Good afternoon! We made it to the end of what has felt like the longest month ever. Here’s what you need to know today.
1. Taxpayers are out more than $30 million on the University of Illinois’ scuttled South Loop project
That’s the amount taxpayers had to pay when the university pulled the plug on plans for its Discovery Partners Institute research hub at the sprawling 62-acre South Loop site being marketed as The 78, my colleague Tim Novak writes for the Chicago Sun-Times. The high-tech research facility was expected to give the city a significant economic boost.
The Discovery Partners Institute project is part of a multimillion-dollar state initiative to build innovation centers at public universities statewide and bring more people into technological and scientific research. The hope is they put their degrees to work in Illinois rather than elsewhere.
But university officials said they would turn instead to the quantum computing research park Gov. JB Pritzker wants to build on a vacant, 300-acre site at East 79th Street and South DuSable Lake Shore Drive that was once occupied by US Steel.
Deba Dutta, interim executive director of the Discovery Partners Institute, said the university’s decision came as construction costs continued to rise in the Loop, where there is an abundance of empty office space in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of the designs from the DPI project could transfer over to what the university will contribute to the quantum research park. [Chicago Sun-Times]
2. The Chicago Board of Education voted to increase what it can spend on legal fees as it faces the outgoing CEO in court
Initially, the board approved a $40,000 contract for firm Cozen O’Connor in mid-November, just two and a half months ago. That amount increased to $75,000 last night after a two and a half hour closed session board meeting, my colleague Sarah Karp reports for WBEZ.
While the amount is not much in the scope of a $9.8 billion budget, it shows costs are adding up in a leadership drama that has gripped Chicago Public Schools since the summer.
CEO Pedro Martinez has been at odds with the School Board and the mayor’s office for months. At its root is a bitter disagreement between the CEO and the mayor’s office over how to deal with a budget deficit and how to settle the Chicago Teachers Union contract. Martinez was terminated by the previous board without cause in late December, though he will stay on until June. [WBEZ]
Meanwhile, Martinez said yesterday he “can’t even imagine a need for a strike” despite unresolved disputes with the Chicago Teachers Union.
He touted tentative agreements for lower class sizes in the youngest grades, more planning time for special education teachers and funding for more “sustainable community schools.” But many of those deals were reached weeks or months ago, and the teachers union said there have been no new agreements since Dec. 24. [Chicago Sun-Times]
3. A conservative activist group is suing Bally’s for the casino’s minority investment program in Chicago
The American Alliance for Equal Rights filed the federal lawsuit, along with two white Texas men who are “excluded from the table solely based on immutable characteristics,” the suit states.
The program allows only women and people of color to invest in Bally’s Chicago casino. The 2019 state law authorizing a casino for Chicago required the licensee — later named as Bally’s — to prove it “used its best efforts” to ensure a quarter of casino ownership is held by people from diverse backgrounds. Proceeds were set to help fund the company’s permanent casino location.
Attorneys for the Alliance — which is tied to the organization that landed the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision halting affirmative action in higher education — argue Bally’s and government officials “have stacked the deck against” their white clients. The Texas men, Richard Fisher and Phillip Aronoff, “are interested in and able, ready, and willing to invest in Bally’s Chicago, Inc., but they cannot because of their race,” the suit states. “This race-based stock offering is illegal, and this court should declare it as such.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
4. Access Contemporary Music starts construction on the North Side’s first classical music venue
The performance venue will include a bar and a music school that will expand the nonprofit’s Chicago footprint, Abby Miller reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.
The site, at 4116 N. Clark St., is a former 7-Eleven that’s sat vacant for years.
ACM hopes the Lake View venue will help make classical music more accessible for people in the community. Shows will be more intimate, with opportunities to talk to musicians after performances. There are also plans to host events like open mic and game nights. [Chicago Sun-Times]
5. This Chicago-rooted producer is up for a Grammy for working with Beyoncé and Kacey Musgraves
Ian Fitchuk said the Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year came as a surprise, my colleagues Morgan Ciocca and Nudia Hernandez report for Vocalo.
This is not his first time in Grammy consideration — he’s actually won two already, for Kacey Musgraves’ 2018 album Golden Hour — but the producer and songwriter said he owes the recognition to countless collaborations with artists, engineers, songwriters and producers over the past two decades. In 2024 he worked with Musgraves again for her album Deeper Well and co-wrote “AMEN” on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter.
“I know it can be kind of a cliché, but I feel like I share that nomination,” he said. “It’s my name, but there’s so many people that I feel are attached to me in that honor.” [Vocalo]
Here’s what else is happening
- The Army is withholding the name of the Black Hawk helicopter crew in the Washington, D.C., crash, while two other victims were identified. [NPR]
- These are the biggest storylines to watch for at the Grammys this weekend. [NPR]
- Illinois’ green energy climate goals have been pushed back as demands prompt more fossil fuel use. [Chicago Sun-Times]
- Slow hospital transfers are costing lives in Illinois, a study found. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Oh, and one more thing …
Would you trust a groundhog to predict the weather? Every year on Feb. 2, millions of Americans look to a furry forecaster to determine whether winter will linger or if an early spring is on the way.
While Groundhog Day remains a fun tradition, meteorologists rely on data and computer models for more accurate forecasts. This year, the National Weather Service said it’s a toss-up whether Illinois will see an early spring.
The weather service said there is no strong temperature signal for February through April, meaning there are equal chances for above- and below-normal temperatures. However, precipitation is expected to be above normal for the upcoming months. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Tell me something good …
I don’t often eat at sit-down restaurants, but Chicago Restaurant Week always inspires me to add my list of places to try. So I’m wondering, what’s your favorite Chicago-area restaurant for a special occasion?
Lisa writes:
“One of my favorite restaurants which has been around for years is Bistro Campagne in Lincoln Square. The food is excellent and the atmosphere is all candles and twinkle lights. Their patio is so lovely, but the cozy inside seating doesn’t disappoint. We have done the pris fixe menu a couple of times. YUM.”
Christina writes:
“Best restaurant for a special occasion: Anteprima in Andersonville. The food is consistently fantastic and the atmosphere is festive and friendly. I’ve been a happy customer for over 15 years.”
Alison writes:
“My favorite sushi place in the Chicago area is just outside the city in Oak Park. It’s called Sen and it only has a few tables, so you have to either get there early or take your sushi to go, but it’s totally worth it.
My favorite Italian place just opened up a couple years ago in Forest Park and it’s called Piacere Mio. Great food in a great ambiance. I have a friend who says her husband could complain about a warm, sunny day, but even he had no complaints when she took him to Piacere Mio.”
And Francie writes:
“For out-of-town visitors, I choose Gene & Georgetti because it’s a classic Chicago steakhouse. For myself, all things being equal, I’d go to Maple & Ash for their seafood tower or parts thereof.”
Thanks for all the responses this week! I’m sorry I couldn’t include them all, but it was great hearing from everyone.