The Week in Review: Kyle Rittenhouse Case, Heather Mack Arrested After Return


A juror is dismissed on the third day of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial for making a joke about a white police officer shooting Jacob Blake who is Black. It was Blake’s shooting that triggered Kenosha’s civil unrest. Rittenhouse traveled there from Illinois to patrol the streets with a Smith & Wesson M&P-15 rifle where he shot three men, killing two of them, in what the teen claims was self-defense

Heather Mack was arrested on the plane after it touched down in Chicago and was charged after serving time in Bali for conspiring to murder her mother and hiding her body in a suitcase. 

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot is feeling pressure to fire the Chicago Park District Board president, Avis LaVelle, after two investigations found — what the new interim boss, Rosa Escareño, called — a culture of abuse that was allowed to “fester” at Park District pools and beaches.  She says she was “stunned and horrified” by what the investigations found. 

“We need to take this opportunity to tear everything apart and figure out how we rebuild it in a way that it does exactly what we intend to do,” Escareno said. “How do we find clarity for the victims or anyone who wants to report any violation of this nature to the park district?”

Avis LaVelle, the president of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners, told reporters she “sincerely apologized” to the girls and young women who were abused, assaulted and harassed. 

However, LaVelle, who was a top aide to former Mayor Richard M. Daley, said she would not resign, and blamed Kelly for telling her that he was handling the complaints properly. 

“We were simply dysfunctional in our approach to this investigation,” LaVelle said. “In hindsight, it would have been better for me to step outside of the usual [Office of Inspector General] reporting structure to share with the entire [Chicago Park District] Board earlier even though there was little substantiated evidence.” 

The FBI is investigating Loretto Hospital vaccines given to “connected” friends and family.  A federal grand jury opened a criminal investigation after Block Club Chicago reported doses went to ineligible people with ties to hospital administrators.

Chicago Blackhawks management seek a “fair and equitable” settlement with Kyle Beach after he opened up about alleged sex abuse by former video coach, Brad Aldrich. Aldrich’s name has since been covered with XXs on the Stanley Cup

In federal court, former state Rep. Luis Arroyo pleaded guilty Wednesday in his federal corruption case. and “Fast Eddie” Vrdolyak must report to prison by the end of this month for tax evasion, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

On the business beat, activists are calling for the ouster of McDonald’s CEO, Chris Kempczinski, Crain’s Chicago Business reported, after his texts to Mayor Lori Lightfoot revealed he blames the parents of two children who were shot and killed in Chicago. 

Chicago has five Casino proposals on the table, but as details of some of the plans emerge, are any a sure bet?

In politics, Congressman Adam Kinzinger floats a possible presidential bid as his next political move. 

And two Democrats and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio vote against Rahm Emanuel’s nomination to be Biden’s Ambassador to Japan.

Guests

Greg Hinz, Crain's Chicago Business | @GregHinz @CrainsChicago

Jon Seidel, Chicago Sun-Times | @SeidelContent @Suntimes

Kelly Bauer, Block Club Chicago | @BauerJournalism @BlockClubCHI


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