Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Monday, June 19, 2017.
- Husband of alderman and major Emanuel donor facing fines for improperly lobbying the mayor through private emails
A major donor to Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the husband of alderman Sophia King are facing “hefty fines for lobbying the mayor through his private emails but failing to register as lobbyists,” according to the Sun-Times. Neither Emanuel donor and friend James Abrams nor Obama family friend Alan King have yet registered as lobbyists. The fines, which could reach more than $750,000 for King and $773,000 for Abrams, will be determined by the Chicago Board of Ethics during a July 17 meeting. [Sun-Times]
- TripAdvisor names the Chicago architecture boat tours the most popular in America
The architectural boat tours along the Chicago River beat out Grand Canyon tours and the tours to the State of Liberty as the most popular in the U.S., according to travel site TripAdvisor. Several different companies operate boats along the river, but TripAdvisor singled out Shoreline Sightseeing tours. More than 54 million tourists visited Chicago in 2016, setting a new record for the city. [Curbed Chicago]
- 50 Chicago Public Schools students flying to Nicaragua, Ecuador for free courtesy of United and Boeing
United Airlines and Boeing are flying 50 Chicago Public Schools students to Nicaragua and Ecuador for free. Students from Kenwood Academy, Lindblom Math & Science Academy, Morgan Park High School, and Walter Payton College Prep, who are part of the Global Glimpse after-school program, received scholarships from the companies to make the trip. The first group of students flies to Nicaragua Saturday, and the second group will fly to Ecuador in July. [DNAinfo Chicago]
- South-suburban man charged with hate crime for threatening voice mail
South-suburban resident Marvin Meyer has been charged with a hate crime for leaving a threatening voice mail for Sufyan Sohel, the deputy director and counsel for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago. “Hey, this is America calling,” the voice mail said, according to the Sun-Times. “You are not welcome here. Take your f***ing s*** back to Syria. We will kill you. F*** Democrats. We will kill you. You are not welcome here. Get out. Take your f***ing Muslim law, F*** Allah. Jesus Christ is the only God there is.” [Sun-Times]
- Chance the Rapper is bringing sign language interpreters on tour
Chance the Rapper wants to make sure his deaf and hard-of-hearing fans have a chance to enjoy his concerts as much as anyone, so he’s bringing American Sign Language interpreters on his tour. ASL interpreters already joined him during his June 14 concert in Tampa, Florida. [Pitchfork]
- Popular Prague restaurant that delivers beer by toy train opening Chicago outpost
The owners of the popular Výtopna restaurant in Prague are planning to open their first U.S. location in Chicago as soon as the end of the year, according to the Associated Press. The restaurant, famous for serving food and drinks via toy trains, serves about 1,500 drinks a day. “We were looking for an interesting place in the United States, and we ended up in Chicago,” owner Petr Fridrich told the AP. “That we wanted to start making beer added to our decision. There is a large German community, they know what it [beer] is about, and a significantly large space was available. At the moment, we are finalizing the last details of the rent contract.” [DNAinfo Chicago]