Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Monday, May 8, 2017.
- Emanuel launches new climate change section on the city’s website using information infamously deleted from EPA’s page
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has posted data about climate change from an Environmental Protection Agency page infamously deleted by President Donald Trump’s administration on a new City of Chicago website. “While this information may not be readily available on the agency’s webpage right now, here in Chicago we know climate change is real and we will continue to take action to fight it,” city officials wrote. Plans are to grow the website over the next few weeks. “The Trump administration can attempt to erase decades of work from scientists and federal employees on the reality of climate change, but burying your head in the sand doesn’t erase the problem,” the mayor said. [Politico]
- Eight people wounded, two people killed in mass shooting during memorial in Brighton Park
Eight people were wounded and two were killed during a memorial for a murder victim on the southwest side Sunday evening. Police believe that the shooting was gang related and was carried out in retaliation for an another shooting in Brighton Park. “I am thankful today that no innocent lives were lost, no children were shot, no police officers were shot,” alderman Raymond Lopez said. [Sun-Times]
- Sinclair Broadcasting Group buys Tribune Media
The Sinclair Broadcasting Group has purchased the Tribune Media Group for about $3.9 billion, according to Crain’s. The company already owns more local television stations in the U.S. than any other, and will now control more than a third of all local television stations in the U.S., including WGN TV. [The New York Times] [Crain’s]
- Report: Emanuel and Claypool clashing over CPS crisis
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool are increasingly at odds over the school district’s troubles. There’s speculation that Claypool’s days at CPS are numbered, according to the Sun-Times. “Tension is inherent in the situation that they’re in. Forrest Claypool . . . has strong opinions about what he thinks should and shouldn’t be done. And people in the mayor’s office have ideas,” alderman Pat O’Connor, the City Council’s education committee chairman, told the paper. “When you’ve got the stakes as high as they are, it’s gonna be tense, even if you are agreeing because, to some extent, you’re looking at walking off a cliff potentially.” [Sun-Times]
- Gang members helped identify suspects in police shooting
Two suspects in the shooting of two Chicago police officers were turned in by members of their own gang, according to authorities. Fellow members of the La Raza street gang identified 18-year-old Angel Gomez, who has been charged in the shooting, and another suspect who’s not in custody yet. Authorities say that the suspects most likely believed they were shooting at rival gang members, not police officers. “Everyone in the gang knew at that point that these guys did not shoot rival gang members, they shot officers,” Chicago police area central commander Brendan Deenihan told reporters. “At that point, these individuals cooperated with us and we were able to identify the driver and the shooter. We were able to arrest the driver of the van. He confessed to what he has done, and he’s charged as an adult. We are still looking for the shooter at this time. It’s a very active and ongoing investigation.” [Tribune]
- How the Cubs finally pulled off their World Series win
CBS News’s 60 Minutes profiled the Chicago Cubs and explored how the team president Theo Epstein’s five-year master plan to win the World Series worked. Not only did Epstein look for great hitters instead of great pitchers, he searched for players with character. “Because baseball’s a game with a ton of adversity inherent in it,” he said. “And players that tend to respond to adversity the right way and triumph in the end are players with strong character. If you have enough guys like that in the clubhouse, you have an edge on the other team.” [60 Minutes]