🌱 Boaters Missing + New CTA Safety Plan + Weekend Festivals

Good morning! It's my last day curating your Chicago Daily. Thanks for having me. Now let's get to the news.

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First, today's weather: Breezy; an afternoon shower. High: 81 Low: 70.

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Here are the top 5 stories today in Chicago:

1. A bicyclist was struck and killed by a vehicle Thursday in East Side - the second Chicagoan killed by a hit-and-run driver this week. The cyclist was hit around 6:15 a.m. in the 9900 block of South Avenue L. Their identity has not been released. (Block Club)

2. The CTA outlined a new plan this week to address safety concerns and service delays on trains and buses. CTA President Dorval Carter cited workforce shortages as a major issue, along with the need to address passenger struggles with “homelessness, mental health problems and substance use disorder.” (WTTW)

3. Two Chicago men have been missing since July 27, when they took a boat onto Lake Michigan from an Indiana Harbor. The Coast Guard conducted a two-day search for Dexter Sain and Curtis Herron, who "had little to no boating experience." (Paid source: Tribune)

4. Chicago Public Schools could continue its “dramatic downward slide” in enrollment this fall, with less than 300,000 students expected to attend class in the district. A new WBEZ report examines reasons for the drop in the student population, and projections for the future. (WBEZ)

5. Jury selection in another R. Kelly trial begins Monday at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. The R&B singer faces child pornography charges, months after being sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking and other offenses. (WGN)

Today in Chicago:

• Free workout classes are offered all morning long on Millennium Park’s Great Lawn. (8 a.m.)
• Check out the free Radical Used Book Fair at Haymarket House. (11 a.m.)
• Music Box Theatre screens “Back to the Drive-In,” a documentary about outdoor movie theaters across the country. (11:45 a.m.)
• Edison Park Fest celebrates its 50th anniversary. (Noon)
• The My House Music Festival begins in Pilsen’s Harrison Park. (3 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Construction approvals and fundraising roadblocks are delaying work on the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. (Paid source: Tribune)
• Registration opens today for most fall programs at the Chicago Park District. (NBC)
• The first-ever “Chicago Summer Float Party” will take place tomorrow on the river. (CBS)
• Chicagoan Jane Lynch won two U.S. Travel Association Mercury Awards for the Illinois Tourism campaign she created. (Reel Chicago)
• Latin School of Chicago students are looking to break a world record for the largest-ever cereal box mosaic, while raising funds and awareness for Ukraine. (Paid source: Sun-Times)

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Events:

• Chicago's Little Italy Festa on Taylor Street (August 13)
• Chicago's Little Italy Festa on Taylor Street (August 14)
• Lowered Costs for 2022, Get Your Cannabis Card in 24hrs from Home! (August 14)
• The Beverly Arts Center Announces its 2022/2023 Professional Theatre Season (August 15)
• The Evanston Chamber Music Society Summer Music Festival (August 19)
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Announcements:

• BHHS Chicago Names David Bracy, Alan Zuber Managing Brokers of Bucktown Office (Details)
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Housing:

• Free Mortgage Pre Approval (Details)
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Job listings:

• Career opportunity as an HVAC Apprentice (Details)
• Weekend Carryout/Packer & Bartender (Details)
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That's all for this Saturday, Chicago. A new curator will be in your inbox Tuesday with another Patch Daily. See you down the road.

— Georgi

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her feature articles have been recognized with awards from the Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.