Happy Friday. Keep reading to the end for six great picks for things you can do outside over the weekend. Let us know what you think about this newsletter by emailing us at [email protected].
Credit: Antony Robinson/iStock
By Patty Wetli: Last week, I was stung by a wasp while walking to work. I felt a leaf drop onto the top of my head and when I went to pluck it out, I was zapped in the finger by what turned out to not be a leaf at all. I’m kind of embarrassed to admit how much it hurt, and for how long, but yeah, that’s why it’s called a sting. What’s even weirder is that I was also stung the day before, that time in the lip. Yep, after decades of sting-free living, I got stung two days in a row. For a minute there, I felt personally targeted. But no, wasps don’t have it in for me. I’ve seen and heard plenty of reports from other folks who’ve also been struck in recent weeks. It’s just that time of year, when wasps and bees are out looking for food that’s becoming scarcer and scarcer. And I got in the way. That’s what I’m telling myself. Because it would be really easy, given my swollen lip and throbbing finger, to fall back on the message drilled into me my entire childhood (and a good part of my adulthood), which is that wasps and bees are “bad.” They ruin picnics. They’re aggressive. They want to hurt us, especially if we’re stupid enough to wear a yellow shirt. It takes actual work, mentally speaking, to get over this fear, to react to bees and wasps rationally, as fellow critters just trying to get by on this shared planet of ours. I’d gotten to a point where instead of being afraid to see them in my garden, I’d learned to welcome them in the same way as I would a butterfly — choosing plants that would attract them and benefit them, because frankly bees and wasps are more important to our ecosystems than I am. Pre-sting, whenever I saw people freaking out over the presence of a bee, I’d say (possibly a little too smugly), “Don’t worry – they’re not interested in us.” Post-sting, next time a “leaf” lands on my head, I’m going to leave it alone.
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(WTTW News)
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s policies around mental health care and access have involved transforming the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program. Now with a new staffing model, Chicago will no longer have members of the police and fire departments on its mental health emergency response teams, choosing to rely on public health workers and mental health professionals. Advocates say this is a solid start, but there's much work to be done to improve access, especially on the South and West sides. Here's what they had to say:
“The [Collaborative for Community Wellness] did a provider survey that showed that three-quarters of the city had less than two-tenths of one therapist per 1,000 people, whereas downtown and Near North had 4.3 providers per 1,000 persons,” Cheryl Miller, a public health organizer for Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP Chicago) and member of the CCW said. “That is why we have been fighting so hard to not just reopen the centers that were closed but also to
expand.”
What else is the mayor doing about mental health?
Johnson has plans to reopen the city-run Roseland Mental Health Center by the end of this year and open two other mental health service sites at the Legler Regional Library on the West Side and at the Chicago Department of Public Health’s Lower West Side vaccine clinic in Pilsen
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Chicago voting booths are pictured in a file photo. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Early voting for the November general election kicked off at two sites in the Loop. Now, you can visit the voting supersites at 191 N. Clark and the Chicago Board of Elections offices at 69 W. Washington, 6th floor. Soon, all 50 wards will have early voting sites. Those open Oct. 21 at 9 a.m. Here's a list of all early voting locations and their hours.
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Back in the Day: October 4, 2019 - Wilco Releases 11th Studio Album ‘Ode To Joy’
Wilco (credit: Annabel Mehran)
Wilco are one of Chicago’s most beloved rock bands and it’s not just because they put the Marina City towers on the cover of their classic 2002 LP “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” Frontman Jeff Tweedy has been a local mainstay who’s a New York Times bestselling author and occasional actor. He also does annual benefit shows for causes like Montessori schools, Poverty Alleviation Chicago and domestic violence charity Be Alright. On this day five years ago, Tweedy’s band released its 11th studio LP in “Ode to Joy.” With excellent singles like “Love Is Everywhere (Beware),” the record received raves from outlets like Pitchfork, which wrote, “Like Tweedy’s solo
albums, “Ode to Joy’s” beguiling folk songs are direct and generous, quiet sounds coming from a big room.” Writing for VICE, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry said, “The music is weary, but it’s also the prettiest entry in the Chicago outfit’s vast discography, one that synthesizes every era of the band’s career into something forward-thinking and essential.”
Pick 6 with Patty Wetli
McKee Marsh at Blackwell Forest Preserve. (Forest Preserve District of DuPage County)
It's going to be another gorgeous weekend, so get out and enjoy it. This week’s “Pick Six” — our weekly roundup of outdoorsy recommendations in each of the Chicago region’s six counties — ranges from an Ice Age trail to a day at the best beach in Illinois. COOK COUNTY: Oak Walk
Kick off Oaktober on Saturday with a free, guided walk under the ancient oaks at Sagawau Environmental Learning Center in Lemont. It starts at at 1 p.m. and you can learn about the tree's natural history in the region.
DUPAGE COUNTY: Follow the Woolly Mammoth Trail
It's hard to picture woolly mammoths lumbering around Illinois, but they did. Follow in their footsteps at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville, where a 13,000-year-old skeleton of a mammoth was discovered at McKee Marsh in 1977.
KANE COUNTY: Raceway Woods
Cars used to speed around Raceway Woods in Carpentersville, back when this forest preserve was the Meadowdale International racetrack. Today, nature lovers will find high-quality woodlands and wetlands here, with some surprisingly rolling topography.
LAKE COUNTY: Beach Day
The state just spent more than $70 million to stabilize the shoreline at Illinois Beach State Park — the only natural lakefront left in Illinois. See what all the fuss is about before everyone else discovers how this once-eroded beach has been beautifully restored.
MCHENRY COUNTY: Restoration Work Day
Join volunteers on Sunday for a morning of native seed collecting at Kishwaukee Fen in the Village of Lakewood. Once the seeds have been processed, they'll be spread back on the site. The work day runs from 9 a.m. to noon.
WILL COUNTY: Woods Walk Challenge
The annual Woods Walk hiking challenge is now underway in Wood County forest preserves. Complete seven of the challenge's 10 selected hikes by Nov. 30 and receive a commemorative medallion.
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How are you feeling about the first four weeks of the Chicago Bears' season? Tell us why
you're optimistic or ready to give up
Email [email protected] with your responses and your answers might be published.
Cautious optimism mixed in with lyrics from the Chicago rapper Serengeti were themes from this week's question. Here are some of your responses. As Kenny Dennis once said, "Read the sport section, Bears and their o-lineTrying to find a decent Fiero with a For Sale signCut on WCKG, Huey Lewis and the NewsThe heart of rock & roll is still beatin, DON'T LET DA BEARS LOSE!" — John B. Cautiously optimistic. The offense seemed to find a little groove in the 2nd half against LAR. Caleb is going to have to win in spite of his coaching, I think, but the talent is there. The defense is, once again, legit. Could be just enough to scrape out 10 wins and a WC spot. —@jobin_theman The defense is for real. However, the offense is like that one rickety house on the street featuring a speed boat, a Ferrari & dirtbike on the driveway. —Kyle D. Like a 9 - 8 team. —Paul P.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
