Afternoon Edition: June 23, 2021on June 23, 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 partly cloudy with scattered showers and a high near 79 degrees. Tonight will partly cloudy with a low around 66. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms and a high near 81.

Top story

City Council abruptly adjourns; no vote on renaming Lake Shore Drive

Today’s City Council meeting went off the rails and was cut short after Mayor Lori Lightfoot clashed with alderpeople over the consideration of her pick for corporation counsel.

The dustup derailed a highly anticipated showdown on a controversial proposal to rename Lake Shore Drive in honor of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable.

It all started when Lightfoot went out of the regular order of business to allow Budget Committee Chairman Pat Dowell (3rd) to deliver her committee report first.

That paved the way for immediate consideration of the mayor’s appointment of Celia Meza as the first Hispanic woman to serve as Chicago’s corporation counsel.

But, Ald. Ray Lopez (15th), one of Lightfoot’s most outspoken City Council critics, had other ideas.

He joined Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) in a motion to delay consideration of the Meza appointment on behalf of Anjanette Young, the woman who was forced to stand naked as an all-male team of Chicago police officers raided her home as she pleaded with them that they had the wrong address.

Fran Spielman has more on what happened at City Hall here.

More news you need

1. Some 2,500 Cook County workers appear to be heading for the picket lines Friday after contract negotiations were canceled today. Cook County Health nurses also could be on the picket lines tomorrow for a one-day strike.
2. The Cubs could get the go-ahead to have Guns N’ Roses rock Wrigley Field after Labor Day in a rare, midweek concert thanks to an ordinance proposed by Ald. Tom Tunney. It would be an exception to game rules intended to not disturb residents on weeknights.
3. Amazon is planning to open a 140,000-square-foot delivery station in Humboldt Park by late 2022 as it continues to expand its Chicago-area footprint. The facility will bring 500 full- and part-time jobs to the West Side, Ald. Emma Mitts said.
4. Passengers have been requesting more rides as Chicago reopens, but there are fewer Uber and Lyft drivers to pick them up. With the demand straining the supply, riders are waiting longer and paying more.
5. The chilling second trailer — and movie poster — for the Chicago-based horror film “Candyman” was revealed today. The sequel to the 1992 classic is set to hit theaters Aug. 27.

A bright one

Back of the Yards mural’s message for kids: ‘Don’t be afraid to fly’

Arielle Acevedo didn’t like the looks of the viaduct near where she lives in Back of the Yards.

So she got in touch with the 20-year-old artist known as Clue? — real name Manny Gomez — with the idea for a mural at 49th Street and Damen Avenue.

A South Side native who has lived in Back of the Yards for two years, Acevedo, 29, says she used to see city crews painting the viaduct white day after day when she left for work, covering up gang graffiti.

Provided

That inspired Acevedo to put a mural there because she knows there are plenty of families with kids who walk past there.

She got city approval and contacted artists whose work she admires, among them Gomez.

Gomez’s signature character is an alien figure who seems to be flying — meant, he says, to represent flying away from all the negativity in the world with the message spelled out in words: “The only way is up.”

Another alien figure stands and points at a message written by a Back of the Yards poet who goes by the name Kewl. It reads, “So don’t be afraid 2 fly. You’ve lived on your feet too long.”

Lu Calzada has the full story behind the mural here.

From the press box

Your daily question ?

What’s your favorite Chicago neighborhood to visit? Tell us why.

Reply to this email (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: What’s the best part about summertime in Chicago? Here’s what some of you said…

“Music festivals, cool summer breezes at night, baseball games outside, kettle corn at festivals and seeing everyone around you enjoy summer outside instead of jumping from air conditioning to air conditioning like in Virginia or Texas. My first summer away in 20 years and I will miss Chicago so much, so I will come back for July!” — Tara Peters

“Cruising down Lake Shore Drive on a warm summer night with the windows down while listening to your favorite music.” — Mary Jilek Yung

“Growing up in Chicago, summertime was a blast in the past! Family cookouts, going to the lake and forest preserves, visiting all the different parks — so much to choose from. I now live in Tennessee, But Chi-town stays in my memories forever!” — Sheila Willis

“The sound of crickets and the sight of fireflies. You know that these special summer nights are short-lived so you appreciate them more.” — Kristine Hulce Romano

“BBQs with family, House Music and liquor.” — Queso Fresco

“Concerts at Millennium Park, mini-golf at Maggie Daley Park, walks to the lakefront, Blues Fest (when it was in Grant Park), outdoor dining in the city and suburbs, Sox Games, entertaining on our patio, just being in downtown Chicago, loving our garden/flowers, Navy Pier (hope to be there soon).” — Louise Basetich Stempora

“Cubs, BBQs, block parties and swimming all day. Just everything! My favorite summers as a kid in the 1980s were in Chicago — playing softball on the street corners till your parents yelled for you to come home because it was late.” — Kristin Warda

“The two great things about “Summertime Chi” are the warm weather and the outdoor festivals. Chicago has a vast array of festivals and events that bring the city alive, such as Chicago Gourmet, Lollapalooza, Jazz, just to name a few.” — Mike Crenshaw

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