Good afternoon! What a gorgeous, cozy day in the Chicago area. My dogs, Princess Leia and Sassy, spent hours sleeping on top of each other on the couch. Anyway, here’s what you need to know today.
1. A woman shot during a White Sox game did not bring a gun into the stadium, her lawyer says
A lawyer for the 42-year-old woman, who was shot in the leg, said in a statement that she “denies bringing a firearm into the stadium” or “having anything to do with” the shooting.
The statement comes as law enforcement sources say police are investigating whether the woman entered the ballpark with a firearm, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Interim Police Superintendent Fred Waller told reporters earlier this week that investigators have “almost completely dispelled” a theory that the shots were fired from outside the stadium.
Authorities have provided few details surrounding the shooting of two women during Friday’s game between the White Sox and the Oakland A’s.
Among the big questions is how police officers were able to determine there was no active threat at the stadium — where more than 21,000 people had gathered — when they can’t explain how the women were shot. [Chicago Sun-Times]
2. Felony charges were dropped against a man two years after city officials suggested he planned a mass attack
Keegan Casteel was visiting Chicago in 2021 with his girlfriend and two children when a hotel worker discovered a semi-automatic rifle, a pistol and ammunition in his room overlooking Navy Pier.
Then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot Lightfoot called the seized guns “weapons of war.” And David Brown, the city’s police superintendent at the time, said Casteel’s arrest “likely prevented a tragedy from happening.”
But prosecutors dropped all felony charges against Casteel this week. And no evidence was ever produced in court files that Casteel had anything nefarious planned when he was arrested, my colleague Matthew Hendrickson reports.
Casteel said he had brought the guns by mistake while packing quickly the night before making the trip with his girlfriend and his two children. He decided to keep the items in his room. [Chicago Sun-Times]
3. An Illinois law allows dying and disabled Illinois prisoners to be released. But a state board denies a majority of those requests.
The law, formally known as the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act, was touted by Gov. JB Pritzker and his fellow Democrats as a pivotal criminal justice reform.
Lawmakers estimated hundreds of people incarcerated would be released thanks to the act, which was signed into law in 2021.
But so far only 52 people have been released. Behind the lower-than-expected number is the Prisoner Review Board, a state body appointed by Pritzker.
The board has denied nearly two-thirds of medical release requests from prisoners who met the medical criteria to get out of prison.
Among them is Phillip Merritt, a 71-year-old man held at the Western Illinois Correctional Center. He has lost the ability to speak due to dementia.
“I couldn’t believe it,” his brother said. “How could they deny him? He can’t even talk!” [WBEZ]
4. Labor Day weekend kicks off jazz season in Chicago
Summer may be reaching its unofficial end, but it’s an exciting time for jazz fans, WBEZ contributor Robert Loerzel writes.
In the weeks ahead, Chicago hosts three jazz festivals, starting with the blockbuster Chicago Jazz Fest this weekend.
The downtown Jazz Fest, which has been a tradition since 1979, brings in big-name touring artists while also showcasing local talent.
“It’s a wide variety of different genres, from New Age to Afro-Cuban, Latin jazz and a little bit of avant-garde,” said John Foster, managing director of programs and education initiatives at the Jazz Institute of Chicago.
Loerzel spoke with several jazz aficionados for recommendations on whom to catch at Jazz Fest — and what other music events fans of the genre should not miss this month. [WBEZ]
5. In Chicago, sex, glitter bombs and a radical reimagination of the classic cabaret
“Screaming and cheering at a Joffrey Ballet performance might get you tossed out sans refund; doing the same at a Fly Honeys show, one cast member says, might get you a date for the night,” WBEZ contributor Brittany Sowacke writes.
Sowacke recently stopped by a rehearsal of The Fly Honeys, an all-gendered group challenging what people may think of burlesque.
The Fly Honeys have been around since 2009, putting on shows at small venues and within the city’s underground performance scene.
But now they’re taking the dance party to the mainstage in a four-night run at Thalia Hall, beginning tomorrow. [WBEZ]
Here’s what else is happening
- The center of Hurricane Idalia is crossing into Georgia after making landfall in Florida. [NPR]
- A judge ruled Rudy Giuliani is liable in a defamation lawsuit from two Georgia election workers. [AP]
- Two Chicago firefighters were lured into a basement where the floor was covered in gasoline, police say. [Chicago Sun-Times]
- Here’s a look at when Illinois residents can visit Chicago’s museums for free this fall. [Block Club Chicago]
Oh, and one more thing …
Like a lot of kids in the ’90s, I watched Batman: The Animated Series, which introduced one of the most popular, modern characters in the Batman universe — Harley Quinn.
So I was sad to hear about the recent death of Arleen Sorkin, the voice and inspiration behind the beloved baddie who, as Vulture writes, rivals Wonder Woman as comics’ biggest female icon.
Here’s a look at how Harley Quinn came about, thanks in part to an old VHS tape of a Days of Our Lives episode. [Vulture]
Tell me something good ...
I’ve been thinking a lot about the fall, probably because we all just survived a brutal heat wave. What are some of your favorite things to do in the fall?
Joyce Miller Bean writes:
“My favorite fall ritual is to have a glass of sherry and to read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on our back porch in early October before the weather gets too chilly.
“My parents gave me a children’s version of Washington Irving’s marvelous tale when I was 9, and from then on and after I graduated to the adult version, it has been as much a part of fall for me as the turning leaves.”
Monica Schrager writes:
“Watch the leaves change color, the slight chill in the air, pumpkin decorating, and apple picking.”
And Bizzy writes:
“My favorite thing to do in fall is to listen to Vince Guaraldi’s It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown soundtrack. To me, fall sounds like ‘The Great Pumpkin Waltz.’ It’s nostalgic and I love walking through a yellowing neighborhood and listening to that cozy jazz.”
Feel free to email me, and your response might be shared in the newsletter this week.
