Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Tuesday, April 26, 2016.
- Weather: Colder and cloudy
A cooldown starts Tuesday with a high of 55 and a low of 45. It will be cloudy and a bit windy. [AccuWeather]
- Former U.S. House speaker Dennis Hastert sued by one of his accusers
A man identified in court records as Individual A has sued Dennis Hastert for breach of contract, claiming that Hastert hasn’t paid him all the hush money he agreed to in exchange for keeping quiet about alleged sexual abuse. (Individual A has also alleged that the former House speaker molested him when he was 14.) Hastert plead guilty in 2015 to bank fraud charges. His sentencing hearing is set for Wednesday. [ABC7 Chicago]
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And the U. of C. distances itself from wrestling coach’s show of support for Hastert
Meanwhile, the University of Chicago is distancing itself from a letter the school’s head wrestling coach sent to a federal judge in support of Hastert. Coach Leo Kocher praises Hastert for challenging the U.S. Department of Education on Title IX. He wrote the letter earlier this year, before the molestation allegations came to light. [Deadspin] [Inside Higher Ed]
- Blaine Elementary School parents not happy with principal’s sudden removal
Blaine Elementary School parents say they weren’t consulted before principal Troy LaRaviere was “reassigned” during spring break. The Blaine Local School Council “is outraged that CPS has removed our award-winning principal without due process—they have not told him, nor us, what charges he is facing,” the group said in a statement. LaRaviere has been a highly vocal critic of Mayor Emanuel’s school privatization efforts, going so far as to appear in a campaign ad for Bernie Sanders over the issue. It’s not surprising, then, that one parent told the Sun-Times she believes the move was “politically motivated.” [Sun-Times]
- Rauner authorizes $600 million in emergency funding for Illinois universities
Illinois’s public universities, especially Chicago State University, have been struggling amid the ongoing state budget impasse. It seemed that Chicago State and other schools might even be forced to close—but now they’ll have the money to stay open until the fall. Governor Bruce Rauner signed a bill Monday that will send the universities $600 million in much-needed funding. [NBC Chicago]
- Nonprofit brings north-side residents to Englewood for the first time
Many north-siders have never been to Englewood, and don’t realize that there’s a lot more to the south-side neighborhood than the gun violence depicted on the news. That’s why the community organization My Block My Hood My City hosted an “Explore Englewood” event Saturday to show off the neighborhood’s food and culture, and to help “erase the stigma,” according to the group’s founder, Jahmal Cole. Cole hopes events like this will connect the city and help change the narrative about the neighborhood. [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Taste of Chicago music lineup revealed: Elle King, the Decemberists, and others
In addition to food, the annual Taste of Chicago features free concerts at the Petrillo Music Shell. This year’s lineup includes indie wordsmiths the Decemberists, and “Ex’s and Oh’s” songstress Elle King will be headlining the festival July 7 and 8. [Tribune]