Daywatch: Dispatches from Route 66

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2 days ago

Good morning, Chicago.
Our Route 66 road trip began at the end, at the famed fishing pier jutting out into the Pacific Ocean.
On a breezy Sunday afternoon, the first day of June, a steady stream of visitors waited their turns to pose with one of the pier's most popular attractions: a Route 66 sign, perched on a pole 12 feet above the wooden planks, advertising the spot as the 'end of the trail.'
Except, it's not really the end. That distinction resides a mile east, at Lincoln and Olympic boulevards, the 'official' end of a route that since its decommissioning in 1985 does not officially exist.
Read the full dispatch from Tribune reporter Jonathan Bullington and photojournalist E. Jason Wambsgans. Have a suggestion for a stop along their drive? Share it with us.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including the future of a grocery tax in Chicago, the Fire calling dibs on The 78 and our picks for the best food and drink festivals to attend this summer.
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Elon Musk blasted President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' of tax breaks and spending cuts as a 'disgusting abomination' yesterday, testing the limits of his political influence as he targeted the centerpiece of Republicans' legislative agenda.
As the city gets set to borrow $518 million for infrastructure projects and $92 million more toward Mayor Brandon Johnson's massive affordable housing plan, aldermen and the mayor's team argued yesterday over which of them are to blame for recent credit downgrades that will end up costing taxpayers more.
Mayor Brandon Johnson is pushing aldermen to add a city grocery tax in Chicago as the long-established state grocery levy expires.
Johnson's top finance leaders urged aldermen to implement the tax soon during a meeting of the City Council's Revenue Subcommittee. Failing to install the tax would blow an additional $80 million hole in Chicago's 2026 budget as the city already faces a budget gap of around $1 billion, Budget Director Annette Guzman said.
A parade of witnesses in Michael Madigan's recent corruption trial — including Madigan himself — insisted there were airtight protocols in place to avoid any potential conflicts of interest between the powerful Democratic House speaker's public duties and his private job as a property tax attorney.
But in asking a federal judge to sentence Madigan to 12 ½ years in prison, prosecutors wrote in a lengthy court filing Friday that in reality he was working behind the scenes to exert his unmatched political powers to help his own bottom line.
A new report on hemp-derived THC highlights growing concerns over its safety, legality and impact on health — even as Illinois lawmakers have failed again to keep the products away from children.
The report by the University of Illinois System Institute of Government and Public Affairs notes that the lack of regulation of hemp means there is no state oversight of ingredients, potency or marketing to kids.
The black-crowned night heron is the world's most widely distributed species of its kind, found on every continent except for Australia and Antarctica. But it's been endangered in Illinois since the 1970s as the population has declined across the Great Lakes region because of human harassment and disappearing wetlands.
For the last 15 years, however, Chicago has become a popular summer hub and the location of the last remaining breeding colony of the species in the state, specifically atop the red wolf enclosure at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Hundreds of black-crowned night herons flock there starting in mid-March every year, migrating from nearby Indiana and Kentucky, and from farther away like Louisiana, Florida and Georgia, and more recently, even Cuba.
There may be a few more balls in the air at The 78 than just the Chicago Fire's proposed $650 million soccer stadium.
In the wake of the announcement that the Fire's privately financed, 22,000-seat stadium could open for play before the 2028 MLS season, the White Sox said they are still considering building their proposed new ballpark at the South Loop site as well, potentially creating a new pro sports nexus in Chicago.
Column: Did the Fire just call dibs on The 78? Or are the White Sox's ballpark dreams still alive?
Editorial: Soccer-loving Joe Mansueto comes through for Chicago and its Fire
In his soft-spoken but businesslike manner, D'Andre Swift offered four words yesterday regarding his outlook for the 2025 season: 'Excited about this year.'
Swift shared that sentiment after the first of three Chicago Bears minicamp practices at Halas Hall and at the end of a response to a question regarding his reflections on 2024.
The movement du jour is for a museum to describe its offerings as 'immersive.' It's become a cliché, but it does nod to a cultural trend that predated, then was amplified by, the pandemic: Experiences, not exhibitions, are coaxing folks off their couches and into cultural institutions.
That trend crops up in our museum preview this year. In fact, some of these suggested events don't even take place within the confines of their host institution.
Festivals are one of the best parts of summer in Chicago, ranging from blowout concerts to small neighborhood parties. Food and drinks are key to any celebration, but sometimes they're the real headliners. The city and surrounding suburbs host annual bashes including burger competitions, beer and wine tastings, and celebrations of vegan fare. Enjoy the weather by heading to one of these 30 festivals.