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Community Corner

🌱 Building Explosion In Austin + Jibarito Pop-Up For Hurricane Relief

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Chicago.

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Hello there, Chicago! I'm here in your inbox today to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on in the city, including:

  • 🏢 A building explosion, collapse on Chicago's West Side.
  • 🍽️ Jibarito pop-up to benefit Puerto Rican hurricane relief.
  • 📹 Video shows 3-year-old boy pushed off Navy Pier by a relative.

FYI: The Lucky Day Lotto's $1 million jackpot-winning ticket was sold at Lucky Mart on Far Southwest Side earlier this month, and the winner has not yet come forward. Learn more here.

But first, the weather:

A morning t-storm; some sun. High: 81 Low: 55.

👀 Attention local businesses & marketers: Attract more customers in Chicago by sponsoring this daily newsletter, which gets read by the same people you're trying to reach. Click here to learn more.

Top 5 stories in Chicago:

1) At least eight taken to hospital after Chicago building explosion. A building on Chicago's West Side collapsed Tuesday morning after a nearby building exploded, leaving multiple people injured and several displaced in the Austin neighborhood. The explosion happened just after 9 a.m. on the top floor of an apartment building near the intersection of West End and North Central avenues. Fire officials said the fourth floor of the apartment partially collapsed, and about 135 firefighters and first responders were dispatched to the scene. They sent out an alert just before 10 a.m. that the adjacent building was being evacuated, and that eight people have been injured and taken to local hospitals. Chicago Fire Department Deputy Fire Commissioner Marc Ferman said they do not yet know what caused the explosion. Of the eight people injured, three people were in critical to serious condition. The injuries range from burns to traumatic injuries.

Chicago Patch

2) Chicago's high property taxes pay for squeezed retiree benefits. Chicago may finally be on a path to adequately fund its four city employee pensions — but getting there is likely to come at the expense of homeowners who already pay some of the highest property tax rates in the nation. City leaders will decide in the next few months whether to enact a 2.5 percent hike, effective Jan. 1, 2023, with the entire $42.7 million increased levy going to the third-largest U.S. city's woefully underfunded pensions. The decision would come at a time when most Chicagoans' wallets are being stretched thin by soaring inflation. The potential hike, proposed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, is half of what the city is allowed to impose under an ordinance tying property taxes to inflation. But, after years of increases many homeowners are tired of paying for retiree benefits they themselves won't access for years. In the 2022 fiscal year, more than 80 percent of property taxes collected went toward city employee pensions, an unusually high share that has nearly doubled since 2013, making Chicago "unique" among U.S. cities, said Justin Marlowe, a public finance research professor at the University of Chicago.

Bloomberg

3) Honey Butter Fried Chicken jibarito pop-up to benefit Puerto Rican hurricane relief. Perhaps more people would know about the jibarito if "The Bear" took place at a Puerto Rican restaurant instead of an Italian beef stand. Alas, the steak sandwich that uses fried plantains instead of bread isn't well known outside of Chicago. But there have been recent efforts to share the unique taste with the world. Now, two local chefs — both raised in Puerto Rico — are giving their own spin on the jibarito. Alejandro Gonzalez and Enrique Ortiz, cooks at Honey Butter Fried Chicken, a popular dining spot in Avondale, have been inseparable since kindergarten in San Juan and have an opportunity to serve the food they grew up cooking. On Sept. 26, they'll launch a one-night pop-up called Monchomoncheo at Honey Butter. They'll serve a tidy menu of special jibarito-inspired sandwiches and fried Puerto Rican cheese, known as queso el país. The pop-up continues Honey Butter owners Josh Kulp and Christine Cikowski's practice of supporting endeavors by their own employees. A portion of proceeds will be donated to World Central Kitchen's hurricane relief efforts.

Eater Chicago

4) Surveillance video shows relative pushing 3-year-old boy into water off Navy Pier. A 3-year-old boy left in critical condition after being rescued from Lake Michigan near Navy Pier Monday was pushed into the water by a relative. The boy was pulled from the lake around 1 p.m. near the 700 block of East Grand Avenue. He went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to Lurie Children's Hospital in "very critical condition," fire officials said. The relative initially told responding officers she was only a witness to the drowning, then claimed she was holding the boy's shirt and let him fall into the water. Surveillance video shows the woman pushing him toward the edge of the pier and tossing him into the water. The boy wasn't expected to survive. The woman was taken into custody, but no charges have been announced.

Chicago Sun-Times

5) Meet Chicago's Rat Patrol: The crew riding very tall, custom-made 'freak bikes' on city streets. A crew of underground punks have become known around Chicago for their very above-ground bicycles. For decades, members of local bike club Rat Patrol have caught stares on city streets for their "freak bikes," one-of-a-kind rideable art pieces handmade from scrap metal and trash collected in Chicago alleyways. Members have a "do-it-yourself" mentality, constructing trikes, choppers with extended handlebars, swing bikes, bucking broncos, kid's bikes stacked on top each other known as "small-talls," tall bikes and "anything you can think to put on wheels to push you forward," said Justin Grembowski, a member of Rat Patrol. The crew started in the late '90s when roommates Matt "The Rat" Bergstrom and Nathan Tolzmann would night bike in alleys, "challenging each other for who can spot the most rats," said Alex Wilson, an early Rat Patrol member. They started plastering "Rat Patrol" stickers around the city and handing them out at ride events. Word spread and the bikes got taller. Anyone is welcome to join, and the community is "welcoming, with queer and alternative punks who don't judge anyone," said supporter Comet O'Keefe. Group rides happen sporadically, usually starting at the Logan Square Monument or in Humboldt Park.

Block Club Chicago

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Today in Chicago:

  • Ravenswood Farmers Market at 4600 N Damen Avenue. (4 p.m.)
  • Italian Festival, Grazie Kick-Off Celebration at 3030 N. Broadway. (4 p.m.)
  • Film Screening: "Bohemian Rhapsody" at Gallagher Way. (6 p.m.)
  • BYOB Freaky Pottery at Color Cocktail Factory. (6 p.m.)
  • Chicago Chefs Cook For Tigray at The National Museum oof Puerto Rican Arts & Culture. (6 p.m.)
  • Connie Fairbanks Book Launch at Epiphany Center For The Arts. (6 p.m.)
  • Bicep at Cermak Hall. (6:30 p.m.)
  • Wednesday Night Live at Ainslie Arts Plaza in Lincoln Square. (7 p.m.)
  • Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field. (7:10 p.m.)
  • Secret Walls: Live Paint Battle at Subterranean. (7:30 p.m.)
  • The Mauskovic Dance Gand at Empty Bottle. (7:30 p.m.)
  • The Killers at United Center. (7:30 p.m.)
  • Wednesday Burlesque at Way Out. (8 p.m.)
  • Zucchero World Tour 2022 at Copernicus Center. (8 p.m.)
  • Bear's Den at Thalia Hall. (8:30 p.m.)


Social chatter:

  • First responders' yoga class: "Learn techniques to decompress in the Chicago's First Responders Yoga class. This fall, the free Chicago Park's wellness series returns to Oriole, Ridge & Park No. 571. For exact dates & times, visit https://bit.ly/ChiParksFirstRespondersYoga2022." (Chicago Park District via Facebook)
  • Chicago Blackhawks surprise Highland Park team: "After the tragedy in Highland Park in July, today was for the Highland Park Club Hockey team 🙌❤️" (Chicago Blackhawks via Facebook)
  • Chicago Cubs: Little leaguers to big leaguers: "Little Leaguers ➡️ Big Leaguers 'The other day, we were talking about a time we were playing together as kids, and I said, 'And look where we're at now. We're on a professional team together, here.'" -Javier Assad" (Chicago Cubs via Facebook)
  • Jack's Pumpkin Pop-Up returns: "The two-acre pop-up, back for its fifth year, will feature a field of pumpkins, family-friendly fall activities and three bars with festive food and drinks." (Block Club Chicago via Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! See you all tomorrow for your next update.

— 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 often find me reading to my two-year-old daughter, watching a tv series with my husband or cuddling with our special needs dog.

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

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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