👀 Have YOU seen the man in the Bean?

What’s the Role of Chicago Humanities Festival Today?

It’s a weird moment for the humanities, as universities scale back their programs and beloved cultural cultural institutions face brutal funding cuts. Still, the Chicago Humanities Festival soldiers on in its 36th year and just announced its fall lineup. Big names include Salman Rushdie, Angela Davis, Margaret Atwood, and Kate McKinnon. [Tribune 🔒]

Is There a Man in the Bean? Also, Pool Closures and Texas Dems

The “Man in the Bean” campaign — crusade? — has gone viral and apparently the alder’s office is getting flooded with calls. We discuss on today’s podcast, as well more, well, real stories, like the Texas democrats still taking refuge in Illinois and Chicago’s updated public pools calendar. [City Cast Chicago 🎧]

CHA's Affordable Housing Plan Remains Unfinished

In 2000, the Chicago Housing Authority’s Plan for Transformation launched to remake public housing. Sixteen-thousand units were razed. But today, more than 100 CHA-owned acres remain vacant while rents are on the rise. A new report shows redevelopment could take another 30 to 40 years. [Block Club]

Trump’s Talking About Chicago … Again

While President Donald Trump announced Monday he was deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., he also took aim at Chicago, blaming city crime on the state’s "no cash bail" policy. The comments were part of a wider threat to crack down on crime in Democrat-led cities beyond D.C. [NBC]

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