Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
In today’s newsletter, we’ve got the harrowing story of how one Rogers Park business owner sprang into action after a shooting near his bar on Tuesday.
Plus, we have reporting on a late-night scooter ordinance, why this year’s Pride Parade will be shorter and more community news you need to know below. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Bar owner steps up in deadly Rogers Park shooting
Reporting by Jessica Ma
Good Samaritan acts amid tragedy: Relaxing on his 47th birthday wasn’t in the cards for Erik Archambeault as the day took an unexpected turn. Shortly before noon Tuesday, Archambeault heard gunshots and ran to help a man walking his dog who got caught in crossfire when a shooter jumped out of a car and opened fire, killing James Craig Smith Jr. and injuring the dog walker.
What happened: Both Smith, 33, and the 41-year-old dog walker were shot in the back. They were on the 6900 block of North Glenwood Avenue, near the Morse Red Line station, when a man got out of a gray Ford Edge, approached and began firing shots in their direction, police said. The shooter, who had chased Smith before shooting him, sped away in the Ford, according to a police report.
Springing into action: Archambeault, who owns Rogers Park Social, was in his bar and ran outside after he heard “nine to 12 gunshots” and saw the dog walker “walking quickly down the street,” toward the bar, crying out that he had been shot. “I was like, ‘Get inside, lay on the couch, and let me look at your wound,’” Archambeault said. Archambeault grabbed towels to put pressure on the wound, while the general manager, Wally Andersen, brought ice. They stayed with him until paramedics arrived.
One man killed: Both victims were hospitalized, but only the dog walker survived the shooting. An autopsy performed Wednesday determined that Smith died of multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office.
‘Crazy birthday': Archambeault looked after the dog walker’s pet until the owner was released from the hospital. “It was a crazy birthday — a lot more energy than I anticipated putting in,” he said.
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WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- All-night scooters? Members of a City Council committee on Wednesday endorsed an ordinance that would allow the use of rented electric scooters in the wee hours of the night, but also raised concerns about the program’s safety.
- Police reform efforts questioned: Nearly a decade after the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald, reform efforts spurred by his killing face renewed scrutiny following newly released footage showing another African American dying in a hail of bullets fired by police.
- PPP loan kickbacks: Since the pandemic began in 2020, a state watchdog has found 277 cases of wrongdoing involving PPP loans worth a combined $7.2 million, according to a new report by the office.
- A shorter Pride Parade: Chicago Pride Parade attendees will see a slightly scaled-down version this year due to “safety and logistics concerns raised by the city,” according to PRIDEChicago, which produces the historic event.
- Latino Film Fest begins: Running Thursday through April 21, this Chicago Latino Film Festival will screen multiple films at theaters around the city. Actor Omar Chaparro talked with the Sun-Times about “The Wingwalker,” the festival’s opening film.
- Northwestern’s temp field: While Northwestern builds a new stadium, the school says it will also build a temporary lakefront stadium for its football team’s home games.
SUN-TIMES STAFF SUGGESTS 🌱
Find your next sprout at a seed library
This week’s Sun-Times staff suggestion comes from Watchdogs reporter Lauren FitzPatrick, who recommends ringing in the spring season by visiting a seed library near you — where you can “borrow” free seeds.
Preferred library: “The one I frequent the most lives on the first floor of the Sulzer Regional Library (in Ravenswood), where staff have stocked the drawers with little packets of free seeds for flowers, herbs and vegetables, plus growing instructions,” Lauren tells me. “Neighbors sometimes share their bounty, too. And you don’t have to visit the checkout desk.”
Seed locations: You can also find free seed libraries inside 11 Chicago Public Library branches across the city. Here’s the list. 👇🏻
- Edgewater, 6000 N. Broadway Ave.
- Manning, 6 S. Hoyne Ave., by the adult computers.
- Legler, 115 S. Pulaski Rd., second floor, outside YouMedia/Maker Lab
- North Pulaski, 4300 W. North Ave., near the front entrance
- Douglass, 3353 W. 13th St.
- Vodak-East Side Library, 3710 E. 106th St.
- Bucktown Wicker-Park, 1701 N. Milwaukee Ave.
- Humboldt Park, 1605 N. Troy Ave.
- Budlong Woods, 5630 N. Lincoln Ave.
- Edgebrook, 5331 W Devon Ave.
- Richard J. Daley, 3400 S. Halsted St.
More to come: There are a few other branches in the beginning stages of developing seed libraries, Lauren says. Since each library branch might operate its seed library differently, Lauren recommends giving your branch a call. You’ll find contact information here.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Where do you find the best ‘Chicago-style’ pizza? Yelp says it’s in California
Reporting by Stefano Esposito
A recently released Yelp survey has declared that the best “Chicago-style” pizza (Yelp’s word, not ours) in the entire United States and Canada can be found — not in Ravenswood, the South Loop or the Fulton Market District — but in, wait for it, Monterey, California, at a joint called Heirloom Pizza.
The only Chicago pizzeria to break the Top 10 (at No. 10) is Michael’s Original Pizzeria & Tavern in the Uptown neighborhood. Pequod’s Pizza — voted the best overall pizza in America in February, also by Yelp — comes in 20th in this most recent survey (which lists 25 establishments).
Mario Espinosa, the manager at Michael’s for the last 20 years or so, serves deep-dish and tavern-style pizza. He said he knows nothing about Heirloom.
“You never know what people do for reviews. If you’re telling me that the best Chicago-style pizza is in California, I doubt it. The best Chicago-style pizza is here in Chicago,” Espinosa said.
Michael Foley — a New Jersey guy who moved to California in the late 1980s and started Heirloom in 2017 — comes across as a gracious winner during a quick phone chat on Wednesday.
Asked if he has plans to open a location in the home of “Chicago-style” pizza, he said: “Oh my gosh, I don’t think so man. Why would I want to take on Lou’s (Lou Malnati’s) and Gino’s (East)?”
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YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
How would you describe Chicago-style pizza? Where can you find the best?
Email us (please include your first and last name). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!
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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers
