Good afternoon! The Maggie Daley ice ribbon is a finalist for best skating rink in the country. Here’s what else you need to know today.
1. Will Chicago arts see a boost next year from City Hall? The numbers tell a mixed story.
Arts advocates are looking closely at next year’s budget for the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events amid an uncertain time for cultural institutions nationwide, my WBEZ colleague Courtney Kueppers reports.
DCASE is responsible for marquee events like Taste of Chicago and the Chicago Blues Festival that draw locals and tourists downtown. The department has also increasingly become a critical funding source for small and midsize artists, administering grants that allow many in Chicago’s creative scene to continue their work.
DCASE’s funding comes from the city’s special events and hotel tax, plus a mix of public and private grants. Because of how the department is funded, it has not been affected by the citywide hiring freeze.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2025 budget calls for about $73 million for DCASE for next year. Last fall, the City Council approved more than $84 million for the department. However, there were fewer grants than forecasted, and DCASE actually received about $66 million, according to this year’s budget documents.
The budget cycle comes as theaters, dance groups, performing arts agencies and more are trying to confront shifting philanthropic support and audience declines. [WBEZ]
2. Mayor Brandon Johnson sticks with underbudgeting for police lawsuits
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2025 budget proposal recommends the same funding for Police Department settlements and court losses that the city has allocated annually for five years — an amount increasingly illusory as actual spending climbs higher and higher, my colleague Chip Mitchell writes for WBEZ.
The $82.6 million budgeted seems especially unrealistic given the Law Department’s current caseload, which includes 175 lawsuits tied to corrupt former Sgt. Ronald Watts. So far, the city has settled just one Watts-related lawsuit, a $500,000 deal inked in July. Settling the remaining cases could cost as much as $80 million, according to a WBEZ estimate.
Johnson’s office did not answer what his administration is doing to reduce the spending, why he is proposing the same budget again or why the city has not had a chief risk officer since former Mayor Lori Lightfoot left office last year.
Inspector General Deborah Witzburg linked the escalating costs to the city’s lack of compliance with a federal court-ordered police reform agreement. The pact, known as the consent decree, followed teenager Laquan McDonald’s 2014 murder by an on-duty cop. [WBEZ]
3. Google is paying to move the CTA’s Clark/Lake entrance in the Thompson Center to Clark Street
The Chicago Transit Authority’s Clark/Lake station’s entrance is moving to another side of the Thompson Center — and Google is paying to build the redesigned, easier-to-find entrance to the heavily used transportation hub.
Google purchased the building from the state for $105 million in 2022.
“The current entrance … is kind of buried underneath our structure in the middle of Lake Street … and oftentimes, from a way finding standpoint, hard to see,” said Bill Mooney, CTA’s chief infrastructure officer. “It gets lost in the clutter of that space.”
When the new entrance is done, the CTA plans its own $10 million improvement to the platform over Lake Street, set to be finished in late 2026. [Chicago Sun-Times]
4. University of Illinois Health nurses walked off their jobs, demanding higher wages and better safety measures
In August, nurses went on a seven-day strike but were unsuccessful in reaching an agreement for a new contract. Now, they say they will not return to work until a new contract is signed, Cindy Hernandez reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.
“What we are paid can’t keep up with the costs of living,” LeAndra Jones, a surgical nurse, told the newspaper. “We work long hours, we’re on our feet all day, we are dealing with violence from patients, and we aren’t being compensated for it.”
University of Illinois Health said current safety measures have led to a decrease in incidents of violence against staff, but the union is asking for more security guards in the emergency department and throughout the hospital. [Chicago Sun-Times]
5. A Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest is coming to Chicago
Chicagoans who look like the star of Hulu’s The Bear could win a $50 cash prize and “some cigarettes,” Block Club Chicago reports.
The competition will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday on a “big hill” in Humboldt Park.
Celebrity lookalike contests have popped up in other cities in recent weeks, starting with a Timothée Chalamet competition in Manhattan.
Along with his role as Chicago chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto in The Bear, White played Phillip “Lip” Gallagher on the TV series Shameless, set on the South Side. [Block Club Chicago]
Here’s what else is happening
- Here’s an updated list of President-elect Donald Trump’s key White House appointments. [CBS News]
- About 700 books were banned from Florida school libraries last year. [Washington Post]
- Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is set to reopen next month, five years after a massive fire. [NBC News]
- Chicago-based The Onion bought Alex Jones’ Infowars in a bankruptcy auction with help from Sandy Hook families. [AP]
Oh, and one more thing …
The Lower West Side of Chicago, chiefly Pilsen, is home to music lovers, Mexican eateries, bustling cafes and vintage shop hoards.
More than simply a destination neighborhood, Pilsen has a reputation for its gutsy arts district, its Second Friday gallery events and its 50 street murals around 16th Street that celebrate local culture, S. Nicole Lane writes in WBEZ’s guide to the neighborhood.
If a neighborhood had a taste, Pilsen’s would be piping hot Mexican food from a taco stand after a few beers at The Barrel. WBEZ asked three Pilsen residents to offer their takes on the neighborhood’s dining, drinking and shopping options. [WBEZ]
Tell me something good …
With it getting dark earlier and winter on its way, it can be tempting to hole up in your apartment until May. So I’m wondering, what’s your favorite “third place” that gets you to go out, whether it’s a coffee shop, bar, gym, library or something else?
Tiffini writes:
“My new third space this winter will definitely be Chicago Billiards Cafe. This storied pool hall got some new owners last year who have made some excellent additions. Still have a ton of well-maintained tables and yummy bar food, but they now also serve alcohol and have even added some pinball machines!
New carpets, new murals covering the walls and a gallery in the mezzanine for local artists have elevated the relaxed cozy vibes and I think I’ll be there a lot this winter!”
Lisa writes:
“My ‘third space’ is Three Avenues Bookshop on Southport. Whenever life is challenging, I go there to soak up some #threeavenuesbookshopmagic. Three Avenues is filled with wondrous diverse books (especially highlighting neurodivergent and disabled voices), the kindest owners and staff you can find, as well as being a community hub with open mics, a book club, storytimes, yoga, author readings, and on and on and on.”
And Rachel writes:
“The best third place in winter is the Garfield Park Conservatory! It feels like you’re in a tropical oasis, a toasty desert, or that spring is just around the corner. Plus they have the friendliest staff and a little cafe!”
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.