Afternoon Edition: June 24, 2021Matt Mooreon June 24, 2021 at 8:00 pm

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 showers and thunderstorms likely as well as a high near 80. The rain is expected to continue on and off into the weekend with a low of 71 tonight and a high near 82 tomorrow.

Top story

Taylor demands apology from Lightfoot, likens mayor to schoolyard ‘bully’

Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) today likened Mayor Lori Lightfoot to a schoolyard “bully” and said she would stand up to the mayor by refusing to speak to her until she apologizes for “disrespecting” Taylor.

“Who stands up to her? This is not the first time she did this to somebody. She does this all the time and people let her get away with it,” Taylor told the Sun-Times.

“It’s a ‘no.’ How many times do you keep letting a bully bully you? Clearly, this is bullying.”

Taylor drew a political line in the sand one day after a bizarre confrontation that saw Lightfoot recess yesterday’s City Council meeting and march to the back of the Council chambers, where she had an angry confrontation with Taylor while pointing a finger in the alderman’s face.

Notoriously thin-skinned, Lightfoot could not contain her anger after Taylor joined Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) in using a parliamentary maneuver to delay Lightfoot’s appointment of Celia Meza as corporation counsel.

They did it to protest the Law Department’s treatment of Anjanette Young, the woman who was the target of a botched raid by Chicago police officers who had the wrong address.

Fran Spielman has the latest after yesterday’s chaotic City Council meeting.

More news you need

1. Twenty-two aldermen have also co-signed a letter to Lightfoot demanding that she “honor and consistently follow” the rules of procedure during City Council meetings. The letter cites “numerous occasions,” not just yesterday, when the mayor made parliamentary rulings that contradicted those rules.
2. The on-again-off-again compromise to rename Chicago’s most iconic roadway Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive could be back on again, according to Ald. David Moore. The Black Heroes Matter Coalition is offering to accept the hybrid name if it will be voted on during tomorrow’s Council meeting, Moore said.
3. Barry Lee Whelpley, a retired Minnesota welder recently charged in the 1972 stabbing death of a Naperville teen, pleaded not guilty today at an arraignment hearing. Police said advancements in DNA testing and genealogy helped them bring charges against him.
4. Hundreds of Cook County Health nurses went on strike today, citing their concerns of chronic staffing shortages. Nurses, who are planning a one-day protest, have said they are at the “breaking point.”
5. The man suspected of fatally stabbing a Maryland grad student in the Loop over the weekend is also wanted for attacking two other women in downtown Chicago this month. Anat Kimchi, 31, had been working on her doctoral degree in criminology and criminal justice and was visiting friends in the city.
6. County officials yesterday laid out their preliminary forecasts for the remainder of the 2021 fiscal year and projections for the upcoming budget year. No layoffs or new taxes are in the mix at this point.
7. While the city is closing the United Center’s mass vaccination site at 6 p.m. tomorrow, shots are still readily available to Chicagoans. You can now set up a shot at home — and get a GrubHub gift card.
8. Billed as one of the largest touring art exhibitions in the world, the “Art of Banksy” exhibit is heading to Chicago starting in early August. Tickets, ranging from $29.99-$99.99, are on sale now.

A bright one

Every member of this Englewood family graduated this year, including mom

Alisa Perry Johnson, 50, recently graduated from Richard J. Daley College with the associate’s degree in early childhood education she had pursued on and off the past 32 years.

The same weekend, her 22-year-old son, Malik Johnson, graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology.

Three weeks later, her 18-year-old daughter, Makaela Johnson, graduated from Lindblom High School, now headed to Tuskegee University on a full-ride president’s scholarship.

And Makaela’s graduation was days before Mia Johnson, 14, the Englewood mother’s youngest child, who graduated from Jesse Sherwood Elementary School — valedictorian of her eighth-grade class, just as Malik and Makaela had been when they attended Sherwood.

Provided

Just your ordinary family, says this mother who, like more and more students nationwide — newly graduated from high school or returning adult learners — took advantage of low tuition offered by the community college system, against rising national student debt.

“I didn’t do anything different than any other parent. I just basically was there,” Perry Johnson said.

“I am extremely proud of my children, but I don’t want myself or them to be so proud that they can’t help somebody else to achieve their goals. I always tell them, ‘If you can’t help solve the problem, don’t talk about it until you find a solution.’”

Maudlyne Ihejirika has the full story.

From the press box

• Cubs breakout slugger Patrick Wisdom hopes he can be more than a flavor of the month on the North Side. Wisdom told our Russell Dorsey that pitchers are already starting to attack him differently, and it’s going to be up to the third baseman to adjust.
• With Zach LaVine set to play for Team USA at the upcoming Olympics, could this be a chance to recruit some of the NBA’s top players to Chicago?
• The Sky’s Stefanie Dolson will also represent Team USA this year as part of the Olympics’ first 3×3 basketball competition.

Your daily question ☕

Say you have a friend visiting Chicago for the first time — where will you take them to get the full experience? 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 your favorite Chicago neighborhood to visit? Here’s what some of you said…

“In the Wrigleyville neighborhood, there is a block named Alta Vista Terrace. The architecture is very nice with a twist — the buildings are identical on the opposite side. A nice street to stroll down and admire the homes.” — Denise Ramirez

“Armour Square/Bridgeport for the Sox. Then Mt. Greenwood.” — Dustin Thurston

“Andersonville is where I spent my early 20s. Lots of bakeries, restaurants and bars in the area. I took a walk through the area not too long ago and still happy to see that the restaurants survived COVID-19.” — Neline Opt

“Pilsen — great food and childhood memories.” — Jose N Gabriela Ruiz

“Old Irving Park. I love looking at all the buildings.” — Cindy Schoop O’Brien

“Bronzeville. I took a community group from Detroit years ago on a tour and found historical Black culture that I didn’t know existed. The soul food there was some of the best!” — Arlene Carter Kimbrough

“Lincoln Park, many places to frequent. Also Uptown for Vietnamese food.” — Rigo Banuelos

“Lakeview/ Lakeview East — lots of shops, good access by CTA and very walkable. I grew up in Madrid, Spain and, to me, it has sort of a homey feeling.” — Laura Starr

“Old Town, just a great area — restaurants, shops and so close to the Loop.” — Louise Basetich Stempora

“Hyde Park — chill vibes. South Side hidden gem where everyone gets along.” — Russell Arnold Jr.

“Rogers Park, because of its diversity, proximity to the lake and great variety of food options.” — Haynk Jean-Baptiste

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