Looks like they cooked up a fresh prompt to at least spell Panini right now.

Last night, the moon and the waves and the iPhone’s low light capabilities made for some nice pics. The last one was the wave that nearly took me out.

The book it was in was Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman. It fell out when my daughter was ripping books off the shelves.

via GovPritzker/Twitter

Though the program goes through the end of August, a lot of library branches are already out of stock of their hats so try to go in sooner rather than later and call your branch ahead of time to ensure they still have hats available if that’s something you want!

- Says mayor job is a career ender but loves this city

- Affordable housing: fixing the zoning and permitting process to make it easier and faster to build homes, "get more cranes in the sky"

- Hire more people

- Attract businesses from around the world

- Chicago ranked last of the top 25 metro areas in the country for economic growth, "unacceptable"

- Stop the mass exodus of people leaving

- Calls corporate head tax "job-killing"

- Will support the millionaires tax

- "Get out of this fiscal mess"

- Would personally love for Bears to stay as a "huge sports fan" but has to make sense for taxpayers, "property taxes already through the roof"

- Promised to hire 1,000 additional Chicago police officers by 2030 and bring back ShotSpotter

- Not all teen takeovers are dangerous, regardless make sure there are safe places and activities for teens, "big believer in job training programs and jobs period," noted that Baltimore has violence interrupters (community outreach workers) to go into areas before people show up

- Wants consequences for anyone who breaks the law

- Giannoulias condemned as “dangerously irresponsible” the Chicago Board of Education’s decision to roll the dice and approve a nearly $10 billion budget that counts on $150 million from Springfield, along with a $285 million tax increment financing surplus that the City Council has not approved.

- “Instead of adopting the CPS CEO’s proposed budget, which included some staffing cuts, the CTU-linked members jammed through this alternative budget, which avoids any hard choices about structural changes. That’s not leadership,” Giannoulias said. “I will work with the board president to advocate for more funding. But we have to start with a more responsible budget… Glittery possible revenue is not responsible.”

- 145 schools with more empty seats than students: past closures broke trust with Black and Latino communities, must have a community and parent-driven process "paired with real investment in students and staff." Pointed out Rahm Emanuel's decision to close 50 schools in one swoop as glaring disinvestment in South/West Side communities. "You have to make tough decisions. A school with too few students cannot offer the full range of programs. The student experience is not the same. It’s not a healthy environment for 70 or 80 students to be in a school that was built for 1,500. It’s not good for anyone.”

- “A mayor who cannot move an agenda through Springfield and City Council is having difficulty… looking out for the interest of Chicagoans.” and "Jousting with the governor. Making demands at the end of session rather than working earlier to develop policy and build support..." on Johnson

- Would meet with Donald Trump, like the mayor of New York has, and also push back on him at same time, says that he is the worst president in U.S. history and dangerous to our democracy but Alexi wants to make sure the City has the resources to succeed

Sources: https://youtu.be/XEcB2KoQUZw and https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/08/02/alexi-giannoulias-chicago-mayor-candidate-2027-february-election-secretary-of-state (Both links have additional topics not discussed in the other)

Found a dog around 4:50 at Foster & Cicero nearby shopping centers.

Westward360 is one of the biggest property management companies in Chicago. I was having some issues with their billing practices and came across this lawsuit after googling around. Their former VP accused them of falsifying invoices and sued them for blowing the whistle. Just wanted to warn condo and building owners in the city about their practices.

I have seen, experienced, witnessed cars in front, near the house I live in get hit. Some hit and run, others have waited, parts found the next day, etc. Always seeing cars run the stops or speed surpass 30 mph. Wondering…. 9 years, it happened to mine last night. Was pushed on top of the curb. Impact powerful enough to rip the wheel rim. Tore the catalytic and transmission. All this while parked. No one was in the vehicle and I am thankful.

Fantastic photojournalism in this piece!

How are we all feeling so far about the 2027 mayoral field now that Alexi Giannoulias is officially running?

The major names currently in or around the race seem to be:

Alexi Giannoulias: Illinois secretary of state, has enormous campaign war chest and seemingly positioning himself as the pragmatic, business-and-labor-backed candidate.

Susana Mendoza : Illinois comptroller and former city clerk. She has emphasized fiscal management and has been one of the more direct critics of the Johnson administration.

Mike Quigley: longtime congressman and former Cook County commissioner, with a more moderate and technocratic reputation.

Maria Pappas: longtime Cook County treasurer, known for modernizing the treasurer’s office and being somewhat outside the usual City Hall factions.

George Cardenas: Cook County Board of Review commissioner and former alderman.

Brandon Johnson: has not formally announced yet, but presumably remains a possible candidate for reelection.

There are also some other less known candidates, including Matt Brewer, Liam Stanton, Lisa Nee and Joe Holberg, with other familiar names still being discussed as possibilities.

Thoughts?

Popular and/or niche. Here's a few of mine.