‘How many mass shootings must one live through now to have a full American education?’ Esquire’s Charlie Pierce reflects on the Michigan State mayhem.
■ A note in the now-dead gunman’s backpack made what police say was a not-credible assertion that he was leading a group of 20 killers with a long list of targets.
■ The father of the man accused in the Highland Park Fourth of July parade massacre faced arraignment today, accused of being “criminally reckless” when he signed off on his son’s ownership of a firearm.
■ Highland Park says it will forgo a traditional parade this July 4.
■ One person died and three were wounded in a shooting at a Texas shopping mall.
Universal preschool by 2027. That’s Gov. Pritzker’s pitch in the budget address he delivered yesterday.
■ Got a few hours? Here’s the whole 606-page proposal.
■ Illinois Senate President Don Harmon has COVID-19 for a second time.
Bears and Lions Dept.
■ The Bears have bought Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights, but they say “the purchase does not guarantee the land will be developed” for a new stadium.
■ R.I.P., Hubert the Harris Bank Lion.
Ghosts, busted. Columnist Eric Zorn* scorns the Chicago mayoral candidates who said in last week’s WBEZ/Sun-Times forum that they believe in ghosts—and credits the one who decisively answered no.
■ Ready to vote? Check the Chicago Public Square voter guide.
Winter is coming. Today’s forecast looks a lot more like a traditional Chicago February …
■ … more so for the northern suburbs.
Gaetz says he gets off. Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz says the Justice Department has dropped a sex trafficking case against him.
■ USA Today’s Rex Huppke: “Nikki Haley launches GOP campaign by insulting Americans age 75 and over. Great start!”
■ Columnist S.E. Cupp: “Haley could just be the face of Republicans’ future.”
‘The College Board’s primary defense was a lie.’ Popular Information reports that the board has scrubbed its website to cover up deceptions about revisions to its AP African American Studies course.
■ CNN’s Zachary Wolf sees “bizarre irony” in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ conflict with the College Board …
■ … whose leadership includes at least three Illinois educators.
‘Serious concerns about editorial bias in the newspaper’s reporting on transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people.’ More than 200 New York Times contributors have written a letter calling the paper out.
■ The Times says it’s proud of its work.
Born in Chicago. International sex symbol Raquel Welch is dead at 82.
■ Cameraman and University of Illinois alumnus Tom Tanquary recalls a fraught photography session with Welch that he says wound up feeling like “winning the lottery.”
■ Salt-N-Pepa’s Spinderella is joining Chicago’s National Public Housing Museum as curator of its music room.
‘A mid-tier MCU film.’ But Richard Roeper gives Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania three stars.
■ CNBC’s Sarah Whitten: “The villain is good, but the movie is bad.”
‘Microsoft’s Bing is an emotionally manipulative liar, and people love it.’ The Verge assesses Microsoft’s entry in the AI chatbot derby.
■ A Times columnist chatted with Bing: “It didn’t go well.”
Hello, Oak Park and River Forest. Tonight at 7, your Square columnist will moderate a forum at Dominican University featuring the candidates for the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Board.
■ You can watch live via Zoom here.
■ For more context, check out this 2018 Square podcast.
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* Who’s kindly invited his readers to join the Square mailing list and generously offered to gift free one-month Picayune Sentinel subscriptions to anyone who clicks this email link—no strings attached.