Friday Morning Swim Club canceled – Chicago Tribune

Good morning, Chicago.

The popular Friday Morning Swim Club, which drew thousands to the waters of Lake Michigan near Montrose Harbor each summer, has been canceled this year after organizers said the Chicago Park District charged six figures to permit the event.

In a video posted to the club’s Instagram account, co-founders Nicole Novotny and Andrew Glatt said that the Park District had made “unreasonable demands” as they tried to reach an agreement.

Safety concerns led to the unsanctioned event’s early cancellation last year.

“It seemed clear to us that the Chicago Park District was not interested in making this work,” Glatt said.

Participants first plunged into the harbor with the Friday Morning Swim Club in 2021. Glatt told the Tribune two years ago that the club drew 600 to 800 swimmers weekly and continued to surge in popularity. By last summer, thousands came out for the weekly swim. Most events with over 50 people require permits, according to the Park District’s website.

Read the full story.

And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Today’s eNewspaper edition

Activists sue Johnson administration over DNC protests, say city isn’t ready

As protests surge across America just months before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, activists representing LGBTQ+ and women’s reproductive rights say Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is violating their First Amendment rights and is unprepared for the onslaught of dissidents headed to the city this August.

CPS agrees to raise wages of ‘lowest paid workers’, in a new, four-year agreement with SEIU Local 73

In the months since the district’s previous contract with the union expired last June, the executive vice president for the local, Stacia Scott Kennedy, urged Board of Education members to provide pay increases to workers who are often struggling to survive.

With security officers starting at $33,000 a year, special education classroom assistants starting at $37,000 and custodians at $16.80 per hour, Scott Kennedy told the Board in March that members often seek help accessing government assistance, including homeless services.

Murder charges approved in fatal shooting of CPD Officer Luis Huesca

A first-degree murder charge was approved by Cook County prosecutors yesterday in the fatal April shooting of off-duty Chicago police officer Luis Huesca.

After two strikes, Howard Brown Health workers ratify contract

The new, three-year contract includes 7% raises for union members, a new minimum wage of $19.23 for workers and health insurance for part-time employees, according to the union.

Backed by state incentives, Rivian to invest $1.5 billion and add more than 550 jobs to build new R2 EV at Normal plant

The majority of the incentives will come from state tax credits paid out over 30 years, if Rivian meets its investment and hiring obligations.

“They’re growing now and they had the opportunity to grow in Georgia or in Illinois,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during a news conference at the Rivian plant. “We wanted them to stay right here and create jobs here. That was why we put an incentive package together and made that offer to Rivian.”

New Dolton subpoena targets financial information for Mayor Tiffany Henyard, spending on trips

A new federal subpoena delivered recently to Dolton Village Hall seeks detailed records about trips made by village officials and expenses they were reimbursed for, as well as payments made to Mayor Tiffany Henyard and the village’s chief administrator, a source confirmed.

It’s the second time investigators have visited the village looking for documents in what they say is a probe that is in its early stages and has not resulted in any charges.

Fifth-grade teacher at District 204 school in Aurora named Illinois Teacher of the Year

Rachael Mahmood, a fifth-grade teacher in Indian Prairie School District 204, has been selected as the 2024 Illinois Teacher of the Year.

The surprise announcement was made on Thursday morning at Georgetown Elementary School in Aurora, where Mahmood teaches. In her acceptance speech, Mahmood told the gathered crowd of district administrators, Illinois State Board of Education staff and students that she came into the teaching profession looking for the belonging she missed as a mixed-race student.

Column: Don’t forget Harry Caray’s legacy with the White Sox

As Harry Caray’s Cubs career was celebrated Thursday with the 26th “Toast to Harry Caray” sponsored by his namesake restaurant, his legacy on the South Side continues to be overlooked by his former team, writes Paul Sullivan.

Chicago baseball report: What’s next for Seiya Suzuki in his rehab — and White Sox ‘extremely impressed’ with Tommy Pham’s impact

The Cubs fell short of ending their road trip on a high note with a Major League Baseball-leading fourth walk-off loss Thursday. Meanwhile, the Sox head back on the road, where they are 1-13, to begin a three-game series Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Today in History: Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose becomes NBA’s youngest MVP

On May 3, 2011, Chicago’s Derrick Rose became at age 22 the NBA’s youngest MVP.

Black leaders weigh in on Rainbow/PUSH chief’s resignation less than 3 months into role

Mystery still surrounds the resignation of the Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III from the storied Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

Much fanfare was made in July 2023, when the Dallas pastor agreed to take the helm of the civil rights organization headquartered in a former temple in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood.

On April 16, less than three months into the job, Haynes resigned from the position that Rainbow/PUSH President Emeritus the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. founded through its predecessor, Operation PUSH.

Vintage Chicago Tribune: Cicada invasion

It’s about to get loud. How did locals handle 17-year cicada invasions of years past? Here’s a look at what we found in the Tribune archives.