Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is facing criticism after attacking Gov. JB Pritzker over decades-old high school yearbook photos.

The latest: Bailey posted screenshots of Gov. JB Pritzker's high school yearbook photos and captions.

• The yearbook photo shows Pritzker hanging with a friend, while the caption quotes F. Scott Fitzgerald and a list of what could be best described as "senior quotes," which is standard in yearbooks.

What he posted: "Hey JB Pritzker, found your old yearbook," the post says. "What exactly did you mean by 'funny things on your knees' and 'drugged for drugs'?"

The other side: Pritzker took to social media to respond to the yearbook attack. "This was a great year," the governor wrote on X. "Thanks for the reminder, Darren."

Context: Bailey's post highlighted ambiguous phrases from Pritzker's yearbook and prompted criticism from pundits and social media commenters who interpreted it as an attempt to question or mock the governor's sexuality.

Between the lines: Bailey's post drew criticism from political observers, including Republicans, who argued it was an unnecessarily personal attack.

• "I don't think it's effective," former Illinois Republican Party chairman Pat Brady tells Axios.
• "This is just a low blow that makes you look petty and not real smart and not real concerned about talking about issues that matter."

The bottom line: Bailey's post may energize his conservative base, but Republicans acknowledge he'll ultimately need moderates and independents to defeat the two-term incumbent.

• "Every second they spend doing things like this and not talking about issues that voters care about, like taxes or crime, is wasted time," Brady adds. "The whole goal is to attract more voters. You got to get some people in the middle, and this does nothing to move that ball forward at all."

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Major retail corridors like Chicago's Michigan Avenue are moving out of survival mode.

Why it matters: The Mag Mile, Fulton Market and other neighborhood corridors are seen as indicators of broader economic trends, and the picture for Chicago is bright right now.

State of play: That higher foot traffic indicates that people are looking for destinations that offer more than shopping. They want dining, experiences and events, too.

• That lines up with the uptick in foot traffic in the Fulton Market and Oak Street retail corridors, which saw a 4% increase from 2024 to 2025, and the Mag Mile, which rose by 0.5%, according to JLL.

Between the lines: Experiences continue to drive tourists and residents to the Mag Mile, with the Harry Potter store, The Hand and the Eye and The Cube, which opened last week at 600 N. Michigan Ave.

• The F1 Arcade is expected to open in the old Rock Bottom space next month.

New openings

🛋️ Cozey, a Canadian furniture brand, set up a pop-up on Delaware and Rush in the old Tesla salesroom until March 31, 2027.

👜 Hammitt handbags opened its first Chicago store at 838 W. Armitage Ave. last month.

👟 Every Now and Then, Joe Freshgoods' store and creative space, soft-opened in West Town last weekend with the release of the designer's collab with New Balance called 992 Westbound.

More openings

🚨 R. Kelly has formally asked President Trump to commute his 30-year prison sentence for multiple sex crime convictions. (ABC 7)

🥵 More than 40 parks on the city's South and West Sides are getting improved air conditioning systems. About half of those will see changes by the end of the summer. (Block Club)

🚫 City Council blocked Mayor Brandon Johnson's Chicago Housing Authority appointments in the mayor's latest battle with alders. (Tribune)

✈️ United will offer a new Economy Plus option that cuts out the middle seat, giving more elbow room for window and aisle seat travelers. (WGN-TV)

The June radio ratings are out and "The Mix" (WTMX-FM) is back on top for the second month in a row.

Context: The Mix dominated Chicago radio throughout much of the 2000s and 2010s, powered by the hugely popular "Eric & Kathy" morning show.

Yes, but: The station's fortunes changed after Radio Hall of Famer Eric Ferguson exited in 2021 amid misconduct allegations, ending one of Chicago radio's most successful eras.

Reality check: Five years later, The Mix appears to have found its footing. It has finished No. 1 behind "The Morning Mix," hosted by Chris Petlak, Nikki Chuminatto and Brian "Whip" Paruch.

Biggest winner: US 99 posted the month's largest ratings gain, benefiting from country music's continued popularity and the start of summer.

Biggest loser: The Drive fell out of the top five after spending much of the past two years near the top of the rankings.

Caveat: These ratings don't break down precisely when people are tuning in or specific listener demographics.

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Winning baseball is back in Chicago, giving fans on both sides of town a reason to keep watching after the All-Star break.

The big picture: The White Sox start the second half atop the AL Central, while the Cubs are firmly in the National League playoff race with a comfortable Wild Card lead.

The biggest surprise: The White Sox. After losing 100 games in three straight seasons, a young core has accelerated the rebuild behind strong starting pitching, timely hitting and late-inning heroics.

The biggest strength: Rookie Munetaka Murakami returned from a hamstring injury and the rotation remains intact.

The biggest concern: Key contributors like Murakami, Colson Montgomery and Noah Schulz have never endured a full major league season.

The other side (of town): The Cubs' first half was uneven, featuring two lengthy winning streaks and one prolonged skid. However, they're still well-positioned for another postseason appearance.

The biggest surprise: Young superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong has carried the offense.

The biggest concern: They're in a division with the Milwaukee Brewers, who are increasingly looking like a serious World Series contender.

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