Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about an eight-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
— Matt Moore (@MattKenMoore)
Weather 🌤️
This afternoon will see showers and potentially severe thunderstorms with a high near 64 degrees. Expect similar weather tonight with a low near 36. Tomorrow will see some rain and snow with a high near 41. Sunday will be mostly sunny and breezy with a high near 57.
Top story
Secret ‘risk rankings’ unfairly target struggling customers for faster gas, electricity cutoffs, consumer groups say
Illinois electric and gas companies are quietly sorting their customers into different “risk” categories that could mean faster disconnections for people struggling to pay their bills and more leeway for those who aren’t.
Customers never see this information. It doesn’t appear on bills. But consumer groups are raising questions about whether the practice of “risk ranking” is fair, and state regulators are now taking a look.
With electric service, this customer sorting means households placed in ComEd’s “riskiest” categories — based on data such as payment history and length of time as a customer — could see their power shut off 16 days after being flagged for disconnection, compared with a more generous 40 days for customers who are considered less risky, according to a ComEd document shared with state regulators and obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Like ComEd, Peoples Gas and its sister company North Shore Gas, as well as the downstate electric and gas company Ameren, sort their customers into risk groups that are treated differently in the collections and disconnections process, documents show.
All four of those utilities use the same outside vendor to sort their accounts.
Nicor, which serves the Chicago suburbs and northern Illinois, says it uses its own in-house system “to evaluate eligibility and select customers” for potential disconnection.
Utilities say such algorithmic sorting processes — in use for years but only recently coming to light in documents filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission — are essential for managing collections and getting bad debt off their books.
They say nudging customers to pay their bills, by whatever method works best for each segment, helps everyone because bad debt write-offs are ultimately paid by other customers.
But some consumer advocates say routing people with a history of bill-paying problems onto a track with faster disconnections is unfair — especially when energy and natural gas bills are so high.
Stephanie Zimmermann explains more in her latest Watchdogs report.
More news you need
- In a ruling that comes just months after the 10-year anniversary of Hadiya Pendleton’s death, an appeals court has ordered a new trial for the man charged with gunning down the 15-year-old honor student. Our Andy Grimm explains the ruling.
- The newly indicted Donald Trump and his allies — in Illinois, most notably Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill. — are in overdrive trying to discredit the Manhattan prosecutor leading the criminal case against the former president. Our Lynn Sweet breaks down their efforts.
- Three projects with close ties to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s allies have landed $141 million in state funding, as part of the governor’s campaign to rebuild Illinois infrastructure. Illinois Answers Project’s Sandy Bergo and Chuck Neubauer look into the names attached to these projects.
- Chicago Housing Authority CEO Tracey Scott yesterday defended her decision to lease Near West Side land to the Chicago Fire soccer team. Scott also went a step further, saying the agency is open to more deals with businesses.
- Cook County lost 68,000 people between July 2021 and July 2022 — the second-greatest decline among all U.S. counties during that period, behind only Los Angeles County, which lost 91,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest estimates. Cook County’s decline, however, is not as sharp as last year’s (1.6%), thanks largely to international migration, according to demographers with the Census Bureau.
- Twenty years ago today, bulldozers sent by Mayor Richard M. Daley destroyed the runway at Meigs Field. The move was seen then and now as an example of mayoral overreach. WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers looks back on the day a Chicago airport was erased from the map.
Elections 2023 🗳️
Whether Brandon Johnson or Paul Vallas wins, the new mayor will have to work with the current police leadership to tamp down rising crime and implement sweeping court-ordered reforms. The candidates have presented vastly different plans to take on this daunting challenge.
Vallas, endorsed by Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police, has pledged to lean into “proactive” policing and has committed to filling more than 1,700 department vacancies to address what he has described as an “utter breakdown of law and order.” Although he has vowed to push forward with reforms, Vallas has sharply criticized a new policy limiting foot pursuits.
Johnson, a former educator and organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, says he wants to address the root causes of crime by investing in schools, jobs, housing and mental health services. But as the race has worn on, he’s walked back comments about defunding the police and recently said he won’t cut “one penny” from the Chicago Police Department’s budget. Our Frank Main and Tom Schuba have more on Johnson’s and Vallas’ plans.
Last night, the two candidates turned the national news of Donald Trump’s stunning indictment into political talking points at a WBEZ Sun-Times debate, one of the last public forums before Tuesday’s runoff election. WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel recaps the debate.
Before the debate, more than 100 Latino ministers gathered at New Life Family Center to rally behind Paul Vallas. The ministers took turns asking Vallas friendly questions about improving school safety and fighting violent crime on the CTA and in neighborhoods. Our Fran Spielman has more from the event.
After the debate, thousands packed the UIC Credit Union 1 Arena for a Brandon Johnson voter-turnout rally led by progressive icon Sen. Bernie Sanders and featured speakers like Martin Luther King III. The rally aimed to energize Johnson’s progressive base and increase turnout among younger voters. Our Emmanuel Camarillo details the rally.
A bright one ☀️
‘Golden Girls’ secrets: Assistants recall the stars’ habits, quirks and dislike of cheesecake
Nearly 40 years after its premiere, the show “The Golden Girls” is as beloved as ever. That affection will be on full display at this weekend’s “Golden-Con — Thank You For Being a Fan” convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk.
The second such gathering (more than 3,500 persons attended last year’s event) invites fans to celebrate their favorite show and its characters through memorabilia exhibits, special guest appearances, a vendor market, autograph sessions, live performances, trivia contests, and even specially themed cocktails (anybody for a Blanche’s Berry White Wine Spritzer or a Rose’s Rose Margarita?). And plenty of cheesecake.
For the first time, convention goers can meet and greet personal assistants to all four of the series’ stars: Dan Watt (Bea Arthur), Richard Weaver (Estelle Getty), Kiersten Mikelas (Betty White) and Dr. Melinda McClanahan (Rue McClanahan’s sister), for an insider’s glimpse into the actors’ lives.
Watt, who attended last year’s convention, worked for Arthur for five years (until her passing in 2009 at the age of 86). He said that unlike McClanahan, who made sure her show contract gave her ownership of all her costumes and shoes, Arthur kept nothing from the series, except for five scripts autographed by the cast (she gifted one to Watt).
“She never really looked back — not at ‘Golden Girls’ or ‘Maude,’ ” Watt said. “Bea was always looking ahead. She said there was no point in holding on to things past.”
Arthur and Getty were great pals off-screen, too, he said, much like Dorothy and Sophia in the series. “They’d chat every Friday by phone for three hours,” Watt said. “Bea would call her ‘ma’ just like on the show.”
Our Miriam Di Nunzio has more stories from Arthur’s and Getty’s assistants here.
From the press box
- That was quite the Opening Day! White Sox slugger Andrew Vaughn, whose clutch 2-run double lifted the team to victory last night, says he’s happy to be back playing first base after spending time at DH and in the outfield.
- Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews will return to the lineup tomorrow when the team faces the Devils.
- Whatever Bears GM Ryan Poles does from here, it all hinges on one thing: His commitment to Justin Fields, writes Jason Lieser.
Your daily question☕
Do you think the city needs more bike lanes? Tell us why or why not.
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Yesterday we asked you: What’s the best part about Opening Day?
Here’s what some of you said…
“The best part about Opening Day is it means spring is officially here, and summer is on its way!” — Rachel Cavalcante
“Opening Day is the day when anything is possible when we get ready to go down a road of 162 games filled with unexpected trials and tribulations — with dreams of making it an October to remember. On Opening Day, no matter what the expectations, anything is possible.” — Brian Berg
“It’s great that baseball is back, but that usually means six months of aggravation on both sides of town. The best part of opening day is it signals the end of winter.” — Howard Moore
“The excitement in the air. Hot dogs on the grill. And a ‘W’ on the scoreboard!” — Patti Schultz
“The energy in the air. Feels like hope.” — Johnny Moran
“Seeing our Cubbies on the field again. The excited fans, hearing the day’s lineup, pure joy! It’s been a long winter. Go Cubs Go.” — Sharron L. Graham
“Flying the W! And dancing on Clark Street!” — Amanda Marie
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