also avoids blues stereotypes and what he describes as “women-hating songs.” “For the most part I want to write songs that people can relate to, things between the lines. It’s ain’t all about a woman, ain’t all about losing the money,” he said. “And it’s not about partying or big booties and barbecues. So if you write a song about getting insurance, people take it for granted but it’s a real thing.” Going forward, Cannon said he’s going to continue to promote himself and the blues — something the Grammys and American Music Awards have taken for granted, and something he wants to change. “I think it needs to be more popularized [in America]. Like at the Grammys, our category isn’t even televised. The way I see it, if there was no blues, there would be no Grammys,” he said. “Blues is the basis of all American music. I’m talking to the Grammy board so they give respect to the lineage. And there aren’t any American Music Awards for blues, which is a big slap in the face.” Cannon also wants to write for others, having been “flattered” recently when he heard his song “Johnny the Conquer Root” being covered by The Natural Fact Band. “They funked it up. I was in my room thinking, this is cool that someone would love my words and do ‘Johnny the Conquer Root,’” he said. As for who he would like to write for, his friend Gary Clark Jr. comes first to mind, as does Shemekia Copeland, who was just named headliner for the 2020 Chicago Blues Fest. “I hear something in her voice that I think I can bring out in some of my songs,” Cannon said. He also wants to keep being one of the most innovative blues artists around. “I told [Bruce Iglauer] a long time ago that I want to be the first, I don’t want to be just a regular Alligator artist. I want to be the first to do certain things with the label. Having women singers,” he said. “In the song ‘I’m Not Scared,’ I’m not even singing. There’s three different singers. He was a little bit against that. He said, ‘How are you going to translate that on stage?’ I said, ‘I don’t know but I wrote the song and I would hate for the song to just go away.’” Whichever way Cannon goes, one thing seems assured: He will continue to carry the torch of the Chicago blues around the world and continue to do what he needs to do in order to do what he wants to do — otherwise known as the Chicago Way. Chicago couple who contracted coronavirus released from Hoffman Estates hospital SUN TIMES//Mitch Dudek The two Chicago residents who were the first person-to person transmission coronavirus patients in the country have been discharged from AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates. The husband and wife “have been discharged to their home under the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois Department of Public Health,” Alexius Medical Center said in a statement Friday morning. The couple will be in home isolation, the hospital said. The patients issued a statement through the hospital: “With it being an uncomfortable situation, the care and the services we’ve received have been great. Everyone’s been very kind and very respectful. This has been the best health care experience we’ve ever had, but we’re definitely looking forward to getting home and getting life back to normal.” The husband contracted the virus from his wife, who returned from central China on Jan. 13. Both are in their 60s. Lightfoot Declares Local Emergency Due to ‘Catastrophic’ Flooding, Damage To Lakefront BLOCK CLUB//Kelly Bauer DOWNTOWN — Mayor Lori Lightfoot has declared Chicago’s battered lakefront a local disaster. Lightfoot issued a local disaster proclamation on Thursday, and she’s asking Gov. JB Pritzker to make a similar move to recognize damage to the lakefront as a state emergency. If Pritzker does so, the state could use its resources and funding to help in repairs — and it’d be able to ask the federal government for more help. Lakefront beaches have been disappearing for months due to flooding as Lake Michigan hits near-record-high water levels in years. Lightfoot said storms from Jan. 10-11 exacerbated the issue as they led to flooding that shut down roads and trails near the lakefront and damaged beaches and recreational areas near the shoreline. “One of Chicago’s strongest assets is our lakeshore, and due to the severity of recent storms we’ve witnessed irreparable damage to our lakefront beaches and infrastructure,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “While the city has worked extensively over the past few months to respond to the damage and to secure the infrastructure and beaches along our lake front — it is clear that this is a challenge we can’t solve alone.” The city has tried to make repairs and take steps to prevent more damage, like putting down jersey barriers, sandbags and 10,000 cubic yards of “rip rap,” or loose stones that can prevent erosion on shorelines, according to the Mayor’s Office. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts Lake Michigan’s water levels will remain high for at least several months, according to the Mayor’s Office. Illinois couple treated for coronavirus discharged from local hospital, transitioning to ‘home isolation’ TRIBUNE//Angie Leventis Lourgos An Illinois husband and wife hospitalized for coronavirus in the first person-to-person transmission reported in the United States have been discharged, according to the hospital. A woman in her 60s caught the disease while traveling to Wuhan, China, in late December to take care of her sick father, and returned to Chicago in mid-January, health officials have reported. Her husband — who is also in his 60s and had underlying health conditions — then contracted the virus from her, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month. The spouse had not made the trip to China with his wife, health officials said. The husband and wife were treated in isolation at Amita Health St. Alexius Medical Center Hoffman Estates. Hospital officials announced on Friday that the patients were discharged “under guidance” of experts from the CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health. The husband and wife are transitioning to "home isolation,” a St. Alexius spokesman said. The spokesman added that the couple requested privacy during this time, but they did release a statement to the public. “With it being an uncomfortable situation, the care and the services we’ve received have been great," said the statement the hospital released. "Everyone’s been very kind and very respectful. This has been the best healthcare experience we’ve ever had, but we’re definitely looking forward to getting home and getting life back to normal.” Melaney Arnold, spokeswoman for the state health department, said, “The couple will remain at home with daily monitoring by public health officials until CDC provides clearance that they can leave their home." She added that public health officials are still learning about the new virus, and their guidance might change with new information. Nationwide, 12 people have tested positive for coronavirus in six states; 225 tested negative and 100 tests are pending, according to CDC statistics as of Friday. Top of Form Bottom of Form While U.S. officials have declared coronavirus a public health emergency, Illinois health experts say the likelihood of contracting the disease here is low; many medical providers say the flu is a bigger threat to most people in the United States. The viral outbreak — which originated in Wuhan — has infected more than 31,000 individuals internationally, mainly in China, according to the Associated Press; there have been more than 600 deaths linked to the virus in China. The CDC has been distributing coronavirus test kits this week to various labs across the United States, including a Chicago lab run by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The CDC-developed test kit is crafted for quicker use, with results as soon as four hours after testing upper and lower respiratory specimens from those suspected of having coronavirus. The Chicago lab is the only one in Illinois scheduled to receive the test kits, according to state officials. Check back for updates. Fixed! Wicker Park Walk Signal No Longer Sending Pedestrians Into Traffic BLOCK CLUB//Hannah Alani POLISH TRIANGLE — A dangerously confusing traffic signal at a busy Wicker Park intersection has been fixed. Hours after a neighbor reported that a poorly aligned pedestrian walk signal at the corner of Ashland and Milwaukee avenues was sending unwitting pedestrians into oncoming traffic, the Chicago Department of Transportation sprung into action. By Friday morning, the light was fixed. The light faced southbound pedestrians walking along the east side of Ashland Avenue, crossing Milwaukee Avenue in the direction of the Polish Triangle. The light is affixed to a working street light. But when the street light was red, the walk light invited pedestrians to walk into oncoming traffic. This led to one very close call Thursday morning. The light is still attached to the street light, but now it faces westbound pedestrians walking along the south side of Milwaukee Avenue, crossing Ashland Avenue. Wicker Park resident Jessica Cabe first noticed the bad light weeks ago. She assumed the city was aware of the issue, she said. About 8:15 a.m. Thursday, however, she noticed a pedestrian who was walking in front of her throw her hands up and shout at a car. “I noticed the incorrect pedestrian signal was flashing a countdown, so I assumed the driver was just ignoring the pedestrian’s right of way,” she said. “But then I realized the pedestrian and I were both looking at the wrong signal. So since it was a close call, I filed a 311 request right away.” A staffer in Ald. Brian Hopkins’ office said the city moved to get the light fix after Cabe’s 311 request was received. Block Club reported on the signal confusion Thursday afternoon. If the walk light faced pedestrian traffic crossing Milwaukee Avenue, it would be correct, Cabe added. “The timing of the signal isn’t the problem,” Cabe said. “It’s just twisted around to face the wrong direction.” At 9:24 a.m., Cabe received notice from CDOT that workers were on the case. Do you have issues like this in your neighborhood? File a 311 service request here. Already filed one with no luck? Email us at newsroom@blockclubchi.org. Days After Firefighter Shot Putting Out Car Blaze In Albany Park, Another Car Fire Reported On Same Block BLOCK CLUB//Alex V. Hernandez ALBANY PARK — Less than a week after a firefighter was shot while extinguishing a car fire in Albany Park, another car fire was reported on the same block. Officers on patrol noticed the car fire at about 2 a.m. Friday at 3355 W. Wilson Ave. — just outside an apartment building that has been blamed for recent violence in the area. Reached Friday morning, fire department officials had no details on the blaze and could not say whether or not it was being investigated as arson. On Sunday, a fireman was shot while extinguishing another car fire on the same block. The black Chevrolet Impala with dark tinted windows remained on the block Friday morning. Its windshield and driver’s side windows were shattered and the passenger’s side airbag had been deployed. The hood of the car was bent upwards, apparently due to heat from the fire. The owner of the car told police it had been parked on the corner since 7 p.m. Thursday. No injuries were reported and the car fire was “categorized as non-criminal property damage,” said Kellie Bartoli, a police spokesperson. A tow truck arrived to remove the car from the block at 9:47 a.m. Friday. “I went to the bathroom around 2 a.m. and saw police lights flashing outside, but no sirens,” neighbor Enrique Gonzalez said in Spanish. “I looked outside and saw it was from a squad car parked at the corner of Wilson and Christiana. It was late so I went back to sleep.” Gonzalez, who has lived in Albany Park for 33 years, said he’s disturbed by the two recent car fires and shootings on the block. “It was quiet around here for a while after some new buildings got built in the last few years. But now it’s all starting up again,” Gonzalez said. No one is in custody in the Sunday shooting of a firefighter, but officers found three guns in a first-floor apartment at 3359 W. Wilson Ave. Neighbors gathered with police and elected officials Tuesday to discuss the recent violence. Some blamed squatters living at 3359 W. Wilson Ave., where they said drug sales were rampant. A landlord for the building said he’s been trying to remove the squatters for a month but was unsuccessful until police found guns on the property. On Jan. 14, a 51-year-old man was wounded by gunfire in the 4600 block of North Kedzie Avenue, just east of where the firefighter was shot. After public outcry, the 17th police district has also ramped up patrols in the area. “I know they sent more police, but another car was on fire last night, I worry,” Gonzalez said. $185M Aon Center observatory, with thrill ride and glassy exterior elevator, set to open in 2022 TRIBUNE//Ryan Ori A little later than expected, Chicago’s third observatory is coming into view as the owner of the Aon Center prepares to start building the long-discussed $185 million addition. The skyscraper’s owner, 601W Cos., expects to begin construction on the yet-to-be-named observation deck overlooking Millennium Park in the third quarter of this year, said Aon Center general manager Matthew Amato. The tourist attraction is expected to open in spring 2022, he said. That opening date is about a year and a half later than the one 601W cited in December 2018, as the project neared zoning approval from the city. Since that time, 601W has finalized a deal with another New York-based firm, Legends, to run the observatory. “The 20-year agreement took a long time to negotiate, but now we’re excited to get going on it,” Amato said. Legends also formed a joint venture with 601W to share ownership of the observatory, Amato said. Legends operates facilities and provides concessions and other services to many well-known sports venues and tourist attractions, including the One World Trade Center’s observatory, Yankee Stadium and the Rose Bowl. The venture is now in talks for construction financing to pay for the observatory addition, Amato said. The two-level space will include a restaurant, bar, event space and virtual reality experiences. The main attraction will be a thrill ride called the Sky Summit, which will lift enclosed cabs filled with visitors over the building’s edge for 30 to 40 seconds. Work is expected to occur simultaneously on several aspects of the project, including adding a glass elevator tower to the exterior of the building at 200 E. Randolph St., Amato said. There also will be a 9,000-square-foot pavilion built on the southeast side of the property for guests to enter, and a walkway built underneath the office tower leading to observatory elevators on the northwest side. Atop the Aon Center, space formerly used for mechanical systems on the 82nd floor will be converted into an observatory with views of the park, Lake Michigan and the skyline. A partial 83rd floor will provide an area for visitors to enter the thrill ride. The Aon Center, completed in 1973 and previously known as the Standard Oil Building and the Amoco Building, is Chicago’s third-tallest skyscraper. At 1,136 feet tall, it trails only Willis Tower (1,451 feet) and Trump International Hotel & Tower (1,389 feet). When it’s completed nearby this fall, 1,191-foot-tall Vista Tower will knock the Aon Center down to No. 4 on Chicago’s tallest buildings list. When the Aon Center addition is complete, Chicago will join New York as the only American city with three observatories. Chicago’s others are Skydeck Chicago in Willis Tower and 360 Chicago in the former John Hancock Center on North Michigan Avenue. The Aon Center’s owner, whose other Chicago projects include The Old Post Office redevelopment, estimates its new observatory will generate $30 million to $40 million in annual revenue. 601W bought the Aon Center for $712 million in 2015. The Tribune in February 2018 first reported that 601W was looking into adding the glassy exterior elevator tower to help create an observatory, and in May 2018 the landlord publicly disclosed its plans. Soon, the area just north of Millennium Park will be a construction zone. Across the street from the Aon Center, an affiliate of Chicago-based CA Ventures is about to begin construction of a 46-story apartment tower on a vacant lot at 222 N. Stetson Ave. Tell Us What’s Really Happening At Our School, Lincoln Park High School’s Local School Council Begs BLOCK CLUB//Justin Laurence LINCOLN PARK — After a tumultuous week, Lincoln Park High School’s Local School Council on Friday called for more transparency on what’s happening at its beleaguered school. The group called on Chicago Public School officials to give them more information on into what led the district to dismiss three administrators — Interim Principal John Thuet, Assistant Principal Michelle Brumfield and Dean John Johnson. The LSC, parents and teachers have defended the three amid the turmoil of the last week. The school “was finally trending in the right direction. Sadly this week, progress has turned into chaos,” Marybeth Jones, a parent representative on the local school council, told reporters at a press conference Friday morning. “We continue to believe strongly that Mr. Thuet, Ms. Brumfield and Mr. Johnson are part of the solution for our school, based on the impact they made in their short tenure,” she said. A community representative on the council, Eli Grant, said the group had a call yesterday with CPS’ Office of Safety and Security, but the call didn’t address their concerns. “We need to go to a higher level and understand why the decisions have been made to get us to this point. That wasn’t that conversation yesterday. We’re ready to have that conversation whenever CPS is ready to do so,” he said. The week began with a student walk-out Monday to protest the decision by CPS to remove the administrators, suspend the boys basketball season and remove a basketball coach. On Monday evening, CPS officials told the community there were four separate investigations launched by the district’s Office of Inspector General and its Office of Student Protections. District officials said the allegations include both adult-on-student and student-on-student sexual misconduct, failure to follow proper reporting procedures, retaliations against witnesses, interference with an official investigation by school leadership and failure to create safety plans for students, among other things. But the district did not specify the allegations against Thuet, Brumfield or Johnson. During the meeting students, teachers and parents defended the administrators, who they claim were instrumental to improving the atmosphere of the school. Grant said he and the entire school council continue to support Thuet and the other administrators. “Every piece of evidence that we have about Mr. Thuet is that he’s extremely thoughtful and by the book,” he said. “And to hear that that wasn’t the way that things happened, doesn’t jive in any of our minds at the LSC, or students or faculty.” At the Monday meeting, Judith Gibbs, a retired CPS principal, was introduced to the community as the new interim leader of the school. But by Wednesday she had left after a video obtained by the Sun-Times allegedly showed the administrator placing her hands on a student. On Wednesday evening, CPS sent a letter to LPHS families informing them that Gibbs had decided to leave the school after “determining that she was not a good fit for LPHS.” The letter did not mention the alleged incident or the video. Grant criticized the way the matter was handled. “The video speaks for itself in terms of what is supposed to have happened. I think, even more disconcerting about that, was the statement and the letter that was received after the fact didn’t address it in one bit,” he said. On Thursday students protested againl, with some silently sitting in the hallways while others held protest signs and marched down the corridors of the school. With tensions running high, several fights broke out among students. By 1 p.m. multiple students told Block Club that only a few hundred of the over 2,000 students enrolled at the school remained inside. Carlos Reynoso, a senior, said the chaotic scenes at the school are directly attributable to the lack of communication from the district. “Basically CPS haven’t answered for what they’ve done and we think we deserve an answer because everybody’s angry and frustrated,” he said. “… Because CPS haven’t helped us, it’s leading to there being no control, so many fights. It’s a lot of things that doesn’t feel like a good school atmosphere.” A freshman who asked not to be named said the recent events have changed his opinion of the school — one he chose to go to because his sister attended. He said he felt comfortable there. “It definitely changed my opinion … seeing how everyone, like, was willing just to give up that easy,” he said. The student left school early on Thursday, but said it will be up to his parents whether he attends on Friday. “That part’s not up to me. I wouldn’t mind coming back, but until I know everything is okay and safe, I’d rather stay at home,” he said. The Local School Council said the next step is to continue to push for a meeting with CPS leaders and Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Lightfoot wants emergency declaration from FEMA to repair $25M in storm damage to shoreline SUN TIMES//Fran Spielman Mayor Lori Lightfoot Friday put a $25 million price tag on the January storm damage to Chicago’s lakefront and asked for a quick emergency declaration from FEMA to free up federal resources to rebuild it. With Lake Michigan already four inches above its 30-year high and more than five weeks of winter yet to go, Lightfoot said fast federal action is needed to free up funding for a job that Chicago simply cannot do alone. The mayor said the “first critical next step” is to secure the funding needed to bankroll a “needs assessment” by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That report will pinpoint “future work” to be done by the agency to protect the lakefront and preserve it for generations to come. City agencies have also joined forces on a “threat assessment” to identify “areas facing the most urgent risk,” the mayor said. That includes South Shore and the north lakefront. “We had…several blocks off the lakefront where the streets themselves were flooded. Property damage was being done to buildings,” the mayor told reporters at a news conference at La Rabida Hospital, 6501 S. Promontory Dr. “And on the North Side, we’ve just seen beaches disappear and flooding in underground garages. We have some concerns about what’s happening to the foundations of different buildings. It’s an issue up and down the lakefront. Those areas that were already reinforced are holding and the system is working. But we have a lot more lakefront that’s not covered.” Col. Aaron Reisinger, commander of the Chicago district for the Army Corps, said 9.2 miles of shoreline protection work has already been completed and he’s “extremely proud” of the “resilience” it showed “through this time of elevated risk.” Reisinger said he looks forward to moving “the next phase of that project.” But a federal study must come first to “extend the protection of the Chicago shoreline” and establish a “framework for how we approach shoreline protection and shoreline resiliency for the long-term.” But what about the politics of federal funding? Won’t Lightfoot’s outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump and the president’s constant bashing of sanctuary cities in general and Chicago in particular stand in the way? “I hate to bring up politics, but I will,” said U.S. Senate Dick Durbin, the Senate’s Democratic whip. “It’s not just 5,200 miles of [Lake Michigan] shoreline. It’s hundreds of electoral votes. Take a look at the Great Lakes states and take a look at the target states that the presidential candidates are gonna focus on in the electoral college. And you’re gonna see that they coincide.” The January storm brought 55 mph wind gusts and waves up to 20 feet crashing down along the shoreline, closing streets and flooding beaches. Rogers and Howard beaches in Rogers Park were shut down entirely in the wake of the storm. Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls for federal disaster designation for Chicago lakefront TRIBUNE//John Byrne Calling recent destructive Lake Michigan waves and flooding from historically high water levels "climate change in action right here in our city,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday made a plea for millions of dollars in federal funding to repair damages and prepare the lakefront for a future in which these types of storm events become more frequent. The mayor stood with Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, to request that the Federal Emergency Management Agency declare a lakefront emergency here, pointing to $37 million in damage caused in Chicago and Cook County by the January storms. Lightfoot acknowledged “some concern, of course” that President Donald Trump won’t see the urgency in sending help to Chicago — a city he has treated as a public antagonist for years — to combat climate change, an issue he hasn’t deemed a high priority. But she said the problem is much bigger than just city beaches and neighborhoods near the lake. “The entire population that touches Lake Michigan, which encompasses several states, is affected by this,” she said. “So there’s a sense of urgency, I think, by every mayor, every elected official who cares about the environment, and in particular preserving this lake, that we get something done.” Durbin was blunter about why he believes the reelection-seeking president will care about the situation impacting several Midwestern battleground states: “I hate to bring up politics, but I will. It’s not just 5,200 miles of shoreline, it’s hundreds of electoral votes. Take a look at the Great Lakes states. Take a look at the target states the presidential candidates are going to focus on in the Electoral College. You’ll see that they coincide.” Durbin, the Senate Democratic whip, sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and said he would try to make sure there’s fairness in how any funds get distributed. Meanwhile, Lightfoot said she will seek sources of state and local funds to do some work, but said the key is to free up federal funds for the Army Corps of Engineers. The corps needs money to conduct “a general reevaluation report" of the shoreline to figure out which parts of it must be better protected, Lightfoot said. There’s also a longer-term plan needed to shore up the entire lakefront for generations, she said. Lake Michigan’s water has been unusually high for some time. Since 2013, the lake has risen nearly 6 feet, going from a record low to near-record high levels last summer. But the damaging storms of Jan. 10 and 11 made the severity of the situation apparent. Strong winds propelled 23-foot waves into the shoreline, inundating streets in parts of South Shore and Rogers Park and sweeping away beaches. There was $25 million in damage in Chicago and another $12 million in other parts of Cook County during that storm, Lightfoot said. Top of Form Bottom of Form Col. Aaron Reisinger of the Army Corps of Engineers said 9.2 miles of the Chicago shore that already have been reinforced by the corps in recent years withstood the pummeling by the storm better than other parts. A “coastal resiliency study” would enable the corps to figure out what steps are needed next on the remaining lakefront in the city, he said. Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared a state disaster Thursday, allowing municipalities to apply for federal funding to make repairs. White House spokespeople could not be reached for comment Friday on the request that a federal disaster be declared in Chicago. Why Chicago's opportunity zone program is lagging other cities CRAIN’S//Danny Ecker After spending 18 months evaluating some 750 potential real estate developments in low-income neighborhoods around the country, Craig Bernstein is finding viable projects to bet on. Just not in Chicago. His Washington, D.C.-based private-equity fund is backing a new $45 million mixed-use complex near an upscale shopping center in Charlottesville, Va., its first foray into opportunity zones—areas designated by a two-year-old federal program meant to revive poor communities. It's eyeing others in cities like Nashville, Tenn.; Columbus, Ohio; Portland; and Austin, Texas. Bernstein has kicked the tires on deals in Chicago's opportunity zones, too. "But at this point we've been hesitant" to fund them, he says. "Our goal is to find what we believe are the best of the best." His approach highlights a major critique of the opportunity zone program and an obstacle Chicago's most depressed neighborhoods need to overcome to take advantage of it. The incentive allows investors to defer or avoid taxes on capital gains if they redirect those profits into any of the roughly 8,700 designated zones nationwide. Investment firms have formed more than 300 funds that have collectively raised over $7.5 billion to date to deploy into those blighted areas, according to surveys by San Francisco-based tax advisory and consulting firm Novogradac. That doesn't include money privately invested by high-net-worth individuals and corporations that could double or triple that total, the firm estimates. But convincing those investors to funnel that money to Chicago's zones—which are mostly in areas of extreme need on the city's South and West sides—has proven to be difficult. Many funds are gravitating to other markets whose zones are in areas that don't need a tax incentive to fuel development. "I think many investors recognize Chicago is probably at a slight disadvantage compared to some other communities across the nation," says Bob Tucker, chief operating officer of the Chicago Community Loan Fund, which provides low-cost financing to community-focused developers for affordable housing and other economic development efforts. Many economic development advocates predicted the vast disparity among opportunity zones, which states designated based on different criteria using 2010 census data. Those figures might have shown a neighborhood that was blighted back then and qualified for the program, even if it had been gentrified since. A luxury residential tower in downtown Houston qualifies, for example, as do new offices and luxury condos in trendy downtown Portland. Most of Chicago's 135 zones, meanwhile, are in neighborhoods with lingering high unemployment and poverty rates like Englewood and Auburn Gresham. It's especially difficult to lure tenants to real estate developments in neighborhoods like those, making them more expensive to finance and not as attractive to some opportunity zone fund operators who can find less complicated deals elsewhere. To attack the problem, Tucker recently organized the Chicagoland Opportunity Zone Consortium, a coalition of community-focused developers, nonprofits and financial institutions as well as city, county and state officials. The group won funding and other support from organizations including the MacArthur Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust to launch an online platform to help local developers connect with opportunity zone investors. The idea is to paint a more detailed picture for fund operators about neighborhood development prospects, other available public subsidies and helpful initiatives such as Mayor Lori Lightfoot's new INVEST South/West program that prioritizes investment in blighted corridors in 10 Chicago neighborhoods. "You can go invest $2 million in a 57-story office building in downtown Houston, but how do we attract you and others to invest that in a longer-term project in Englewood?" Tucker says. "It's all about facilitating connections." Some local projects have recently been announced: One Chicago-based opportunity zone fund is partnering with local apartment developer Cedar Street on a $65 million residential building in Pilsen; another fund is teaming with Chicago-based DL3 Realty to redevelop the dilapidated Washington Park National Bank Building in Woodlawn; and in Jackson Park, Chicago-developer North Wells Capital has paired with Byline Bank to renovate a functionally obsolete apartment building. Still, those projects are far smaller than what developers have announced elsewhere. Data is scarce about how much money investors have put into opportunity zone projects, and where. But property sales within the zones suggest Chicago isn't gaining as much traction with funds as other major markets. CHALLENGES Sales in Chicago-area opportunity zones in 2018 and 2019 totaled $952 million, according to research firm Real Capital Analytics. While the 2019 figure was 39 percent higher than 2018 sales—indicating a boost in local opportunity zone investment—the two-year total still ranks 29th out of the top 50 largest metropolitan areas by opportunity zone sales volume. That figure is on par with cities where property values are generally lower such as Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; San Antonio; Nashville, Tenn.; Norfolk, Va.; and Cincinnati. Markets including Houston, Miami and Portland, Ore., have seen three or four times Chicago's transaction volume during that period, Real Capital data shows. Other Chicago factors make it tricky for some funds to justify projects, such as dwindling population and city and state fiscal uncertainty. Plus, fund operators point out it's a challenge to put together any real estate deal that makes financial sense so deep into an economic growth cycle, let alone ones in unproven locations. "There's an inherent tension in wanting to get market returns in neighborhoods that are historically disinvested because the fundamentals aren't strong enough to generate the kind of returns that you want to see," says Rob Rose, a longtime advocate of community development in Chicago and executive director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority, which helps revive tax-delinquent houses. "The hope was that (opportunity zones) would help break that cycle, but I think it's fair to say these investors are proving that's not the case." One route that may prove more effective for Chicago's South and West sides is working with local banks and corporations that also want to take advantage of the program. Looking for a way to spend capital gains close to its hometown, Northbrook-based Allstate is financing a new warehouse in an opportunity zone in Pullman. And Fifth Third Bank last month announced a $20 million commitment to Chicago's opportunity zones. Banks can target projects in especially downtrodden opportunity zones to help meet their obligations under the federal Community Reinvestment Act, which requires a certain level of investment in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods where they operate. "That avenue is there, and I think Chicago will be benefited by it," says Dan Cullen, chairman of the tax practice in the Chicago office of law firm Baker McKenzie, who works with several opportunity zone funds. He says his clients are considering Chicago projects just as much as those in other markets, but that local banks are already familiar with the dynamics of the area. "There are opportunities they're already looking at," he says. "This just makes it even more compelling." Will interim CPD chief's departmental shakeup outlast his tenure? CRAIN’S//A.D. Quig Interim Superintendent Charlie Beck believes he can boost officer morale and community trust in the Chicago Police Department and also comply with costly federal reform mandates—all while reducing violent crime. Mayor Lori Lightfoot's choice to succeed Superintendent Eddie Johnson is wasting no time leaving his mark on a department he soon plans to leave. Within days of his appointment roughly two months ago, Beck announced a halt to merit-based promotions—a controversial process that failed to diversify CPD leadership and which many rank and file viewed as overly clout-based. That was only the beginning. Late last month, Beck announced a massive reorganization of the force, designed to deploy more officers on the streets, reverse CPD's dismal success rate in clearing homicides, and commit to reaching reform benchmarks set after the U.S. Justice Department investigation under the Emanuel administration. Beck's moves come amid other big changes: Johnson's scandalous exit is still the subject of an inspector general investigation. The City Council will soon debate a new citizen-led oversight body that could shape CPD policy and leadership. A long-expired contract with the Fraternal Order of Police is still unsettled, and the union is holding its leadership elections this spring. A former chief of the Los Angeles Police Department who comes from a family of officers, Beck says that while he fully intends to return to retirement (per his wife's orders), he never planned to be a caretaker. "I'm not here just to mark time; I'm not here for a paycheck. I'm here to make a difference," Beck says. His two priorities: tackling gun violence and complying with the federal consent decree. He says Lightfoot's public safety experience and her "very straightforward, very direct" style attracted him to the job. The two seem to have that in common. Walter Katz, deputy mayor for public safety under Mayor Rahm Emanuel and a veteran of Los Angeles-area police oversight agencies, says Beck's reputation as a strong and decisive leader is "emblematic" of the modern LAPD: "Well trained, well disciplined"—and well organized. As for the changes Beck is rolling out to a force he will only temporarily manage, Beck says: "I have considerable experience running a large police organization in a major American city. I'm very familiar with what works across the U.S. This is what works." Chicago's crime is "exactly like L.A.'s crime," he continues. "It's only 10 years in the past. It's largely gang or narcotics related. It centers around open-air drug markets or gang conflicts, largely committed by young men who look like each other and have similar circumstances." The reorganization, rolling out over the spring, will bring nearly 300 robbery, burglary and theft detectives into CPD's 22 police districts. The department says the move is designed to break down traditional silos separating the old bureaus of patrol, detectives and organized crime. More than 800 detectives, gang intelligence and narcotics officers will move "directly into neighborhood-facing districts and areas," as the Beck plan puts it. The department will have a new homicide unit, a dedicated counterterrorism bureau and a consent decree office. The Office of Constitutional Policing & Reform, led by Chief Barbara West, is co-equal with the Office of Operations. That elevation is encouraging, police watchers say, but whether she succeeds will depend on how much support she is given and whether the entire department—not just the officers under West's control—can integrate constitutional policing practices day in and day out. "Without a doubt, that's a positive and necessary step," says Craig Futterman, founder of the Civil Rights & Police Accountability Project at the University of Chicago. He represents a coalition of community groups that sued to force a consent decree and says that so far, the department's commitment of "heart, action and resources" to unbiased constitutional policing have been "woefully lacking." LACK OF PROGRESS The November 2019 report delivered by the independent monitor overseeing the consent decree found the department had met only a quarter of its deadlines and lagged on implementing new policies around use of force. Other critics say the department has not meaningfully addressed the speed of 911 responses, training for officers chasing suspects on foot and documenting when police point their weapons. Whether Beck's reorganization sets the department up for success might not be known for months, or even years. "It's almost like we've dumped the yeast into the batter and we don't know yet whether it's going to rise. It's too soon to tell," says Karen Sheley, director of the Police Practices Project at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. Katz, Emanuel's former public safety deputy, says increased clearance rates for homicides and aggravated assaults would be good yardsticks to measure success. Chicago's homicide clearance rate—closure of a case through arrest or other means—has inched up slightly since 2014, when it was at 50 percent, 16 points behind the national average. CPD says it cleared 53 percent in 2019. If nothing else, having "a leader who comes in and demonstrates they can be an agent for change . . . makes it easier for the next superintendent to stay on that path and make further changes," Katz says of Beck. Cara Hendrickson, who led the team in the state attorney general's office that negotiated the consent decree and is now a partner at Massey & Gail, says more changes are needed, faster, and with input from community organizations that have been trying to "authentically engage" with the department for decades. When the mayor was a candidate, "she called on the parties to move more quickly, to implement things called for in the draft (of the consent decree). She was right," Hendrickson says. "I'm looking forward to seeing the demands the mayor laid out in her campaign moving closer to reality." Federal Funds to Protect Great Lakes Have Been Withheld for 2 Years; ‘Unacceptable,’ Says Durbin WTTW//Patty Wetli With Chicagoans’ homes “literally teetering on the edge of destruction” as their foundations are being eroded by Lake Michigan’s historic high levels, Mayor Lori Lightfoot called on the federal government to move quickly to provide funds needed to create a long-term plan to reinforce the city’s vulnerable shoreline. Speaking at a news conference Friday at La Rabida Children’s Hospital, Lightfoot was joined by Sen. Dick Durbin and Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who were united in their push for federal dollars. “We need to make investments that address climate change through both mitigation and resiliency,” said Durbin. “In 2018 — two years ago — I helped to pass the authorization of the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study in the Water Resources Development Act. Two years ago. So far, nothing. This study would map out a plan to manage and protect 5,200 miles of Great Lakes shoreline but the administration has not provided the funding to even start the study. Unacceptable.” Lightfoot said that along with funding the coastal study, additional federal money is needed for the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a general reevaluation report of the city’s shoreline. “This is in essence a needs assessment,” said the mayor, adding that funding for the Army Corps “triggers a process not only of evaluation but action.” Over the past 20 years, the Army Corps has completed more than 9 miles of storm damage protection along Chicago’s lakefront (funded by previous Water Resources Development Acts). “If you look at those areas, those areas are holding,” Lightfoot said. If given the green light, the Army Corps would be prepared to move forward with a new phase that would fortify another 8 vulnerable miles of Chicago’s shoreline, said Col. Aaron Reisinger, commander of the Army Corps’ Chicago district. In the short-term, Lightfoot said Chicago needs immediate assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with the cleanup after January’s pounding storms, which caused an estimated $37 million in damage, including $25 million to Chicago Park District property. “This problem isn’t going away,” she said. “We will be working to develop a long-term plan to ensure our magnificent lakefront is prepared for generations to come.” ________________________________ This e-mail, and any attachments thereto, is intended only for use by the addressee(s) named herein and may contain legally privileged and/or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail (or the person responsible for delivering this document to the intended recipient), you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, printing or copying of this e-mail, and any attachment thereto, is strictly prohibited. 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