Good afternoon, Chicago ✶
In today’s newsletter, we’re taking a look at the life and long career of musician and longtime politician Jerry Butler, who died Thursday night at age 85.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on grants for small businesses in Chatham, a Chicago firefighter competing on the latest season of “Survivor” and more community news you need to know below. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Jerry Butler dead at 85; singer known as ‘Iceman’ also had a long career in Cook County politics
By Maureen O’Donnell
Esteemed musician: Jerry Butler’s baritone combined the soaring ecstasy of church, the rumbling rhythms of Chicago and the soul of his native Sunflower, Mississippi. Warm and plush but also cool, it won him the nickname “Iceman.”
Music of a movement: The songs of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer became a soundtrack for the 1950s and 1960s. He achieved fame as a member of the Impressions and later as a solo soul artist. His songs have been sampled by artists across genres, including Missy Elliott and Method Man.
Longtime politician: The Bronzeville resident went on to have a 32-year political career as a member of the Cook County Board, helped by backing from the late Mayor Harold Washington.
Lasting legacy: Mr. Butler, whose voice was stilled by Parkinson’s disease, died Thursday night at home, according to a family friend.
“He was very important to both music and to the community, and he will be missed,” his niece Yolanda Goff said Friday. “We hope the city of Chicago recognizes the legacy he leaves behind.”
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Broadway zoning: Chicago’s planning agency endorsed a framework for redevelopment along Broadway in Uptown and Edgewater, aiming to boost housing and business growth despite concerns that it invites congestion and mid-rise buildings out of character with residential blocks.
- ‘Person of interest’ apprehended: A “person of interest” was held Friday in Indiana after a series of stabbings left a woman dead and her two young sons, 8 and 11, wounded.
- DEI changes: Some Illinois companies are pulling back on their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as President Donald Trump continues his push to eliminate such programs from the federal government.
- Grants for Chatham businesses: Seventeen building owners and businesses assisted by the nonprofit Greater Chatham Initiative were recently selected for $2.4 million worth of reimbursable grants from the city of Chicago’s Small Business Improvement Fund.
- Black-owned business spotlight: The Illinois Office of Tourism has launched a new Black History Month webpage to promote travel to places across the state that celebrate Black culture — and to spotlight Black-owned businesses from bakeries to barbecue restaurants.
- Tibet Museum exhibition: A traveling exhibition from the Tibet Museum in India will be on display this weekend at the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago’s community center in Evanston.
- Peach’s goes presidential: Chef Cliff Rome of Peach’s Restaurant in Bronzeville has been selected to bring South Side flair to the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center. Rome will oversee a restaurant, cafe and catering services at the Jackson Park site.
- 4 stars for ‘A Lie of the Mind’: With the strength of a remarkable cast, this violently intense production is muscular, gritty and blistering, writes Catey Sullivan in a review for the Sun-Times.
WEEKEND PLANS 🎉
🎨 ‘Pipilotti Rist: Supersubjektiv’
Friday through Sept. 14
📍Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave.
This new video installation uses digital surveillance footage the artist filmed during a monthlong trip to Japan, which she uses to create a dreamlike space for contemplation and curiosity.
Admission: $10+
🎶 Cécile McLorin Salvant
8 p.m. Friday
📍Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.
See the Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist and composer perform standards and originals ranging from blues, jazz, traditional folk and more.
Admission: $39+
❄️ Polar Adventure Day
11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday
📍Big Marsh Park, 11559 S. Stony Island Ave.
Live music, husky sled teams, hot cocoa and hikes are just some of the big draws for this Chicago winter celebrations.
Admission: Free
🕺Music Frozen Dancing
1 p.m. Saturday
📍1035 N. Western Ave.
Keep warm and move to the groove at this outdoor music festival that has become a winter tradition. Headliners include Egyptian Lover, Bib and more.
Admission: Free
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Veteran Chicago firefighter aims to ‘outwit, outplay, outlast’ on new season of ‘Survivor’
Reporting by Selena Fragassi | For the Sun-Times
As a veteran of the Chicago Fire Department, it’s Chrissy Sarnowsky’s job to be prepared for anything during a crisis. Still, the 55-year-old says nothing could have prepared her for competing on the 48th edition of “Survivor,” debuting on CBS and Paramount+ Wednesday.
“The challenges were a lot harder than I thought they’d be, a lot harder,” said the Mount Greenwood resident, the sole competitor from the Midwest this season. “But I did learn you can go a long time without eating. I definitely overeat,” she joked.
Last year, Sarnowsky left her day job as a fire lieutenant to travel to the islands of Fiji with 17 other strangers to test her survival skills, all in the pursuit of becoming the last one standing to take home the $1 million grand prize.
“I think being a firefighter in the department for 26 years and a paramedic for 33 years, my life experience was a good fit. Plus my age, they have to cast the ‘older person,’” Sarnowsky shared, admitting she was initially apprehensive about how her colleagues would react.
“I was a little nervous about the firemen giving me a little razzmatazz about it, but they’ve been nothing but supportive,” she said.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s one way to help fight the midwinter blues in Chicago?
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: Dorothy Hernandez
Copy editor: Angie Myers