‘Do Not Drive.’ Carfax estimates that more than 2.5 million vehicles—92,000 in Illinois and 70,000 in the Chicago region—remain on U.S. roads despite falling under that warning (signifying a dangerous safety issue) or similar “Park Outside” recalls (for high risk of fire) issued jointly by automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
■ Check for recalls on your car—by vehicle ID number or license plate—here.
■ Rolling out on the South Side: New CTA electric buses.
‘This might be the most important column I’ve written in my 30 years as a syndicated columnist.’ Ask the Builder author Tim Carter sounds the alarm about lithium-ion batteries: “You need to understand the danger to your home and to you and your loved ones.”
■ Advisorator Jared Newman offers advice on how to pay less for tech.
‘A safer Illinois.’ Gov. Pritzker is among those hailing the Supreme Court’s refusal—for now—to block Illinois’ assault-weapons ban …
■ … but, in a reminder that Illinois’ gun problems aren’t completely within its control, an Indiana man is in federal custody—accused of illegally selling a handgun that wound up in the possession of a suspect in the murder of Chicago police officer Aréanah Preston.
■ Prosecutors: Robbers demanded of Logan Square women “Purses! Purses!”—before shooting one of them.
■ Approaching the one-year anniversary of a gunman’s slaughter at Highland Park’s July 4 parade, the city’s released a guide to help residents deal with grief and trauma—but not everyone appreciates it.
‘Consequences … still reverberate.’ Launching a series of reports marking a decade since the Chicago School Board voted to shutter a national record 50 public schools—all but one, elementary buildings—WBEZ and the Sun-Times find promises broken and neighborhoods struggling.
■ Here’s what’s become of those buildings.
■ Popular Information: A federal lawsuit contends Florida’s book bans are unconstitutional.
Despite objections from every major medical organization. Texas lawmakers have sent their governor a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors.
■ Columnist S.E. Cupp: Democrats—including Gov. Pritzker—risk turning off voters with their repeal of parental notification laws for minors seeking abortions.
■ Esquire’s Charlie Pierce: The Kentucky primary gave Republicans a gubernatorial candidate with a lot of explaining to do.
Sam Zell dead. The real estate magnate and former Tribune Co. CEO is gone at 81.
■ The Guardian, reporting on Zell a week ago: “‘It’s hell’: Life under the American mobile home king who calls himself a ‘grave dancer.’” (2007 Trib photo by Chuck Osgood: Your Chicago Public Square columnist looking on from a distance as Zell triumphantly toured the Trib newsroom.)
■ Its Freedom Center plant to be displaced by a casino, the Trib’s corporate sibling has a deal to buy the Daily Herald’s printing center.
■ Its Freedom Center plant to be displaced by a casino, the Trib’s corporate sibling has a deal to buy the Daily Herald’s printing center.
■ The Sun-Times editorial union has a three-year deal that brings reporters’ minimum annual salary to $60,000.
■ The Sun-Times’ Neil Steinberg considers the prospect that artificial intelligence software will replace greeting card creators.
Ouch. CNN’s chief international anchor, Christiane Amanpour, is the network’s highest-profile employee to criticize its presentation of that Donald Trump lovefest last week: “I would have dropped the mic at ‘nasty person.’”
■ Speaking at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism commencement, she recounted her “very robust exchange of views” about the thing with CNN’s beleaguered boss.
■ Press Watch columnist Dan Froomkin says this is what should have happened: “You sit down without an audience in dead silence, and when he says something that is bogus, you stop him right there.”
Hypocrisy, thy name is Elon. Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter chief Elon Musk—who does almost all his work remotely—calls remote work “morally wrong.”
■ Speaking of remote work: The Wienermobile has a new name.
You know who you are. And now other Square readers also know whom to thank for keeping this service coming—including Stephen Brown, Martin Berg, Rob Breymaier, Edward Witt, Ann Fisher, Jeanne Mcinerney, Valerie Denney, Jerry Wolin, Paula Weinbaum, Kate Arias, Allen Matthews, Heather Alger, Teresa Powell, Leslie Sutphen, Mario Greco, Peter Kuttner, Jill Chukerman, the Skubish family, Nina Ovryn, Rupa Datta, Barbara Cimaglio, Stephanie Blatt, William Bork, Mike Fainman, Robert Clifford, Eric Davis, Alan Hommerding, Bob Ely, Jean Remsen, Marianne Matthews, Ronald A. Fox, Judy Davy, John McClelland, Stan Zoller, Christine Hauri, Thom Clark, Jason Sherman, Matt Baron, JoBeth Halpin and David Protess.
■ You can join their ranks for any amount you choose—one-time (excellent!) or recurring (excellenter!)—here.
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Join a two-day celebration of comics from small-press and independent creators. Attend panels and workshops, meet cartoonists and buy comics right from the source. CAKE—the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo—happens June 3-4 at the Broadway Armory in Edgewater. And it’s free. Learn more at cakechicago.com.