Axios Chicago

February 17, 2026
📆 Happy Fat Tuesday! It's the start of the Lunar New Year and Ramadan today, too.
☁️ Today's weather: Patchy fog then mostly cloudy, with a high of 48.
- Yesterday's high of 65 broke the previous daily record of 58, set in 1921.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Chicago member Thomas Wehmeier!
Situational awareness: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights icon who spent his career fighting against racial inequality and injustice, died Tuesday. He was 84.
- While Jackson was not from Chicago, he will always be linked to the city and the causes he championed. Read more
Today's newsletter is 1,115 — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: Johnson vetoes hemp ban
Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed the hemp ban ordinance — a win for small businesses.
What they're saying: "I continue to have significant concerns around the current proposal and the potential negative impacts this prohibition-style ban could have on our city," Johnson said in a letter Friday.
The big picture: Last month, the council voted 32-16 for an ordinance to ban intoxicating hemp products from being sold anywhere except regular cannabis dispensaries, effectively outlawing the sale of hemp-derived THC and CBD gummies, creams, oils and other products.
- Hemp-derived THC drinks were exempted and can still be sold at liquor stores.
State of play: Ald. Marty Quinn (13th), who sponsored the ordinance, has argued that the products are unsafe, unregulated and in some cases, marketed to children.
- "[Johnson]'s placing a preference of small businesses over the safety of our kids," Quinn tells Axios.
Friction point: Chicago hemp businesses argued the ordinance would have forced businesses to close and put extra strain on consumers who use these products for pain relief, not for getting high.

What they're saying: "We can protect young people, ensure safe packaging and responsible sales, and provide clear enforcement mechanisms without dismantling small businesses which make up the fabric of our neighborhoods," Johnson wrote.
2. In photos: Jackson's life, activism and politics
The Rev. Jesse Jackson leaves behind an expansive legacy, starting with his time alongside Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to founding Operation Rainbow PUSH on the South Side of Chicago.
Through the lens: Here's a look at some of Jackson's most memorable moments.






3. Study finds ChatGPT reflects stereotypes
Researchers have found that LLMs, like ChatGPT, are just as biased as the rest of the world.
Why it matters: Last year, over 50% of adults in the U.S. reported using Large Language Models, and as more people rely on the information these platforms deliver, geographic, racial and economic stereotypes are perpetuated further.
Driving the news: Internet scholars at University of Oxford and University of Kentucky recently compared 91 U.S. cities with populations over 250,000 across a range of categories, including social and physical attributes, food quality, governance, politics and business climate.

Zoom in: In the paper, the authors define the "silicon gaze" as "shaped by the positionalities and power asymmetries of its training data, designers, and platform owners," so for AI models, those sources tend to be predominantly male, white and Western.
How we did: Chicago ranked in the top 10 for U.S. cities considered more fashionable and smarter than all but 14 other cities. Chicago also ranked high for "nurturing creative minds."
- On a less positive note, ChatGPT thinks we're "smellier" than a lot of cities. In fact, only 12 cities are smellier (sorry, New Orleans, but you stink, apparently!)
- Our food scene still reigns supreme, coming in No. 5 for overall food quality.
Whoa … whoa … whoa: Apparently, we're not friendly, falling in the bottom 10. Who the heck you calling not friendly?!
4. Homeowners are staying put longer


U.S. homeowners are staying in their houses for the longest time in at least 25 years, largely thanks to their low mortgage rates, data shows.
Why it matters: That — along with still-high home prices and tight inventory — is keeping the housing market on ice.
The big picture: Sellers at the end of 2025 had owned their homes for an average of 8.6 years — a record going back to early 2000, when the average was 4.2 years.
State of play: Homeowners in metro Chicago are staying longer than the national average — about 9 years for homeowners who sold in the fourth quarter last year.
- In 2000, homeowners in the Chicago area were only staying about a year before their homes changed hands.
5. Tips and Hot Links: ICE in Oak Brook
💻 Lewis University in Oak Brook is moving classes online this week after the school learned ICE will be operating out of the same building as the school. A spokesperson says the move was made as the university expects protests. (ABC 7)
Tom Pritzker, cousin of Gov. JB Pritzker, is stepping down as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels after the Epstein Files revealed he maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 plea deal on sex crimes charges. (WGN-TV)
Ofelia Torres, the 16-year-old who fought for her father's freedom after federal immigration officers arrested him, died Friday from cancer. (Block Club)
👩🎨 Artist Judy Chicago and collaborator Donald Woodman have decided not to design a new terrazzo tile atrium floor that Google had commissioned for the Thompson Center. (Sun-Times)
6. Iftar specials for Ramadan
As the holy month of Ramadan starts today, Muslims will observe daytime fasting punctuated by evening meals called iftars.
- Several area restaurants offer iftar specials featuring the food of India, Pakistan, the Middle East and more.
Here are some highlights:
OMG Nafisa Kitchen (6027 W. Dempster St., Morton Grove): This South Asian eatery will offer iftar buffets Thursday through Sunday for $24.99 per adult or $90 for four people. Dishes include dates, fruit, samosas, kebabs, chaat, naan, raita and curries.
Sifr (660 N. Orleans St.): This celebrated River North spot invites iftar seekers to enjoy halal-friendly items, including chicken shawarma hummus, beef short rib hummus, lamb kebabs with Aleppo pepper, tzatziki, and sumac onions and lamb shank with Persian pilaf and cipollini onion.
Usmania (2244 W. Devon Ave.): This West Rogers Park mainstay will offer a nightly iftar buffet with more than 20 items for $27.99 on weekdays and $29.99 Friday-Sunday. Selections include dates, samosa, pilau, haleem, kebabs, naan, housemade kulfi and more.
Edited by Lindsey Erdody.
🍫 Carrie is enjoying the fancy L.A. Burdick chocolates her husband gave her for Valentine's Day.
🔎 Monica is excited to be returning to FOIA Fest next month to moderate a discussion on legal review and ethics when fighting to obtain government documents. Folks can sign up here.
🎷 Justin is moderating a debate tonight at the Green Mill between Democratic candidates running for the 9th Congressional District. There will be jazz afterwards.
😋 Moyo is buying post-Valentine's Day candy, because everything tastes better when it's cheaper!
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