Good morning, Chicago.
More than 660 Chicago police officers retired and collected their pensions in 2021, according to data from the Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago. The number is about double from 2018, when about 350 officers retired and collected their pensions. While CPD leaders said the retirement rate has now stabilized, the Tribune’s Paige Fry spoke to experts who warned such a large number of more senior officers exiting may contribute to a “brain drain” at the top of the department.
The Tribune is seeking nominations for our 13th annual Top Workplaces special report, in which we explore how organizations create and sustain a positive and productive culture. We’ll also compile a list of this year’s top workplaces in the Chicago area. Last year, we honored 200 top workplaces that collectively employed 160,144 workers. Nominate a company by April 29.
At the Oscars, the deaf family drama “CODA” won best picture, and Will Smith shocked the audience when he slapped Chris Rock onstage after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
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Nearly four years ago, legislation that aimed to help low-income electricity customers was making its way to the floor of an Illinois House chamber tightly controlled by its longtime speaker, Michael Madigan. The bill’s main advocate: Madigan’s daughter, then-Attorney General Lisa Madigan. One of its primary opponents: Commonwealth Edison, the state’s largest electric utility.
In what may be one of the most intriguing chapters of the federal indictment filed earlier this month against ex-Speaker Madigan, prosecutors alleged he greenlighted efforts to kill his own daughter’s legislation as he pressed ComEd to give jobs to two political allies, including a coveted position on the utility’s board of directors.
Cook County prosecutors’ new effort to reduce sentences for some longtime inmates — hailed by State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and other reform advocates as a way to right the wrongs of the tough-on-crime era — will have an uphill climb before some judges, if its first week in court is any indication.
Associate Judge Stanley Sacks sat on the bench with a scowl last week as prosecutors presented their request to resentence Charles Miles, who was given a total of 25 years in two burglary cases. “I’ve been doing this for 30-plus years. I make up my own mind, not Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker, not Kimberly Foxx, either,” he said.
Despite strong opposition from teachers and parents, the Illinois State Board of Education is considering the possibility of replacing the state’s annual student assessment with interim testing throughout the school year, including an option to test children as young as kindergarten.
ISBE officials said this week that there is not yet a specific proposal on the table, and any changes to the current Illinois Assessment of Readiness would have to be allowed by federal law and approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
Psychedelic treatments are gaining respect from researchers around the world, who have found natural psychedelics to be promising remedies against depression, anxiety and even alcohol dependence. But the federal government still considers them to have no legitimate medical purpose, which makes the plants illegal to grow, sell or consume.
A coalition of therapists, patients and advocates wants to change that in Illinois. They’re working with state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat, to draft a bill that would decriminalize plant-based psychedelics and create a framework through which counselors, religious healers and others could use one of the drugs, psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” therapeutically.
From your first glimpse of Veggie House, it’s clear the newish restaurant is dedicated to flora over fauna. Shades of green, from dark jade signage to pale jasmine walls, emanate salad vibes, along with optimistic white banquettes. Instead of vinaigrette, though, the air hints at stir-fried garlic, in harmony with the clacks and clangs heard from woks in the kitchen.
With the rise of plant-based menus around Chicago, you might think Chinatown has long been a vegetarian-friendly destination. But Veggie House, Tribune critic Louisa Chu writes, is the only dedicated vegetarian and vegan restaurant in the neighborhood. For those who don’t eat meat, it’s not just gai lan and snow pea leaves anymore.
