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Good afternoon! I spent the weekend watching the nephews. My husband and I got a bunch of Nerf guns, left them outside with a sign saying choose your weapons and then went mano a mano with the boys. Heres what you need to know today.

The surprise destruction of Meigs Field holds a special place in Chicagos lore, an astonishing moment that symbolized the citys bare-knuckled politics and then-Mayor Richard M. Daleys iron grip on power at City Hall.

Daley made it clear who ran the city when he ordered the destruction of Meigs Field on Northerly Island without alerting the City Council, the statehouse or the Federal Aviation Administration, writes my colleague Courtney Kueppers.

While the demolition of Meigs Field may be fading from the citys collective memory, historians and political experts say it should be a reminder of the need to have checks and balances on mayoral power.

It was seen as a dictatorial ploy by the mayor to get his way, said Dick Simpson, a former alderman who is a political science professor emeritus at the University of Illinois Chicago. This was the first big move of simply doing what he wanted to do. [WBEZ]

We are just days away from the April 4 election, and the race between Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson to become the citys next mayor appears to be close.

Both candidates on Thursday will appear at a forum hosted by WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.

The forum, which will be moderated by Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons, is free and will begin at 6 p.m. at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at UChicago. If you cant attend in person, the forum will be streamed online. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin endorsed Vallas over the weekend, saying the former schools chief will be a bridge to uniting the good people in this city. [Chicago Sun-Times]

And the Rev. Al Sharpton appeared with Johnson at an election rally in West Garfield Park. [Chicago Sun-Times]

City officials have long argued that getting guns off the street will help solve Chicagos stubbornly high level of violence, resulting in authorities focusing on possession crimes.

But these tactics have not substantially reduced shootings in Chicago, reports The Marshall Project. In fact, as possession arrests skyrocketed, shootings increased, but the percentage of shooting victims where someone was arrested in their case declined.

The nonprofit newsroom reviewed nearly 300 arrest reports to understand the tactics police use to find guns.

Among their findings is that police made more than 38,000 arrests for illegal gun possession between 2010 to 2022, with Black men paying the price for this failed war on gun violence. [WBEZ]

It feels like every spring comes with at least one tornado in the Chicago area.

And thats been on my mind a lot lately with the news coming out of the South, where at least 25 people were killed after a powerful tornado tore through parts of Mississippi and Alabama.

While years of research has shown climate change intensifies rain storms, heat waves and hurricanes, the same cant be said for tornadoes, NPR reports.

Scientists know that warm weather is a key ingredient in tornadoes and that climate change is altering the environment in which these kinds of storms form, the station reports.

But they cant directly connect those dots, as the research into the link between climate and tornadoes still lags behind that of other extreme weather events such as hurricanes and wildfire. [NPR]

At age 40, Im past the midway point of the U.S. life expectancy of 76 years old. What a great time to be alive.

The nations falling life expectancy is getting more attention as research shows the maternal mortality reached a new high in 2021 and mortality rates are rising among U.S. children and adolescents, reports NPR.

So whats behind this troubling dynamic? Are we just not eating well or is there something about the U.S. thats bad for your health?

As NPR reports: Yes, Americans eat more calories and lack universal access to health care. But theres also higher child poverty, racial segregation, social isolation, and more. Even the way cities are designed makes access to good food more difficult. [NPR]

I am wearing my camo Crocs in the newsroom as I read that sales of the slip-on shoes are up nearly 200% since 2019, reports The New York Times.

I roll into the gym with my Crocs on and everything, and people ask, Arent you going to change shoes? one recent convert told the newspaper. No, this is how Im going to live life for now.

Crocs saw a surge in popularity during the pandemic that hasnt faded, with its stock soaring 167% since January 2020. [New York Times]

The road construction season is upon us, as you can tell from the traffic on the Kennedy. How do you cope with traffic headaches? Do you turn to podcasts and, if so, which ones?

Feel free to email me. And let me know if youd like to be included in an upcoming report on how people are handling recent traffic disruptions.

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The Rundown: The most Chicago thing happened 20 years ago - WBEZ Chicago

Joe Tacopina, the lawyer representing former President Donald Trump in his Stormy Daniels hush money case, got into it with an NBC News host over the weekend.

Tacopina was a guest on Meet the Press with NBC host Chuck Todd on Sunday morning, and while the two were discussing the former presidents case, the lawyer told the host he was being petty while they went back and forth about his clients legal troubles.

Trump and his lawyers have maintained that he was not aware of any payments being made to Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.

The case came to a boiling point last weekend when Trump took to his social media platform and announced he was going to be arrested and indicted in connection to the hush money case. Since then, Trump has repeatedly levied attacks against the lead prosecutor in the case, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

During his appearance, Tacopina expressed that he isnt a supporter of Trumps decision to blast the district attorney on social media. One post showed Trump holding a baseball bat alongside an image of Bragg.

Im not his social media consultant, Tacopina said. I think that was an ill-advised post that one of his social media people put up, and he quickly took down when he realized the rhetoric and the folder that was attached to it.

On Sunday, Tacopina also spoke with Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC about the post, doubling down that the Trump took it down and that someone on his team had posted it.

Sharpton responded with a quick whip, asking if it would be okay if he stabbed him in the back, as long as he took the knife out.

Bragg and his office have been probing how the payments made by the Trump Organization were documented on the companys books. Todd asked Tacopina about this, suggesting that Trump wasnt honest in his personal ledger, when it comes to payments marked legal fees that he said were instead reimbursement to Cohen for paying Daniels the hush money.

The lawyer appeared to be upset with the line of questioning, starting a back-and-forth between the two men.

But what was he supposed to put in his personal ledger? Tacopina threw back at Todd, following his question. Seriously? What would he put in his personal ledger? Uh, payment for hush money to, um, quiet, uh, an affair I claim I never had so my family doesnt get embarrassed. Is that what he should put in his ledger? Theres nothing wrong with

How about the truth? Todd said, cutting Tacopina off. You keep saying, what should be in the ledger? Should it be the truth?

The lawyer responded by saying, Chuck, would you ever put a four-paragraph sentence to a ledger?

Youre being a little bit petty when youre looking at this now because there is no filing obligation, he continued. You can put whatever you want in your personal ledger.

Tacopina continued with Todd, insisting the payments Trump made to his former lawyer were not tracked incorrectly on his part.

It was legal fees that was invoiced by Michael Cohen, who arranged this on his own, with his own money, initially, Tacopina said. Took out a loan, literally, resolved this without the president knowing, came back, and then sent a bill in for four times the amount over the course of a year it was paid off.

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Trump's lawyer spars with NBC host over hush money case - KMOX

DINWIDDIENationally renowned civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver a speech at Irvo Otieno's memorial in a mental health tragedy that has reached national stage.

On March 6, Otieno died of apparent suffocation while in custody at Dinwiddie's mental health hospital. Video footage shows seven Henrico sheriff's deputies and three Central State employees holding him down at different points while he was shackled on his hands and feet for approximately 12 minutes. One sheriff had his knee on Otieno's neck.

Otieno is so completely covered by deputies and staff that only glimpses of him can be seen in the first 20 minutes of the video: the top of his head for a moment, a twitching foot.

More:Dinwiddie prosecutor releases video showing officers, staff covering Otieno; grand jury indicts 10 suspects

The death of Otieno, 28, comes amidst national reckoning after George Floyd's death, who also died of suffocation when police pinned him down for 17 minutes. One officer had his knee on his neck, not allowing him to breathe after multiple objections.

"Did you not understand putting a knee on somebody's neck who's handcuffed after George Floyd is not a good thing, that it could lead to someone's death?" said attorney Ben Crump who represented Breonna Taylor and Floyd. He is also representing Otieno's family. "You all had to know you were killing him."

The suspects indicted are deputies Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45; Bradley Thomas Disse, 43; Randy Joseph Boyer, 57; Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37; Tabitha Rene Levere, 50; Brandon Edward Rodgers, 48; and Kalyell Dajour Sanders, 30; and hospital employees Darian M. Blackwell, 23, of Petersburg, Wavie L. Jones, 34, of Chesterfield, and Sadarius D. Williams, 27, of North Dinwiddie.

Dinwiddie County prosecutor Ann Cabell Baskervill has charged the seven sheriffs deputies as well as three employees of the hospital with second-degree murder.

More:Why was Irvo Otieno treated with such brutality? Family still searching for answers.

Otieno was born in Kenya and moved to the U.S. when he was four years old. He was an aspiring hip hop artist who could write a song in minutes. He was working on producing a record label under the name "Youngvo." His mom referred to him as thepeacemaker in the family,"a humble man whom others looked to for help, a leader that cared that people were treated right.

He spent a majority of his life in Virginia and attended college in California, where problems with his mental health first started to surface, according to the Richmond Times Dispatch. Though he battled with mental illness, his mom said that even in mental distress, he did not have a record of violence.

"Mental illness should not be your ticket to death. That was a chance to rescue him. There was a chance to stop what was going on. And I don't understand how all systems failed him," his mother Caroline Ouko said.

The date and time of his funeral has not yet been released.

More:Mother of Irvo Otieno 'happy' with indictments of deputies, hospital staff charged in his death

More:Dinwiddie judge denies defense motion for gag order in Irvo Otieno murder case

More:GoFundMe account for Central State patient's family sets $100K for funeral, other expenses

Joyce Chu, an award-winning investigative journalist,is the Social Justice Watchdog Reporter for TheProgress Index. Contact her with comments, concerns, or story-tips atJchu1@gannett.com or on Twitter @joyce_speaks.

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Civil rights leader Al Sharpton to deliver eulogy for Irvo Otieno who ... - Progress Index

By Citizen Staff | on March 22, 2023

Al Sharpton

Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, has been invited by the family of Irvo Otieno to eulogize Otieno.

Sharptons National Action Network made the announcement Tuesday afternoon.

Otieno, 28 of Henrico, died March 6 at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County while being restrained by a group of Henrico Sheriffs deputies. Dinwiddie County Commonwealths Attorney Ann C. Baskervill said in court that Otieno died by asphyxiation, but defense attorneys have challenged that assertion.

Seven deputies and three former employees of the hospital now face second-degree murder charges in Otienos death.

Video of Otienos final moments was released Monday. He had been taken from the Henrico jail to the hospital for evaluation after a mental health episode.

Trustworthy, non-partisan local news coverage is a vital component of our democracy its why the press is the only private institution mentioned by name in the Constitution. But it costs money to keep a newsroom like ours alive, and we no longer can rely upon advertiser support alone.

Thats why were asking readers like you to support our independent, fact-based journalism. We know you value it you wouldnt be here otherwise. Help us keep this critical source of fair coverage alive in Henrico County.

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Sharpton invited to give Otieno's eulogy - The Henrico Citizen - Henrico Citizen

By Denise Lavoie and Sarah RankinAssociated Press

RICHMOND, Va. As a video was released publicly this week showing sheriffs deputies and employees of a Virginia mental hospital pinning Irvo Otieno to the floor, attorneys for several of the defendants charged with second-degree murder in his death began to weigh in to defend their clients.

During bond hearings and through statements, lawyers sought to distinguish their clients from the mass of bodies involved in holding Otieno to the floor for over 10 minutes.

One said in court that his client only worked to secure leg irons on Otieno, while another said his client put his body weight on the man for just a short period of time and then tried to position Otieno on his side so he would not have trouble breathing.

Some defense attorneys also said their clients were only trying to restrain Otieno and there was no evidence of an intent to kill the 28-year-old Black man as deputies sought to have him admitted to Central State Hospital on March 6.

At no time did he realize that Mr. Otieno ... was in any danger whatsoever, said attorney Caleb Kershner, who represents one of the seven Henrico County deputies who have been charged, along with three hospital employees.

But Otienos family and their lawyers, including prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, pushed back against any attempt to minimize the role they say individuals in the crowded room played in Otienos death.

During a press conference Tuesday evening, family attorney Mark Krudys quoted some of the language used by defense counsel during bond hearings earlier that day, including a description of Otieno as being in obvious need of medical attention.

Despite that they piled on him, Krudys said. Ten individuals.

Krudys and Crump said the defense attorneys were offering excuses for what the video showed while trying to cast Otieno, who was shackled and handcuffed, as combative.

They are trying to say ... Well, he was struggling. Well, he was still resisting.' No he wasnt. He was trying to breathe, Crump said at the news conference, which was punctuated by sobs from Otienos mother.

Otieno's family has said he was brutally mistreated not only at the hospital where he died but also while in law enforcement custody beforehand.

Otieno, whose family said he had long-running mental health struggles, was initially taken to a Richmond-area hospital by police for psychiatric care March 3. But after authorities said he became combative, he was criminally charged and transferred to the jail. His family says he was denied access to needed medication during his time there.

News outlets obtained video this week of the events that preceded Otieno's death at the state mental hospital in Dinwiddie County. The prosecutor had previously shown the footage, for which there is no audio, to Otieno's relatives and attorneys.

According to timestamps, an SUV carrying Otieno arrived at the hospital just before 4 p.m. March 6.

In court, defense attorneys said that before he arrived there he was resistant. One said it took approximately 12 officers to get Otieno out of his cell at the jail.

Video from the hospital shows that nearly 20 minutes after the SUV's arrival, officers remove Otieno from the vehicle and escort him inside. He appears to be upright but hunched over.

By 4:19., a different camera shows him being forcibly led into a room with tables and chairs. He is hauled toward a seat and eventually slumps to the floor, first seated and then lying flat.

An increasing number of people become involved in holding Otieno down. At times his shirtless body is obscured by the sheer number of bodies or by someone standing front of the camera.

Steve Benjamin, a Richmond criminal defense attorney who serves as special counsel to the Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee and is not involved with the case, said the video by itself is not enough to determine the criminal culpability of the deputies or hospital workers.

We don't know if those who were observing were saying to the deputies, Get off him, he cant breathe.' We don't know if he was saying he couldn't breathe or if he was threatening violence to those who were trying to restrain him. We simply have no idea," Benjamin said.

Our reaction to that video is human and natural, he said, but it doesn't go very far in answering the question of, was there a criminal offense committed here?

In Virginia case law, second-degree murder is generally defined as the malicious killing of another, meaning the conduct must be so likely to cause death or serious injury that it demonstrates utter and callous disregard for life.

The first charges in the case were announced last week against the deputies, followed by the hospital workers two days later. Dinwiddie Commonwealth's Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill said in an email Wednesday that while she doesn't have additional charges in the pipeline, the state police investigation remains ongoing.

A separate investigation into the events preceding Otienos death at both the hospital and the jail is also ongoing, according to Henrico County Commonwealths Attorney Shannon Taylor.

All 10 defendants have been granted bond and have pre-trial hearings set for late April or May.

Final autopsy findings have not been released. Baskervill has said in court that Otieno died of asphyxiation, though some defense attorneys have raised the possibility that injections administered at the hospital may have played a role.

The Rev. Al Sharpton has been asked to deliver the eulogy at Otieno's funeral, his National Action Network said Wednesday. Details have not been announced.

EARLIER:Video released after 7 Va. deputies charged with second-degree murder over in-custody death

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Attorneys for Va. deputies charged with murder over in-custody ... - Police News