Several large "teen takeovers" over Memorial Day weekend have lawmakers reexamining how to stop them.

Why it matters: Organized teen gatherings have led to gridlock, violence and, in some cases, deaths — while also drawing national attention to Chicago's public safety debate.

• Trump said the mayor and governor should ask for help.

The latest: Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) wants the City Council to strengthen an existing ordinance that holds parents accountable.

• The ordinance allows parents to be fined for "contributing to the delinquency of a minor" if their children engage in criminal activity, including curfew violations.
• Hopkins is up for modernizing the ordinance or starting a new one. "A parental accountability ordinance is for parents who just keep allowing their 14-year-olds to be out on the streets at 3am," Ald. Hopkins tells Axios. "There's no excuse for it."

Zoom in: Mayor Brandon Johnson — who has largely opposed punitive approaches toward teenagers — has also stressed parental responsibility during his term.

• After Sunday's post-prom gathering on the Near West Side led to injuries to police officers and several arrests, Johnson said it's "on parents and guardians to know where their children are and to help ensure they are safe and accounted for."
• The mayor has stopped short of endorsing Hopkins' plan.

Reality check: Some legal scholars argue penalties against parents may not survive court challenges because the parents themselves did not commit crimes.

Flashback: Johnson has tried to thread the needle between avoiding vilifying teens and still projecting toughness on crime.

• He vetoed a rolling curfew proposal last summer and expanded the city's youth summer jobs program.

What's next: Hopkins says he'll bring a new teen takeover ordinance before the council's public safety committee in June.

• "We can do a much better job preventing them from happening, and a much better job dispersing them when they do," Hopkins adds.

Go deeper

Imagine skipping O'Hare security lines and instead catching a plane from a nearby parking lot for a quick trip to Madison or Grand Rapids.

• That future may be nearer than it sounds, according to a new market study from Electra, a hybrid-electric aviation company based in Virginia.

Why it matters: Supporters believe small hybrid-electric aircraft could dramatically reshape regional travel by turning parking lots, rooftops and other small sites into mini air hubs.

How it would work: The smaller nine-seat hybrid-electric planes would need just 150 feet to take off and land — compared to the roughly 6,000 feet commercial airplanes typically require.

What they're saying: "There was a real transportation gap out here in the short-haul regional segment that, with electric and hybrid electric propulsion now being viable for airplanes, we can solve," Electra's Diana Siegel tells Axios.

The company is aided by a recent executive order from President Trump designed to fast-track the commercialization and testing of hybrid-electric aircraft.

• The company plans its first test flight next year and aims to secure certification by 2029.

Between the lines: While the FAA does control the airspace, it does not control where these planes take off or land, which is under the jurisdiction of the local municipality.

Tickets initially would target business travelers and affluent commuters. Electra estimates that a Chicago-to-Madison flight could cost $150-$200.

The bottom line: Hybrid-electric aircraft developers see short-hop regional travel as a major untapped market — if regulators and cities allow it to take off.

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🚨 The gun used to shoot and kill Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew in April was purchased at a shop in Northwest Indiana that has been cited for multiple violations, a new investigation found. (Block Club)

🎶 Lyric Opera of Chicago received a $20 million gift that will go toward education and a commitment to produce one Mozart opera every season. (Sun-Times)

⚾️ UIC and NIU's baseball teams were both selected for the NCAA Tournament. It's NIU's first appearance since 1972. Games begin Friday. (Tribune)

👋 Hey, it's Carrie. Last week, I offered a counterpoint to a new study that says we don't talk to our neighbors.

• Turns out, many Axios readers agreed that we are friendlier than researchers think.

Zoom out: Here are some of the things you told us about your neighborly relationships:

• "During COVID, my now husband and I talked more than we usually would with our next-door neighbors. They're 30 years our senior and we got so close with them that we asked her to officiate our wedding. Having moved to a new neighborhood three years ago, we still get together for dinner catch-ups." — Kelsey K.
• "My best neighbor story is that my daughter, who was about 14, was very into sidewalk chalk murals on our 3-car driveway ... The neighbors were so enthralled by her artwork that they stopped to chat, and that has now turned into a friendship that has lasted more than 10 years." — Diane C.
• "While walking around my Ravenswood neighborhood back in 1998, my dog fell in love with a strapping black lab named Charlie. For six months, they looked for each other on walks, and I eventually found myself looking forward to my chats with Charlie's dad. When we had our first date, where did we go? Well, of course, we walked the dogs on Montrose Beach! That was 27 years ago, and Charlie's dad and I will celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary this August. Talk to your neighbors!!" — Janet H.

More neighbor love

👋🏻 Hi, it's Carrie again!

I stumped ya on this one! Less than 20% of you guessed correctly that I was at Lulu's Hot Dogs in Tri-Taylor.

• Most of you thought I was standing in front of Lou Mitchell's.

Zoom in: The mural on Lulu's exterior celebrates its location on Ogden Avenue, aka Route 66.

Flashback: The 2,400-mile roadway built as a transcontinental route from Chicago to California traverses eight states and was designated in 1926.

• Lulu's Hot Dogs has been around since 1968.

State of play: Illinois and Chicago are celebrating Route 66's centennial with a series of special events all summer, including a trolley tour, where I snapped this pic.