Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Monday, February 15, 2016. Happy Presidents’ Day!
- Weather: It finally warms up!
After a weekend of snow and bitter cold, we get a much-needed break with a high of 34 and a low of 27. It will remain cloudy all day. [AccuWeather]
- Chicago becomes a player in presidential race with Sanders office
Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders opened a campaign office in the Loop Saturday. It didn’t feel right that, after Chicago served as headquarters for Barack Obama’s two successful presidential campaigns, no current candidate had opened even a small office here till now. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton is also eyeing possible office sites in the city ahead of the March 15 primary. [NBC Chicago]
- People love or hate the soon-to-be-gone McDonald’s across from Wrigley Field
There’s no doubt that during baseball season the McDonald’s near Wrigley Field is one of the most, um, active spots in the city. To honor the infamous Wrigleyville location of the fast-food chain, which closes on March 1 so a hotel can be built on the site, DNAinfo Chicago rounded up some of the most entertaining Yelp reviews of the restaurant, negative and positive. Only a couple more weeks to “enjoy your cold food while you stare at a wall hailing Sammy Sosa’s steroid-fueled home run derby,” as one reviewer says. [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Axelrod recalls Scalia’s interesting SCOTUS nomination suggestion
Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away over the weekend, and former senior advisor to President Obama David Axelrod didn’t have much in common ideologically. But Axelrod recalls that Scalia suggested to him that the president appoint the justice’s liberal friend Elena Kagan to the court. What do Kagan, Axelrod, and Scalia have in common? The University of Chicago, where Kagan and Scalia taught and Axelrod, who attended the school as an undergrad, now directs the Institute of Politics. [CNN]
- Snowplow driver shot at by another driver in West Garfield Park
Snowplow drivers are heroes to many during snowy weekends, but evidently not to all. A Chicago Streets & Sanitation Department snowplow driver was shot at by another driver who told him he wasn’t driving fast enough Sunday afternoon. [ABC7 Chicago]
- Charity group helps two homeless men leave Uptown for Phoenix
What Do You Need, a charity based in northwest Indiana that aids homeless people in the Chicago area, is helping two men leave freezing tents in Uptown for the warmth of Phoenix. Antonio Rainge and James Curry left Chicago on Sunday for the Arizona city, where they will receive job training and a new shot at life. [CBS Chicago]