Good afternoon, Chicago ✶
Since Friday, hundreds of dead and sick birds have been found along Lake Michigan’s shore — all likely infected with bird flu.
It’s the latest in a string of deaths and infections in and around Chicago.
Nationwide, outbreaks of the virus, also called H5N1 or avian flu, have decimated poultry flocks and infected cattle herds, my colleague Kaitlin Washburn reports.
In today’s newsletter, we’ll fill you in on what you need to know about this illness.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on Chicago’s federal transit money troubles, a history-making Art Institute exhibit and more community news you need to know below. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Bird flu ‘an unpredictable shape-shifter’
Reporting by Kaitlin Washburn and Kade Heather
Low risk to humans: Bird flu’s risk to humans is low, infectious disease experts told the Sun-Times. Only 67 cases have been reported in the U.S., and aside from one death earlier this year, the infections have mainly been mild and weren’t transmitted from person to person.
This could change: Because influenza can rapidly change, that could all turn on a dime, experts cautioned. Bird flu’s widespread presence in wild birds, poultry, cows and other mammals means the virus is mutating and risks becoming transmissible among humans.
How we got here: The current strain of this virus first spread from wild birds to chickens, according to Dr. Ron Hershow, of the University of Illinois Chicago. It has since devastated poultry flocks, as the disease is highly deadly for birds. “We’re dealing with an unpredictable shape-shifter,” he said.
Egg prices up: The disease is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, more than doubling egg prices from the summer of 2023 and is affecting the cost of menu items at some restaurants, including in Chicago.
What to do: Experts say if you see birds or animals showing signs of avian flu (dead or distressed, appearing to be sick), let the birds be. Do not handle the animal and keep your pet away from it. Instead, call 311.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Ice storm forecast: An ice storm is set to move into the Chicago area Wednesday evening, bringing “a wintry mix” of freezing rain, sleet and snow, according to the National Weather Service.
- NWSL fund created: The National Women’s Soccer League will pay $5 million to players who were abused by coaches under a systemic pattern of misconduct, bringing some closure to a scandal that led to a lifetime ban of the ex-coach of the Chicago team formerly known as the Red Stars.
- Federal transit money troubles: A new Trump administration directive calls for prioritizing funding for communities with higher birth and marriage rates. As Chicago officials try to make sense of this, they fear federal transit money for the city — and state — could be in jeopardy.
- Lawmakers push to curb school fines: A bill to prevent Illinois schools from having police punish students by issuing tickets and fines is being revived. The new version says students still can be arrested for criminal action, but cannot be issued fines or tickets for municipal ordinance violations, such as littering.
- 3.5 stars for ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’: Kaitlyn Dever excels as real-life con artist Belle Gibson, who faked illness and built her social media stardom on phony cures, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.
THE ARTS BEAT 🎨
‘Project a Black Planet,’ a history-making survey of Pan-African works, on display at the Art Institute
Reporting by Cianna Greaves and Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis | WBEZ
The Art Institute of Chicago’s “Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica” is massive — featuring 350 works of art, with paintings, sculpture, video and audio, as well as historical objects and ephemera spanning a century.
As you travel room to room, the seldom-heard voice of Marcus Garvey and contemplations of Audre Lorde wash over you.
Co-curator Antawan Byrd, associate curator of photography and media at the museum and an art history professor at Northwestern University, said this exhibition — which runs through March 30 and will travel to Barcelona, Brussels and London after its debut here — is likely the first of its kind.
“It’s my hope that audiences, when they leave the show, that they have an understanding of just how complex engagements with Pan-Africanism have been throughout the 20th century,” Byrd told WBEZ in a recent interview.
“This exhibition is the sort of show that rewards visitors who come back … because it is the kind of show that requires close looking and close listening. But also, it requires you to take things away and come back and reflect on them anew.”
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Promising movies in 2025 that aren’t sequels
Reporting by Richard Roeper
The number of sequels, prequels, remakes, franchise films, etc., in the Top 10 highest-grossing movies at the American box office has increased through the years, from three in 1985 and 1995 to six in 2005 to seven in 2015.
Of 2024’s 14 biggest commercial hits, most were sequels and/or part of a franchise. “Twisters,” meanwhile, was considered a “standalone sequel” while “Wicked,” drawn from a novel and a stage musical, owes its existence to “The Wizard of Oz.”
It’s safe to say we’ll never return to a time like 1975, when 80% of the top performers were original films.
The good news is, we’re getting some promising original films this year. Here are a few to keep on your radar.
‘The Gorge’ (Feb. 14)
Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller play snipers assigned to guard a highly classified and supposedly impenetrable gorge known as “The Door to Hell,” so it’s definitely NOT a tourist attraction. Sigourney Weaver co-stars, and whenever the s- – – is about to hit the fan, you want Sigourney Weaver around.
‘Mickey 17’ (March 7)
Writer-director Bong Joon-ho adapts Edward Ashton’s sci-fi novel about a space colonist who is replaced by a clone every time he dies. Robert Pattinson stars as the multiple Mickeys, with a supporting cast that includes Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo.
‘Sinners’ (April 18)
Ryan Coogler is the creative force behind this horror film with Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers who return to their hometown in the Jim Crow-era South and confront something evil and sinister — something demonic, possibly even vampiric. The supporting cast includes Delroy Lindo, and you can never go wrong with Delroy Lindo.
‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ (May 9)
You gotta love a movie title that tells you what the movie is about. Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell star as two strangers who meet under unusual circumstances and embark on … well. We’ll just have to see.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
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Written by: Matt Moore
Editor: Dorothy Hernandez
Copy editor: Angie Myers