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🌱 Metra's New Real-Time Tracking System + South Side Mom Goes Viral

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Good morning! In today's Chicago Daily, we'll cover this and more:

  • 🚇 Metra rolled out a new real-time tracking system for commuters
  • 🚗 According to a study, Chicago is the most congested city in the U.S.
  • 🎮 A South Side mom went viral after finding her daughter on Roblox to discuss dinner

🌧️ The weather:

An a.m. shower; mainly cloudy. High: 45 Low: 37.

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📰 Top 5 stories in Chicago:

1) Study: Chicago is most congested city in the country, second in the world. According to a study by Inrix, Chicago traffic is the most congested in North America, followed by Boston and New York. The average Chicago driver lost 155 hours sitting in traffic last year, up from 104 hours in 2021. The only city more congested is London. This is the second year in a row that Chicago has held the top spot in the U.S. (WGN-TV)

2) Cop linked to Proud Boys should be fired, West Side leaders say. During a community meeting yesterday in the Austin neighborhood, Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) joined Rev. Marshall Hatch and other faith leaders to call on Police Supt. David Brown to fire Officer Robert Bakker, who was suspended last year after lying about his ties to the far-right, white supremacist group. Leaders say the suspension is not enough. (ABC 7)

3) Metra rolls out new tracking system for commuters, CTA makes changes to improve service. The real-time tracking website allows riders to see where trains are and when they'll reach the station. There is also a trip planner. The tracking system cost $26.7 million and requires GPS tracking devices and other equipment on more than 1,000 rail cars and in 238 stations. The CTA also announced changes to the schedules on nearly half of its bus routes, intended to provide more reliable service. (Chicago Tribune)

4) Probe of nonprofit halts millions in HIV, COVID research funds at Cook County Health. After nine months, research staff at CORE Center, based in the Near West Side medical district and one of the nation's leading HIV/AIDS research centers, may lose their jobs as they continue to wait for Cook County Health officials to investigate "concerns" about Hektoen Institute for Medical Research, a nonprofit that handles medical research grants. (Chicago Sun-Times)

5) South Side mom finds daughter on Roblox to ask her to defrost lasagna for dinner. When Chariel "Cha Cha" Watson needed to get ahold of her 11-year-old daughter, Miracle, but she wasn't answering the phone, Watson found her on Roblox and asked her to take lasagna and garlic bread out of the freezer to thaw for dinner. Watson shared the in-game dialogue on social media and was shocked by how quickly it went viral. (NBC 5)

📌 Today in Chicago:

  • ABC7 Great Chicago Blood Drive at various locations (7:00 AM)
  • Chicago Boat Show at McCormick Place (2:00 PM)
  • Golden Hour feat. Roya Naldi at Epiphany Center for the Arts (5:00 PM)
  • 2023 Silver Skates Speed Skating Competition at McKinley Park (5:15 PM)
  • Mosaic Creations at Color Cocktail Factory (5:30 PM)
  • Andy Brown & Friends - Swing to Bop: From Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker at Winter's Jazz Club (7:30 PM)
  • Tamikrest at Old Town School of Folk Music (8:00 PM)
  • Jason Kane & The Jive at Reggies (8:00 PM)
  • Chris Barron of Spin Doctors at SPACE (8:00 PM)
  • Good Vibes Only feat. Just Nesh: Red Shoe Comedy Jam at The Promontory (8:00 PM)
  • Kabir Dalawari at FitzGeralds Sidebar (9:00 PM)
  • Gag! The Pageant at Berlin (10:00 PM)

📱 Social chatter:

  • $800 art books return: "Independent Chicago bookstore owner's Tweet venting over $800 return goes viral. (Chicago Sun-Times)
  • Emmett Till: "The new book A Few Days Full of Trouble details the long struggle of the Chicago teenager's family to get legal accountability for his brutal murder. Here's what we learned." (Chicago magazine via Instagram)
  • Lion cub births: "Three cheers for Zari - yesterday evening, African lion Zari gave birth to THREE cubs! Zari's maternal instincts kicked right in and she's been tending to them. All three cubs appear active and have begun to nurse which are critical first milestones.
  • To provide privacy, the animal care and veterinary team monitored the delivery via remote cameras. The sex of the cubs is currently unknown as we continue to give Zari her privacy. Zari and the cubs will remain behind-the-scenes for several weeks as they continue to grow in size and strength." (Lincoln Park Zoo via Facebook)
  • #1 for bed bugs: "Chicago again tops the list of America's top 50 bed buggiest cities. The city finished atop the rankings for the second straight year as ranked by Orkin, which bases cities on residential, commercial property." (Chicago Patch)
  • Coca-Cola at Wrigley: "For the first time in more than 40 years, coca-cola products will be sold at Wrigley Field." (NBC 5)
  • "The Move": "Photo of Michael Jordan's "The Move" up for auction." (CBS Chicago)

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— 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 our rescue dog.

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

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