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🌱 Patch AM: Phone Scammers Impersonating Cook County Sheriff's Office, Agency Warns

Also check out Saxophonist Tim Warfield: Appearing Aug 20th - 23rd, at the Jazz Showcase. on the Chicago Patch calendar

Tuesday August 18th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hey hey Chicago! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☀️

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In today's newsletter:

  • Cook County residents warned about scammers posing as sheriff's officers
  • Emergency crews surround American Airlines jet on O'Hare tarmac
  • Cook County forest preserves stay open as union workers walk out

Also on today's calendar: Saxophonist Tim Warfield: Appearing Aug 20th - 23rd, at the Jazz Showcase. and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: Why did the man leave his watch in the bank? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Tuesday: Humid; a stray p.m. t-storm, with a high of 82 and low of 68 degrees.
  • Wednesday: Humid with a t-storm in spots, temps: high: 79, low: 68.
  • Thursday: Clouds and sun; less humid, with a high of 80 and low of 67 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Phone Scammers Impersonating Cook County Sheriff's Office, Agency Warns (patch.com) — Residents across Chicago and the rest of Cook County are being warned about phone scammers posing as sheriff's officers and demanding payment for fake citations, warrants, or missed jury duty. The sheriff's office stresses it never calls to seek payments and urges people to hang up, independently verify any supposed law enforcement contact, and report suspicious calls to designated sheriff's police numbers.
   

2. Emergency Response Surrounds American Airlines Plane At O'Hare (patch.com) — Travelers using Chicago's O'Hare International Airport saw emergency crews surround an American Airlines plane on the tarmac Monday afternoon, with an evacuation slide deployed and buses standing by. While officials have not detailed what happened or reported injuries, the incident follows several recent aircraft issues at O'Hare, underscoring the airport's heavy traffic and ongoing safety responses.
   

3. Cook County Forest Preserves To Remain Open During Teamsters Strike (patch.com) — Cook County Forest Preserves will stay open to Chicago-area visitors even as nearly 200 Teamsters Local 700 workers strike over pay, progression and use of outside contractors. Union leaders say their members earn less than comparable workers at the Chicago Park District, City of Chicago and other agencies, while district officials argue their offer of phased raises and bonuses is competitive and sustainable.
   

4. Tommy John, Former White Sox Player Who Made Baseball History, Dies At 83 (patch.com) — Chicago baseball fans are remembering former White Sox pitcher Tommy John, whose name became synonymous with the elbow surgery that saved countless pitching careers, after he died at 83. He spent seven seasons with the Sox, and his Chicago ties continued through son-in-law Patrick Mannelly, the longtime Bears long snapper, underscoring his lasting local sports legacy.
   

5. First look inside Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park development in South Chicago (cbsnews.com) — A massive new Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park is rising on the old U.S. Steel South Works site in South Chicago, aiming to make the city a global hub for quantum computing. Backed by $500 million in state funding and anchored by PsiQuantum, the project could transform long-vacant lakefront land into a high-tech jobs engine and further cement Chicago's reputation in cutting-edge research.
   

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Plainfield Central Athletics aiming to raise $10,000 through test drive fundraiser hosted by Hawk Mazda —Community News Read on Patch
  • Declining Government Investment Exacerbates an Uneven Playing Field for Ill. Small Businesses —Geraldine Aglipay Read on Patch
  • Please Help!
    Dinora is tiny, gentle, and learning humans can be kind. She came in starved and painfully skinny. Despite everything she's been through, she… (Nextdoor North Archer Heights)
  • This legendary 1965 group photograph captures an unprecedented assembly of Motown royalty at the peak of the record label's golden era.
    Gathered together are the genre-defining roster of artists who created the iconic "Sound of Young America": The Temptations, The Miracles, Stevie… (Nextdoor Grand Crossing)
  • Aimbridge Hospitality posted a job opening for The LaSalle Hotel Chicago Autograph Collection - Housekeeper in Chicago. Apply here.
  • FSI Transloading posted a job opening for Terminal Manager--Rumford in Chicago. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Chicago here.

Ok Chicago! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: So he could save time! (Thank you Lorraine S. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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