DNC host committee meets $85 million fundraising obligation – Chicago Tribune

Good morning, Chicago.

Chicago’s minimum wage gets its annual increase today, when it hits $16.20 for most workers across the city.

Chicagoans familiar with the city’s minimum wage ordinance will notice two significant changes this year. First, the minimum wages for large and small businesses are now equal, not tiered. July 1 also marks the first step in the city’s plan to gradually phase out the tipped minimum wage by 2028.

Chicago became the largest U.S. city to agree to independently phase out the subminimum wage when the City Council passed legislation to do so last fall. This summer, the minimum wage for tipped workers rises to $11.02. The gap between the tipped and standard minimum wages will gradually shrink until they reach parity July 1, 2028.

The planned wage increases come as the U.S. added 272,000 jobs in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the unemployment rate was 4%, up from 3.7% a year ago.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Talia Soglin.

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DNC host committee has met $85M fundraising commitment, and aiming for millions more

Less than two months before national Democrats gather in Chicago for their convention, the local host committee has secured the financial commitments necessary to meet its nearly $85 million fundraising obligation, a source close to the committee familiar with the effort told the Tribune.

Changes to driver’s license eligibility for immigrants, gas tax hike on tap July 1

Beginning today, motorists who are not U.S. citizens will be able to acquire a standard Illinois driver’s license as the result of a law meant to alleviate a stigma for immigrants in their interactions with law enforcement and expand their abilities to seek consumer services.

In addition, an annual state gas tax hike tied to inflation kicks in, bringing the levy to 47 cents a gallon while the diesel fuel tax climbs to about 55 cents a gallon.

In Chicago’s tent cities, ‘a multitude of challenges’ to address the city’s rising homelessness

By July 30, residents will no longer be able to call the longtime homeless encampment along the North Shore Channel between Foster and Bryn Mawr avenues on Chicago’s Northwest Side home.

That’s because the next day, city departments are scheduled to begin clearing the tents and items, officials said, offering residents non-congregate shelter placement at a downtown hotel. Notices will go up starting the first week of July. The idea of relocating them has been talked about for years.

Error in new lung transplant algorithm harmed sick and dying patients

The new algorithm was supposed to help distribute lungs more fairly to people who desperately needed lifesaving transplants.

But a flaw in the process for awarding the organs to sick and dying patients meant some people didn’t receive the care they were entitled to, the Tribune has learned.

Shifting church policies toward same-sex couples lead to internal conflicts, defections and an apology

Surrounded by soaring stained-glass windows and elaborate statues of saints, the two wives clasped hands as a Catholic priest in white vestments blessed them in the sanctuary of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Lincoln Park.

The prayer was brief, lasting only a few minutes on a weekend in late April, roughly four months after the pope’s landmark and controversial decision to formally allow blessings for same-sex couples, under certain constraints, in mid-December.

Thousands turn out for downsized Chicago Pride Parade

Ki Brown, 25, and Ky Ferba, 23, said they became friends in high school because they were both masculine-presenting and openly gay.

As they stood on North Broadway and waited for Sunday’s Pride Parade to start, they joined thousands of others who gathered to celebrate and march for LGBTQ+ rights. They said support for LGBTQ people has been slow but forward-moving in Illinois.

Office tenants seek out top-tier spaces, showing downtown market isn’t quite dead

The downtown Chicago office market remained stuck in the doldrums during the first half of 2024, with a historically high vacancy rate and sinking office employment. But the news isn’t all bad. The best skyscrapers, either recently built or renovated, are thriving as companies entice employees back downtown by renting top-tier offices.

Drone shows dazzle, but are Americans ready to add them to July 4th traditions?

The unpredictability of fireworks — where and how each burst of dazzling light and crackling noise will occur — elicits a sense of wonder that captivates spectators.

But as the country prepares for summer’s iconic holiday of barbecues and big booms on July Fourth, drone light shows have emerged in recent years as an alternative that addresses growing concerns about noise, safety and the environment.

Column: As a critical July begins for the Chicago Cubs, White Sox and Bulls, here’s what to know

Another month is off the calendar and the Chicago Cubs and White Sox are seemingly in lockstep on the road to nowhere, while the Bulls apparently are joining the Sox, Blackhawks, Bears and Sky in the Chicago rebuild trend, writes Paul Sullivan.

With the baseball trade deadline on deck and both Sox general manager Chris Getz and Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer pondering change, and Bulls vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas starting the offseason with a bang, here’s what we need to know about these teams heading into July.

12 hours overnight at one of Chicago’s last 24/7 diners

The Golden Apple Grille & Breakfast House in Lakeview, a 24/7 diner, is one of Chicago’s last of its kind. The restaurant hasn’t hung a closed sign on its doors in more than five decades. Yes, really. Just ask manager Pete Evangelou, who insists the doors can’t lock. He’s a man of few words.

“No keys,” he said.