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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Matt Moore

Trump’s tax refund win, the Chicago Fire’s new training facility and more in your Chicago news roundup

Trump Tower in the Loop. (Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file)

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 be sunny with a high near 51 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear as the temperature dips to a low near 36. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for a mostly sunny day and a high near 65.


Top story

Trump wins $1 million property tax refund on his namesake Chicago skyscraper

Former President Donald J. Trump and co-owners in his namesake Chicago skyscraper are now set to get $1 million in property tax refunds that they’ve been seeking for years.

That’s after the Illinois Appellate Court agreed that the Trump International Hotel & Tower was overvalued by the Cook County assessor’s office and the Cook County Board of Review a dozen years ago.

The refunds will come out of the property taxes due this year to the city of Chicago and eight other government agencies. The Chicago Public Schools system stands to lose the most money — about $540,000.

The Cook County treasurer’s office will begin preparing approximately 339 refunds totaling $1 million for the skyscraper’s hotel rooms and condo spaces after a three-member appellate court panel on Monday rejected an appeal by the Cook County Board of Review. 

The appeals court ruled in favor of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, a state agency that in June 2021 found that county officials had overvalued the commercial portions of the skyscraper in 2011.

The ruling has no impact on the Trump Tower residential condos.

Justice Mary Ellen Coghlan wrote in the 13-page ruling that the state agency’s decision in favor of Trump came after the Board of Review and its lawyers from the Cook County state’s attorney’s office had presented “no expert testimony in support of its estimation of value” for the skyscraper. 

Our Tim Novak has more on Trump’s tax refund win.


More news you need


A bright one

Black-owned cafe opening West Side locations: ‘An investment in peace’

Decorated with a large mural featuring titans of Black cinema, Momentum Coffee in North Lawndale doesn’t look like most cafes.

The beans from a local Black roaster and actress Pam Grier looking down from a mural on the wall are a MacGuffin for what the Black-owned coffee shop is really about.

“Our mission has always been to create spaces in underutilized communities,” said Tracy Powell, who owns the cafe with his spouse Nikki Bravo.

The North Lawndale cafe, on Ogden Avenue across from the Sinai Medical Center, is their fourth and the first on the West Side. The others are in the South Loop, Englewood and downtown. It’s a needed oasis in the West Side neighborhood, an area with few bars, restaurants or other cafes.

Co-founders Nikki Bravo and Tracy Powells pose for a portrait at their Momentum Coffee shop at 2644 W. Ogden Ave in North Lawndale yesterday. (Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times)

The menu includes espresso drinks, teas, smoothies and sandwiches. The cafe also sells equipment for making coffee at home. The decor was inspired by its proximity to Cinespace Chicago Film Studios and the predominantly Black neighborhood. It opened in late February.

Powell hopes it can become a buzzy cafe, but for him, a cup of joe is just a way to welcome folks to the place.

“Once you get in the door, then you can see what kind of stuff we have going on,” Powell said.

For Powell, the idea is to create a space where community can form and for community programs, including the adult entrepreneurship programs and youth technology education classes hosted by Powell and Bravo’s nonprofit, Ignite Technology and Innovation.

More on Momentum Coffee and its co-founders from our Michael Loria.


From the press box 🏈⚾


Your daily question☕

Tomorrow is “take your child to work day,” so we want to know — do you and your little one plan to participate? Have you ever participated before? What was that like?

Email us (please include your first and last name) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday we asked you: What’s a local tourist attraction that, as a Chicagoan, you actually love?

Here’s some of what you said…

“The Architectural Boat Tour. It shows you Chicago from an angle you can only see on the tour, allowing you to appreciate the towering majesty of each skyscraper and the uniqueness of each structure. It’s a ‘duck’s eye view.’” — Dave Clarkin

“Wrigley Field — the best baseball stadium in the country!” — Jim Grosse

“People come from all over the world to view our city’s lakefront, and I love it so much that I ride my bike on the Lakefront Trail six or seven days per week, 52 weeks per year.” — Gene Tenner

“The Lincoln Park Zoo. I love walking through there, especially in the spring, when the flowers are blooming. I also love the contrast of seeing wild animals with the cityscape while walking south through the zoo.” — Derek M.

“Manny’s Deli is a local tourist attraction because of all the famous politicians who have eaten there. I am a regular at Manny’s because I love the pastrami, the short ribs and the matzoh ball soup.” — Kathy Posner

“Many have already mentioned the boat tours but don’t leave out the Chicago Riverwalk. Sitting near the river with an adult beverage and watching is such a summer delight!” — Ginna G. 

“Buckingham Fountain. It is the city’s icon more than anything else. Its hourly high spray is itself an event. Fabulous views of the Downtown skyline and the lake. It’s also a meeting point for those in Grant Park, where its cooling spray offers relief in warm summer weather. Featured on the intro to the sitcom ‘Married, with Children’ and it should be shown frequently on this summer’s NASCAR race, which will surround it.” — Roger D.

“Sitting at the lakefront in Grant Park watching sailboats — beautiful and peaceful.” — William Bleecker

“The Lakefront. I have lived in many cities including DC, Houston and the St. Louis area suburbs. Not one city can compare to the miles of lakefront that Chicagoans are blessed to have. I miss it the absolute most now that I’ve moved away. Nothing beats the lakefront.” — Tisha Mills 

“The Chicago Cultural Center, hands down. Although I may be biased because I work there.” — Jennifer B.


Thanks for reading the Chicago Sun-Times Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

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