R.I.P., Dolly. Immediate family planned a small, private service for entertainment titan Dolly Parton—who reportedly will be laid to rest in her signature high heels following her death of cancer yesterday at age 80.
■ Her passing sparked a pilgrimage of Chicagoans to an Edgewater mural in her honor (Tribune gift link).
■ Tribune critic Chris Jones, who’s visited her Dollywood theme park at least 50 times: “Even with all of her money and fame, she was unchanged and unchangeable” (gift link).
■ The AP surveys the many, many ways she used her fame and fortune for good …
■ … and rounds up some of her most memorable quotes across nearly five decades.
■ The A.V. Club reviews Parton’s career: “Film and TV cameras were just as susceptible to the Queen Of Country’s charms as the rest of us.”
■ The Atlantic (gift link) shares photos from her life.
■ Columnist and self-described queer Army vet Charlotte Clymer: “God keeps taking the wrong 80-year-olds from us.”
■ Men Yell at Me columnist Lyz Lenz: “The Grim Reaper has some explaining to do, because this is unacceptable.”
■ Her family encouraged fans to honor her memory by leaving a message at DollyParton.com …
■ … and by making donations to her charity, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, committed to mailing books to kids from birth to age five.
Face(book) the music, Meta. The company’s agreed to a whopping $17 billion settlement of 47 states’ lawsuit accusing it of deliberately addicting kids to Facebook and Instagram and routinely collecting data on those under 13 without parental consent.
■ Illinois’ share: Up to $768 million.
■ Among other steps, the company’s pledging to change things for teens across the country—including daily usage limits and nighttime blocks.
■ The University of Chicago’s limiting AI’s presence in the classroom.
■ The Freedom of the Press Foundation flags a new feature that could put ChatGPT all up in your iMessages.
■ The Onion: “New Meta Glasses Feature Reminds Users To Blink To Appear Human.”
‘If the voting process is destroyed, nothing else matters.’ Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg paraphrases the Supreme Court’s Monday gift to Donald Trump: “Sure, go ahead and mess with the mail-in ballots.”
■ In a win for Trump, late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s little sister has won the Republican primary to replace him on the November ballot.
■ South suburban native Dan Sullivan has won a slot in Alaska’s ranked-choice general election to challenge Alaska’s incumbent Republican senator … whose name is also Dan Sullivan.
Cops on the case. The Sun-Times reports a Border Patrol agent’s shooting of school teacher and U.S. citizen Marimar Martinez last fall in Brighton Park is under investigation by an elite group of Chicago police officers.
■ 404 Media unmasks the guy who dressed up as Darth Vader to mock the Flock security camera network.
‘No president in history has ever harnessed the power of his office against journalists in as relentless and retaliatory a manner.’ Middle Tennessee State University Free Speech Center director and former USA Today editor-in-chief Ken Paulson sounds an alarm about Trump’s unprecedented assault on the press.
■ Columnist Jeff Tiedrich: “Canada has broken what’s left of Donny’s rotting brain.”
■ Lawyer and columnist Mitch Jackson: Attorney General Todd Blanche should be impeached.
Charge up, gang. No sooner has power been restored to Northwest Indiana than a fresh round of bad weather threatens the region today.
■ In the days since storms left the region powerless, utility company NIPSCO filed for three rate hikes.
■ The Citizens Utility Board explains which customers are good candidates for ComEd’s “Time of Day” pricing program—offering lower rates to those who can shift electricity use to cheaper times of the day.
Take your shots. Your Local Epidemiologist offers a guide to vaccines for this fall.
■ Ahead of a new Illinois law designed to curb health insurance companies’ ability to cut fees for doctors—beginning in 2028—Blue Cross Blue Shield is … cutting fees for doctors.
■ Despite its owner’s pledge to reopen by this summer, West Suburban Medical Center is reportedly being emptied of equipment.
■ Block Club: The former CEO of Chicago’s scandal-scarred Loretto Hospital may avoid jail time by paying $60,000 in restitution for taking bribes.
‘We are deeply sorry.’ Target’s yanking a Halloween costume some described as racist …
■ … notably a year after the company walked back its commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion—a.k.a., fairness.
Thanks. Mike Braden made this edition better.