Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Thursday, October 6, 2016.
- Weather: Another warm day
Thursday might be one of the last days of the year with temps in the 70s, with a high of 77 and a low of 66 expected. There’s a decent chance of rain throughout the morning, however. [AccuWeather]
- City Council approves new Civilian Office of Police Accountability
At Wednesday’s City Council meeting aldermen approved Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to replace the Independent Police Review Authority with a new Civilian Office of Police Accountability Wednesday. IPRA head Sharon Fairley will remain in charge until a civilian review board chooses a new permanent leader for COPA, according to the Sun-Times. “This is not the end, but it’s an important step forward toward the improvements we all seek,” the mayor said. “I think we have made a difference.” [Sun-Times]
- Poll: Challenger Tammy Duckworth leads Senator Mark Kirk by 14 points
A new poll shows Democratic U.S. rep Tammy Duckworth leading Republican incumbent Mark Kirk in the Illinois Senate race, with 48 percent to Kirk’s 34 percent. The poll, conducted by the Paul Simon Institute at Southern Illinois University, also shows Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ahead of Donald Trump in Illinois, 53 to 28 percent, and Chicago city clerk Susana Mendoza leading incumbent GOP state comptroller Leslie Munger by a good margin, though 22 percent of voters remain undecided in that race. [Crain’s Chicago Business]
- Aldermen want to remove honorary ‘Trump Plaza’ designation
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has his own honorary street sign in Chicago, “Trump Plaza,” near the Trump International Hotel and Tower in River North. Led by Alderman Brendan Reilly, 47 City Council members signed on to an ordinance that would remove the designation because of his “hateful and racist campaign against immigrants and minorities.” “We’ll put the sign back up when he releases his taxes,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel joked to reporters Wednesday. [DNAinfo Chicago]
- University of Chicago to install its first and only statue of a woman
Georgiana Simpson was one of the first African-American women to earn a PhD when she graduated from University of Chicago in 1921. She’ll now be the first woman with a statue at the university. A bronze bust of Simpson will be placed in the Reynolds Club—which used to allow only white men—in early 2017. “I think it’s very significant to have Dr. Georgiana Simpson’s bust in that building to symbolize not only the different triumphs, but also to have a more unifying factor that Georgiana Simpson’s history is as important as the other alumni that we honor,” student Shae Omonijo told WBEZ. [WBEZ]
- Former Jazz Record Mart owner opens Bob’s Blues & Jazz Mart
Formerly the world’s largest jazz and blues record store, Jazz Record Mart closed earlier this year, but its longtime owner, Bob Koester, is now opening a new store, Bob’s Blues & Jazz Mart. Koester, 84, says he’s excited about his new venture, at 3419 W. Irving Park—”I’ve even got 400 or 500 classical LPs,” Koester, who’s also the founder of Delmark Records, told the Tribune. [Tribune]