Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Monday, July 18, 2016.
- Weather: Warm with a morning thunderstorm possible
It will be warm Monday with a high of 84 and a low of 70. A thunderstorm is possible in the morning, but the weather should clear up and the sun should be out by the afternoon. [AccuWeather]
- Lead found in the water supply at 20 more CPS schools
Chicago Public Schools’ lead problem keeps growing. High levels of lead were found in the water during tests in 20 additional schools, the district announced Friday. The news means that 75 CPS schools have more lead in the water than federal limits allow. The district has informed parents of students at the schools in question about the lead levels. [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Analysis finds that many police stations are dominated by white officers
There are 22 Chicago Police Department stations, and in 12 of them, white police officers account for at least half of the staff, “including two stations serving black neighborhoods on the west side,” according to a Sun-Times analysis. In the Chicago Lawn district (where Laquan McDonald was killed by an officer in 2014), only 7 percent of the cops working at the station are black. There are just two stations in the city where black cops occupy more than half of the jobs. [Sun-Times]
- There’s a debate over the geographic center of Chicago
The intersection of State and Madison may be considered the center of Chicago, but it’s far from being the city’s true geographic center. Finding the real center of the city turns out to be more difficult than one would think, mostly due to politics. The exact point lies near the intersection of 31st and Western, but there’s a sign at 37th and Honore naming that spot “the geographic center of Chicago.” There are arguments for both spots, according to WBEZ, although Alderman George Cardenas is even considering a city proclamation to declare 37th and Honore the official center of Chicago. [WBEZ]
- Politicos remember Chicago’s 1968 Democratic Convention as Republican National Convention begins
The Republican National Convention kicks off in Cleveland Monday, and many observers are worrying about violent incidents accompanying the convention. The most chaotic national political convention in U.S. history remains the notorious 1968 Democratic National Convention, where violence erupted downtown between anti-Vietnam War protesters and police officers. An unnamed Republican told Politico in a survey that there’s fear that “far-left agitators in Cleveland will make the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago look like a fourth-grade slap-fight,” according to NPR. [NPR]
- Roeper defends himself after Ghostbusters review
The new Ghostbusters movie sparked an online frenzy as soon as its trailer was released in March. Sun-Times movie critic Richard Roeper found himself at the center of the controversy when he gave the polarizing movie a one-star rating and described it as “horrifying.” Roeper’s responded to his haters by explaining his role as a critic, defending himself against cries of sexism, and sharing some of the craziest responses he received on social media. [Sun-Times]