CVS Pharmacy is launching a new type of store and the first one has landed in Brighton Park.

Why it matters: The drugstore giant's new pharmacy-only stores are meant to be more accessible and staffed and stocked with what the community needs.

• In Brighton Park, on the Southwest Side, that means all employees are bilingual in Spanish — 85% of the neighborhood speaks Spanish — and there is more face-to-face interaction with the pharmacists, which 80% of CVS customers say they want.

How it works: The stores are much smaller than other CVS locations. All are 3,000 square feet or less and provide immunizations, fill prescriptions and offer over-the-counter meds.

• CVS president Len Shankman told Axios many of the OTC medications at the store will be CVS brands, which are cheaper than other brands.

Between the lines: Pharmacy-only stores also remove the temptation to buy snacks, beauty products and household items available at larger locations.

Yes, but: A CVS spokesperson said removing those is not a driving factor in choosing where to locate the pharmacy-only concepts. Instead, Shankman said new locations are driven by geography — specifically, where need is highest.

• CVS plans four more pharmacy-only stores this year in Chicago — in Bronzeville, Park Manor, Stony Island and Humboldt Park — and a total of 20 nationwide.

What's next: The Brighton Park store is looking for a pharmacy tech who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, pharmacist James Rodriguez told Axios, because of the growing Asian population in the area.

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Macquline King became the official Chicago Public Schools CEO yesterday as the board voted 8–1 to approve her for a three-year contract.

Why it matters: Running the nation's fourth-largest school district is tough in the best of times.

• But the next year could bring huge leadership upheavals as CPS shifts to a fully elected board and the city could elect a new mayor, who traditionally wields great power in the district.

Between the lines: King has served as interim CEO, but has not previously led a school district.

Catch up quick: Mayor Brandon Johnson tapped King as interim CEO last June, after the acrimonious departure of CEO Pedro Martinez, who refused to accede to the mayor's wishes for a high-interest loan to cover non-teacher pensions.

• Facing a $734 million budget deficit, King presented a balanced FY 2026 plan that also rejected the loan Johnson sought.

What we're watching: How King balances the demands of CPS families, the board, the mayor, and Johnson-averse Springfield lawmakers who will be asked for more funding as the district faces a projected $520 million deficit in 2027.

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Mayor Brandon Johnson's chief homelessness officer, Sendy Soto, is leaving the administration after two years. There are no plans to replace her since a temporary grant funded the position. (Tribune)

🚨 The Illinois Forensic Science Commission has called for an investigation of UIC's shuttered crime lab, which has been responsible for several wrongful DUI convictions. (Injustice Watch)

🦢 The annual "Pelican Palooza" at Chain O' Lakes begins tomorrow. It celebrates American white pelicans that have been stopping in Fox Lake for the past 20 years before heading north. (Daily Herald)

🏀 The Bulls waived Jaden Ivey yesterday after the guard made anti-LGBTQ+ comments on social media. (ESPN)

University of Illinois Chicago's new Computer Design, Research and Learning Center (CDRLC) updates the school's famous Brutalist campus with a design better suited for modern learning.

Why it matters: Brutalism dominates UIC with its hulking, concrete, sharp-edged buildings, and CDRLC's architects designed the new building to pay homage to that history while creating a more inviting space.

The big picture: Chicago-based Booth Hansen and LMN Architects in Seattle designed the 135,000-square-foot, five-floor building with classrooms, a robotics lab, faculty offices and communal learning spaces.

• CDRLC was built onto the exterior of UIC's engineering building, so the Brutalist style remains visible.

Flashback: The late Chicago architect Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill is responsible for much of UIC's architecture, which he designed after Mayor Richard J. Daley built the campus on the Near West Side in the 1960s.

State of play: Brutalism lacks modern amenities that today's students and teachers expect — more daylight, open learning spaces and brighter colors.

• CDRLC has softer, curved edges and an open staircase immediately off the front door.

Between the lines: Brutalism is polarizing. Fans flock to Chicago to see prime examples like Marina City, River City and UIC, but others are turned off by its harshness, especially in a city known as the birthplace of the skyscraper.

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👋 Hey, it's Monica and I'm back with another review of the city's most intriguing happy hours.

The spot: Chef Mathias Merges American-classic Mordecai (3632 N. Clark St.), which recently reopened after a facelift and menu refresh — but the famous duck for two remains.

The hours: 5-7 pm Monday-Friday and home day game days.

The vibe: Grown-up Cubs fans and vintage whisky lovers gather amid dark wood furnishings for sophisticated fare.

The bites: $10 deviled eggs topped with dill, shallot and salmon roe; Swedish meatballs, poutine with cornichon and lardons; saffron arancini and crispy enoki mushrooms in aioli.

The drinks: $8 local draft beers, $12 house wines, $10 craft cocktails with names like Bleacher Tea, Extra Bases and Cracked Bat, plus $8 spirit-free beer and cocktails.

Perfect pair: A cold local draft with the umami-packed enoki mushrooms.

Seven-word review: For box seat ballers, not bleacher bums.