Correction. Contrary to one of the links tapped most in yesterday’s Chicago Public Square—which drew on a detailed but apparently incorrect (and, as of this writing, uncorrected) account from the Jefferson Park Chamber of Commerce—the CTA says Blue Line trains are indeed still running to O’Hare airport all night, no boarding pass or airport worker ID necessary …
■ … but, under pandemic policy in place since August 2020, trains don’t leave the airport between midnight and 4 a.m.
‘Patients at risk of harm or death.’ A ProPublica/WTTW investigation—driven by a whistleblowing doctor’s complaint—raises concern about the quality of care at Roseland Community Hospital on Chicago’s South Side.
Pay your bills online. That’s one of the takeaways from a Sun-Times investigation of a spike in Chicago-area check fraud—thieves intercepting and rewriting checks sent through the mail, sometimes cashing them for thousands more than their original value.
■ Good news—in the form of a proposed class-action lawsuit settlement—for people who’ve paid through the nose for federal court records.
‘To say that there is [a] gulf between these two women in terms of experience and expertise does not do the contrast justice.’ A Tribune endorsement of Tammy Duckworth’s reelection to the Senate says of her challenger: “We don’t really know what Salvi would do in Washington because she did not clearly tell us.”
■ Departing Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger—one of only two Republicans on the House Jan. 6 committee—is backing Democrats running against election deniers.
■ An NBC interview with the Democrats’ Pennsylvania Senate candidate raises fresh questions about his health …
■ … but journalist Kara Swisher calls those questions “nonsense”—and offers her podcast interview with him to prove it.
■ Esquire’s Charlie Pierce on Ohio’s Senate race: “Trump took J.D. Vance’s dignity, then Tim Ryan erased it from the historical record.”
■ Raygun* was quick to turn the exchange into a T-shirt.
■ The Onion’s “Most Important 2022 Midterm Races” rundown assesses Georgia’s Senate contest: “A bellwether … for determining whether it’s really worth continuing with this country at all.”
■ Ready to tee up your ballot? The Chicago Public Square election guide’s here.
Sleeves up, kids—again. The FDA has cleared the latest generation of COVID-19 booster shots for humans as young as 5.
■ Fewer than 10% of Chicagoans eligible for the new shots have gotten theirs …
■ … raising concern for another winter surge.
Peeling away. Banana Republic is quitting Chicago’s troubled North Michigan Avenue shopping district.
■ Workers walked off the job at Amazon’s Joliet hub, demanding higher pay and a safer workplace.
■ Bloomberg: Amazon’s “Prime Day sequel” sales look pretty much the same as for any other day.
■ The NAACP is calling for companies including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin to speak up against the racist Republican Alabama senator whose campaign they’ve been funding.
Barney’s dark legacy. A new documentary on Peacock explores how a beloved—and ridiculed—’90s kids show brought tragedy, in Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper’s words, to “the family of the person most responsible for bringing the oversized plush dino into this world.”
■ CNN’s Brian Lowrey: “It runs out of insight before its time is up.”
Keep the news coming. Your contribution to the annual Chicago Independent Media Alliance fundraiser, running through Monday, will be matched dollar-for-dollar and help more than three dozen local organizations amplify Chicago. You can pitch in any amount—as little as a dollar.
■ Direct at least $75 specifically to Chicago Public Square and get a T-shirt or cap as a reward.
■ Pam Spiegel made this edition better.
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* Which makes those Square T-shirts.