‘Are they afraid of us?’ A protester outside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Elmhurst speech to cops yesterday found the police presence outside the event at the Knights of Columbus hall remarkable.
■ Inside the hall, Politico reports, DeSantis continued to position himself for a presidential run, condemning “politicians putting woke ideology ahead of public safety.” (Photo: Demonstrators across the street from the Knights hall, by a Chicago Public Square reader.)
■ For DeSantis, it was payback to Gov. Pritzker, who rallied Democrats in Florida last summer …
■ … and who NBC News says is positioning himself as the anti-DeSantis.
■ Popular Information: A full-time substitute teacher was fired last week after DeSantis complained about the teacher’s post to social media of video showing row after row of empty school bookshelves.
‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ Columnist Rex Huppke has a question for “the politicians, people and pundits who’ve decided that the best use of their time, platforms and power is to make life more difficult for transgender people, particularly children.”
■ The Onion: “Evangelical Leaders Announce J.K. Rowling Finally Bigoted Enough That It’s Okay For Kids To Read About Witchcraft.”
‘I misspoke.’ In a rare concession, Mayor Lightfoot concedes she shouldn’t have told Chicagoans who don’t intend to vote for her not to vote at all.
■ Lightfoot accuses her challenger Paul Vallas of blowing “the ultimate dog whistle” in asserting that his campaign is about “taking back our city.”
■ Anjanette Young—who four years ago endured a botched police raid on her home—is backing Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson for mayor.
■ Candidate Chuy Garcia’s new commercials aim to defuse criticism of his ties to indicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and accused crypto scamster Samuel Bankman Fried.
■ Game to work the polls next week? Apply here.
‘Get these baby killers off the street.’ There’s a $7,000 reward for info leading to an arrest in the I-57 shooting that left three people—including a 1-year-old-girl—dead.
■ A week after a gunman’s rampage, students returned to class at Michigan State University …
■ … despite objections from some who say it’s too soon.
■ An average of 18 guns a day were seized at U.S. airports last year.
■ Chicago cops say they’ve nabbed the leader of the “Puffy Coat Bandits” who’ve been plaguing North Side bars and restaurants.
‘Now all these players may have to find a new home, because of pop music and racecars.’ Chicago Public Square reader Paul Clark channels the late columnist Mike Royko in a Facebook post decrying softball leagues’ exile from Grant Park to accommodate this summer’s music festivals and NASCAR’s downtown takeover.
■ The Park District tells Block Club it’s “working to balance the needs and interests of all park users.”
Do masks work? Your Local Epidemiologist applies scientific rigor to a pandemic story “that is not yet done.”
■ The Tribune: Downtown Chicago restaurants are still seeking their post-pandemic footing.
■ Starbucks and Pepsico are recalling 300,000 bottled frappuccinos that might contain glass.
Unrelated developments.
■ The U.S. faces a threat from an “incredibly intelligent, highly elusive” Canadian “super-pig.”
■ U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling for “a national divorce” to split the United States into separate countries.
‘Turbotax is blitzing Congress for the right to tax YOU.’ Journalist and science fiction author Cory Doctorow hails the United Kingdom for an income tax program that costs most Britons just a few minutes a year.
Free? Hah. Twitter’s decided to charge for a security feature that hasn’t proven very secure.
■ Taking a cue from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are moving to charge users to verify they are who they say they are.
■ Columnist Mary Schmich honors all the fake “men” who post to her Facebook page.
Miss us? If Chicago Public Square’s occasional days off leave you bereft, remember you can get between-edition fixes at the Square Facebook page, where you would over the last few days have found news of …
■ A federal judge’s groundbreaking finding that Illinois and Naperville assault weapons bans are “constitutionally sound.”
■ President Biden’s surprise visit to Ukraine.
■ Reporter Jonathan Alter’s tribute to Jimmy Carter, “the most underestimated U.S. president in history.”
■ Roald Dahl books’ makeover to remove offensive language.
Link corrected. The Chicago Public Square voter guide bore an outdated link for the Girl, I Guess Progressive Voter Guide to the 2023 Chicago Municipal Election.
■ Thanks to Deborah J. Wess, first to spot the problem.
■ Thanks also to readers whose support helps cover the cost of keeping Square free for all—including Denise Pondel, Amy Dixon-Kolar, Frederick Nachman, Doreen Rice, Lucy Smith, Reed Pence, Bruce Dold, Jordan Wilkerson, G C Bien, Judy Karlov, John Meissen, Laurie Casey, Rick Baert, Crissy Kawamoto, Joanne Rosenbush, Martin Berg, Kathleen Hogan, Garry, Joe Germuska, Gail Frost, Susan Hardy, Mark Nystuen, Paul Crossey, Christa Velbel, Robert Toon, David Layden, Tim Spencer, Paul Pasulka, Linnea Crowther and Tom Marker.
■ Join ’em here for as little as $1, one-time, and see your name in this space tomorrow.
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