Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Thursday, January 26, 2016.
- Rahm declares that Chicago will remain a sanctuary city despite Trump executive order to pull funding
Mayor Rahm Emanuel says that Chicago will continue to protect undocumented immigrants from federal deportation despite an executive order from President Donald Trump to pull federal funds from sanctuary cities. “Jurisdictions that willfully refuse to comply [with federal immigration laws] are not eligible to receive federal grants except as deemed necessary for law enforcement purposes,” reads the executive order signed by Trump Wednesday. “Wherever you came from, you’re welcome here,” Emanuel told reporters in response to the order. It is unclear how the loss of federal funds would affect the city, but in order to remove all of the city’s approximately $1.3 billion in federal funding, Congress would have to approve the move, according to DNAinfo Chicago. [DNAinfo Chicago]
- Trump wants to send the “Feds” into Chicago to handle “carnage”; Johnson does not want National Guard troops
Meanwhile, Trump is also threatening to intervene in Chicago if the gun violence doesn’t stop. “If Chicago doesn’t fix the horrible ‘carnage’ going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!” the president tweeted Tuesday night. Emanuel and the Chicago Police Department seem open to accept some type of federal help—but maybe not National Guard troops. “As the mayor said just a few hours ago, the Chicago Police Department is more than willing to work with the federal government to build on our partnerships with D.O.J., F.B.I., D.E.A. and A.T.F. and boost federal prosecution rates for gun crimes in Chicago,” CPD superintendent Eddie Johnson said in a statement. But Johnson doesn’t want Trump to send in the National Guard, and isn’t really sure what Trump is talking about in the tweet, he told the Tribune. [New York Times] [Tribune]
- Rauner delivers state of the state address, thanks Senate for trying to craft a budget agreement
Governor Bruce Rauner urged State Senate president John Cullerton, Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno and the rest of the Senate not to give up trying to reach a budget agreement in his annual state of the state address Wednesday. Cullerton and Radogno worked together to craft a grand bargain agreement made up of 13 interdependent bills to end the budget impasse that started during the summer of 2015. “Please keep working. Please keep trying. The people of Illinois need you to succeed,” Rauner said. The governor also pushed economic growth and addressed Chicago’s gun violence epidemic. [Sun-Times] [NBC Chicago]
- Field Museum, Art Institute, other museums saw record attendance in 2016
The famous Chinese Terracotta Warriors and Vincent Van Gogh’s three Bedroom in Arles paintings helped draw record numbers of visitors to Chicago museums in 2016. Attendance at the Field Museum grew by 19 percent thanks in large part to the popular China’s First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors exhibit. Approximately 1.79 million people visited the Art Institute in 2016 and many of them came to see the Van Gogh’s Bedrooms exhibit, which was the museum’s most popular exhibit since 2002. Smaller museums had new visitors as well: the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture saw a 56 percent increase in attendance. [Tribune]
- Acre and Ombra restaurants in Andersonville are closing
Companion restaurants Acre and Ombra in Andersonville will be closing Saturday. Owner Marty Fosse has sold their locations and will continue to run his other Andersonville restaurant, Anteprima. “Anteprima has always been my passion, and now I can indulge more at this point in time,” he told Eater Chicago. [Eater Chicago]