Good afternoon, Chicago ✶
When Carly Novoselsky first stopped drinking, she used to flag servers down privately to ask for a nonalcoholic drink, fighting the embarrassment that came with avoiding alcohol on a night out. That was eight years ago.
Now she sees young people put down the booze at an earlier age and without as much shame.
That’s thanks, in part, to a growing trend toward sobriety among Gen Z adults that has transformed the social landscape in Chicago and across the country, my colleague Mary Norkol reports.
In today’s newsletter, we’ll talk about this sober course and why so many young folks are on it.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on a Black History Month film series at the Music Box Theatre, the Shedd’s newly named penguins and more community news you need to know below. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Gen Z is drinking less — and it’s changing Chicago’s social scene
Reporting by Mary Norkol
Why cut booze?: Gen Zers are veering toward prioritizing their health and trying to avoid the harmful effects of alcohol they may have witnessed in older generations, experts and sober young adults told the Sun-Times.
Gradual trend: Across the country, drinking alcohol started to decline for young adults around the year 2000, national data shows. That’s true in Illinois, too. In 2002-03, 64% of Illinois adults ages 18-25 drank alcohol in the last month, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Substance Abuse. That dropped to 62% in 2013-14. A decade later, the number is 52%.
Scene change: Chicago has a reputation for being a drinking city, earning the title of the “Greatest Drinking City in America” by GQ magazine in 2014. But a growing number of bars and restaurants in Chicago offer zero-proof options and put the same level of care into a nonalcoholic options as a traditional cocktail. Spirit-free alternatives have also proven to be successful.
Key quote: “Gen Z, they’re starting to realize maybe alcohol isn’t your cup of tea,” says Chicagoan Hannah Luebbe, 34, who has been sober for several years and has seen the changes in Chicago’s drinking scene firsthand. “They’re not coming into sobriety from this really dark place. They’re coming into it more excited to better themselves.”
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Loyola gifted two homes: The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Emil Bach house on Sheridan Road and its stately neighbor, the Lang residence, have been gifted to Loyola University Chicago by Tawani Enterprises, headed by billionaire Jennifer N. Pritzker, cousin of Gov. JB Pritzker.
- Car wash files bankruptcy after suit: Fuller’s Car Wash is filing for bankruptcy a year and a half after an employee at the company’s Hinsdale location lost control of a car and fatally struck a teen walking nearby.
- O’Hare worker injured: A worker at O’Hare Airport was injured Saturday night when the wing of a United Airlines plane struck the tug vehicle he was driving, flipping it over and pinning the driver underneath.
- Remembering Dorothy Collin: As a political reporter and off-the-beaten-path world traveler, Ms. Collin had a potent mix of curiosity and fearlessness. She died Jan. 22 at age 85.
- CPS Board boost legal budget: In a split decision last week, Chicago Board of Education members voted to increase to $75,000 the amount the board can spend on lawyer fees as it continues to face a legal challenge by outgoing CEO Pedro Martinez.
- 3 stars for ‘Frida … A Self Portrait’: Written and performed by Vanessa Severo, this visually lush and emotionally rich show tells Frida Kahlo’s with blunt candor, writes Catey Sullivan in a review for the Sun-Times.
NOW PLAYING 📽️
Black History Month film series brings diverse local talent, perspectives to Music Box Theatre
Reporting by Erica Thompson
This month, Music Box Theatre is screening films as part of its series “Melanin, Roots, and Culture,” curated by Tyler Michael Balentine.
The program kicked off Saturday with Richard Pryor’s self-directed stand-up special, “Richard Pryor: Here and Now.” It will feature a Feb. 23 showing of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King.”
For the short film portion of the series, titled “Life Within the Lens,” the theater will present works by Chicago filmmakers on Feb. 19 and 25.
The series will also highlight additional Chicago talent through performances by local comedians, a showing of rapper J Bambii’s music video and beverages from the Black-owned Moor’s Brewing Co. in the lounge.
“Melanin, Roots, and Culture,” now in its second year, was created to increase Black representation and center Black perspectives in the historic venue, said Balentine, a 30-year-old St. Louis native who studied acting at Columbia College Chicago.
“For us as Black people, especially Black creatives, when we show things, we want people to have insight into our lives and how we think about the world,” Balentine said. “So to have it here at Music Box, it does mean a lot.”
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Shedd Aquarium marches out names of newest penguins
Reporting by Rafaela Jinich
Shedd Aquarium has named its two newest rockhopper penguins — Pico and Douglas.
These birds, who hatched in June 2024, have quickly grown to the size of adult rockhoppers, though their iconic yellow crest feathers have yet to appear.
Pico, whose name means “beak” in Spanish, honors the penguin’s South American roots, while Douglas is named after a settlement on East Falkland Island, home to many rockhopper penguins. The names were chosen through staff suggestions and support from Shedd enthusiasts.
Both penguins have taken their first swim, started eating independently and have begun bonding with the other penguins in the colony, the Shedd Aquarium said.
You can see Pico and Douglas in the Polar Play Zone, where they share their habitat with other penguins.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s one way to enjoy a night out in Chicago that doesn’t revolve around alcohol?
Email us (please include your first and last name). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!
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Written by: Matt Moore
Editor: Satchel Price
Copy editor: Angie Myers