Afternoon Edition: June 22, 2021Matt Mooreon June 22, 2021 at 8:00 pm

Yasmin Perez and boyfriend Gyovanni Arzuaga pose with their children.  | Instagram

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be mostly sunny with a high near 75 degrees. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 61. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and a high near 80.

Top story

Mother of 2 dies after brazen Puerto Rican Day Parade shooting that killed boyfriend

A mother of two died Tuesday after being shot over the weekend in a brazen attack during the Puerto Rican Day Parade in Humboldt Park that left her boyfriend dead.

Yasmin Perez, 23, and her boyfriend, 24-year-old Gyovanni Arzuaga, were driving in the 3200 block of West Division Saturday night when they were involved in a minor crash and were ambushed, according to Chicago police.

Several people beat Perez and then shot her, according to Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan. When Arzuaga came to her aid, he was shot by a second person “almost execution style,” Deenihan said.

Video shows the couple lying in the street next to their car as the attackers ran off.

Arzuaga was taken to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center and pronounced dead, while Perez was rushed to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. Perez died there Tuesday morning, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Perez had lived in suburban Hanover Park and had two children with Arzuaga.

Yesterday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot vowed to track down those involved in the “horrific” shooting, which was captured on surveillance video that was circulated widely online and in the media.

Read Tom Schuba’s full story here.

More news you need

  1. Aldermen sponsoring an ordinance to rename Outer Lake Shore Drive in honor of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable have the votes needed, a mayoral ally said today. Mayor Lightfoot, who is against the move, will now have to decide whether to veto or not.
  2. A group of Chicago aldermen plan to introduce an emergency ordinance this week that would ensure the city quickly spends $1.8 billion in federal relief on social services. Lightfoot wants to use more than half of that money on debt.
  3. ComEd hopes to restore power to all customers by the end of the day after a brutal storm swept through the Chicago area, leaving tens of thousands in the dark Sunday night. As of this afternoon, fewer than 1,000 customers remain without power.
  4. CPS officials don’t want administrators and teachers to call the police on students in non-emergencies, and they’re advising school staff to tell children their rights before any interactions with police. That’s according to the district’s revised code of conduct made public yesterday.
  5. CPS also said yesterday that the cleaning and maintenance of its 600-plus buildings will be back under district control in October. This comes after years of outsourced management that led to filthy schools and slow service response times.
  6. A program launched a year ago to help more CPS students access the internet from home is being expanded and will now allow CPS graduates to get free internet while attending City Colleges of Chicago. High school grads will be guaranteed three more months of free internet while City Colleges students would get three years.
  7. An ordinance filed yesterday could allow a flood of new cannabis dispensaries to move into a downtown “exclusion zone,” where Lightfoot has blocked pot sales. The proposal would also allow dispensaries to bypass some of the onerous zoning requirements for cannabis businesses.

A bright one

BaseHit BBQ & Catering co-owner dishes on beloved menu, secret sauce

BaseHit BBQ & Catering co-owners Anthony Garland Sr. and his son Anthony Garland Jr. always took pride in manning the smoker and grill at their annual family picnic. They adored the smiles their barbecue would bring to their 60-plus loved ones.

“What happened was everyone was saying, ‘Hey, you guys need a restaurant, your barbecue is good,’” Garland Jr. said. “And yeah just kind of ran with it from there.”

The Father and son duo started a catering business out of a small banquet hall kitchen in Berwyn in 2015 before opening their first brick-and-mortar spot in Galewood in April 2019.


Brian Rich/Sun-Times
Tony Garland (left) and his son Anthony Garland Jr. are co-owners of Basehit BBQ.

What makes the Garlands’ barbecue unique is their signature wet rub and sauce that they periodically brush onto their meats throughout the cooking process to develop deep layers of flavor, called “Base.”

What’s in it?

“I can’t give away none of that, my father would kill me if I did that,” Garland Jr. said with a laugh. “I would just say, there’s a lot of love put behind everything that we do and what we put it that way.” Oh, and some brown sugar and a handful of seasonings, too; Garland Jr. said he could share that much.

The result is a perfect blend of sweetness and spice.

Read Madeline Kenney’s latest installment of Dishin’ on the Dish here.

From the press box

Your daily question ☕

What’s the best part about summertime in Chicago? Tell us why.

Reply to this email (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: How has the pandemic changed how you plan for your future? Here’s what some of you said…

“Get out and enjoy every bit of life, it just may disappear in the blink of an eye.” — Maureen Vanderbilt

“It has taught me the lesson that nothing is permanent, patience, and to plan ahead for a situation like this.” — Ivan Ruíz

“Right now, I’m in a state of waiting! Waiting until the U.S. finally lifts the ridiculous travel ban from Europe. That’s all I can do right now. My life changed to a state of waiting.” — Angela Brauchle

“It has made me realize even more not to take anything for granted. Especially summer activities: festivals, going out, eating out, grilling more, etc. Summer is way too short here in the Midwest regardless. If you’re lucky you can have six decent months. Not wasting them anymore” — Brice Notardonato Ellett

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