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Chicago Alerts

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Chicago. Written by Monica Eng and Justin Kaufmann.

Axios Chicago

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Chicago. Written by Monica Eng and Justin Kauffman.

Axios Chicago Thought Bubble

Lineups for some of the city's biggest festivals were released by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and there are plenty of highlights to help fill out your summer calendar:

🎶 The Chicago Gospel Music Festival: June 4

The Williams Singers, Brian Courtney Wilson and John P. Kee 

🎷 The Chicago Blues Festival: June 9–12

Shemekia Copeland, Billy Branch, Ronnie Baker Brooks and The Kinsey Report 

🌞 Millennium Park Summer Music Series: June 20–August 18

June 20: Nigerian superstar Femi Kuti & the Positive Force

July 18: Ukrainian folk ensemble DakhaBrakha

August 1: Chilean-French rapper Ana Tijoux

The big picture: Other big summer events for your calendar include: 

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City announces big music festival lineups

There are plenty of highlights to help fill out your summer calendar.

Ana Tijoux, Femi Kuti and Jeff Tweedy will all perform this summer as part of the Millennium Park Summer Music Series. Photos courtesy of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

Lineups for some of the city&#x27;s biggest festivals were released by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and there are plenty of highlights to help fill out your summer calendar:

Things to Do

The Chicago Teachers Union holds its tri-annual election Friday.

Why it matters: The CTU has emerged as arguably the most powerful labor force in the city. Its moves affect hundreds of thousands of residents and rattle the mayor. 

The big picture: The race is largely seen as a referendum on the broad progressive advocacy and combative styles of its current leaders, outgoing president Jesse Sharkey and vice president Stacy Davis Gates.

Challengers say they want less focus on political personalities and more on bread-and-butter issues like prep time and benefits. 

Between the lines: There are three caucuses with candidates for president, including: 

CORE: Davis Gates is running on continued progressive momentum and the leadership's record on: 

Cost of living raises and COVID-19 safety agreements.

Winning bargaining rights and a fully elected school board.

Members First: Mary Esposito-Usterbowski is pushing a platform of "change" through strategies like: 

Engaging in collaboration "with all stakeholders."

Creating more transparency by posting CTU records "in a timely manner." 

Using strikes and work stoppages as the last step.

REAL: Darnell Dowd leads this caucus of former CORE supporters "concerned about the direction of the CTU." REAL promises to: 

"Track bully[ing] administrators" and "publicly call out toxic school leadership." 

"Include a minimum of two rank-and-file members" in most bargaining discussions.

"Add a CTU hotline" to address member needs in a timely manner. 

What's next: A caucus needs to win more than 50% of the vote, which ends Friday, to avoid a runoff.

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Chicago Teachers Union election primer

There are three caucuses with candidates for president.

Jesse Sharkey (center) and Stacy Davis Gates (to Sharkey's left) currently lead the CTU, but are facing challengers in this week's election. Photo: Max Herman/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Chicago Teachers Union holds its tri-annual election Friday.Why it matters: The CTU has emerged as arguably the most powerful labor force in the city. Its moves affect hundreds of thousands of residents and rattle the mayor.

Politics

A handful of new economy airlines are offering crazy low fares on certain routes from select cities, Axios' Joann Muller reports.

Driving the news: One of those low-cost carriers, Swoop, starts flying between O'Hare and Toronto for as low as $59 each way starting May 30. 

How it works: Swoop says it keeps prices low by cutting out perks. Snacks, checked bags, additional leg room and WiFi all require an extra fee. 

What they're saying: While some bargain airlines can be notoriously late and unreliable, Swoop aims to bust that reputation.

"In 2021, Swoop carried almost 1 million travelers and completed 99.4% of scheduled flying, with 82% of flights departing on time and 78% arriving on time," head of finance Bert van der Stege tells Axios. 

For comparison, American and United had 85% and 83.5% on-time rates in 2021, respectively, which ranked third and fourth best nationally, according to a report from the Official Airline Guide.

If you go: Van der Stege has some suggestions for Chicagoans to try in Toronto. 

Indulge: "Toronto is known for its incredibly diverse and authentic cuisine. Check out these highly recommended spots:  

Messini — the best shawarma in Greektown.

Birreria Volo — the best slice in Little Italy.

Barraida Churrasqueira — the best Churrasqueira in Little Portugal.

Dim Sum King — the best dim sum in Chinatown.

Korean Village — the best BBQ in Koreatown."

Take a ferry to the Toronto Islands: "You'll find yourself on beautiful, car-free paths where you can explore historic landmarks, stroll through parks and beaches and take in the spectacular view of the Toronto skyline. For those who love the outdoors, a day spent on the islands will never disappoint."  

The CN Tower, Toronto's most notable landmark: "Grab tickets and ride the glass elevator to one of three observation decks that boast floor-to-ceiling windows, glass floors and even an 'EdgeWalk' experience for the daredevils who want to take a 20-minute walk around the perimeter of the main pod — no fence, no window, just you tethered to an outdoor track."  

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Bargain airline offers cheap flights to Toronto

Swoop starts flying between O'Hare and Toronto for as low as $59 each way starting May 30.

The cabin of a Swoop plane. Photo courtesy of Swoop

A handful of new economy airlines are offering crazy low fares on certain routes from select cities, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios&#x27; Joann Muller reports" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/27748380.44/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMTAvbmV3LWdlbmVyYXRpb24tb2YtYnVkZ2V0LWFpcmxpbmVzLWFpbXMtdG8tZGlzcnVwdC1mbHlpbmc_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/612428039e4cf5278e161cc7Bee5ef376" data-vars-content-id="3979d069-99e4-4a78-8a06-adbb2333be69" data-vars-headline="Bargain airline offers cheap flights to Toronto" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/27748380.44/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjIvMDUvMTAvbmV3LWdlbmVyYXRpb24tb2YtYnVkZ2V0LWFpcmxpbmVzLWFpbXMtdG8tZGlzcnVwdC1mbHlpbmc_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/612428039e4cf5278e161cc7Bee5ef376" target="_blank">Axios&#x27; Joann Muller reports</a>.Driving the news: One of those low-cost carriers, Swoop, starts flying between O&#x27;Hare and Toronto for as low as $59 each way starting May 30.

We recently reported on a looming lifeguard shortage as COVID-19 disruptions continue to limit the number of qualified applicants. 

But we didn't know how bad the situation was until seeing the results of a FOIA request we filed for hiring documents from the Chicago Park District.

By the numbers: While the city employs 163 year-round lifeguards, as of last Friday it had not yet hired any seasonal lifeguards for 2022. 

The district typically needs 587 lifeguards to fully staff beaches and pools.

Just 254 people had applied for those jobs as of Friday, according to the documents.

Of note: Beaches officially open for swimming May 27. 

Details: You can apply for a Park District lifeguard position here. 

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Hundreds of lifeguards needed

Public beaches open in less than two weeks.

Illustration of a sign saying "Off Duty" but the O is a life preserver.

We recently reported on a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="looming lifeguard shortage" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/27735185.25/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tL2xvY2FsL2NoaWNhZ28vMjAyMi8wNC8yNy9saWZlZ3VhcmRzLW5lZWRlZC10aGlzLXN1bW1lci1pbi1jaGljYWdvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZW5kdG9fbG9jYWxuZXdzbGV0dGVydGVzdCZzdHJlYW09dG9w/612428039e4cf5278e161cc7Bf84cbaba" data-vars-content-id="53b9b5fd-79b7-4d3e-bb82-c73d5d3c87d8" data-vars-headline="Hundreds of lifeguards needed" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/27735185.25/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tL2xvY2FsL2NoaWNhZ28vMjAyMi8wNC8yNy9saWZlZ3VhcmRzLW5lZWRlZC10aGlzLXN1bW1lci1pbi1jaGljYWdvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZW5kdG9fbG9jYWxuZXdzbGV0dGVydGVzdCZzdHJlYW09dG9w/612428039e4cf5278e161cc7Bf84cbaba" target="_blank">looming lifeguard shortage</a> as COVID-19 disruptions continue to limit the number of qualified applicants. <ul><li>But we didn&#x27;t know how bad the situation was until seeing the results of a FOIA request we filed for hiring documents from the Chicago Park District.</li></ul>

News

👋 Hey, it's Monica. I live in Wrigleyville, where tens of thousands of fans will gather to watch the Cubs play the Diamondbacks over the next four days. 

What's happening: As the devoted partner of a baseball fanatic, I know what it's like to tag along to games when I secretly would rather be exploring the neighborhood.

So for anyone else in my shoes, I've compiled some fun stuff to do around Wrigley before, after or during the game.

😻 Fraternize with furry friends at The Catcade on Belmont, where cat lounge visits go for $17 an hour. 

🐇 Or hang with the rabbits at Cuddle Bunny on Clark for $12 an hour.

Graham Crackers Comics. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

📚 Browse new and vintage comics at Graham Crackers Comics on Broadway, or comb through the old vinyl at Reckless Records or Dave's Records.

🏌️‍♂️ Stroll a few blocks to the lakefront for a peek at the new AIDS Garden, a jog through the exercise course, or golf practice at the Diversey Driving Range.

Wunder's Cemetery. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

Visit the dead at history-filled Wunder's Cemetery or Graceland Cemetery on Clark, where architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Louis Sullivan are laid to rest.

📽 Catch an art flick at Landmark Century Centre Cinema on Clark or Music Box Theatre on Southport. Both offer discount matinees. 

🦪 Slurp bargain bivalves at Swift & Sons Tavern across Clark. 

Select oysters go for $1.50 from the first pitch to the last out during games and from 4:30 to 6pm Tuesday through Friday.

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Wrigleyville fun without baseball

Pet cats and bunnies, shop for vinyl and slurp oysters.

The soon-to-open AIDS Garden near Belmont and the lake. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

👋 Hey, it&#x27;s Monica. I live in Wrigleyville, where tens of thousands of fans will gather to watch the Cubs play the Diamondbacks over the next four days. What&#x27;s happening: As the devoted partner of a baseball fanatic, I know what it&#x27;s like to tag along to games when I secretly would rather be exploring the neighborhood.

Monica Eng

Featured stories

Wrigleyville fun without baseball

Chicago Teachers Union election primer

Bargain airline offers cheap flights to Toronto

City announces big music festival lineups

Hundreds of lifeguards needed