Illinois is sitting on anti-violence money

Plus, the return of the "office suck-up." Here's what you need to know today.

To view this email as a web page, click here. Today's Rundown is brought to you by WBEZ members and   by Hunter Clauss   Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and I’m glad the sun was poking out today because I was about to rig up a sun lamp discotheque. Here’s what you need to know today. 1. The Pritzker administration set aside $50 million for violence prevention last year. Only $56,764 has been spent.   Gov. JB Pritzker today faces questions from fellow Democrats as to why so little money earmarked for anti-violence programs has been spent at a time when crime has soared and criticism has mounted from Republicans that not enough is being done. The $50 million came from federal pandemic relief funds, and it was budgeted last year to help fund community-based programs focused on reducing violence. State officials say they are developing plans to ensure the money is spent effectively, but some lawmakers and community leaders say the holdup is unacceptable. “The bureaucracy is going to cost lives if we don’t move a little swifter, especially with summer fast approaching,” said Chico Tillmon, the leader of the anti-violence group READI Chicago.  Some policy experts say they understand the delay is frustrating, but the planning could pay off in a big way. “We’re seeing a major shift from funding individual programs to investing in a comprehensive public health system for violence intervention,” said Leo Smith, policy director for the anti-violence organization Chicago CRED. [WBEZ] 2. The life expectancy gap grew in Chicago during the first year of the pandemic   Latino residents saw the steepest decline, losing more than three years in their life expectancy. And for the first time in nearly 20 years, the life expectancy of Black Chicago residents fell below 70 years in 2020, public health officials announced this week. COVID-19 deaths played a role, but the leading cause of death was heart disease, health officials say. Dr. Allison Arwady, who leads the city’s public health department, said the growing life expectancy gap shows the city “must do the work to fundamentally transform the conditions in which people live — by ending the pandemic and by addressing its impacts on access to services, housing, education and economic opportunities, as well as people’s mental health.” Altogether, the life expectancy of a Chicago resident fell about two years to 75. [WBEZ] 3. Most Americans have been infected with the coronavirus at least once   That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that nearly 60% of the population had been exposed by last February. The news may explain why a surge seen in China and parts of Europe is not taking off the same way in the U.S.  The CDC also found that “three out of four children and adolescents in the United States had been exposed to the coronavirus by February 2022, compared with one-third of older adults,” the Times reports. [NYT] Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris today tested positive for the coronavirus. A spokesperson for Harris said neither President Joe Biden nor first lady Jill Biden were considered close contacts of Harris in recent days. [NPR] 4. An owner of the Chicago Reader steps down after standoff with staff   Chicago Reader co-owner Len Goodman announced today he was stepping down, a move that marks the end of a bitter standoff with employees that was sparked by a column about COVID-19 vaccines. In November, Goodman wrote an opinion piece in the Reader that expressed skepticism about shots for children. After a backlash from readers and staff, the paper hired an independent fact-checker. Goodman accused the paper of censoring him while employees said they were pushing back against misinformation. The fight escalated and stalled plans to transition the paper to a nonprofit organization, a move aimed at keeping the Reader in business.  “It’s wonderful to have a future again,” Philip Montoro, a music editor at the Reader and head of its union, told the Chicago Tribune after Goodman announced his resignation. “I’m grateful to Len Goodman for the support he gave us — it allowed us to get to this point. And I’d like to thank him for doing the right thing today, because that means we can keep going.” [Tribune] 5. The return of “office suck-ups”   More companies are calling back employees to the office, and rising from the ashes of remote work like a phoenix are the “office suck-ups — the employees who succeed at business without really working,” reports The Washington Post in this hilarious report on something everyone complains about.  Remote work made it easy to figure out who was phoning it in. Companies rewarded productivity, and spontaneous run-ins where suck-ups could chat up the boss were non-existent.  The best suck-ups “are both selective and strategic,” the Post reports. “They’ll study one or two bosses, praising an offhand comment they made weeks ago, creating the impression that they are very detail-oriented and therefore very good at their job. Suck-ups are also very skilled at attaching themselves to team projects or launching initiatives or task forces, with lots of meetings but little real work.” [WaPo] SPONSORED BY JEWEL-OSCO “Freshness at Your Fingertips” with Jewel-Osco Ring in spring celebrations with fresh buys down every aisle at your local Jewel-Osco. We’ve got produce that you’d have to pick by yourself to get any fresher. Not to mention the butcher-quality meat, sensational seafood, great baked goods, and crowd-pleasing deli delights like chicken wings and other good things. Plus, with spring in full swing, you’ll find that a floral department that’s in bloom all year round.  So, head on over to any Jewel-Osco location for freshness at your fingertips and the best selections around — hands down! Here's what else is happening The United Nations estimates that more than 8 million people will flee Ukraine as refugees. [NPR] President Biden today pardoned Abraham Bolden of Chicago, the first Black Secret Service agent to serve on a presidential detail. [NPR] Library patrons in Texas are suing officials who support banning books. [NPR] The world’s oldest person died at age 119. [ABC News] Oh, and one more thing... We’ve been in the pandemic for two years now, and I don’t know about you, but my mind is kinda fried from it. I mention it because WBEZ and several other news organizations have partnered up and want to know how the pandemic has changed your life.  You can find the survey here, and your responses will help local guide our coverage, like the types of reporting we should be doing and who we should be talking to more. Tell me something good World Press Freedom Day is coming up on May 3, a day proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for free access to information and ideas around the world. WBEZ is bringing awareness to the importance of a free press this week leading up to the day. But it has me thinking about what great works you enjoy that may not have been created if we didn’t have the constitutional right to free speech? Erin Daughton writes:  “A People’s History of the United States by historian Howard Zinn. His much-needed look at our country’s sometimes ugly and painful past turned everything I learned in 6th grade social studies on its head.” Feel free to hit me up, 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. VIEW OUR BROADCAST SCHEDULE ©Chicago Public Media Inc 848 East Grand Ave, Navy Pier Chicago, IL 60611 Please do not reply to this email. If you need assistance, you may contact us here. 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