Tourism in underrepresented areas is focus of $5.5M grant – Chicago Tribune

Good morning, Chicago.

The minister decorated the church with signs declaring “abortion is a human right” and “be faithfully pro-choice” in preparation for Sunday’s worship service, which will honor what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

The Rev. Denise Cawley, who once served as an abortion clinic chaplain, said she approaches the day with deep sadness, lamenting the recent loss of reproductive rights across large swaths of the country. Themes of reproductive justice and bodily autonomy were woven into Sunday’s service and hymns and her sermon.

About 25 miles away, another pastor planned to highlight the anniversary by praying for an end to abortion. Worshippers at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Elgin intended to celebrate National Sanctity of Human Life Day, which has been recognized by abortion opponents on the third Sunday in January since 1984, when it was designated by President Ronald Reagan.

Yet Sunday marked the first observance of its kind since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, ending federal abortion protections and leaving the matter up to individual states.

Read the full story from Angie Leventis Lourgos.

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The South Side of Chicago is often overlooked, stigmatized or simply ignored, said Nedra Sims Fears, executive director of the Greater Chatham Initiative. But in the past year, Chatham’s hidden gems and its unique culture have been uplifted, attracting visitors from all over the city.

In Little Village, dubbed the Mexico of the Midwest, the Manuel Perez Jr. Memorial Plaza, where locals often hang out, was renovated last year with a fresh mural, seating and signage. Through the summer, local vendors hosted a market every Sunday, attracting new shoppers. That is in part thanks to the Neighborhood Strategy Team of Choose Chicago, the city’s official destination marketing organization.

Chicago’s Latino community is a historically overlooked player in local politics but is expected to be important in the mayoral race, with García the perceived beneficiary. Despite making up roughly 30% of the city’s population, Chicago’s Latino voter turnout tends to be much smaller than that of Black and white residents.

In a nine-candidate field, Latinos offer a potential boost for U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García in his bid to advance to a possible runoff.

Norbert Pikula, 77, had been sleeping on a friend’s sofa every night for the last six months. But when his friend was admitted to the hospital a few weeks ago, Pikula’s fragile world turned upside down and he had nowhere to sleep.

So now he uses his senior citizen CTA pass to ride to O’Hare International Airport and spend the night there. His situation mirrors that of countless other homeless people who sleep at the airport to stay warm and safe during the winter.

Last month in San Diego, the Contemporary Era committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame met to consider candidates overlooked by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The 16-member committee selected only one player, Fred McGriff. Candidates with fewer than four votes — including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro — did not have their totals revealed.

Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez, sluggers who normally would be first-ballot Hall of Famers, have not come close to getting the call thanks to their suspensions for PED use. This year they’re joined on the ballot by another alleged cheater in Carlos Beltran, whose methods were much different from the steroids crowd.

Sunday morning came with snow, and with sorrow, in the form of the news of the death of Lin Brehmer, the hugely popular, buoyant and beloved host on Chicago radio’s WXRT-FM 93.1.

The 68-year-old had previously spoken publicly about his treatment for prostate cancer. Brehmer will be memorialized on WXRT with a special block of programming beginning at 10 a.m. Monday.