| 1.A Chicago police sergeant who oversaw the wrongful raid on Anjanette Young’s home was fired The Chicago Police Board voted 5-3 to fire the sergeant, Alex Wolinski, for multiple rules violations and “failure of leadership,” according to a 31-page written ruling. Wolinski oversaw a botched 2019 police raid that resulted in social worker Anjanette Young being handcuffed naked in a room full of male police officers. “Though it was clear that the officers were not at the residence of the intended target, [Wolinski] nonetheless allowed Ms. Young to remain naked and handcuffed for an extended period of time — over ten minutes,” the Police Board ruling said. Body-camera video from the raid showed a distraught Young telling officers more than 40 times that they were at the wrong house. An officer eventually gave her a blanket to cover up. Young sued the city and 12 officers in 2021 and received a $2.9 million settlement from the city. [Chicago Sun-Times] |
| 2.Heather Mack pleads guilty to conspiring to kill her mom in 2014 Heather Mack appeared before a federal judge in Chicago today and admitted to plotting the gruesome murder of her mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack of Oak Park, during a tropical vacation to Bali, reports my colleague Jon Seidel. Her plea comes as the ninth anniversary of her mother’s murder approaches. Von Wiese-Mack’s body was discovered in a suitcase left outside the St. Regis Bali Resort on Aug. 12, 2014. Mack was 18 at the time. She is now 27. Federal prosecutors have long said von Wiese-Mack was bludgeoned to death with the metal handle of a fruit stand so that Mack, her then-boyfriend Tommy Schaefer and Schaefer’s cousin could enrich themselves with the proceeds of von Wiese-Mack’s $1.5 million estate. Mack potentially faced the possibility of life in prison, but a plea agreement with prosecutors could cap her sentence at 28 years, if a judge approves. [Chicago Sun-Times] |
| 3.A City Council member tried canceling an event where migrants can get city IDs A Northwest Side alderman says he tried several times to block an event this week where asylum seekers and refugees can get city IDs, reports Block Club Chicago. Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st Ward, said he wanted to block the event from taking place at a public park’s field house because he wanted to avoid “disruptions,” according to an email he wrote to residents. But the event, hosted by the city clerk’s office, went forward on Thursday with no issues, officials said. Demand has grown for CityKeys, a government-issued ID card that also serves as a library and Ventra card, since thousands of migrants have arrived in Chicago from border states. Pop-up events to acquire a CityKey have become so crowded that officials have had to turn people away, Block Club reports. [Block Club Chicago] |
| 4.The air quality in Chicago remains good as smoke pollution from Canadian wildfires drifts into the U.S. The good news is Chicagoans shouldn’t have to worry about air quality levels this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. “We’re not getting into levels like what happened a few weekends ago,” NWS meteorologist Ricky Castro told the Chicago Sun-Times. Air quality levels were considered “good” this morning but are forecasted to move into the moderate range over the weekend. [Chicago Sun-Times] But some parts of the U.S. have not been as lucky, with Minneapolis recording its worst level of air quality, reports The Washington Post. The situation could worsen next week, as Canada’s forecast calls for hot and dry conditions that have helped fuel blazes. [Washington Post] |
| 5.Mayor Johnson is off to a ‘very encouraging start,’ business leader says One of Chicago’s most influential business leaders said he is “very encouraged with the start” of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration, but not yet willing to support business taxes to bankroll the social programs that form the cornerstone of Johnson’s anti-violence strategy, reports my colleague Fran Spielman. Jack Lavin, president of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, said he’s genuinely encouraged that the new mayor is reaching out and getting to know the business leaders whose support he needs to create year-round jobs for young people. It’s a much different tune compared to just a couple of months ago, when Lavin supported Paul Vallas in the mayoral election. In an interview with Spielman, Lavin urged the mayor to “take a step back and look comprehensively” at the “fiscal cliffs” confronting the city, Chicago Public Schools and the CTA as federal stimulus funds dry up. Johnson’s administration must “start solving those issues before we raise new taxes for new programs.” [Chicago Sun-Times] |
