🌱 Eleven Charged In Cocaine Distribution + Chicago River Goes Green

Hello, everybody! It's me, Kaytlyn Mroz, your host of the Chicago Patch newsletter — here to impart all the most important things happening in the community.

But first, today's weather:

Times of sun and clouds. High: 37 Low: 29.

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Here are the top three stories today in Chicago:

1. Eleven people have been charged for allegedly conspiring to distribute crack cocaine in the Chicago area. Law enforcement retrieved hundreds of grams of crack cocaine and firearms were seized from the group working for the La Familia Stones street gang. Ten of the defendants have been arrested, while one remains at large with an arrest warrant issued. The names of individuals charged in the case are available at the link. (Department of Justice)
2. Chicago is getting ready for St. Patrick's Day celebrations by dyeing the Chicago River green today, an iconic annual event that began in 1962. The dyeing process, which takes place just west of the Columbus bridge, starts at 10 a.m. and can be viewed along the river from Upper Wacker Drive. (CBS Chicago)
3. Surrounding counties, such as Boone, McHenry, and Lake, experienced between five and nine inches of snow this week, while central Cook County has recorded lower totals of between two and four inches. Temperatures in the mid-to-upper 30s are expected throughout the weekend, with another snow system possibly bringing an extra one to two inches of snow on Saturday night. (NBC Chicago)

Today in Chicago:

• St. Patrick's Day Family Fun Bash At WhirlyBall Chicago (10:00 AM)
• Spring Flower Show: Bee's Knees At Garfield Park Conservatory (10:00 AM)
• St. Patrick's Fest 2023 At Irish American Heritage Center (1:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Check out the cool photo of the city on a foggy day this week at the link. (Chicago Architecture Center via Instagram)
• Chicago Public Schools is celebrating #MusicInOurSchoolsMonth throughout March. Creative outlets like music give children the opportunity to relate and share their experiences with others. (Chicago Public Schools via Instagram)
• The Chicago Police Department's Bureau of Internal Affairs has released the 2022 Fourth Quarter Report. You can view it here. (Chicago Police Department via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• Get your medical cannabis card from home in less than 24hrs! (March 11)
• Irish Singing Duo Byrne & Kelly in Pre-St. Patrick's Day Concert (March 16)
• Free Learn for Life Webinar: Emotional Intelligence (March 22)
• Carnegie Hall Debut Preview Recital (March 25)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Saturday off right. I'll see you around!

— Kaytlyn Mroz

About me: Kaytlyn Mroz is a copywriter at Lightning Media Partners – a content creation agency. She is a Rowan University graduate where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in writing. Outside of work, Kaytlyn is a dog mom to a boglen terrier named Finn and a golden retriever named Willow.