Afternoon Edition: March 29, 2021on March 29, 2021 at 8:00 pm

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 sunny and breezy (expect gusts of up to 45 mph!) with a high near 63 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 47 degrees. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoon and a high near 63 degrees.

Top story

New vaccination site will be dedicated to essential union workers

Mayor Lori Lightfoot today announced a new vaccination site in partnership with the Chicago Federation of Labor that will help get doses of the COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of essential union workers.

The announcement comes as the city expands eligibility requirements to what’s called Phase 1C. That expansion includes residents ages 16 to 64 with underlying medical conditions, such as chronic kidney disease or cancer.

It also will allow the vaccination of other essential workers who had not previously been eligible.

“You all know this, but it bears repeating. Chicago is 100% a union town,” the mayor said in making the announcement at the vaccination site, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399, 2260 S. Grove St.

“It’s our union workers who make up the backbone of this city.”

The vaccination site is believed to be the first in the nation run by the labor movement.

The site will be able to handle about 1,200 vaccinations every week at first, and has the capacity to expand. Those interested in being vaccinated at the site must live or work in Chicago, hold a current union card or be a union retiree, and qualify under the city’s current eligibility criteria.

Read Manny Ramos’ full story on the new vaccination site for union workers here.

More news you need

1. Thirty-six people were wounded, four of them fatally, in shootings across Chicago over the weekend. Among the deaths was a 32-year-old who was shot yesterday on West Cortland Avenue in Logan Square.
2. Five people were killed in a pair of fiery, wrong-way crashes early this morning on the Eisenhower Expressway. One crash involving three vehicles happened downtown at about 1:40 a.m., while the other happened 30 minutes earlier on I-290 near suburban Forest Park.
3. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx says police should heed a new study showing misdemeanor prosecutions increase the likelihood of a person committing more crimes. Cook County’s court system handles more than 220,000 misdemeanors a year.
4. Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s memoir, “Every Day is a Gift,” charts the incredible path of a “poor mixed race girl” who found her identity as an Army aviator and now represents our state in the U.S. Senate. Read Lynn Sweet’s preview before the book hits store shelves tomorrow.
5. “The Last Cruise,” a documentary coming to HBO tomorrow night, provides a compelling if relatively incomplete picture of the COVID-19 outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Read Richard Roeper’s full review of the stunning look into nascent days of the pandemic that shook the world.

A bright one

Students’ mural in Humboldt Park spotlights what’s important to its creators

The mural painted on a wall outside apartments near Division Street and Springfield Avenue in Humboldt Park is different from most murals around Chicago in that it was designed and painted mostly by middle school students.

The youngest of them: sixth-graders. The oldest: high school freshmen.

The students did the mural through R City Print Shop, an organization that helps kids create art and learn entrepreneurial skills by silk-screening shirts and masks to sell.

Provided

Seven students met twice a week for about two months, completing the mural in November.

It touches on things that were on their minds. Like social justice and celebrities like Kobe Bryant who died young and unexpectedly.

Songine Clarke, 30, a teacher who worked with them, describes the mural as “justice-oriented,” highlighting the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQ rights with a large “BLM” across a rainbow backdrop.

Part of the mural features the names of Bryant, hip hop icons Juice WRLD and XXXTentacion and actor Cameron Boyce.

Read Kyle Brown’s full story here and check out our ongoing series on murals and mosaics in the city.

From the press box

Kirby Dach’s surprise return to the Blackhawks last night didn’t lead to a victory, but the remainder of the season will serve as a chance for the second-year pro to further establish himself as the team’s cornerstone player, Ben Pope writes.

And while the White Sox are saying publicly what they would be expected to say, privately, they must be thinking that losing a player poised to ascend into All-Star company and a middle-of-the-order masher is a crushing blow. That’s why the club already has a motto for 2021: “Next man up,” writes Daryl Van Schouwen.

Your daily question ?

What are your plans for spring break this week?

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

On Friday, we asked you: What’s a food you hated as a kid but enjoy eating now? Here’s what some of you said…

“Brussels sprouts. My mom used to boil them and serve them to us. We would hide them anywhere we could to avoid eating them. Now I’ll eat brussels sprout air fried, sauteed, and roasted. They are one of my favorite vegetables.” — Christina Herrera

“Mushrooms. Hated the taste and texture of the white mushrooms I was exposed to as a kid. Now I can’t get enough of them. All types — white, oyster, portobello, shiitake, etc.” — Jeff Niebres

“Beets… could not stand them until I found them in my spinning salad at Lawry’s in Chicago. Ever since, I’ve loved them.” — Michelle Copenhaver

“Anchovies and olives.” — Adrienne Sabora

“Mushrooms. Hated the taste and texture of the white mushrooms I was exposed to as a kid. Now I can’t get enough of them. All types — white, oyster, portobello, shiitake, etc.” — Jeff Niebres

Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.

Read More