CPD “solved” 400 murders. Only half saw charges.

Plus, gasoline aid could come soon for Chicagoans. Here's what you need to know today.

To view this email as a web page, click here.   by Hunter Clauss   Hey there! It’s Thursday, and we’re all sick of the rain but please don’t do this. Here’s what you need to know today. 1. Half of the murder cases considered “solved” by the Chicago Police Department last year did not lead to charges   That’s according to an analysis from the Chicago Sun-Times, which found that out of 400 murder cases closed last year, 199 did not see any charges.  “What’s more, one of every seven cases taken off CPD’s books last year was actually committed more than 10 years ago, including one that happened a half-century ago, which CPD attributed to providing extra resources to the department’s Cold Case team,” the Sun-Times reports.  Christopher Herrmann, a researcher at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said the news does little to build confidence in the police department. “It’s really kind of a negative, downward spiral,” Herrmann said. “When a community doesn’t see murders getting solved, they’re less likely to help the police, because what good does it do, right?” [Sun-Times] 2. Lightfoot proposes $150 gas cards for Chicago residents struggling with higher costs   Mayor Lori Lightfoot today unveiled a program that would provide prepaid gas cards for motorists and $50 credits for public transit commuters.  “By subsidizing the cost of gas and transit, this program will enable participants to save their resources for other critical expenses,” Lightfoot said in a statement. Up to 50,000 of the gas cards will be distributed to eligible residents, who can submit an application for the cards in late April, pending approval by the City Council. For public transit, a total of 100,000 cards will be available. A majority of those cards will be distributed in low-income areas with a high number of public transit users. [WBEZ] Meanwhile, President Joe Biden today announced he will tap into the nation’s oil reserves to help push gasoline prices down. [AP] 3. Evanston’s reparations program falls short for some   The Chicago suburb made national headlines when it approved a historic reparations program to atone for discriminatory housing and zoning policies, mostly felt by the Black community.  But the program seemed to fall short from the beginning, reports my colleague Araceli Gomez-Aldana. That’s because the program prioritizes current residents, meaning people whose families were hindered by Evanston’s housing discrimination, causing them to move and not return, would not qualify. “I think about what they deprived us of,” said Northa Johnson, who grew up in Evanston but moved after her father was denied a home loan. “I had grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins. And when we moved to Gary, they kept us from going around the corner to visit family.” [WBEZ] The news comes as California debates its own reparations program. This week, a state panel voted to limit reparations to the descendants of free and enslaved Black people in the 19th century. An earlier plan called for all Black residents to receive reparations. [AP] 4. Russian troops began leaving Chernobyl after radiation exposure   Ukraine’s state power company said Russian soldiers got “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches near the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, reports The Associated Press. The troops “panicked at the first sign of illness,” which “showed up very quickly,” and began to prepare to leave, said the power company.  The withdrawal of troops comes amid “indications that the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine,” the AP reports. [AP] Russian troops are also leaving the area around Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv but continue to target the city with long-range artillery and airstrikes. [NPR] In Chicago, some residents are finding a sense of belonging at a Ukrainian Village gift shop. [WBEZ] 5. The Justice Department widens its Jan. 6 investigation   Federal prosecutors are expanding their investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol, looking into the planning and financing for a rally that took place before a pro-Trump mob stormed the building, reports The New York Times.  “The investigation now encompasses the possible involvement of other government officials in Mr. Trump’s attempts to obstruct the certification of President Biden’s Electoral College victory and the push by some Trump allies to promote slates of fake electors,” the newspaper reports, citing people familiar with the investigation. [NYT]  Meanwhile, there’s been a lot of news this week from the House select committee that is conducting its own probe into the insurrection. Here’s a good roundup of everything that’s happened recently. [CNN] WBEZ CHICAGO Spruce up this spring with a houseplant! Pledge $10-a-month to support the reliable news and fact-checked reporting you get from WBEZ Chicago and we'll hand-deliver a pothos plant as a thank you gift! Pothos plants are resilient and easy to care for… just like a monthly donation to WBEZ. Your sustaining donation is something you can set and forget, but it has a huge effect on WBEZ's ability to budget and plan. Plus, your support today has double the impact: It strengthens WBEZ and earns you a gorgeous houseplant. So don't delay — donate today.  Here's what else is happening The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of an accelerating mental health crisis facing teens. [Washington Post] Illinois Democrats pitch Chicago as the host city for the 2024 DNC. [WBEZ] Chicago has a new government watchdog at City Hall. [Chicago Sun-Times] Here is information about aphasia, the condition cited in Bruce Willis’s decision to step away from acting. [NPR] Oh, and one more thing... Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility, and a Chicago pageant hopes to uplift the local trans community after a tough couple of weeks.  Two Black trans women were recently found dead after being missing for several days — Elise Malary and Tatiana Labelle. Tonight’s pageant — taking place at the Kehrein Center for the Arts, 5628 W. Washington Blvd. — will include a moment of remembrance for the women. “We have lost so many people within the last few years,” said Zahara Bassett, CEO and founder of Life Is Work, a West Side resource center for trans-identifying people of color.  “It’s a genocide that’s going on against Black trans women, and it’s not being noticed as it should. I’m going to seize every opportunity to bring visibility to the trans community, to galvanize that support and to have people understand that we are human just as anyone else.” [Chicago Sun-Times] The deaths come amid an “internal crisis” with the Chicago Police Department’s liaison office to the LGBTQ+ community, which is accused of being a PR stunt, reports the Chicago Reader. [Reader] Tell me something good What are one or two of your favorite songs?  Melinda Gray writes: “The best songs ever come from the best band ever — Sparks. Ron and Russell Mael are musical (and lyrical) geniuses. I dare anyone to listen to the songs “Music That You Can Dance To” and “Lawnmower” without smiling, laughing, dancing or a magical combination of all three.” Carlos Pecciotto writes:  “I was born to love the Beatles. They are part of my earliest childhood memories. The one song that jumps out at me as I type this is ‘Come Together’ from Abbey Road. Such a compelling start to what many of us Beatlemaniacs feel is the greatest pop album ever recorded. The almost-nonsensical John Lennon-penned lyrics were perfect for me as a toddler. It’s got an undeniable swampy, funky feel to it, something I just took for granted. I mean, I could pick just about any song from ‘Rubber Soul’ to ‘Let It Be.’ But for brevity’s sake, today it’s ‘Come Together.’ ”  And Sarz Maxwell writes:  “ ‘Disarm’ by the Smashing Pumpkins always makes my heart race.  And ‘The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys’ is just as thrilling, especially for one who’s lived in Boystown, then Edgewater, for the past 30 years.” Feel free to email or tweet me, and your response might be shared in the newsletter this week. therundown@wbez.org | @whuntah Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I'll see you tomorrow. — Hunter Clauss P.S. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up to receive The Rundown in your inbox. 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