Chicago Sun-Times Afternoon Edition
Good afternoon. Here's the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It's about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today's biggest stories.
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This afternoon will be mostly sunny with a high near 82 degrees. Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low near 63. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high near 84.
Top story
Downstate Republican Darren Bailey's tax returns show years of feast — and famine — on the farm
Republican Darren Bailey talks to reporters on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Republican Darren Bailey talks to reporters on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Tax returns released yesterday show Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey endured major financial ups and downs on his downstate farm during the past five years, including two years of net losses.
Those losses came during the pandemic, but Bailey's top-earning year in 2018 yielded more than $200,000 in adjusted gross income. That income came on top of hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal farm subsidies Bailey and his wife received since 2017.
Bailey's campaign released five years of tax returns — reversing an earlier decision to keep them private. A day after winning the GOP primary, the downstate farmer told the Sun-Times he would not be releasing any of his returns. He was also asked if he was a millionaire.
"I have farm ground," Bailey said in June. "So yeah, I guess that's a fair statement."
But since that time, Bailey has styled himself publicly as a candidate of the working class, taking every opportunity to criticize the incumbent governor as out of touch with the financial problems of the populace.
Yesterday, Bailey, also a state senator, released the first two pages of his tax returns for each year. In 2017, the Baileys reported $1,776 in adjusted gross income and no taxable income.
Their adjusted gross income jumped to $211,108 in 2018 — as Darren Bailey was elected to the Illinois House and could count two incomes. Illinois state representatives made $67,836 in 2018. The Baileys listed their taxable income at $132,416.
In 2019, the Baileys reported $189,029 in adjusted gross income. Of that, $111,599 was taxable.
The next two years, the Baileys reported negative income on their tax returns. In 2020, when Bailey moved to the Illinois Senate, the couple reported a deficit of $164,961 and no taxable income. In 2021, the Baileys reported an adjusted gross income deficit of $99,264 and no taxable income.
"Everything Darren Bailey owns is tied up in the land," campaign spokesman Joe DeBose said of his candidate's tax filings. "There's a big difference between a man who built a family farm with his bare hands and a billionaire who inherited a trust fund."
Bailey has acknowledged farming more than 12,000 acres of downstate farmland, but his campaign would not disclose the actual amount of acreage the Baileys own. Some portion of the total Bailey farms is in partnership with other landowners.
Our Tina Sfondeles and WBEZ's Dave McKinney break down what the returns reveal here.
More news you need
  1. President Joe Biden said today that a tentative railway labor agreement has been reached, averting a strike that could have been devastating to the economy before the pivotal midterm elections. Locally, Metra was on the brink of canceling some of its busiest lines this evening, but the agreement means services will run uninterrupted.
  2. Despite losing significantly in the race for Illinois secretary of state, Anna Valencia says she plans to get up off the mat and seek re-election as Chicago's city clerk. Our Fran Spielman spoke with recently Valencia ahead of the election — which Valencia expects will be a challenge — here.
  3. In his review of the film "Pearl," our critic Richard Roeper writes that actor Mia Goth delivers an electrifying and scary performance as the title character in the fantastically twisted prequel to the horror hit "X." Read Roeper's full review here before the film hits theaters tomorrow.
A bright one
Riot Fest must-see sets: punk, hip-hop, rock, metal punctuate the annual music festival
Riot Fest is set to kick off tomorrow at Douglass Park and run through Sunday, bringing with it an eclectic lineup of big names and rising acts — and other fun attractions. It might be the only place you can show up, get married at an onsite wedding chapel if you're so inclined, take a victory lap on a Ferris Wheel, and check out the best of punk, hip-hop, rock, metal and GWAR before the sun goes down.
This year is no different with a smorgasbord of talent from The Original Misfits to Coolio — not to mention all the twilight after shows.
If you're planning on making it to the fest, here are some acts you won't want to miss.
Bob Vylan
Apart from the fact that the grimy U.K. duo Bob Vylan (born in 2017) has maybe one of the best band names ever, their amplified diatribes like "We Live Here" are some of the greatest new tracks of the past decade. Tackling racism, police brutality, class warfare and more ills of society through in-your-face lyrics and electro-fueled punk fury, they carry on the torch of Rage, Fever 333 and The Clash. (4:15 p.m. Friday, Rebel Stage)
Karen O performs with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Growlers 6 festival at the LA Waterfront on October 28, 2017 in San Pedro, California. | Matt Cowan/Getty Images
Karen O performs with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Growlers 6 festival at the LA Waterfront on October 28, 2017 in San Pedro, California. | Matt Cowan/Getty Images
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
There was a time when a strong wave of New York indie rock dominated the music industry, led by bands like The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The latter was an arty approach to garage rock led by the formidable Karen O, who became as much of a cultural icon as her predecessor Debbie Harry while tracks like "Gold Lion," "Heads Will Roll" and "Maps" defined the era. And then the trio went away in 2014. They have since re-emerged and this month will release "Cool It Down," their first new album in nine years that shows they still got that X factor. (7:10 p.m. Sunday, Roots Stage)
Nine Inch Nails
In 2019, NIN was named by fans as the No. 1 act to ever play Riot Fest in a poll sanctioned by the event, with many praising the industrial act's 2017 set. Frontman Trent Reznor has written some of the most ferociously danceable songs of our era ("Terrible Lie," "March of the Pigs," "The Perfect Drug") and has drawn in some of the most proficient musicians to grease the machine. NIN shows are known for their high production value, and the appearance this weekend will be worth the wait after the act had to postpone last year's slated set due to COVID. Though they aren't listed as offering a full album play, NIN's landmark EP "Broken" turns 30 a few days later, just sayin'. (8:15 p.m. Sunday, Riot Stage)
Selena Fragassi has the full list of must-see acts here.
From the press box
Your daily question  ☕
What's a classic staple of any Chicago apartment or home?
Reply to this email (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you: If someone's looking to "immerse" themselves in the culture of Chicago, like Darren Bailey, what neighborhood should they move to? 
Here's what some of you said…
"Rogers Park. It's one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the entire country. Over 70 languages are spoken there. It feels like a true community, where we all try to take care of one another." — Alex Ives
"Hyde Park." — Patty Roberts Rohm
"Dunning/Edison park/Portage Park." — George Bugasch
"Pilsen." — Mela Mamaos
"Since Darren Bailey wants to criticize Chicago, why not live in some of the toughest neighborhoods such as Englewood, Auburn Gresham and Greater Grand Crossing and see if he's comfortable living there? What will his plan then be to curb the violence happening in Chicago as governor of Illinois? You're a critic of our wonderful city because you're a farmer who hasn't lived there." — Maurice Snell
"Literally the fastest way to immerse in Chicago: go jump in the Lake." — Alaina Harkness
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