Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 President John Catanzara speaks to reporters at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Aug. 10, 2021. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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 52 degrees and a 20% chance of showers. Tonight will also be cloudy, with a low around 41. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high near 53.

Top story

Judge scolds city, police union over vax mandate legal battle: ‘Everybody that’s involved here is in public service’

A Cook County judge today harangued the city and police union over the “sensationalization” of their vaccine mandate battle.

Judge Moshe Jacobius’ voice began to rise shortly after an attorney for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 expressed his sense of frustration with the legal proceedings.

“You speak of frustration, I think there’s enough frustration to go around,” Jacobius said during the virtual hearing.

“Without commenting on anything specific, there’s been some comments about lowering the volume and lowering the flames and working in commonality for the people of the city of Chicago, both sides, and I think these parties should take that to heart,” he said.

“I’m not here to lecture or give sermons, that’s not my role, but when you see what’s going on and you see the sensationalization of this, people need to really consider, everybody that’s involved here is in public service,” he said.

Jacobius’ mini tirade was an aside to the main order of business in his courtroom.

He granted a motion by attorneys for the city to have a single judge handle the two pending cases related to the vaccine mandate.

Mitch Dudek and Fran Spielman have more on Jacobius’ remarks and motion here.

More news you need

Mayor Lori Lightfoot today joined politicians and community leaders to celebrate something she tried desperately to stop: renaming Chicago’s most iconic and picturesque roadway Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive. City officials gathered at Buckingham Fountain to launch the installation of highway signs reflecting the name change.

A couple was arrested last night after leading Chicago police on a chase to Lyons in a car wanted in two murders, officials said. While attempting to arrest one of the people in the car, an officer accidentally fired his gun, wounding two other officers at the gas station where the chase had ended.

One of Illinois’ largest health care systems — one that includes 14 acute care hospitals — says that it is splitting up. AdventHealth and Ascension, which together formed Amita Health seven years ago, will go their separate ways, Amita announced today.

Englewood-based photographer Tonika Johnson’s latest artist exploration of race and place examines exclusion in the city. “Belonging: Place, Power, (Im)Possibilities” is a virtual exhibit that captures images and stories of eight Black and one Latinx youth reflecting on a moment in which they reckoned with society’s perception of them.

Shares of Oak Brook-based Portillo’s rose in value today after the company raised more than $405 million from an initial public offering. Known for its hot dogs, burgers, Italian beef sandwiches and other favorites, Portillo’s went public after withstanding the pandemic well.

A bright one

Alligator Records turns 50, celebrates with all-star blues revue

This year marks Alligator Records’ golden record as the homegrown Chicago blues label celebrates its incredible 50-year anniversary, having put out its “genuine houserockin’ music” since 1971.

The occasion will be feted with the Alligator Records All-Star Blues Revue at Al Larson Prairie Center For The Arts on October 23, a night featuring label stars Nick Moss, Billy Branch and Toronzo Cannon, and putting a spotlight on Alligator’s continued legacy.

“It was so much more exciting than anything I had ever had thought of for a career,” says founder Bruce Iglauer who still runs operations today at Alligator HQ in Rogers Park.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Bruce Iglauer, founder and head of the independent blues record label Alligator Records.

When he was just 22-years-old in 1970, Iglauer headed to Chicago on a sojourn to the music mecca like so many of the great blues artists ahead of him. Like them, he was captivated by the sound coming out of the West and South Side clubs and was determined to be part of it all, calling those formative years a “voyage of discovery” when his ears were attuned to those rich guitar sounds and the people making them.

In the 50 years since, Alligator Records has put out 350 titles with a massive roster over the years that has included greats like Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Shemekia Copeland, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Marcia Ball, Billy Branch and newcomers like 22-year-old guitar prodigy Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

Alligator Records has become the defining exclusive blues label in the country while Iglauer has become a prominent figurehead in the genre.

Selena Fragassi has more on the label’s legacy here.

From the press box

Bears-Buccaneers predictions for Week 7
Tom Brady plays speed chess, identifying what he’s looking at and knowing where the ball is supposed to go in the Bucs’ rhythm passing attack. Patrick Finley writes about what the Bears will try to do to stop him.

Bulls guard Zach LaVine, who led the team to a season-opening win last night, hopes this season will be about winning instead of drama.

After a solid showing in Summer League, Bulls rookie Marko Simonovic entered camp hoping to grab a rotation spot. That obviously didn’t happen, so it’s fair to call this his redshirt year, Joe Cowley writes.
Mike Clark previews the weekend’s top local high school football games.

Your daily question ?

How would you describe what it’s like to be a Chicago sports fan to someone from out of town?

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: Facebook is planning to change its name, according to a new report. What would you rename the social network if it were up to you? Here’s what some of you said…

“What my grandma calls it: La Chismosa, or Gossiper.” — Cristal Ramirez

“Vast Wasteland.” — Netty Gasparotto Graham

“The World of Many Faces.” — Nesha Shunta

“Waste Management.” — Mike Amons

“Fight Club Online.” — John Pickles

“The Devil’s Bible.” — Vivian Pettis

“La Doble Care, or Two Face. Porque, todos aparentan una cosa aqui y otra en la realidad. Como dice Los Bukis, “A donde vamos a parar con la gente hipocrita?” — Ana Laura Flores

“Birthday Reminder.” — Joe Cutaia

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

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Bulls radio voice Chuck Swirsky and analyst Bill Wennington are back where they belong for broadcasts: courtside. | Provided

You won’t find a more prepared announcer than Swirsky, who’s starting his 24th season calling NBA games and 14th with the Bulls.

Chuck Swirsky is back in the front row. But if you didn’t know any better, you might have thought he was there the whole time.

Last season, the Bulls’ radio voice on 670 The Score called games at the United Center from atop the 100 level to keep distance from the players. He called road games from a makeshift studio in Chicago. Neither kept him from calling the action with his usual enthusiasm and precision.

When the Bulls play in their home opener Friday night against the Pelicans, Swirsky and analyst Bill Wennington will be back where they belong: courtside.

“It makes all the difference in the world,” said Swirsky, who also is traveling for road games and was courtside for the season opener Wednesday in Detroit. “We connect with the fans by being on top of the action.”

Ah, yes, the fans. They return to the UC for the first regular-season game at full capacity since March 10, 2020. Based on their excitement during two entertaining preseason games, Swirsky might sound more amped up than usual.

What’s certain is that he’ll be calling a faster-paced game. It’s no secret the Bulls are going uptempo, and a lot of fans and outside observers are excited to see it. Swirsky is, too, but he and Wennington will have to keep pace, as well. Swirsky, 67, certainly has the energy.

“An NBA game is so fast, my role is to maintain the integrity of the broadcast with score, time, ball location and be as descriptive as I possibly can,” he said. “The beauty of working with Bill is the fact he knows how to ease in after a basket and allow things to breathe, as well. Bill is egoless, and that’s one of his best qualities as a basketball analyst.”

You won’t find a more prepared announcer than Swirsky, who’s starting his 24th season calling NBA games and 14th with the Bulls. He loves the league so much, he doesn’t give himself an offseason.

He has a veritable library of player information, he watches “tons” of video – “and when I say tons, that’s an understatement,” he said – and he voraciously reads NBA stories. Being the people person that he is, Swirsky connects weekly with fellow broadcasts, too.

Swirsky also connects with fans, even during games. You can find him on Twitter providing updates and exhorting reactions. If he isn’t the most encouraging or positive person on Twitter, he’s in the team photo. It’s nice when he urges followers to be respectful, eat ice cream and read a newspaper.

But broadcasting is Swirsky’s medium. In fact, he was one of the first sports-talkers in Chicago, even predating the late Chet Coppock, the Godfather of Chicago sports radio. Swirsky debuted on WCFL-AM (1000) on Aug. 27, 1979, hosting the first Monday-Friday sports talk show in town from 7 to 11 p.m.

“We had zero commercials for the first two months,” he said, “and two calls the first night were the wrong numbers.”

The show, and the industry for that matter, eventually picked up.

“I knew sports talk would work because of the passion of the Chicago sports fan,” Swirsky said. “Chicago is the greatest sports market in the world. Period. I love the drive, energy, knowledge and heart of the Chicago sports fan. I am humbled to look back and realize that perhaps a brick or two in the foundation of Chicago media history belongs to that era of sports journalism.”

Swirsky is stoked – when isn’t he? – for this revamped Bulls team. After calling postseason games in eight of his first nine seasons with the Bulls, the team hasn’t been to the playoffs in the last four. Will the drought end this season?

“I’m excited about the Bulls because ownership and management made a major commitment to bring in proven NBA players who know how to play the game,” Swirsky said. “This team will score and will be a better defensive club. I’m not one to give out win-loss records, but this team has re-energized me.”

As if he wasn’t energized in the first place.

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A person was killed in a shooting Oct. 21, 2021, on the West Side. | Sun-Times file

The male victim was near the sidewalk about 2 p.m. in the 700 block of North Harding Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him in the abdomen and leg, Chicago police said.

A person was fatally shot Thursday on the West Side.

The male victim was near the sidewalk about 2 p.m. in the 700 block of North Harding Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him in the abdomen and leg, Chicago police said.

The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Area Four detectives are investigating.

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Firearms on display at at Marengo Guns in Marengo in January. | Brian Rich/Sun-Times file.

State Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis wrote that the taxes violate the constitution’s uniformity clause and “impose a burden on the exercise of a fundamental right protected by the second amendment.”

Two Cook County taxes targeting firearms and ammunition are in jeopardy after the Illinois Supreme Court found they violate the state constitution.

In a 6-0 decision, Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis wrote in an opinion filed Thursday the county’s firearm and ammunition tax ordinances violate the constitution’s uniformity clause, and the taxes “impose a burden on the exercise of a fundamental right protected by the second amendment.”

“While the taxes do not directly burden a law-abiding citizen’s right to use a firearm for self-defense, they do directly burden a law-abiding citizen’s right to acquire a firearm and the necessary ammunition for self-defense,” Theis wrote.

“Under the plain language of the ordinances, the revenue generated from the firearm tax is not directed to any fund or program specifically related to curbing the cost of gun violence,” she wrote.

“Additionally, nothing in the ordinance indicates that the proceeds generated from the ammunition tax must be specifically directed to initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence. Thus, we hold the tax ordinances are unconstitutional under the uniformity clause.”

That opinion, in the case of non-profit Guns Save Life Inc. versus Cook County, the county’s director of the department of revenue, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, partially reverses decisions from the Cook County Circuit and state appellate courts that upheld the taxes and sends the case back to the circuit court for summary judgment in favor of the non-profit.

Chief Justice Anne Burke took no part in the decision of the case, according to the opinion. In a separate opinion, Justice Michael Burke largely agreed with his colleagues but expressed concern that the majority opinion “leaves space for a municipality to enact a future tax — singling out guns and ammunition sales — that is more narrowly tailored to the purpose of ameliorating gun violence.”

Members of Guns Save Life did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It was not immediately clear what the decision will mean for the county’s taxes.

In a statement, a spokesman for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the county is “disappointed” in the Illinois Supreme Court’s recent decision.

“We intend to meet with our legal counsel and determine any next steps that may be warranted,” the spokesman said. “It is no secret that gun violence continues to be an epidemic in our region. … Addressing societal costs of gun violence in Cook County is substantial and an important governmental objective.

“We continue to maintain that the cost of a bullet should reflect, even if just a little bit, the cost of the violence that ultimately is not possible without the bullet. We are committed to protecting County residents from the plague of gun violence with or without this tax.”

The spokesman pointed to recent data from the Chicago Police Department that shows the number of shootings in Chicago are up nearly 10% over the last year with almost 2,900 shooting incidents this year.

“The use of guns have had a significant impact on the County’s public safety, health and general expenditures,” the spokesman’s statement reads in part.

The county’s Firearm Tax Ordinance, which was enacted in 2013, imposes a $25 tax on the purchase of a firearm from a retailer in Cook County.

The county later enacted a separate tax on ammunition — $0.05 per cartridge for centerfire ammunition, typically used for rifles, shotguns and handguns, and $0.01 per cartridge for rimfire ammunition, which are popular for small-game hunting or sport shooting, according to the self defense and competition shooting site Target Barn.

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Mental health has been a focus topic for most of 2021. And for good reason: an estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older (about 1 in 4 adults) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. What was once a taboo subject is now an Instagram hashtag with 33.6 million posts, a keynote speech by singer/songwriter Jewel at Advertising Week, and a serious issue that our society deals with every day. So if you missed World Mental Health Day on October 10, don’t fret. Pop by one of these locations in Chicago to relax and focus on YOU.

944 W North Ave. Chicago, IL 60642

The folks at CHHAMH opened their coffee shop to fundraise and launch sustainable programs and resources for those in crisis. With each coffee, donut, or merch purchase, you help raise funds that go towards their Normalize Therapy University. Each year, they’ve awarded scholarships to fund 5 therapy sessions for 250+ individuals in Chicago. Stop by or donate here to support an awesome cause!

222 W Kinzie St. Chicago, IL 60654

Own a business? Chill anywhere is an app that offers personalized meditation, mindfulness, and yoga content both live and on-demand. Their mission is to help companies and their employees live less stressed and more mindful lives. Chicago companies like Ulta, FCB, and Northwestern Medicine offer Chill to their associates. Or if you just want to try it for fun, start your free trial. 

946 W Randolph St. Chicago, IL 60607

If you’re looking for some guided meditation, breathe bar offers teacher-led, customized classes, workshops, seminars, and programming. Take a break, find your peace, or simply go with the flow.

1038 N Damen Ave. Chicago, IL 60622

Check out this collective of ~energy workers~ that have cultivated a spiritual oasis for all souls. Whether it’s self-transformation through powerful classes or just brushing up on your mindfulness, the folks at Soul Path Studio will get you on the right path forward. 

2025 W 95th St. Chicago, IL 60643

If you need a mood booster in the form of nutrition or fitness, then you must stop by the LAB. Get your paws on energy teas, smoothies, protein coffees, or meal replacement shakes. Or get your butt kicked through personal training and fitness classes. Working up a sweat = always good for the soul.

3807 N Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 60613

Created in India about 10,000 years ago, Ayurveda “The Science of Life”, is a holistic medical system that teaches lifestyle is potent medicine. It’s their mission at Hamsa to carry out Ayurvedic traditions in a meaningful manner. Experience one of their virtual programs or a customized, private retreat to fully recharge your batteries. 

6224 W Gunnison St. Chicago, IL 60630

Meditation can be intimidating. But no worries, the Meditation Center of Chicago welcomes all newbies! You’ll learn easy techniques that help you feel more present, manage daily stress, and uncover peace of mind for yourself. 

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Billy Williams will be the subject of a documentary this winter on Marquee Sports Network. | Getty Images

The lineup includes a weekly show covering offseason news that starts next month and a documentary on Hall of Famer Billy Williams that will debut in the winter.

As the TV home of the Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox, NBC Sports Chicago doesn’t have an offseason. As the TV home of the Cubs, Marquee Sports Network does.

But that doesn’t mean it goes into hibernation. Marquee announced its Cubs programming plans for the offseason, which include new shows, a new documentary and new classic games.

“Cubs 360” will air weekly starting in November, covering offseason news. It will provide on-site coverage of the winter meetings in December in Orlando, Florida. The network also will present a documentary on Billy Williams that will debut in the winter.

“Icons of the Ivy” returns with a series involving players from the 2007-08 Cubs. The roundtable show launched this season with a discussion among five Cubs Hall of Famers. The network is discussing more shows, possibly involving the 1984 and ’89 teams.

A new series of “Cubs Classics” will feature Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg as part of a day of programming dedicated to him. Ryan Dempster’s “Off the Mound” show already has aired a new episode that featured an appearance by Hall of Fame announcer Bob Costas.

Doug Glanville’s show, “Class is in Session,” will examine minor-league baseball and the NIL ruling in college sports. Marquee also is airing Illinois State football home games and will show area college basketball teams when available. It also will broadcast ACC football and basketball games.

Remote patrol

The Sky’s WNBA Finals victory over the Mercury was the league’s most-watched championship series since 2017. The four games drew an average audience of 548,000.

The most-watched game of the series was Game 2, the Mercury’s overtime victory, which averaged 789,000 viewers and peaked at 1 million. The Sky’s series clincher Sunday averaged 417,000 viewers going up against the NFL.

Chicago was the top market across the four games, averaging a 1.8 household rating (one ratings point equals more than 31,000 HH). That’s double the rating in Phoenix, which tied for second with Hartford-New Haven at 0.9.

CBS is giving the Bears-Buccaneers game Sunday national treatment, putting lead voice Jim Nantz, analyst Tony Romo and reporter Tracy Wolfson on the call. That likely has more to do with CBS being gifted a game with Tom Brady. The network’s top crew also called Dolphins-Bucs on Oct. 10.
Blackhawks TV voice Pat Foley finally will make his regular-season debut Thursday on NBC Sports Chicago. He’ll call the game Sunday with Eddie Olczyk and Wednesday with Patrick Sharp while Olczyk is on TNT duty. Visit the Blackhawks’ website to follow their fluid broadcast crews.
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Dozens lined up outside the Art Institute of Chicago in June to visit The Obama Portraits, featuring Kehinde Wiley’s painting of former President Barack Obama and Amy Sherald’s portrayal of former First Lady Michelle Obama. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

The Art Institute firing its volunteer docents in favor of paid guides leads to charges of anti-white bias.

Harvey E. Clark was a CTA bus driver and World War II vet. In July 1951, he moved his family’s belongings into an apartment at 6139 W. 19th Street in Cicero. Before they could reside there, however, his would-be neighbors went berserk, rampaging through the building while the Cicero police stood by, doing nothing. Thousands of rioters smashed windows and dragged the Clarks’ furniture into the street. The governor had to call out the Illinois National Guard.

Clark was Black, needless to say. I am white, but nevertheless can still convey the story of how Cicero greeted the family that would have been the suburb’s first Black residents.

At least I hope so; it’s in my next book. That hope is open to debate, however. In our current fraught racial moment, who is saying something can count as much as what is being said. Maybe more. The Art Institute of Chicago, like many old guard cultural institutions, is trying to be less lily white, and the museum’s eye fell on its staff of volunteer docents, who were fired en masse Sept. 3. Not for what they were telling visitors; but for who was doing the telling.

“As a civic institution, we acknowledge our responsibility to rebuild the volunteer educator program in a way that allows community members of all income levels to participate, responds to issues of class and income equity, and does not require financial flexibility to participate,” is how Veronica Stein, the Woman’s Board executive director of Learning and Public Engagement, put it in an email delivering the bad news. “Rather than refresh our current program, systems and processes, we feel that now is the time to rebuild our program from the ground up.”

Fox News expressed it far more succinctly: “Chicago museum fires all of its mostly White female, financially well-off docents for lack of diversity.”

I think that’s why I initially ignored the story. Nobody cries like a bully, and while the Red Staters try to blind America to its racist past, labeling honest assessment of history as “critical race theory” and banning it by law, they seek cover by cherry-picking tales of cancel culture overreach, mostly from academia, to pretend that they are victims. Why amplify that?

Plus, on one level I’m sympathetic to the Art Institute. What was the museum supposed to do? Call the docents in, one by one, offer them herbal tea and a hand to hold? Distribute Rembrandt etchings as goodbye gifts? Sometimes you have to rip off the bandage. Maybe Chicago high school students being shepherded through the galleries will be less closed to what they’re seeing if they aren’t chaperoned by Aunt Bea and the Mayberry Ladies Art Appreciation Society.

That’s harsh, I know, and you have permission to feed it back to me when I am frog-marched out the door. Maybe ignoring the docent defenestration is a kind of Martin Niemoller timidity: “Then they came for the museum docents, and I did not speak out, because I am not a museum docent…”

The tragedy of racism is that it seems to give permission to ignore the dignity and worth of individuals you are dealing with. That doesn’t apply to only one race. If you punch me in the face because I’m white, that’s the same sin were I to punch you in the face because you’re Black. Neither my not-on-my-block animosity, nor your citing 250 years of slavery, are valid justifications for cruelty. Just empty excuses.

(C) Bisa Butler/Photo by Margaret Fox
The recent exhibit of quilts by artist Bisa Butler reflect the Art Institute of Chicago’s attempt to appeal to a more diverse audience.

The day before Stein wrote her letter, the Art Institute (yes, I contacted them; they asked for specific questions which I posed and, who knows, may even address someday) closed its Bisa Butler show, an exquisite exhibit of bold, colorful quilts celebrating Black individuality. The crowd when I visited was young, diverse and appreciative, and it struck me at the time that this might be the way out of the white bread corner the Art Institute has painted itself into. By offering engaging fare that a broader section of the city actually wants to see.

Sad that it is followed immediately by this stumble, due to carelessness more than anything else. Restoring an ancient Greek urn takes time and focus; so does repairing an old museum. If one thing is truer now than ever, you cannot compartmentalize. Today’s private email is tomorrow’s meme. Giving the backhand to the upper-crust white ladies of a certain age who give tours in September sends a shudder through the upper-crust white ladies of a certain age who write checks in October. One assumes the second group is still welcome at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
One of the lions outside the Art Institute of Chicago in the Loop.Read More

As former Tribune sportswriter Robert Logan once wrote, “Chicago, it has been said, just isn’t a basketball town.” (This was before Michael Jordan, of course.)Read More

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