Here are some of the top stories of the week from Chicago and beyond (Sunday, Aug. 27 through Friday, Sept. 1).
Harvey leaves trail of flooding, ruin behind in Texas
Hurricane Harvey battered the Texas coast this week and left behind record rainfall, numerous deaths, scores of people in shelters and a major city paralyzed by floodwaters.
Conditions in Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, began to improve Wednesday, but the the storm came ashore for a second hit close to the Louisiana line.
More than 1,000 homes were destroyed and about 50,000 damaged in Texas, and more than 32,000 people sought refuge in shelters, officials said. Researchers called the flood a 1,000-year event unlike any the country has ever seen.
On Thursday, rescuers were doing a block-by-block search of tens of thousands of homes, and a chemical fire broke out at a flood-crippled plant near Houston.
The week saw tales of heroism and heartbreak. A volunteer group from Louisiana known as the “Cajun Navy” roared into Texas with pickup trucks and boats to help rescue stranded people from homes and cars. A shivering 3-year-old girl was found clinging to her drowned mother in a canal in Southeast Texas. A Houston police officer drowned in his patrol car on the way to work. Another man used his dying words to warn a friend away from a live electrical wire.
Closer to home, Chicago shelters and rescue groups are taking in Houston shelter animals to clear space for pets stranded after the storm, and Chicago-area companies are donating supplies and money to help relief efforts.
If you are looking for ways to help Harvey victims, here are numerous ways to do so, reports Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas.
Freeze on transgender ban: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis put a freeze on President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military, calling on more study by a panel of experts.
Raising the wage gap: Trump continued his bid to roll back the efforts of Barack Obama’s presidency, halting a rule that was aimed at closing the wage gap
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for women and minorities.Trump’s tax overhaul pitch: The president visited Missouri on Wednesday to begin his push to overhaul the nation’s tax system, making a populist appeal for a details-to-come plan that is expected to mostly benefit corporate America.
Joel Osteen pushes back against accusations he closed his megachurch to Harvey victims
‘Antifa’ violence in Berkeley spurs soul-searching within leftist activist community
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Rauner gets almost nothing he wanted in Illinois school funding bill
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law a landmark school funding bill that changes the way state money is distributed to local schools, report Rick Pearson and Monique Garcia.
The law authorizes payments to school districts that began the year without two regularly scheduled state checks, and it also gives Chicago Public Schools the ability to raise property taxes again to cover pension costs.
Rauner had routinely criticized Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for “caving in” to the Chicago Teachers Union and vetoed a similar funding bill he called a “bailout” to Chicago Public Schools. But, facing a revolt from re-election-seeking Republicans, he agreed to the compromise, which gave CPS all the money it was slated to get and more.
The Senate voted 38-13 on Tuesday for the bill after weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations. On Monday, the House vote was more dramatic. It failed once, then a bill to override Rauner’s veto of an earlier bill failed, then finally it passed with two votes to spare.
Step aside, Sue; Field Museum makes room for world’s largest dinosaur
Sue the T. rex, the star attraction at the Field Museum for almost two decades, is being kicked upstairs to make way for the world’s largest dinosaur, reports Steve Johnson.
The Stanley Field Hall will now host a cast of the Patagotitan mayorum, the world’s largest dinosaur unearthed in South America in 2014. The cast will stretch 122 feet from head to toe, more than three times the length of Sue.
Lisa Madigan sues for police reform: The Illinois attorney general on Tuesday sued Chicago, alleging that Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s police reforms aren’t enough. The two appeared together at a news conference, where they each called the effort “a partnership,” report Bill Ruthhart, Annie Sweeney and John Byrne.
Cop guilty of using excessive force: Chicago police Officer Marco Proano was convicted of using excessive force when he fired 16 shots at a stolen car full of teenagers, wounding two of them, reports Jason Meisner.
Eddie Johnson gets kidney transplant: Chicago’s top cop, who was diagnosed years ago with glomerulonephritis, an acute inflammation of the kidney, underwent a successful transplant on Wednesday, receiving a kidney from his 25-year-old son, Daniel, reports Marwa Eltagouri. A day lay, he was doing well, reports William Lee.
First new Loop elevated stop in 20 years: The $75 million Washington-Wabash station, which opened Thursday after two years of construction, serves as an impressive gateway to Millennium Park, writes Blair Kamin.
Chicago photos in the news
Machine guns, ATVs and hundreds of pounds of pot: Inside the battle over a McHenry Co. mansion
Rauner signs immigration, automatic voter registration bills into law
West Chicago Public Library denies request to remove gay pride book
Barbara Byrd-Bennett checks into federal prison known as ‘Camp Cupcake’
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Scary finish for Trubisky in Bears’ preseason finale
Bears rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky was forced back into Thursday’s preseason game with the Browns late in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field and took a sack in the final seconds trying for a meaningless touchdown. Trubisky was fine, much to the relief of the crowd in a head-scratching end to the game, reports Rich Campbell.
Trubisky had to re-enter the game when fourth-stringer Connor Shaw was injured.
Earlier, Trubisky started the game with the second-string offense, but was called on to pass only five times overall.
Bears coach John Fox came under fire for his handling of Trubisky. The Bears seemed to be trying to protect him early in the game by calling nine straight handoffs at one point, which makes the final drive that put him at risk illogical, writes David Haugh.
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Fox should be fired for putting his future star quarterback at risk, writes Steve Rosenbloom.
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE BEARS
Bears lose Meredith: Wide receiver Cameron Meredith is out for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, but other damage in the knee was minimal and he could return in as soon as eight months, reports Brad Biggs.
Mayweather wins, some viewers lose: Some people who paid $100 to watch boxer Floyd Mayweather beat Ultimate Fighter Conor McGregor were not able to watch it due to what Showtime called “scattered outages.” UFC is offering refunds to those customers.
Storm shifts Astros series: The Houston Astros wanted to switch home series with the Texas Rangers in the wake of Harvey’s flooding, but the Rangers refused, sparking a backlash on social media. The teams ended up playing in Tampa, Fla.
Ernie Banks gets new memorial: The former Cubs great has a new monument atop his grave at Graceland Cemetery, reports Rick Kogan.
City relaxes Friday night prohibition at Wrigley for Cubs’ Sept. 8 game vs. Brewers
‘I can still play:’ Derrick Rose talks fame, fatherhood, Cavs and redemption
Cameron Payne’s foot issues expected to sideline Bulls guard into season
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Auto mechanics strike over — at some car dealers
Some new car dealerships in the Chicago area reached separate agreements with their unionized workers after a monthlong strike, reports Ally Marotti.
“The strike is not over; it’s just over for us,” said Bill Koller at Sherman Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in Skokie after the dealer agreed on terms with the Automobile Mechanics’ Local 701.
More than a half-dozen local dealerships broke ranks with their bargaining group to reach similar deals. On Wednesday, the bargaining group accused the mechanics of violating federal labor law.
Whole Foods prices slashed: Amazon, on the day its purchase of Whole Foods Market was finalized, slashed prices at the grocery store by up to 43 percent on some items, with plans to cut more. Here are five lessons we learned from the e-commerce giant’s first week as a grocer, courtesy of Greg Trotter. Here’s a comparison of the new and old prices at a store in Evanston, courtesy of Kori Rumoe and Ryan Marx.
United CEO offers Harvey help: United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz pledged to donate up to $1 million of his own money to help workers affected by Hurricane Harvey. United, which could lose at least $265 million because of the storm, has 11,000 workers in Houston, reports Lauren Zumbach.
Honoring Jane Addams: The Hard Rock Hotel on Michigan Avenue is being rebranded as the St. Jane Chicago, paying homage to social activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams, who ran the Hull House in Chicago, reports Ryan Ori.
Chicago hospitals gearing up to offer breakthrough treatment for pediatric cancer
Lawsuits over wood pulp in Parmesan cheese tossed by Chicago judge
Expedia chief Dara Khosrowshahi accepts job as Uber’s new CEO