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A 2-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy were among those wounded, as well as two uniformed Chicago police officers.

Chicago was hit with its most violent weekend of the year, with a 2-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy and two Chicago police officers among 48 people who were shot.

At least six of those people were killed: Two men in their 20s at a party in Gresham; another man shot dead at a gas station in West Garfield Park; and a man found dead on the Northwest Side after police arrested a wounded man with a rifle.

The number of people shot was almost double what it was the previous weekend, when five people were killed and 21 others hurt in gun violence across the city. This past weekend had the highest number of shooting victims so far this year, according to Sun-Times records.

As of Monday morning, at least 1,187 people had been shot in the city this year and there have been at least 214 homicides. That’s a sharp rise from last year, when 886 were shot over the same period and there were 187 homicides.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot acknowledged the “hard weekend” and renewed her call for the Biden administration to push “common sense gun reform” and provide federal help in busting gun trafficking.

“What we want is to see a decrease in the number of illegal firearms, particularly available to kids,” she said. “We’re seeing too many petty fights playing out on social media ending up with somebody, a kid, pulling a gun. Too many instances in which children are in the cars with adults…They get shot at and who gets shot? The child.

“Enough. It has got to be enough,” she added. “But it depends upon us stepping up and saying, `We are not going to tolerate this anymore in our city.’ We need federal support to really make a meaningful difference. And I’m hoping that the Biden administration not only listens to me, but is listening to mayors all across the country who are struggling with the same challenges. We need to have common sense gun reform. Period.”

During an unrelated news conference held to showcase summer jobs and other recreational and educational “opportunities” for young people, Lightfoot said she has urged her longtime friend, U.S. Attorney John Lausch, to form a “multi-jurisdictional task force on gun trafficking and straw purchasing.”

“That is something…that the federal government is uniquely qualified to do. I know they’re doing something. But, it needs to be bigger. It needs to be bolder. Because every single day, lives depend on it,” Lightfoot said.

As for the traditional summer surge of violence, Lightfoot said City Hall and the Chicago Police Department have been planning for months, “following the data” and using the “whole of government approach” to Chicago’s “most challenged” neighborhoods.

“Not only is the Police Department going to be placing additional emphasis on some of those places. Every single city department… has been working…for weeks to understand the assets and opportunities we have on the ground and flooding those areas with support and resources primarily focused on our young people but also their families,” she said.

“If you’re really gonna get to the nub of the problems that create violence, you’ve got to look at the source. And what we see across many of these communities that are plagued by violence is the absence of. The absence of resources and jobs and hope. Our goal is to be present in a tangible way with resources in these communities so that we are showing the residents that the’yre not alone. That they’ve not been abandoned that we are there for them…We’ve got to strengthen these communities by flooding them with resources.”

Earlier in the day, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said his department has been working — for several months — on plans for a potentially violent summer. He said he’s moving commanders in nine of the city’s historically most violent police districts from 9-to-5 to swing shifts.

“With all that pent-up energy because we’ve been in quarantine explodes, with all of the people being out . . .we want to make sure it’s safe,” he said.

Girl shot while riding in car

Among the first shootings of the weekend was the wounding of a 2-year-old as she sat in the back seat of a car in the 2800 block of West 26th Street. A car pulled up and someone inside started shooting about 6:55 p.m. Friday, Chicago police said.

She was hit in the leg and taken by the driver to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, according to police.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

13-year-old boy critically hurt

The boy was on the sidewalk about 7:55 a.m. Sunday in the 3700 block of South Wood Street when a car approached and someone inside opened fire, police said.

He was struck in the head and neck and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, police said.

Chicago police officers shot

Two Chicago police officers were shot and the suspected gunman was wounded during an exchange of gunfire Sunday morning in Lawndale on the West Side.

The officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert about 7:20 a.m. in the 1400 block of South Lawndale Avenue and saw a 45-year-old man in an alley nearby, Brown said outside Mount Sinai Hospital, where the officers were treated and released.

When the officers approached, the person “immediately began firing a gun at the officers,” Brown said.

Sophie Sherry/Sun-Times

One officer was struck in the hand and the second in the leg and shoulder, above the vest, Brown said. Both were “stable, recovering and in good condition,” he added.

The suspected gunman was also shot in the “lower extremities,” according to Brown.

No charges had been announced by Monday morning.

Rapper Lil Reese, 2 other men shot

Rapper Lil Reese and two others were shot during a gunfight Saturday at a parking garage on a busy Near North Side block.

The men were “all shooting at each other” about 9:50 a.m. inside a parking garage in the first block of West Grand Avenue, according to police.

Two men, 27 and 28, were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, police said. The younger man was struck multiple times and was in critical condition, while the older man was grazed in the eye and was in fair condition.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

A police source said one of the wounded men was rapper Lil Reese, whose legal name is Tavares Taylor.

A third man, 20, was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition with two gunshot wounds to his knee, police said.

Man killed in possible drive-by in Chicago Lawn

The 24-year-old man was shot by someone, possibly in a silver sedan, as he stood outside with a group of people about 12:40 a.m. in the 6300 block of South Campbell Avenue, police said. He was struck in the upper chest and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he died.

Fatal shooting in Woodlawn

A 21-year-old man was shot dead Saturday afternoon in Woodlawn on the South Side. About 2:45 p.m., he was in the 1300 block of East Marquette Road when someone opened fire, striking him multiple times, police said.

The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

5 shot, 2 fatally, at Gresham party

Early Saturday morning, two people were killed and three others wounded in a shooting at a party in Gresham on the South Side.

Several people were at a gathering in the 7800 block of South Loomis Boulevard when a gunman opened fire shortly after 3 a.m., according to police.

A 26-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

A 21-year-old was also struck in the head and taken to the same hospital, where he later died, police said.

A 25-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder and was also taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.

Another man, 23, suffered two gunshot wounds to the right arm and was transported to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, police said. A fifth man, 21, was struck in the shoulder and listed in fair condition at the same hospital, according to police.

Man shot to death at gas station

A person was found shot to death about an hour later at a gas station in West Garfield Park.

He was found about 4:05 a.m. in the parking lot of a gas station in the 400 block of South Kostner Avenue with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said. He was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

1 killed, 1 critically hurt in Belmont Cragin

Friday night, a man was killed and another injured in a shooting in Belmont Cragin on the Northwest Side.

About 11:50 p.m., officers heard several shots fired and saw an 18-year-old man running with a rifle in the 6200 block of West Diversey Avenue, police said.

Officers placed him under arrest and noticed he had two gunshot wounds to the back and one to the arm, police said. He was transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition.

While searching the area, officers also found a 32-year-old man on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head, police said. He was taken to the same hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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In high stakes situations, in those moments where the White Sox really need him, Tim Anderson isn’t going to fail on account of anxiousness or letting the moment overwhelm him.

MINNEAPOLIS — In high stakes situations, in those moments where the White Sox really need him, Tim Anderson isn’t going to fail on account of anxiousness or letting the moment overwhelm him.

His pulse stays the same.

“There’s no pressure,” the White Sox shortstop said Monday. “Those are moments I want to be in, those are moments I like. It’s just having no pressure, you’re always calm in certain situations and at the end of the day it’s baseball. It’s a game.”

Anderson is a man playing a kid’s game like a kid, having fun, chirping encouragement at his teammates, celebrating when it’s warranted.

The game will rarely, if ever be mastered but Anderson at the very least seems to be figuring it out more with each passing season. He studies video of opposing pitchers. He walks up to bat with a plan. He adjusts.

In one situation, he’s taking a fastball to right field for a single. In another, he’s driving a breaking pitch over the left field wall.

You’ll often hear Anderson say “I have to keep pushing,” which is what he does. He has won a batting title and now he wants to be an All-Star. He has made great plays on the field but now he wants to cut down on the mistakes on the routine plays, and with just one error this season through the Sox’ first 39 games, he’s off to an excellent start there.

“I feel great,” Anderson said. “I’m just at a point where I understand my work and I understand what I’m doing and knowing what guys are trying to do me. It’s just going in the cage and really taking a swing on every pitch I think they’re going to throw me that night. I feel like I know myself, I really understand what I’m capable of doing and I’ve just go to keep going, keep producing.”

Keep pushing.

Anderson was on the field early Monday, taking ground balls before the Sox played the Twins. He knows he finished seventh in AL MVP voting last season after hitting .322/.357./529 with an .886 OPS and committing six errors in 49 games. He knows if he becomes a Gold Glove caliber defender, an MVP award becomes much more attainable.

“I’m definitely happy to be where I’m at [defensively],” he said. “I’ve been working my butt off since I got in this organization to prove I could be a shortstop. It doesn’t stop here, I’ve got to continue to work and continue to get better. What you guys see, I’ve been putting the work in. I’ve been putting the work in just to get better defensively and offensively, really at all angles. Now you guys are seeing it.”

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Ariana Grande is a newlywed.

A representative for the singer confirmed that she recently married real estate agent Dalton Gomez.

Grande’s rep told People that they tied the knot in a small and intimate wedding, where less than 20 people attended. It wasn’t not clear when the wedding took place.

“The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier,” the rep told People.

Grande, 27, and Gomez, 25, announced their engagement in December. They began dating in January 2020 and quarantined together during the pandemic.

She had been briefly engaged to comedian Pete Davidson in 2018, and before that dated the late rapper Mac Miller, her occasional musical collaborator.

Grande is currently on the pop charts with the hits “34+35,” “Positions,” “pov” and the “Save Your Tears” remix with The Weeknd. She will work as a coach on “The Voice” in the fall.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Jose Abreu will miss the series against the Twins with left ankle inflammation, suffered while sliding into home plate to end Sunday’s 4-3 victory over the Royals.

X-rays were negative and an MRI showed the inflammation. Manager Tony La Russa said “there is a possibility” Abreu will return for the Yankees series this weekend.

“But we’re not going to rush him back even then,” La Russa said. “He went through a lot of pain last night.”

Sunday wrapped up an eventful three days for Abreu. Knocked down Friday when he collided with the Royals’ Hunter Dozier, he missed the second half of that day’s doubleheader, somehow recovered in time to play Saturday and homered, then added two more hits Sunday before scoring the winning run.

There was no indication after the slide or the celebration that ensued Abreu was hurt.

“The ankle got turned in a peculiar way,” La Russa said. “He’s gotten beat up the last couple of days, no doubt. He’s due some rest.”

Andrew Vaughn started at first base in Abreu’s customary spot and will likely be there for the entire series, La Russa said. The American League reigning MVP, Abreu would have played his 1,000th game Monday.

The Sox play the Twins Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and after an off day Thursday meet the Yankees in New York for three games Friday through Sunday.

“The way it was examined and the results, there’s a good feeling that three days of treatment, an off day — might even get him to the ballpark on Thursday, just to get him a little work — there’s a good chance he’ll play this weekend,” La Russa said. “If he needs another day or two, you give it to him. Knock on wood, it seems like we’re going to have him sooner rather than later.”

The Sox are now without three of their most prolific power hitters in Abreu, Eloy Jimenez (torn pectoral muscle) and Luis Robert (torn hip flexor) but enter the day with the best record (24-15) in baseball.

Monday’s lineup:

Tim Anderson, SS

Nick Madigal, 2B

Yoan Moncada, 3B

Yermin Mercedes, DH

Andrew Vaughn, 1B

Yasmani Grandal, C

Leury Garcia, LF

Danny Mendick, RF

Billy Hamilton, CF

Dallas Keuchel, SP

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. on NBC Sports Chicago.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida politician who emerged as a central figure in the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz pleaded guilty Monday to six federal charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of a plea deal.

Joel Greenberg, a longtime associate of Gaetz’s, appeared in federal court in Orlando. He pleaded guilty to six of the nearly three dozen charges he faced, including sex trafficking of a minor, and he admitted that he had paid at least one underage girl to have sex with him and other men.

Gaetz was not mentioned in the plea agreement or during the court hearing. But Greenberg’s cooperation — as a key figure in the investigation and a close ally of Gaetz’s — may escalate the potential legal and political liability that the firebrand Republican congressman is facing.

Federal prosecutors are examining whether Gaetz and Greenberg paid underage girls and escorts or offered them gifts in exchange for sex, according to two people familiar with the matter. Investigators have also been looking at whether Gaetz and his associates tried to secure government jobs for some of the women, the people said. They are also scrutinizing Gaetz’s connections to the medical marijuana sector, including whether his associates sought to influence legislation Gaetz sponsored.

The people had knowledge of the investigation but were not allowed to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

Gaetz has denied the allegations and any accusation of wrongdoing and has said repeatedly he will not resign from Congress. A spokesperson for the congressman has said Gaetz “never had sex with a minor and has never paid for sex.”

During the nearly hourlong hearing Monday, Greenberg, 36, acknowledged he understood the charges he was pleading guilty to and the possible punishment he faced and told the judge he was of a sound frame of mind.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie Hoffman told Greenberg that even though prosecutors may request some leniency from his sentencing judge because of his cooperation, there was no guarantee a judge would agree to the prosecutors’ recommendations and Greenberg would be unable to change his plea. No sentencing date was immediately set.

Monday’s court appearance marked the first time Greenberg has been seen in court since the Gaetz investigation blew into the public spotlight in March. Outside the courthouse, a plane flew over during the hearing pulling a banner that read: “TICK TOCK MATT GAETZ.”

After the hearing Greenberg was taken back to jail in handcuffs and shackles, wearing a dark inmate uniform and looking worn down.

“Mr. Greenberg has pleaded guilty subject to a plea agreement that has certain requirements and obligations on him, and he intends to honor them,” Fritz Scheller, Greenberg’s attorney, said after the hearing. “He definitely feels a sense of remorse.”

Asked if Gaetz should be nervous, Scheller said, “I will leave that up to Matt Gaetz’s attorneys to answer.”

As part of his plea deal, Greenberg, a Republican who served as the tax collector in Seminole County, admitted he recruited women for commercial sex acts and paid them more than $70,000 from 2016 to 2018, sometimes through online payment services like Venmo. They include at least one underage girl he paid to have sex with him and others, the plea agreement says.

Prosecutors wrote in the plea agreement that Greenberg had introduced the girl to others, who also “engaged in commercial sex acts” with her. The agreement does not identify the men.

Greenberg first met the girl online from a website where she was posing as an adult and first paid her $400 after a meeting on a boat, the documents said. He later invited her to hotels in Florida where he and others would have sex with her and supplied her and other people with ecstasy, according to the plea deal.

In total, prosecutors say Greenberg had sex with the girl at least seven times.

Greenberg’s legal scrutiny began when he was arrested last summer on charges of stalking a political opponent, Brian Beute. Prosecutors said he mailed fake letters to the school where his opponent worked, signed by a nonexistent “very concerned student,” who alleged the opponent had engaged in sexual misconduct with another student.

“I wouldn’t want to be him,” Beute, who showed up at the courthouse on Monday, said after the hearing.

Greenberg also is accused of embezzling $400,000 from the Seminole County tax collector’s office, according to the indictment filed against him.

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A 15-year-old girl was shot Monday in Washington Park on the South Side.

Authorities responded to the shooting about 3:25 p.m. in the 6100 block of South King Drive, according to Chicago fire officials.

The girl was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was “stable but serious,” officials said.

Chicago police didn’t immediately release details.

The shooting comes after a violent weekend in the city saw 48 people shot, including a 2-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy. At least six of those wounded over the weekend have died.

The number of people shot was almost double what it was last weekend, when five people were killed and 21 others hurt in gun violence across the city.

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military unleashed another heavy wave of airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders. International diplomacy to end the weeklong war that has killed hundreds appeared to make little headway.

Israel has said it will press on for now with its attacks against Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, and the United States signaled it would not pressure the two sides for a cease-fire.

The latest attacks destroyed the five-story building housing the Hamas-run Religious Affairs Ministry, a building Israel said housed the main operations center of Hamas’ internal security forces. Israel also killed a top Gaza leader of Islamic Jihad, another militant group whom the Israeli military blamed for some of the thousands of rocket attacks launched at Israel in recent days. Israel said its strikes destroyed 15 kilometers (9 miles) of tunnels used by militants.

At least 212 Palestinians have been killed in the week of airstrikes, including 61 children and 36 women, with more than 1,400 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Ten people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier, have been killed in the ongoing rocket attacks launched from civilian areas in Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel.

Violence has also erupted between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, leaving scores of people injured. On Monday, a Jewish man attacked last week by a group of Arabs in the central city of Lod died of his wounds, according to police.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with top security officials on Monday evening and later said Israel would “continue to strike terror targets” in Gaza. “We will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens,” he said.

The new airstrikes, which hit Gaza overnight Monday and again in the evening, hollowed out one floor of a multistory concrete building and killed five people. A woman picked through clothing, rubble and splintered furniture in a room that had been destroyed. One strike demolished the wall of one room, leaving untouched an open cabinet filled with bedding inside. Children walked over debris in the road.

A car in the street that witnesses said was hit by an airstrike was bent and torn, its roof ripped back and what was left of the driver’s side door smeared with blood. A beachside cafe the car had just left was splintered and on fire. Rescue workers tried to put out the blaze with a small fire extinguisher.

Gaza City’s mayor, Yahya Sarraj, said the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure. He said water supplies to hundreds of households were disrupted. “We are trying hard to provide water, but the situation remains difficult,” he said.

The U.N. has warned that the territory’s sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours, and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the territory’s electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days.

Palestinian officials said Israel pledged to open its only cargo crossing with Gaza for several hours on Tuesday to allow humanitarian aid — including fuel, food and medicine — to enter. The Kerem Shalom crossing is the main entry point for goods entering the territory.

Israel also said it targeted what it suspected was a Hamas submersible weapon preparing for an attack on Israel’s coast.

The war broke out May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

More protests were expected across the region Tuesday in response to a call by Palestinian citizens of Israel for a general strike. The protest has the support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party.

The Biden administration has declined so far to publicly criticize Israel’s part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region. On Monday, the United States again blocked a proposed U.N. Security Council statement calling for an end to “the crisis related to Gaza” and the protection of civilians, especially children.

Speaking to reporters during a trip to Denmark, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would support any initiative to stop the fighting, but signaled the country did not intend to put pressure on the two sides to accept a cease-fire.

“Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire,” he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, emphasized her country’s solidarity with Israel, condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza, and expressed hope for a swift end to the fighting, according to her office.

Hamas’ top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who is based abroad, said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, Russia, Egypt and Qatar as part of cease-fire efforts but “will not accept a solution that is not up to the sacrifices of the Palestinian people.”

Since the fighting began, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes it says are targeting Hamas’ militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,200 rockets into Israel. Israeli military officials said Hamas had stockpiled about 15,000 rockets before the war started. Rocket attacks continued Monday, with one hitting a building in the city of Ashdod that caused injuries, the Israeli police said.

Israel’s military said six rockets launched from Lebanon late Monday apparently fell inside Lebanese territory, and artillery returned fire into southern Lebanon.

Israel’s airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza City’s tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.

Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building and said any evidence would be shared through intelligence channels. Blinken said he hasn’t yet seen any evidence supporting Israel’s claim.

AP President Gary Pruitt called for an independent investigation into the attack.

“As we have said, we have no indication of a Hamas presence in the building, nor were we warned of any such possible presence before the airstrike,” he said in a statement. “This is something we check as best we can. We do not know what the Israeli evidence shows, and we want to know.”

The Israeli military said it struck 35 “terror targets” Monday as well as the tunnels, which it says are part of an elaborate system it refers to as the “Metro,” used by fighters to take cover from airstrikes. They included a strike against a building that housed the Qatari Red Crescent, Qatar said. That attack killed a man and a 12-year-old girl.

The tunnels extend for hundreds of miles, with some more than 20 yards deep, according to an Israeli Air Force official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, in keeping with regulations. The official said Israel was not trying to destroy all the tunnels, just chokepoints and major junctions.

The military also said it struck nine houses in different parts of northern Gaza that belonged to “high-ranking commanders” in Hamas. Islamic Jihad said a strike killed Hasam Abu Harbid, the militant group’s commander for the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130 and has released the names of and photos of more than two dozen militant commanders it says were “eliminated.” The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, does not give a breakdown of how many casualties were militants or civilians.

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Nessman reported from Atlanta, Associated Press writers Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Matthew Lee in Copenhagen, and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.

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A man was fatally shot Monday in East Garfield Park, police said.

He was outside about 3:05 p.m. in the 300 block of North California Avenue when someone fired shots at him from a vehicle, Chicago police said.

The 42-year-old was struck in the abdomen and arm, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office hasn’t released details.

Area Three detectives are investigating.

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The Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus has endorsed a civilian police oversight plan summarily rejected by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, setting the stage for what could be Lightfoot’s first Council defeat.

By a 75% vote, the Black Caucus agreed to join the Council’s Hispanic and Progressive caucuses in endorsing a compromise ordinance crafted by two groups that have long pushed dramatically different versions of civilian police oversight: the Civilian Police Accountability Council and the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability.

“We definitely need some level of civilian oversight and accountability in the Police Department in addition to what we have today. This is what our residents have asked for. …This is an ordinance that delivers that. We have to put something on the table that’s comprehensive in nature,” said Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), Black Caucus chairman.

“If the mayor sees something different, she’s obligated to put something on the table. To date, nothing has been put on the table. … We, as a City Council, have been waiting on that for a number of months. She definitely has an opportunity to put something on the table to have a conversation. But you can’t negotiate against yourself.”

Ervin refused to reveal the precise vote in the Black Caucus, except to say the 75% threshold was met.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) championed the more extreme version of civilian oversight proposed by the Civilian Police Accountability Council before helping to forge the compromise with the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability.

Now that the Black Caucus has joined the Hispanic and Progressive caucuses to back the compromise, the stage is set for Lightfoot’s first City Council defeat, Ramirez-Rosa said.

“With those three caucuses on board, we have the votes to pass this over the mayor’s objections,” Ramirez-Rosa told the Sun-Times.

Under the compromise, Chicago voters in the 2022 primary would be asked to approve a binding referendum empowering a civilian police oversight commission to hire and fire the police superintendent, negotiate police contracts and set CPD’s budget.

Lightfoot would lose the power to hire and fire the police superintendent. Her Law Department and hand-picked negotiators would lose the power to negotiate police contracts.

And Lightfoot and aldermen would be stripped of the power they now hold to establish the CPD budget, ceding that power as well to an 11-member civilian oversight commission that would have nine elected commissioners and two mayoral appointees.

Even if voters reject the binding referendum, the 11-member commission would have the final say in disputes over police policy unless two-thirds of the Council decides otherwise. The commission also would be empowered to take a vote of no-confidence in the superintendent and hire and fire the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

Lightfoot has said she can’t “outsource” responsibility for CPD to a civilian police oversight commission.

“I wear the jacket, as every mayor does, for violence in this city, for crime in this city. And the notion that we’re gonna outsource that to someone else and have no responsibility — no ability to impact this — I don’t know anybody who thinks that’s a good idea,” Lightfoot said last month during a conference call with City Hall reporters.

“When I hear, particularly from people in communities that are most impacted by violence, it’s, ‘Please, mayor don’t walk away from us. We need you to help us manage what’s going on in our neighborhoods.’ Those may not be the loudest voices. They may not be the people that are marching in the streets. But, they are very much concerned about what’s happening in their neighborhoods. So we have to come up with the plan that is also responsive to them.”

Ervin accused Lightfoot of overstating the case.

He noted the annual city budget still would have to be approved by the Council.

“If you want the power to budget, you need the power to tax and be held accountable for taxes,” Ervin said.

He added: “This is a good ordinance. It’ll go through the legislative process. If the mayor has an ordinance she wishes to put on the table, as she states that she has, it too can go through the legislative process.”

Defying the mayor on civilian police oversight gives African American aldermen a measure of revenge.

During the frenzied negotiations that preceded one of the closest City Council budget votes in decades, Lightfoot famously warned Black aldermen who dared to vote against her $12.8 billion spending plan, “Don’t ask me for s–t for the next three years” when it comes to choosing projects for her $3.7 billion capital plan.

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There’s an entire day dedicated to pizza parties? Like, c’mon. This is itching every single one of my elementary school sensibilities to the highest degree. May 21st in Chicago, some of the city’s most recognizable pizza spots are flexing their gabagool guns and boasting some of the best pizza pies they have to offer. Chicago is known as a pizza town, with signature deep dish pizza’s to tourists and the beautiful delicacy that is the square-cut tavern pie true Chicagoans brag about, there’s no shortage of good pizza in town. Here are some of the restaurants and bars around the city celebrating a little extra this year for National Pizza Party Day.

On May 21st, West Loop hotspot PB&J is offering the ultimate “$10 Pizza Power Hour” in honor of National Pizza Party Day. From 5:00pm to 6:00pm, all pizzas will be available for $10.00 a pie. Guests can indulge in speciality pies, crafted cocktails, and choose their “jams” on the Jukebox. Diners can make reservations online and walk-ins are also welcome.

To celebrate National Pizza Party Day, the six time Michelin Bib Gourmand Winner, Wood, is serving up a seasonal pizza featuring ramps and house made spicy capicola. The speciality pie will be available for both indoor dining and on the patio.  Diners can make reservations online and walk-ins are also welcome.

Dough Daddy’s, a new virtual restaurant based out of Chicago’s West Loop, is available exclusively for takeout and delivery through GrubHub. This pop-up offers Chicago a chance to experience Detroit-style pizzas created with a special sourdough starter, that has been with Chef Noah Zamler for five years. Signature pizzas include: Whatcha Ndujin topped with Nduja, lemon ricotta, blistered tomato, and basil pesto, A Perfect Pear, topped with Butternut Squash, Pear, Pancetta, and Gouda, and Uh Luv Burrata, topped with chili honey, burrata, olive pesto and artichokes.

For The Dearborn’s reopening this week, Executive Chef Aaron Cuschieri offers craveable, instant classics and Dearborn favorites for dine-in, takeout and delivery. Leaning into the “tavern” in their name, Cuschieri offers a new assortment of Chicago tavern-style pizzas with creative toppings, including a brunch pizza on weekends.

Located in the heart of River North, Nonnina offers classic italian fare with a twist. Nonnina offers a wide variety of pizzas including Margarita, Chicken and Spinach, Leek and Mushroom, Crispy Calamari, and Pepperoni pizza.

Starting Friday, May 14th, both restaurants will feature the Skinny Deep pizza, a lighter version of the classic Chicago deep-dish pie. Rich Labriola, Chief Doughboy of both establishments and the city favorite, Stan’s Donuts, has made sure that this pizza features a skinnier portion of dough with a balanced amount of toppings while still featuring a caramelized cheese crust.  The Skinny Deep is available for dine-in or carry-out at the base price of $19.  Guests can add as many toppings as their hearts desire for $3.25 per topping.  The Skinny Deep is set up to become one of the favorite pizzas for Chicago locals and tourists alike.

National Pizza Party Day Featured Image Credit: Kira Anderson

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