Showtime / 'Hateful' / Top 50 restaurants

Thanks to readers who’ve jimmied open their wallets to keep Chicago Public Square coming—including Jim Prescott, Jim Peterson, Jim Parks, Jim Kelly and Jim Grimes. You’re cordially invited to join them in The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. And now, lots and lots and lots of news:

Showtime. The historic House impeachment hearings for President Trump have begun. Watch online at C-SPAN, on cable and over the air.
Have a smart speaker or the Alexa or Google Assistant phone apps? Just say, “Play C-SPAN.”
Can’t watch or listen? Live-blog updates abound, like these from Politico, The Guardian, Yahoo News, NBC News and The Washington Post.
Unlike during the Watergate hearings, the Public Broadcasting Service doesn’t plan nightly rebroadcasts, but—clarifying—Chicago’s WTTW-TV will rebroadcast proceedings on one of its over-the-air digital side-channels beginning at 6 p.m. (Cartoon: Keith J. Taylor.)
USA Today: Meet the lawmakers to watch in the impeachment hearings—including two Illinois representatives.
Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment provides a model for the Trump case.
Continual updates from The Associated Press.
The hearings’ witness “guest list” is growing.

‘A chilling message about journalism.’ The dean of Northwestern University’s Medill School says the widely condemned decision by the student staff of The Daily Northwestern to walk back its coverage of student protests “suggests that we … are prone to bowing to the loudest and most influential voices in our orbit.”
Tribune columnist Dahleen Glanton: The paper’s editor had to come to grips with the question “Are you black first or are you a journalist first?
The Trib’s Heidi Stevens: “These student journalists aren’t wrong to try to take the industry down a more inclusive path, even if we want to quibble over the best way to get there.”
Consoling words from Northwestern alumnus Neil Steinberg: “Most shame fades—trust me on that.”
A Sun-Times editorial: “That’s the thing about good journalism. You will never win a popularity contest.”
Tribune Publishing is killing its Spanish newspaper in Chicago, Hoy.

‘Hateful.’ Young Illinois climate activists are condemning a DePaul University philosophy professor for a (Chicago Public Square editorial commentary here: stupid) “open letter” to 16-year-old climate crisis activist Greta Thunberg and her generation.
His letter, published on a right-wing website, includes gems like this: “Your generation … cannot eat meat without crying.”
The University of Florida’s student body president faces impeachment after bringing Donald Trump Jr. to campus … for $50,000.

A Buffalo Wild Wings fiasco hero. At a news conference on a Naperville restaurant’s indulgence of a customer’s racism, the families affected praised the restaurant’s host—who they say was in tears as they left and who later gave them management names and phone numbers.
McDonald’s workers are suing the company, alleging “a toxic work culture” of sexual harassment.

‘Isn’t this . . . socialism?’ The Beachwood Reporter’s Steve Rhodes turns a critical eye on another municipal handout to keep a business from moving out: “Corporate tax incentives should be illegal.”
Trib columnist Eric Zorn to downstate lawmakers: “Butt out of Chicago’s fight over taxing the rich! This is between us and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.”
Lightfoot is proposing to end Chicago’s practice of impounding vehicles found to contain marijuana and to reduce fines for people arrested for using marijuana in public.

Checks by Google. Following Facebook and Apple into the financial market, Google plans to team with banks and credit unions to offer checking accounts next year.
Google is under federal investigation for its efforts to collect Americans’ health data.
Google is disciplining staffers for … believe it or not, you know … searching for stuff.
A tweet that went viral has prompted an investigation of sexual discrimination in Goldman Sachs’ setting of credit limits for the Apple Card.

Top 50 restaurants. Trib restaurant critic Phil Vettel has overhauled his list of Chicago’s “most interesting and important” eateries.
Smartassy restaurant Ed Debevic’s is headed back to Chicago.

‘An architectural success.’ The Trib’s Blair Kamin pours out his take on the inside of the world’s largest Starbucks, opening Friday in the former Crate & Barrel store on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue.
The highest-priced item for sale there: A $6,500 mini espresso machine.
The country’s biggest milk producer, Dean Foods, is filing for bankruptcy.

Top 10 Black Friday shopping tips. Consumer Reports’ No. 1: Start early.
Consumer Reports is encouraging Illinois voters to call Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office to press her to vote to end the cable TV business’ “sneaky, hidden fees.”

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