A lifeguard stand at North Avenue Beach. | Scott Olson/Getty
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 cloudy with a high near 72 degrees. Tonight, there will be a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low around 64 and a 60% chance of precipitation. Showers and thunderstorms are possible tomorrow, with a high near 72 and an 80% chance of precipitation — rainfall amounts are between a quarter and half of an inch are possible.
Top story
Park District supervisor arrested; accused of sexual relationship with underage lifeguard
An adult male supervisor in the Chicago Park District’s Beaches and Pools Division has abruptly resigned after being arrested and accused of carrying on a romantic relationship with an underage female lifeguard, the Sun-Times has learned.
The recent arrest of the supervisor at Humboldt Park is the most explosive development yet in the burgeoning investigation of sexual harassment and abuse among lifeguards at Chicago’s pools and beaches that has implicated parks Supt. Mike Kelly in an alleged cover-up.
Park district spokeswoman Michele Lemons confirmed the latest developments only after being confronted by the Sun-Times.
“The Chicago Park District is pleased to learn the Chicago Police Department has made an arrest in an alleged case of misconduct of a former employee accused of having an inappropriate relationship with an underage former seasonal employee,” Lemons wrote in an email to the Sun-Times.
The ongoing investigation and subsequent arrest underscore the park district’s commitment to “providing its employees with a safe work environment” and its “zero tolerance for professional misconduct, harassment or abuse,” Lemons said. She said 40 employees have been disciplined so far.
More news you need
A Villa Park man was arrested Monday after robbing a bank with fireworks duct-taped around his waist and texting his wife a photo of him holding cash, the FBI said. After ditching his car and walking home, he stepped outside for a smoke and was promptly arrested FBI agents, who’d been watching his place for hours.
A second person has been charged with chasing down and fatally shooting a 14-year-old girl in Back of the Yards over the summer. The 26-year-old man was arrested Monday on the West Side and charged with murder in the June 2 slaying of Savanah Quintero, police said.
Chicago Public Schools students who are exposed to COVID-19 at school will face a less stringent quarantine procedure moving forward, officials announced yesterday. The change is an effort to ease the early disruptions caused by thousands of children being sent home every week.
A Chicago-area woman convicted of assisting her boyfriend in her mother’s murder and stuffing the body in a suitcase in Bali in 2014 is being released early from a 10-year sentence, the Associated Press reported today. Heather Mack was 18 when she was arrested a day after the body of her mother was discovered in the trunk of a taxi parked near the St. Regis Bali Resort.
A former Northwestern University professor accused of brutally stabbing his boyfriend to death denied he committed the 2017 murder yesterday. Wyndham Lathem said the deadly attack on Trenton Cornell-Duranleau was solely carried out by another man — Andrew Warren — during a meth-fueled threesome gone awry.
City Council members got some welcomed news yesterday: Chicago’s chronic shortage of those black, 96-gallon garbage bins provided by the city will finally be addressed. The city’s new Streets and Sanitation Commissioner said the department is getting almost $1 million to provide more carts to homes and businesses.
A bright one
Young artists’ work to be featured at Steppenwolf Theater’s Loft
Most of Alyah Khalil’s oil paintings take her a month or even longer to complete.
But in July, after hearing about the Loft Teen Art Project at Steppenwolf Theater and after a week of six-hour-long days of painting, Khalil’s piece was complete.
“I’ve always wanted my art up in a gallery of some sort, whether that’s the Art Institute or… something as small as a school art show,” said Khalil, 17, of Irving Park. “Just seeing my art up is really encouraging and inspires me a lot to continue creating.”
A senior at Senn High School in Edgewater, Khalil was the youngest artist of the five individuals and two groups selected as finalists for the Loft Teen Arts Project. More than 150 young artists in the Chicago area applied, said Rae Taylor, manager of education partnerships at Steppenwolf.
Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Alyha Khalil, 17, holds up her work that will be displayed at The Loft, located at Steppenwolf’s Arts and Education Center, yesterday.
Each finalist received between $1,500 and $2,500 to produce a piece inspired by the theme “The Future I See: Creating for Community.”
The result: four paintings, two of which use mixed media; two photography projects; and a textile made by twin sisters as they sent the fabric back and forth from their colleges — Duke University and Northwestern University.
The seven finalist pieces will be displayed for a year in the Loft, which encompasses the entire fourth floor of the theater’s new Arts and Education Center.
Clare Proctor has more on the theater’s program here.
From the press box
The Bears officially named Justin Fields their starting quarterback going forward, ending any speculation about Andy Dalton taking back the job.
The Sky take on the Sun in Game 4 of their WNBA playoff series tonight (7 p.m. CT). Annie Costabile looks at the series’ X-factor: Azura Stevens, whose versatility has been critical for the Sky.
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer today laid out his plans for the offseason with reporters.
Bulls forward Patrick Williams hopes he’ll be ready for the regular season.
When the White Sox start their playoff run tomorrow, Steve Greenberg will be remembering that the team went all-in to get to this moment.
Your daily question ?
What did you do during the more than five hours Facebook and its apps (Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.) were down on Monday?
Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday we asked you: In honor of World Teachers’ Day today, think of a teacher who had a positive impact on your life — what would you tell them if you could talk to them today? Here’s what some of you said…
“If I could talk to my first-grade teacher, Ms. Fields (Farren Elementary), I would thank her for ‘seeing’ me. I wish I could tell her in person. I don’t even know what was her first name. But I loved her and I believe she loved me.” — Camilla Rhyne
“I would thank Mr. James Stedt. He was a special education teacher I had at Homewood Flossmoor High School. He was not only a great teacher but he was a great father figure who understand working with students with disabilities and being patient with them.” — Steve Price
“Mollie Landfear, thank you so much for all your care, guidance and encouragement. It has been 30 years since I was in your class, but you left a beautiful handprint on my heart and also so many other Larkin High School students.” — Renee Jorgensen Sweeney
“I already have just recently thanked him — turns out he is a published author. Back in the day, I was in a very dark place and he reached out, without judgment, trying to help. He did not ask many questions but just allowed me to sit in on his classes, in times of need. I did not accept his help at that time and my darkness stayed with me for a very long time, and at times, still here. But I never forgot about his kind gesture. It seems even the smallest and quietest gestures can make a difference.” — Kevin Fitz
“Thanks, Mr. Gonring for making me feel like what I had to contribute was important.” — Amy Jo
“I transferred schools in the fourth grade because of boundary changes. I was the only one of my friends affected. I was a shy child. My fourth-grade teacher helped me overcome this shyness by making me the emcee of the holiday assembly. This boosted my confidence and to this date, I have no issues speaking in front of large crowds. I am forever grateful.” — Rhonda Rowe-Skolnik
“Ms. Martin, my kindergarten teacher at Lorraine Hansberry/Daniel Webster Elementary School on the West Side of Chicago. She inspired me to begin writing. I would tell her, ‘thank you.’ I was writing full stories in kindergarten, and I still love the power of my pen. Not only that, my son and I have an editing business. My love for writing fell on his heart. Thank you, again, Ms. Martin.” — Tayatta S. Cummings
“Loretta Brunious, thank you for everything! Thank you for caring and thank you for your sacrifice of time, self and even your resources. I have never forgotten your kindness and will always be grateful to you. Because of you, I’ve been able to continue to progress even when life wasn’t so good. It has been 40+ years, and I’ve never forgotten how you let us know we were worth it. We were your ‘girls’ and after all these years, we still are.” — Gail Rice
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