Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Friday, July 29, 2016.
- Weather: Bring an umbrella
Friday will be cooler, with a high of 78 and a low of 68. A thunderstorm and/or rain is possible throughout the day and evening. But rain’s not expected on Saturday or Sunday, which is much better for Lollapalooza attendees. [AccuWeather]
- Rahm takes being “thrown under the bus” in stride
Mayor Rahm Emanuel did not appear fazed by a perceived slight in a video retrospective of President Barack Obama’s administration shown at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday. Before Obama took the stage, the video highlighted Obama’s work to pass the Affordable Care Act through Congress, and noted that Emanuel, then White House chief of staff, told Obama to pull the bill or else lose in 2012. The moment ignited a firestorm on social media, with users saying the mayor was “thrown under the bus” by Obama and the Democrats. Emanuel sought to justify his actions as chief of staff to reporters Thursday, saying that he’d given the president a “fresh, honest assessment” at the time. [Sun-Times] [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Data: Chicago Police rarely using stop-and-frisk strategy in 2016
Under Superintendent Garry McCarthy, stop and frisk was one of the Chicago Police Department’s main strategies for deterring criminals, according to WBEZ. The method is supposed to discourage people from carrying weapons or drugs. But during the first six months of 2016 (and without McCarthy), stops were down 84.1 percent from the first six months of 2015, according to data obtained by WBEZ through a Freedom of Information Act request. [WBEZ]
- End of an era: Oprah’s iconic Harpo building has been torn down
Oprah Winfrey used to be synonymous with Chicago. She’s moved on to southern California, and the last remaining reminder of the Oprah era, Harpo Studios in the West Loop, has been demolished to make way for the new McDonald’s corporate headquarters. A former Harpo employee, Scott Miller, stopped by the site to pick up some bricks. “So many incredible things happened here—little things and ‘aha’ moments and changing lives all happened in that building,” he told DNAinfo Chicago. [DNAinfo Chicago]
- How will the Obama library decision affect Washington Park property values?
Washington Park has reportedly lost out on the Obama library to Jackson Park. It’s another major loss for the area, which was also set to house an Olympic arena if the city won the 2016 games. A developer told DNAinfo Chicago that “absolutely property prices are about to go down because everyone was banking on the Obama library coming to Washington Park.” [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Kanye makes rare appearance at Drake concert, addresses Taylor Swift feud
Chicago Kanye West fans, rejoice. The rapper made a surprise appearance in his hometown Wednesday night and spoke out about his highly publicized feud with Taylor Swift regarding the lyrics to his song “Famous.” Taking the stage during rapper Drake’s concert at United Center, Kanye said: “All I gotta say is, I am so glad my wife has Snapchat. And now y’all can know the truth. And can’t nobody talk shit about Ye no more.” [Pitchfork]