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- Surveillance footage released yesterday shows Chicago police officer Enrique Delgado Fernandez repeatedly punching a man in a holding cell more than three years ago. The video was released by activist William Calloway, who called for the firing of the officer and his partner in the beating of Damien Stewart in May of 2019.
- A former Chicago police officer is facing felony charges for allegedly getting out of paying dozens of tickets by repeatedly claiming his car had been stolen. Jeffrey Kriv backed up his false claims with fake documents, an investigation by the city’s Office of the Inspector General found. In all, Kriv avoided paying $3,665 in fines to the city, prosecutors said yesterday.
- A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted Thomas Girardi, the lawyer husband of embattled “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne. Girardi, 83, is charged with allegedly stealing more than $3 million in legal settlement money from family members of Lion Air Flight 610 crash victims.
- Chicagoan Joseph Pavlik, 65, is facing federal criminal charges for allegedly participating in an hours-long siege during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Our Jon Seidel has more on the charges facing Pavlik here.
- Gov. J.B. Pritzker yesterday announced the end of the state’s COVID-19 disaster proclamation — almost three years after first declaring a public health emergency in Illinois during the early surge of the pandemic. Pritzker’s decision piggybacks on the White House’s announcement on Monday that it will end the COVID national and public health emergencies on May 11. Illinois’ public health emergency declaration will also end that day. But Pritzker also warned that the pandemic isn’t quite over.
- A staff member has been removed from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Albany Park following a physical altercation with a student, according to Chicago Public Schools. The video appears to show a staff member grabbing a student by the neck and shoving him to the ground. The staff member has been removed as a probe is conducted.
- The FTC today fined the medication discount company GoodRx $1.5 million for sharing data on its users’ medications and illnesses with companies such as Facebook and Google without permission. It’s the first time that a proposed FTC consent order is seeking to prohibit a company from sharing user health data with third parties for advertising purposes.
- Owners of certain Kia and Hyundai models are being denied insurance policies by companies like State Farm and Progressive due to a steep rise in thefts of the vehicles. Chicago is one of the cities that has seen a spike in thefts. The Sheriff’s Department has said that videos on TikTok and YouTube show thieves how to start the cars without keys.
- In a testy debate between the nine mayoral candidates last night, businessman Willie Wilson was targeted for his repeated calls for police to be allowed to “hunt people down like rabbits.” Wilson made no apologies, saying anyone who kills someone, “well, they put themselves down there.”
- The Little Village Discount Mall will stay open until at least Feb. 16, when vendors, city officials and the mall’s owner will meet to discuss a plan for the future of the site, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) announced yesterday. The announcement comes a day before the mall, which includes nearly 100 vendors who pay rent to sell their merchandise, was set to shut its doors.
- Concessions workers at the United Center have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike that could start anytime. The labor dispute hits during a busy time in the West Side stadium’s calendar, with a strike potentially affecting 700 employees.
- Beyoncé announced the dates for her Renaissance World Tour, which kicks off in Stockholm, Sweden, in May, and includes a stop in Chicago on July 22 at Soldier Field. Our Miriam Di Nunzio has more on the tour and process for getting tickets here.