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Community Corner

🌱 $5M For LaSalle Street + Pilot Program To Catch Parking Violators

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I'm back with your fresh edition of the Chicago Daily. In today's newsletter, this and more:

  • ☄️ A Chicago-based researcher helped discover 5 meteorites in Antarctica
  • ⚖️ President Biden nominated two judges for the Chicago-based U.S. District Court
  • 🏗️ City Council approved $5 million in funding for LaSalle Street development

🌧️ The weather:

Rain and snow showers. High: 43 Low: 31.

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📰 Top 5 stories in Chicago:

1) Proposed city pilot program would place cameras on buses to catch parking violators. Under the Smart Streets Pilots Ordinance, the city would use CTA bus cameras to catch and ticket drivers parked illegally in bike and bus lanes, bus stops and crosswalks. A second pilot—the Smart Loading Zone Pilot—would use license plate reading technology to issue penalties for parking violations in commercial loading zones. (CBS Chicago)

2) $5 million boost for small businesses to expand on LaSalle Street approved by City Council. The program directs $5 million in tax-increment finance dollars to launch a Small Business Improvement Fund for storefronts along the LaSalle Street corridor. Grants of up to $250,000 will be available for building owners or tenants to make permanent renovations to ground-level retail space. An extra $50,000 is available for applicants expanding to LaSalle from low- and medium-income neighborhoods. (Block Club Chicago)

3) Biden nominates 2 judges to US District Court in Chicago. President Joe Biden picked Judge Jeffrey Cummings, who has been a U.S. magistrate judge for the Northern District since 2019, and Judge LaShonda Hunt, a U.S. bankruptcy judge for the district since 2017, to fill district court vacancies in the Northern District of Illinois. Both judges, who are Black, will further the goal of Biden and Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to diversify the federal bench. (Chicago Sun-Times)

4) Historic South Side publisher raises funds following devastating flood. Just days before Christmas, a burst pipe caused major flooding in the basement of Third World Press, destroying a large portion of its backlist and bestsellers. They estimate 75 percent of inventory was destroyed, with overall damage "in the neighborhood of $250-300,000." TWP—the oldest independent, continuously operating Black publishing company in the nation— has set up an online fundraiser to offset some of its losses. (NBC 5)

5) Chicago-based researcher part of team who found 5 meteorites in Antarctica. Maria Valdes, a research scientist with the Field Museum and the University of Chicago was part of a team of researchers who found five new meteorites during an expedition in Antarctica last month, including one weighing 16.7 pounds. The next step for the scientists is to determine what they can tell us about the universe. The five rocks will be analyzed at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, while soil samples from the area will be analyzed by Valdes' team. (Gizmodo)

📌 Today in Chicago:

  • Career Connections: Recruiter vs. Resume Writer virtual event (12:00 PM)
  • 2023 Silver Skates Speed Skating Competition at Wentworth Park (5:15 PM)
  • Grown Folks Stories at The Promontory (6:00 PM)
  • Vote 2023: The Race For Chicago Mayor: The Candidates Debate on ABC7 (7:00 PM)
  • Cloakroom at Schubas (7:00 PM)
  • 90s Night at Carol's Pub (7:00 PM)
  • Epoca De Oro at Thalia Hall (7:00 PM)
  • Buddy Guy with Zach Avery at Buddy Guy's Legends (7:30 PM)
  • Swappin' Boots at Judson & Moore Distillery (8:00 PM)
  • Rose Hotel with Morinda and Sleeper's Bell at Golden Dagger (8:00 PM)
  • Cece Peniston at City Winery (8:00 PM)
  • The Trenchies with Llo Llo and Plant Matter at Subterranean (8:00 PM)
  • Monsoon at Beat Kitchen (8:00 PM)
  • Shut The F#ck Up at The Annoyance Theatre (8:00 PM)
  • Bobby Shmurda with Rowdy Rebel at The Vic Theatre (8:30 PM)
  • Cheekface at Lincoln Hall (9:00 PM)
  • 700 Bliss with Fatboi Sharif, PIWA at Sleeping Village (9:00 PM)
  • Bonny Doon with ULNA at Empty Bottle (9:00 PM)
  • Bakerzmillion at Jazz Showcase (10:00 PM)

📱 Social chatter:

  • Chicago Bulls capsule collab: "Off-White's Chicago Bulls capsule collaboration honors late designer Virgil Abloh. The new capsule collection pays homage to Abloh and his hometown basketball team." (NBC Chicago)
  • Chicago in London: "'The Crown' transforms Canary Wharf into Chicago as Netflix drama films in London." (Daily Express)
  • Chicagoan debuts in 'South Side': "Local Chicago woman makes directional debut in HBO Max's "South Side." (Newswires)
  • Chicago's only National Park: "Did you know that Pullman's 12-acre campus is Chicago's only National Park? ⁠ ⁠ For its community-centric design, The Pullman National Monument Visitor Center has recently been awarded a 2022 American Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.⁠" (Chicago Architecture Center via Instagram)
  • The violin doctor: "He's trusted to repair some of the world's most fabled — and expensive — instruments. How does John Becker manage to unlock the sound of a Stradivarius?" (Chicago magazine via Instagram)
  • "Every Goddamn Day": New book takes readers on a day-by-day tour of Chicago history." (WILL 100)

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Events:

  • "History, Heritage & Myth: Modeling the Settlement of Polynesia" (January 19)
  • DePaul's Master of Arts in Applied Professional Studies Information Session (January 25)
  • Science, Art, and the Search for Meaning: Opening Conversation with Dario Robleto (February 4)
  • Come Celebrate Rescue Rides with Rescueber! (February 11)
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That's it for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning!

— Nicole Cvetnic

About me: I'm a Midwesterner and very happy to call Chicagoland home. I love the outdoors—especially hiking—performing arts, photography, good food, travel and gardening. You can find me reading to my toddler, watching tv with my husband or cuddling with our rescue dog.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Chicago Daily? Contact me at chicago_il@patch.com

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