Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: Some people think the groves and pavilions at Cook County’s forest preserves are first-come, first-served, but they are not — resulting in tension, at times, for those who’ve paid for a permit.
🗞️ Plus: How Chicagoans are observing America’s 250th birthday, a new hub for immigration news, a canoeing guide and more stories you need to know this holiday weekend.
📝 Keeping score: The White Sox lost to the Guardians, 6-5.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER 🌥️
Partly sunny with showers and thunderstorms likely and a high near 89. More storms are expected this weekend.
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Dibs for groves can cause conflict in forest preserves where permits take precedent
By Robert Herguth
Dibs is no picnic: To reserve a grassy grove or covered pavilion with picnic tables in a Cook County Forest Preserve, a permit is required through the agency and can be purchased online, over the phone or in person at certain offices. Prices vary depending on factors including the size of the gathering and whether someone is a county resident, but the basic price can range from $64 to $261.
Permit precedent: Without a permit, people can still visit or eat at the groves. But if visitors with a permit arrive, they take priority and the others are supposed to leave. A Sun-Times review of police records and interviews found it isn’t always that easy.
Woodland confrontations: Conflicts sometimes arise between picnic-goers who think groves and shelters are first-come, first-served and those who reserved them in advance and paid for a permit. Most incidents are resolved peacefully, though there have been some ugly confrontations.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- DOJ charges: U.S. Department of Justice officials on Thursday announced the arrests of 300 fugitives as well as sweeping prosecutions against more than 175 people accused of violent crimes — all part of a massive federal law enforcement collaboration over the past two months.
- Midway Blitz lawsuits: Six Chicago-area residents filed lawsuits this week targeting federal immigration agents who allegedly harmed them during Operation Midway Blitz, the deportation campaign that rocked the city and suburbs last fall.
- Chicago FBI chief’s exit letter: As speculation swirls about his abrupt resignation, outgoing Chicago FBI boss Douglas DePodesta told his team in a message to “keep the FBI mission alive.”
- Speaker pushes for Rep.’s ouster: Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, is calling on state Rep. Harry Benton to resign over unspecified misconduct allegations or else face expulsion.
- Bar bets on Mexico: Rizzo’s Bar & Inn in Wrigleyville is running a promotion with prediction marketplace Kalshi that will reward patrons with $100 gift cards if Mexico defeats England in Sunday’s World Cup match. The bar also placed a $2,000 trade for Mexico to win.
AMERICA 250 🇺🇸
America’s 250th birthday has arrived — here’s how to celebrate
By Erica Thompson
After months of planning, the Prairie State is ushering in the nation’s semiquincentennial with celebratory events and thought-provoking programs. In the Chicago area, you can choose from a number of exhibits, concerts, panels and parties. Below are some weekend highlights. For a full list of the rest of the summer’s programs, head here.
Civic Season
10 a.m. Saturday
📍Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St.
View rotating art installations in the lobby and updates to the “Facing Freedom in America” exhibition, which reopens Saturday.
Admission: $19
‘The People’s Fourth’
2 p.m. Saturday
📍Obama Presidential Center, 6001 S. Stony Island Ave.
The newly opened center kicks off its “You Are America” series with a free party featuring live music and activities. Subsequent programming runs for eight weeks.
Admission: Free
Independence Day Salute
7:30 p.m. Saturday
📍Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.
The Grant Park Music Festival will present favorites from Aaron Copland and John Philip Sousa, and includes George Gershwin’s “Three Preludes” with principal clarinetist Dario Brignoli.
Admission: free
WEEKEND LISTEN 🎧
To actor Harry Lennix, Abraham Lincoln’s words still resonate
By Courtney Kueppers
American canon: As the country celebrates its 250th anniversary, one of the soundtracks of the moment is Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” memorializing one of Illinois’ most famous sons. The 1942 work features folk tunes, big brass parts and gripping quotes from the 16th president — words that have been narrated onstage by scores of famous Americans.
Chicago version: Adding to that roster is hometown actor Harry Lennix, who lent his booming voice to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the first time in June. He’d performed the piece, which he says puts “the American spirit to sound,” elsewhere 20 years ago, but this was his CSO debut.
MORE ON AMERICA 250 🇺🇸
- American history lessons: Since April, Illinois arts groups in Chicago have hosted events in honor of America’s 250th. After lining up for federal money, the organizations took a more nuanced look at the nation’s past.
- Complicated relationships: Last winter, several Black artists in the city came together for a gallery of works depicting the American flag, exploring our nation’s complicated relationship with this iconic symbol.
- Special locomotive: Last week, Metra senior graphic designer Felecia Woods unveiled a special locomotive designed to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.
- Artists’ likenesses on campus: The College of DuPage is hosting a walkable exhibit of 10 sculptures depicting influential artists from American history, including Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Norman Rockwell.
IMMIGRATION HUB ✶
How a dozen Chicago newsrooms came together to amplify immigration coverage
By Jackie Serrato
The Immigration Hub: To tell the story of America is to also tell the story of immigrants, from the first waves that encountered Indigenous nations — more than 250 years ago — to the most recent caravans arriving in Chicago. To help tell that story, we’ve worked with multiple Chicago newsrooms to launch a hub showcasing news, stories and resources centering immigrants.
What it is: The Immigration Hub is a landing page and special print edition with reporting, investigations and first-person immigrant narratives from fifteen newsrooms, all packaged together as a single destination.
Free print version: As well as a landing page, the newsrooms collaborated on a print edition distributed to more than 130 locations including libraries, food pantries and nonprofits in immigrant-rich neighborhoods. You can explore The Immigration Hub here or flip through the print edition here.
MUST READ COMMENTARY 🗣️
- Neil Steinberg: This is the 250th anniversary of … what? Not a victory, but a promise of the country we might yet be.
- Marc H. Morial: With America at 250, civil rights for Black Americans remain under attack.
- Ben Jealous: Don’t overlook the enslaved, Indigenous and poor immersed in the American Revolution.
- Matt Overeem: The American experiment depends on the acts of ordinary people.
- Letter to the Editor: America belongs to anyone who wants to be free.
- Steve Greenberg: The 20 things in sports I only wish I could declare independence from this year.
SUMMER GUIDES 🛶
- Where to paddle: Whether you’re a beginner looking for an easy rental trip or an experienced paddler seeking new adventures, we’ve got a list of 17 great places in the Chicago area to explore, see wildlife and find solace via canoe, kayak or paddleboard.
- Patio plans: Chicago has no shortage of patios and outdoor spaces to dine and drink. Our guide lists 13 spaces we’re enjoying this summer.
- Summer concerts: With our list, you can curate and filter the concerts happening this summer to make sure you catch the acts you want to see.
- Things to do July 3-8: Taste of Chicago, Hyde Park’s 4th On 53rd Parade & Festival, and the Windy City Smokeout are just some of the things to do in the week ahead.
WATCH: DUPAGE RIVER CANOEING ▶️
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 2d: John ___ Plaza (Obama Center spot hosting a 4th of July concert)
PICTURE CHICAGO 📸
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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