Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: Chicago has more lead pipes than any other city in the country. It’s also paying more to replace each one. We look into why.
🗞️ Plus: A new mom weighs in on the U.S. Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship ruling, new laws take effect today and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Cubs beat the Padres, 9-7; the White Sox beat the Orioles, 9-3.
📧 Subscribe: Get our morning newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.
⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER ☀️
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Heat wave with temperatures in the 90s expected all week in Chicago
Today’s forecast: Wednesday is expected to be sunny with a high near 95 and heat index values as high as 104. An extreme heat warning for Cook County has been extended until early Friday.
Stay safe: City officials urged residents to stay hydrated, stay in air-conditioned areas, avoid the sun and check in on their relatives and neighbors. It’s also important to remember how quickly the heat can turn deadly in your car.
Calls for more action: The city has cooling centers open in most wards through 5 p.m. for residents. Health and community advocates say the city should ensure vulnerable residents also have access to cooling once the sun goes down.
SUPREME COURT 🇺🇸
Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship
By Alma Campos, Adriana Cardona-Maguigad, Cindy Hernandez and AP
Birtghright upheld: The Supreme Court has upheld a broad definition of birthright citizenship, rejecting President Donald Trump’s executive order that declared children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.
The ruling: In the 6-3 ruling, justices relied on a long-settled understanding of the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, and more recent federal laws in ruling that anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions, is a citizen.
Local relief: “I’m glad it stays,” said one new mother, who delivered a baby girl in Chicago three weeks ago and is applying for asylum. In Spanish, she told the Sun-Times that she and her husband still feared deportation. “They don’t look at whether you have a record or not … they just grab people.”
More SCOTUS news:
- States can block transgender athletes from playing on teams that match their gender identity, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision on Tuesday.
- The U.S. Supreme Court also agreed Tuesday to consider a challenge to Cook County’s ban on assault weapons, setting the stage for what could be a crucial ruling on whether there is a constitutional right to own the types of firearms that have been used in mass shootings.
ENVIRONMENT🚰
Why is it so expensive to replace lead pipes in Chicago?
By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Keerti Gopal and Clayton Aldern
Leading by example: No city dealing with a lot of lead pipes spends as much as Chicago does to replace them. With more than 400,000 lead water service lines, Chicago has the largest known inventory of lead pipes of any city in the country. Officials say replacing each one costs $31,000 on average — more than six times the Environmental Protection Agency’s national estimate of $4,700 a line.
Key context: With a federal mandate to remove every lead pipe within roughly 20 years, Chicago is facing a daunting timeline and an astronomical price tag. At the current rate, it will cost more than $12 billion.
Why so much?: Our review found several key contributors. The most significant include inefficient early contracts, cumbersome permitting requirements, and the city’s reliance on one-off replacements rather than undertaking whole blocks at once. There’s also a glaring lack of clarity from the Department of Water Management, which oversees the replacement program.
PUBLIC SAFETY 🚨
- Top cop names new No. 2: Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling named a new second-in-command Tuesday: Antoinette Ursitti, a 25-year veteran of the department. The announcement comes more than eight months after Snelling’s last first deputy superintendent resigned.
- Oak Park police shooting: Video footage released Tuesday shows an Oak Park police officer firing nine shots as a man he had pulled over at a gas station ran away, fatally striking him, on May 31.
- Chicagoan detained over UFC plot: A federal prosecutor convinced a judge Tuesday to detain Alexander Iniguez Mercado, who is accused of playing a role in an alleged plot to attack the Ultimate Fighting Championship event held at the White House on June 14.
- 3 held after news crew attack: A CBS News Chicago reporter and photographer were attacked by three men who yelled racial slurs, damaged their equipment and commanded a dog to attack them Monday near the Adler Planetarium, according to police and the news station.
- Entrepreneur sentenced to prison: Jawad Fakroune, who claimed he was the son of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, was sentenced Tuesday to six and a half years in federal prison for beating and threatening to kill his Chicago business partner over a $1.5 million debt.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Aid for Venezuela: After two deadly earthquakes hit Venezuela, several volunteer groups in Chicago, many with affected family members, have been collecting items like medical supplies, baby formula and canned goods for victims.
- Governor’s disaster proclamation: The move by Gov. JB Pritzker frees up state resources, including funds and personnel, to help speed up recovery in response to recent storms, tornadoes and flooding.
- Aerospace factory workers rally: Woodward MPC workers joined a practice picket outside its Niles facility Tuesday as they urged the company to negotiate a new labor contract. The union said Woodward has stalled negotiations for months and committed unfair labor practices, including disciplining workers and surveillance.
- Edgewater zoning suit dismissed: A Cook County circuit judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit arguing that city ordinances upzoning 2 miles of Broadway, from Montrose to Devon avenues, should be overturned.
- Hello Kitty Cafe opens: Families and fans have been lining up outside 360 N. Michigan Ave. since Friday, when the cafe opened its doors. Visitors will find two stories of merchandise, baked goods, drinks and an opportunity for afternoon tea.
SPRINGFIELD ✶
Cocktails to go, student safeguards, driving: New laws on these and more take effect
By Isabela Nieto
After being signed by Gov. Pritzker, these are some of the new laws taking effect Wednesday:
Cocktails to go: Thanks to Senate Bill 618, restaurants and bars can now offer cocktails and single servings of wine for takeout.
Safeguards for students: Lawmakers also passed several bills aimed at protecting students. One expands the definition of cyberbullying to include AI-generated images.
Rules for older motorists: Under House Bill 1226, older drivers will be able to wait a few more years before having to retake their driving test or renew their license in person.
New state agencies: Senate Bill 1 creates the Illinois Department of Early Childhood to consolidate services that were previously spread among several agencies. House Bill 3363 creates the Office of State Public Defender.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- Evanston reparations: The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking to join a federal lawsuit challenging Evanston’s reparations program. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, Robin Rue Simmons of FirstRepair and reparations recipient Kimberly Holmes-Ross discuss.
- Underground Railroad stories: Rodney Harrington of the Midwest Underground Railroad Network and Abdul Alkalimat of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign talk about the work to elevate stories of Underground Railroad freedom seekers.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- Nick Offerman: The actor and writer stops by to promote his new musical “Iceboy!” at the Goodman Theatre. Callers weigh in.
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏀⚾
- Construction woes: As Chicago’s All-Star Weekend nears, the Sky practice facility, slated for “late spring” completion, still isn’t ready.
- Bulls action: The team crawled into free agency Tuesday by taking care of their own and inking Zach Collins.
- A comeback?: The Cubs’ patience at the plate is paying off as their offense heats back up following a monthlong slump.
- Vargas at bat: Miguel Vargas “just hasn’t stopped” getting better at heart of the Sox’ batting order, manager Will Venable said.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 5 D: Necessity for a heat advisory day! 🥵
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
Meet the new ‘Wait Wait’ scorekeeper Alzo Slade
By Mike Davis
Alzo Slade is a man who has worn many hats. He’s been a college professor and a journalist at Vice and has dabbled in photography. He’s an actor and a stand up comic, and now, he’s the new scorekeeper of the NPR quiz show “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!”
Slade took over the scorekeeper role this year when legendary Chicago broadcaster Bill Kurtis retired after 12 years in the job.
“There is a level of pressure,” said Slade, reflecting on his transition. “I will say, the passing of the torch was what it needed to be, I think, for both Bill and I. He left in a dignified and classy way.”
Slade made his first appearance on the show as a panelist in 2022. In the time since, he’s been both a fill-in host and a substitute scorekeeper.
“Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” has been on the NPR airwaves for nearly three decades. The weekly news quiz typically brings together a panel of comedians and journalists, alongside celebrity special guests and call-ins from listeners around the country. It’s a fan favorite.
Before stepping onstage for a taping recently, the Sun-Times asked Slade if he missed being a panelist.
“I do miss it a little bit, because as a panelist, you get to just throw stuff against the wall and just have fun with your colleagues sitting next to you … I still pick my spots and throw stuff against the wall. It’s just an adjustment.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s the most memorable summer job you worked while growing up in the Chicago area? Tell us why.
Reply to this question via email (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
PICTURE CHICAGO 📸
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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