The Chicago Police Department failed to report five months of its 2021 crime data to the FBI, according to a Marshall Project analysis shared with Axios.

• Chicago is among 20% of cities that reported incomplete data. Another 40% reported no data at all.

Why it matters: This information gap makes it harder to analyze trends and fact-check claims politicians make about crime.

• "It's going to be really hard for policymakers to look at what crime looks like in their own community and compare it to similar communities," Jacob Kaplan, a criminologist at Princeton University, told The Marshall Project.

The backdrop: Last year, the FBI retired its nearly century-old national crime-data collection program and switched to a new system, the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which gathers more specific information on each incident.

• Even though the FBI announced the transition years ago and the federal government spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help local police make the switch, nearly 7,000 of the nation’s 18,000 law enforcement agencies did not send crime data to the voluntary program in 2021.

By the numbers: Across Illinois, 19% of cities — including Chicago, Niles, Naperville and Morton Grove — reported less than 11 months of data, according to the analysis.

• Around 15% — including Rockford, Cicero, Schaumburg and Joliet — reported at least 11 months of data.
• But 66% of Illinois departments, including those in Peoria, Huntley and Crystal Lake, reported none at all.

What happened: A CPD spokesperson tells us the department transitioned to NIBRS about halfway through last year, and only data following the transition was submitted for 2021.

• At the Peoria Police Department, records administrator Shawn Wetzel says the department wanted to report its stats but ran into technical issues.

What they're saying: "We just got certified last week to do submissions," Wetzel tells Axios. "It has been a big challenge with the vendors trying to figure out how to get the software coding right to provide that electronically. It's been quite a struggle."

• After another technical delay last week, he says, the department "will be uploading it to the FBI very soon."

The big picture: While some departments may be withholding crime records, several across the nation tell Axios reporters that they've been stymied by technical issues they're still working out.

• Regardless of the reasons, the data deficit makes research and policy development complicated.

Some of the nation's top chefs braved the storm and returned to the Civic Opera House last night for the 2022 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards.

• But our locals didn't fare well.

Why it matters: Of the nine local nominations, only Chef Erick Williams of Virtue took home some hardware.

• He won the award for Best Chef: Great Lakes Region after nominated for the same award in 2020.
• Williams beat out fellow local chefs Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe, Noah Sandoval of Oriole and John Shields and Karen Urie Shields of Smyth.

What he's saying: "I didn't get here of myself or by myself. I got here by way of my community and by my culture," Williams said in his acceptance speech.

Of note: Even though many of the local nominees lost, Erika Allen of the South Side-based Urban Growers Collective was awarded a Leadership Award on Sunday.

The big picture: Resuming the in-person event brings much-needed tourism and tax dollars — not to mention prestige — as we recover from the pandemic. The awards capped off a weekend of festivities that seemed to bring the city back to life.

• "For the world to come back to Chicago to celebrate the culinary arts is tremendous," Mayor Lightfoot tells Axios. "The people in this industry have been through a lot over these last two years."

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Last night's tornado scare stemmed from a severe storm that caused damage and flooding throughout the region.

• Several towns, including Chicago, activated tornado sirens.
• At one point, 30,000 people were without power.
• O'Hare reported 84 m.p.h winds while air traffic control towers were evacuated and passengers huddled underground.

Why it matters: We continue to get unpredictable weather this summer.

• There's been a nearly 30-degree uptick in temperature over the last two days. Be prepared for temperatures close to 100 today.
• If we reach 100, it will be the first time crossing triple digits in a decade.

What's happening: This excessive weather is due to a heat dome wreaking havoc all over the country.

• In better news, the heat is expected to break by Friday.

Get smart: You might be able to take it, but others who are more vulnerable might need help.

• Here's a list of cooling centers open all over the city.
• Check in on your elderly family, friends and neighbors.
• Or take a dip in the lake, which is still a cool 59 degrees, but check out beach conditions first.

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten's 17-year-old daughter died last night in her Downers Grover home. (Tribune)

🎭 Congrats to hometown hero Jennifer Hudson, whose Tony win for producing "A Strange Loop" gives her the elusive EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) status. (Sun-Times)

⚾ Notre Dame baseball is going to the College World Series for just the third time in school history. (WGN-TV)

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