This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

🌱 Loyola's Sister Jean turns 103 + All about Chicago sports peppers

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

Nicole Cvetnic's profile picture
Nicole Cvetnic, NeighborVerified User Badge
(Patch Media)

Happy Monday! I'm here with your fresh copy of the Chicago Daily, filled with everything you need to know about what's happening in town. Follow along for the latest.

📚 As schools reopen today, Chicago Public Schools struggles to fill 500 new jobs

🌶️ Sport peppers: The pickled hot pepper you can only find in Chicago

🏀 Former Bulls star Horace Grant plans to sell his championship rings

First, the weather:

Mostly sunny and less humid. High: 78 Low: 64.

👀 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 today:

1) At 103 years young, Loyola's Sister Jean, Bobblehead remain a hot item. Sister Jean celebrated her 103rd birthday yesterday, two days after the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame released a new dashboard mini bobblehead and holiday ornament that will likely grace the Christmas trees of the Loyola faithful this holiday season. But four years after Sister Jean became an international celebrity when Loyola's men's basketball team made a Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2018, Sister Jean merchandise remains as popular as ever.

Patch

Bonus: Loyola CTA Plaza renamed after Sister Jean to celebrate her 103rd birthday

2) Bears sign fullback Jake Bargas following team's injury loss. With David Moore's season officially over in Chicago, the Bears have chosen to add some blocking help out of the backfield. Yesterday, the team announced that its placed its offseason acquisition at wideout on the injured reserve and added fullback Jake Bargas. Undrafted out of North Carolina, Bargas is a 6-2, 250-pound back who has spent the last two seasons with the Vikings.

The Spun

3) Sport peppers: The pickled hot pepper you can only find in Chicago. "Dragging through the garden" refers to the Chicago tradition of piling hot dogs with vegetables. A true Chicago-style hot dog has pickle spears, tomato slices, chopped onions, sweet relish, yellow mustard, celery salt, and pickled sport peppers. That last addition throws many people for a loop, as sport peppers are unfamiliar to virtually everyone not from Illinois. Yet many insist it is the most important ingredient on the dog.

Tasting Table

4) Horace Grant plans to sell championship rings: NBA world reacts. One of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls teammates is reportedly parting ways with his championship rings. According to a report, former Bulls star Horace Grant is selling his three NBA championship rings. The rare items come from the Bulls' first 3-peat in 1991, 1992 and 1993 -- when Grant played a key role alongside Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The rings could fetch more than $100,000.

The Spun

5) As schools reopen today, CPS struggles to fill new jobs aimed at helping students recover from pandemic learning loss. As schools nationwide grapple with a teacher shortage, Chicago Public Schools officials say they are set to at least maintain last year's staffing levels when the district's 300,000-plus students return today, but they're falling short in hiring for newly created positions meant to help kids recover from the pandemic. The latest district data shows most of the more than 500 new interventionist positions created haven't been filled.

The Chicago Sun-Times

Happenings around Chicago:

  • High Tea Chicago: A Queer Marketplace & Variety Show (3:00 PM)
  • Film Screening: The Batman at the Avalon Branch Library (4:00 PM)
  • Documentary Screening: Can We Cool the Planet? at the Humboldt Park Branch Library (5:30 PM)
  • Fleet Feet Running Club Lincoln Square (6:00 PM)
  • Botanical & Fruit Cider Tasting at ERIS Brewery and Cider House (6:30 PM)
  • Chris Redd at Zanies Comedy Club (7:00 PM)
  • Cardinals vs. Cubs at Wrigley Field (7:05 PM)
  • Jackie Greene at City Winery (8:00 PM)
  • Sierra Ferrell at Lincoln Hall (8:00 PM)
  • Confused House at Punch House (9:00 PM)

Chatter:

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

Events:

  • Lowered Costs for 2022, Get Your Cannabis Card in 24hrs from Home! (August 22)
  • Social Security Seminar (August 22)
  • Emmy-winning W. Kamau Bell & bestselling author Kate Schatz in Conversation (August 23)
  • Add your event

You're officially in the loop for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with a new 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?

More from Chicago