Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Friday, August 4, 2017. Have a great weekend!
- IPRA reopens investigation into 2014 fatal police shooting of a 19-year-old
The Independent Police Review Authority is reopening an inquiry into the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old Roshad McIntosh in Lawndale on August 24, 2014. According to the news site, police at the time said that McIntosh was part of group being questioned by officers when he tried to flee, and that after he pulled a gun, he was shot three times in the chest by one of the eight policemen on the scene. The original IPRA report found that “an officer with similar training and experience . . . would reasonably believe that [McIntosh] posed [an] immediate threat to his or her safety,” and closed the case. But witnesses told McIntosh’s family that he was unarmed and on his knees with his arms up when he was killed, and the family has since filed a federal lawsuit based on those grounds. The Cook County state’s attorney initially declined to file charges in connection with his killing, but after “a thorough review of the investigative file,” has now found “sufficient reason to reopen the case for further investigation,” according to IPRA spokeswoman Mia Sissac said. The case is one of several that have been reopened in the 20 months since the Laquan McDonald tape was released, but IPRA is still scheduled to be replaced by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s new Civilian Office of Police Accountability in September. [DNAinfo Chicago] [Tribune]
- J.B. Pritzker’s health-care plan involves letting anyone buy into Medicaid
Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker’s health-care plan includes establishing a “public option” called IllinoisCares, which would allow Illinoisans to buy into Medicaid at cost. “It is clear that the cost to Illinois families will be competitive with plans being offered in the private insurance market,” he said. Another benefit, he pointed to is that since Medicaid is already in every county, it avoids the problems of health insurers pulling out or people facing a declining number of coverage plans, adding that “if Republicans in Washington are ever successful in repealing the ACA, it would become even more necessary.” Two of Pritzker’s Democratic rivals in the governor’s contest. 47th Ward alderman Ameya Pawar and state senator Daniel Biss both responded negatively to the proposal, each saying that it doesn’t go far enough and that they support a statewide single-payer health care system. [Tribune]
- Emanuel will reappoint Lori Lightfoot as head of police discipline board
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is going to reappoint Chicago Police Board president Lori Lightfoot to a two-year term as head of the police discipline board, despite her recent criticisms of his backing away from a formal consent rule that would put CPD under the oversight of a federal judge. At a Wednesday meeting with her—the first since April 2016, she’d noted publicly—the mayor, who’s been widely criticized for backpedaling, made it clear that he wants the police board to make at least some of the reforms outlined in the Department of Justice report on the police department. [Tribune]
- Study: Growing up in a violent neighborhood affects sleeping and learning for children
Children growing up in violent neighborhoods have trouble sleeping and higher stress levels, according to a study from researchers at Northwestern University, DePaul University, and New York University. It could also affect learning. “Past research has found a link between violent crimes and performance on tests, but researchers haven’t been able to say why crime affects academic performance,” the study’s lead author, Jennifer Heissel, said. “Both sleep and cortisol are connected to the ability to learn and perform academic tasks; our study identifies a pathway by which violent crime may get under the skin to affect academic performance.” [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Manhunt for Northwestern professor wanted in River North murder intensifies
Law enforcement has launched a national manhunt for Northwestern University professor Wyndham Lathem and University of Oxford employee Andrew Warren, who are both wanted for the murder of Trenton Cornell-Duranleau in River North July 27. “Our search will only intensify,” Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted. “Prof Latham [sic] & Mr Warren, do the right thing & turn yourself in to any police dept.” Lathem and Warren were last spotted in a 2007 gray Hyundai and are believed to have left Illinois. But according to Guglielmi, police have an idea of where they might be, and the search is narrowing “by the hour.” [Tribune] [Sun-Times]
- Where to find where to eat and drink at Lollapalooza
Eater Chicago has compiled a list of the best places to grab grub and a drink at Grant Park at this weekend’s Lollapalooza festival, from Pilsen’s Dia de los Tamales and Evanston favorite Edzo’s Burger Shop. [Eater Chicago]