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šŸŒ± Cook County Repeals Wheel Tax + CPS Enrollment Continues To Decline

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(Patch Media)

Hi! I'm back with your fresh edition of the Chicago Daily. If you enjoy reading this newsletter, scroll to the bottom to find out how to share it with friends, neighbors and advertisers to help keep us going. Now, on to the news you need to know right now, including:

  • 🏫 Chicago Public School enrollment declines for 11th year
  • 🏗️ Logan Square Athletic Club could come to old Grace's Furniture building
  • 🚓 Chicago Police Department recruiting amid nationwide officer shortage

But first, the weather:

Some sun, then clouds. High: 63 Low: 56.

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Top 5 stories in Chicago:

1) Chicago school enrollment declines for 11th year. Chicago Public School enrollment is down by roughly 9,000 students from last year, marking the 11th consecutive year of declines. Total enrollment has declined by 82,000 in a decade to about 321,000 for the current school year. There are fewer kids in CPS, but almost $2 billion in additional funding. Only 21% of students in 3rd through 8th grade scored as proficient in reading and 16% in math for 2020-2021, the last school year for which student test score data is available. "If our mayors, including this one, can't keep Black families from leaving by supporting and funding Black communities and educating Black children, then they have failed Black people," Chicago Teachers Union President Stacey Davis Gates said. Davis Gates is right that if a family can't afford to live in Chicago, they'll leave regardless of the local school's funding. However, bigger budgets with worse proficiency means more funding is no magic fix.

Illinois Policy

2) Cook County repeals wheel tax, following moves by some suburbs to end vehicle sticker fees. Starting June 30, 2023, about 50,000 drivers living in unincorporated Cook County will have one fewer tax to pay. The Cook County Board voted yesterday to do away with its so-called wheel tax. For most residents, it cost $80 or $100 a year, based on the size of the vehicle. Semis, tractors and buses paid anywhere from $100 to $230, depending on weight. The county has collected an average of $3.6 million a year from the tax in recent years. Doing away with the charge will save about $500,000 in annual administrative costs, including 80,000 staff hours. Those staff hours will be directed elsewhere. The unanimous vote means the county has "permanently" ended its vehicle registration fines and fees. Sponsored by Commissioner Kevin Morrison and supported by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the aim of the change was to eliminate "a regressive tax that has been a burden on county residents," Morrison said in a county news release.

Chicago Tribune

3) Grade schoolers excited about book donations during Bernie's Book Bank crosstown charity walk. "I'm going to read them all when I get home," said Isaris Ramos, a sixth grader at Jahn Elementary in Lake View. Volunteers from non-profit Bernie's Book Bank passed out bags of free books yesterday during the "Walk As One Chicago" fundraiser, a 20-mile circular route that began at Guaranteed Rate Field. Volunteers stopped at elementary schools along the way to promote book ownership and literacy. The annual event, now in its third year, grew out of a dare given on-air to ESPN Chicago host David Kaplan after the start of the pandemic. "I was talking about how divided we are," Kaplan said. "And I hated it." Kaplan's producer dared him to do a unity walk across the city. "And I said that's a great idea." Kaplan started searching for a worthy charity and landed on Bernie's Book Bank. The organization has provided children with more than 22 million books since the charity began in Lake Forest in 2009. It serves kids from preschool to sixth grade, and hands out about 300,000 books annually to 900 schools in Chicago and collar counties.

Chicago Sun-Times

4) Chicago police recruiting amid nationwide officer shortage. The Chicago Police Department is looking to beef up their ranks during a nationwide shortage of officers amid soaring crime rates. "We have our recruiters not just scouring the city of Chicago, but we are around the nation," said Sgt. Nathaniel Myles, CPD Recruitment and Retention. Malcolm X College on the Near West Side is one of seven locations giving in-person exams this week to become a Chicago police officer. The push is part of a nationwide effort to recruit more people because the Chicago Police Department is desperate for more officers. The first step in joining the next graduating class from the Chicago Police Academy is to sit for the in-person exam. Applicants must be between 21 and 39-years-old and be physically fit. They must also have 60 credit hours or military or law enforcement experience. To find future graduates of the police academy, CPD has expanded who's eligible. They're not just looking for those with college credits or law enforcement and military backgrounds. People in trades are welcome, too.

FOX 32 Chicago

5) Logan Square Athletic Club could come to Grace's Furniture building after boutique hotel plan scrapped. Redevelopment of the old Grace's Furniture building in the heart of Logan Square has taken yet another turn as the developers behind the long-delayed project have dumped city-approved plans to open a boutique hotel on the site. Now, Blue Star Properties and Marc Realty are looking to redevelop the site into a mixed-use project with Logan Square Athletic Club as its anchor tenant, said Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th). The gym would operate under the Chicago Athletic Club brand, which has several locations in the city, including in Bucktown, Lincoln Park and the West Loop. A restaurant/cafe is planned for the first floor. The proposal still needs landmark and zoning approval and is under review by neighborhood group Logan Square Preservation, Ramirez-Rosa said. The Logan Square Athletic Club proposal looks similar to the hotel project. If approved, the facade of the building will be restored. The developers are also working toward preserving the original Grace's Furniture sign.

Block Club Chicago

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Today in Chicago:

  • Yoga for Adults at West Lawn Branch Library (9:30 AM)
  • Brick-or-Treat Monster Party at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Chicago (10:00 AM)
  • Jack's Pumpkin Pop-up at 1265 West LeMoyne (4:00 PM)
  • Avrom Farm's Chicken & Waffle Pop-Up at Judson & Moore Distillery (4:00 PM)
  • West Town Art Walk (5:00 PM)
  • Revolution Oktober Fest at Revolution Brewing Taproom (5:00 PM)
  • 312 Block Party at Goose Island Fulton Street Brewery (5:45 PM)
  • Deadmau5: We Are Friends Tour at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom (6:30 PM)
  • Kulturküche: Decorating Lebkuchenherz at DANK Haus German American Cultural Center (6:30 PM)
  • Here Come the Mummies at House of Blues (6:30 PM)
  • "Fiddler on the Roof" at Civic Opera House (7:00 PM)
  • Mosaic Tiles: Moroccan Style at Art Camp Chicago (7:00 PM)
  • Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field (7:10 PM)
  • Pavement at The Chicago Theatre (7:30 PM)
  • WBEZ Presents: Choir! Choir! Choir! at Francis W. Parker School (8:00 PM)
  • Ben Platt: The Reverie Tour at Wintrust Arena (8:00 PM)
  • The Laser Comedy Show at Bughouse Theatre (10:00 PM)

Saturday:

  • Revolution Oktober Fest at Revolution Brewing Taproom (12:00 PM)
  • Jack's Pumpkin Pop-up at 1265 West LeMoyne (12:00 PM)
  • West Town Art Walk (12:00 PM)
  • Leaning into Silence: Fall Equinox Yoga & Meditation Workshop at Bloom Yoga Studio (2:00 PM)
  • 312 Block Party at Goose Island Fulton Street Brewery (4:30 PM)
  • Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field (6:10 PM)
  • Ben Schwartz and Friends at The Chicago Theatre (8:00 PM)

Sunday:

  • The Nickelodeon Big Nate Bus Tour at Daley Plaza (11:00 AM)
  • Jack's Pumpkin Pop-up at 1265 West LeMoyne (12:00 PM)
  • Chicago Bears vs. Houston Texans at Soldier Field (12:00 PM)
  • Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field (1:10 PM)
  • Disney Junior Live On Tour Costume Palooza at The Chicago Theatre (4:00 PM)

Social chatter:

  • Classic car show: "Are you going to the classic car show near 63rd and Narragansett on Saturday, October 1 (1 to 4 pm)? Great! You won't want to miss it! . Before you head over there, stop off at the diamonds at nearby Hale Park--just steps northeast of where the car show is--and see another Chicago classic: a 16-inch softball tournament! . Some of the best players in the city will be slugging it out in an all-day men's tournament hosted by two great non-profits: Brotherhood For The Fallen and Our CORPS Charity." (Southwest Chicago Post via Facebook)
  • Woman who pushed nephew in lake denied bail: "The woman was denied bail after prosecutors said she pushed her 3-year-old nephew into the lake." (Block Club Chicago via Facebook)
  • "Sea Sick" gallery: "When our guests are viewing "Sea Sick," they appear to be actively swallowed by the blue depths in the paintings of Colonial-era ships at sea, making for a piece that surrounds the viewer until they nearly cannot look away. Just as this piece implies a nauseatingly fathomless ocean, the reverberations of chattel slavery in the United States still exist" (Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago via Facebook)

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You're all caught up for today. I'll see you around!

— 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

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