Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Monday, August 1, 2016.
- Weather: August begins with a beautiful Monday
It will be a perfect first day of August, with a high of 83 and a low of 72. The sun will be out, but there will be some clouds. [AccuWeather]
- CPD chief takes away police powers of three cops involved in fatal shooting
Chicago Police Department superintendent Eddie Johnson has stripped three officers of their police powers following a fatal shooting they were involved in Thursday night on the south side. Johnson watched videos of the shootings that left him with “more questions than answers,” according to the Sun-Times. [Sun-Times] [Associated Press via WBEZ]
- It’s no longer criminal to carry ten grams or less of pot in Illinois
Following the lead of 20 other states and Washington, D.C., Illinois has now decriminalized possession of ten grams or less of marijuana. Governor Bruce Rauner signed a bill into law that changed the punishment to fines of $100 to $200. Before the new legislation, the offense was a Class B misdemeanor that could result in jail time and fines of up to $1,500. [Sun-Times]
- University of Chicago student to represent Haiti at the Rio Olympics
University of Chicago student Naomy Grand’Pierre will be the first female swimmer to ever represent Haiti at the Olympic Games. Grand’Pierre’s parents were born in Haiti and she’s a dual citizen of the U.S. and Haiti. “It is something that has never been done before, and it makes me incredibly proud to represent my home country,” she told the Sun-Times. [Sun-Times]
- Why Facebook sent out a Chicago violence safety check
Facebook has activated its safety check feature for incidents of terrorism (e.g., the recent attacks in Orlando, Florida, and Nice, France) and natural disasters (e.g., the earthquake in Nepal). The social media site also made the feature available for violent crime in Chicago Thursday. It appeared because enough people were posting about a specific shooting incident, according to DNAinfo Chicago. [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Chance the Rapper sells out surprise Metro show almost immediately
Chance the Rapper’s rapidly rising star was evident when his surprise show at the Metro Sunday night sold out in just over an hour. Chance, who made a few cameos at Lollapalooza over the weekend, announced the last-minute show Sunday morning; the theater’s box office had sold all of the tickets about an hour later. [DNAinfo Chicago]