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Community Corner

🌱 Chicago Pickleball Tournament + Children's Medication Shortage

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

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Good morning! Thanks for checking out today's Chicago Daily. In your guide to local stories:

  • ⛪ The Chicago Archdiocese clears Rev. Michael Pfleger of abuse claims
  • 🏓 Meet the Chicagoan who wants to build a Pickleball empire
  • 💊 With respiratory illnesses on the rise, children's medications may be hard to find

☁️ The weather:

Mostly cloudy. High: 40 Low: 32.

📰 Top 5 stories in Chicago:

1) 3 killed, 1 critically wounded in shooting outside Northwest Side bar. The shooting happened just before 2:30 a.m. following a birthday party at Vera Lounge in the Portage Park neighborhood. An argument inside the bar spilled into the street and a man fired shots and fled in a dark-colored SUV. Ricky Vera, 50, was pronounced dead at the scene. His daughter, Maria Vera, 25, is listed in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head, and two of Maria's friends—Mercedes Tavares, 24, and Mario Pozuelos, 26—died at the hospital. No one is in custody.

CBS Chicago

2) Church officials clear Chicago priest Pfleger of abuse claim. Rev. Michael Pfleger has been reinstated as leader of St. Sabina Catholic Church after being cleared by church officials of allegations that he sexually abused a minor decades ago. Pfleger had stepped away from his duties as pastor in October as the Chicago Archdiocese's Independent Review Board investigated the claim. The board found "no reason to suspect" Pfleger was guilty of the allegations.

Associated Press

3) This Chicagoan wants to build a Pickleball empire. While Chris Clark was furloughed from his corporate job during the pandemic, he decided to launch Toss & Spin, a racket sports business to encourage more people to play tennis and pickleball. Now, he plans to host the first ever pickleball tournament played inside an NBA arena. Anyone who buys a ticket to the Dec. 30 Chicago Bulls game can opt into Clark's pregame pickleball clinics played in the United Center atrium or tournament on the basketball court between shoot-arounds.

Block Club Chicago

4) With respiratory illnesses on the rise in Chicago, health care providers warn children's medications may be hard to find. With cases of COVID, RSV and influenza surging, pharmacies are experiencing low inventory, rising prices and soaring demand for medications such as amoxicillin, Tylenol and Tamiflu. Caregivers either have to visit another pharmacy or seek alternative medications, creating a lag in patient care. The FDA has said the agency is working with manufacturers and retailers to fix the shortage.

Chicago Sun Times

5) Santa Claus delivers gifts to families of fallen Chicago police officers. Santa Clause joined the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation this weekend to help bring Christmas joy to families of Chicago police officers killed or catastrophically injured in the line of duty. Presents from Macy's on State Street were delivered to 13 families across the city. The annual Operation Santa event is an effort by CPD to display their commitment to families that made the ultimate sacrifice for their community.

ABC7 Chicago

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📌 Today in Chicago:

  • Integrative Perspectives in Remote Sensing for Archaeology and Heritage Preservation in Afghanistan virtual event (9:00 AM)
  • "Tyler Perry's a Madea Christmas" at Bessie Coleman Branch Library (12:30 PM)
  • Resilience Series 2022 at Chicago Cultural Center (6:00 PM)
  • Bite Me Bambi with Run And Punch at Reggies (7:00 PM)
  • Blue Monday feat. Toronzo Cannon at SPACE (8:00 PM)
  • A Day To Remember at The Chicago Theatre (8:00 PM)
  • Andrew Bird's Gezelligheid at Fourth Presbyterian Church (8:00 PM)
  • Black Earth Sway: Nicole Mitchell at The Promontory (8:00 PM)
  • Daddy Yankee: La Última Vuelta World Tour at Allstate Arena (8:00 PM)
  • The Monday Musicquarium with D2H at Punch House (9:00 PM)

📱 Social chatter:

  • Imani's Original Bean Pies: "Imani Muhammad opened her store this summer, 15 years after she started selling her bean pies in stores across the city. "We make food for the soul."" (Block Club Chicago via Facebook)
  • Humboldt Park: "What are Humboldt Park's housing needs? Give input at city's listening session Tuesday." (Block Club Chicago)
  • Lawrence Ave. Streetscape: "Work is underway on the Lawrence Ave Streetscape! Today CDOT joined Alderman Andre Vasquez, 40th Ward Chicago & Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the start of the project that stretches from Western to the Chicago River and will create a more walkable, inviting street that supports economic development." (Chicago Department of Transportation via Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today.

— 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 my special needs dog.

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

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