ESPN's Jen Lada + El Milagro Walkout + Obama + Corsets In Schools

It's the freakin' weekend, Chicago! Fix yourself a cup o' joe, relax and join me, Mark Konkol, as I run down news highlights, sports hot-takes, lovely long reads and fun stuff for your to-do list.

First, let's give a hardy, welcome home to a pair of ex-Chicagoans making us proud.

In the early aughts, I covered City Hall alongside Evan Osnos, then a young Tribune reporter.

On Saturday, the New Yorker writer, who was awarded the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction, is back in town for the Chicago Humanities Festival to talk about his latest book, "Wildland: The Making of America's Fury." (Excerpt below)

And Saturday's college football showdown between Notre Dame and Wisconsin at Soldier Field is a homecoming for Chicagoland native ESPN reporter Jen Lada. Patch's Jeff Arnold caught up with the Landa before the big game to talk football — and Chicago's "best tacos."

JEFF ARNOLD ON SPORTS: ESPN GameDay's Lada Welcomes Chicago Homecoming, Steak Tacos

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Weekend Weather.

Crisp. High: 68 Low: 52.

Chicago Patch Top 6:

• The Great Chicago Tortilla Strike! Workers at El Milagro tortilla factory in Little Village walked off the job Thursday. Employees say they are protesting low wages and dangerous working conditions. Activists say 85 employees contracted coronavirus and five died. El Milagro owners responded Friday by locking out workers. Here's hoping for a resolution by Taco Tuesday. (Eater)
• Sky’s The Limit: The Chicago Sky advanced to the second round of the WNBA playoffs. On Sunday they travel to the Twin Cities to face the No. 3-seeded Minnesota Lynx in a single-elimination game at 4 p.m. Watch it live on ESPN2. (ESPN)
• High school gals at a handful of city public schools say they're fighting back against a "sexist" dress code. Jones College Prep student Mila Mussatt said she’s been experimenting with her own style and showing up to class in sexy outfits to protest being told what not to wear. "Earlier this week, I did also wear just a bra one day, and the very next day I wore a corset with a very short skirt," she said. (WBEZ)
• When the weekend ends ... be prepared for two-fer of POTUS-inspired traffic jams. Former President Barack Obama pops into Jackson Park Tuesday for the official groundbreaking on his controversial presidential center (Patch) And on Wednesday President Joe Biden makes a stop in Chicago to push private vaccine mandates. (Patch)
• COMMENTARY: Justin Fields gets his first start for the Bears. What could go wrong? (Patch)

Sunday Long Reads:

• Chicago scribe Robert Lorzel combed letters, memoirs, oral histories, newspaper articles, books and testimony at a city inquiry in 1871 to compile a tale of the Great Chicago Fire, as told by people who lived through it. (Chicago Magazine)
• Here's the excerpt from Evan Osnos' new book, "Wildland: The Making of America's Fury." (New Yorker)
• This is the story of one gun stolen in Wisconsin that was used in 27 shootings in the streets of Chicago. (Tribune)

This Weekend In Chicago:

Saturday:

• Another chance to see Rebirth Brass Band at Martyr's (7 p.m.)
• Paint, Sip and Whine: AfroBeat Edition at Promontory. (11 a.m.)
• Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame at Soldier Field (11 a.m.)
• Virtual Yoga with Natalie at Garfield Park Conservatory (9:00 AM)
• Jim Jeffries: The Moist Tour at Chicago Theater (7 p.m.)

Sunday Funday:

• 22 Places for Brunch this weekend (Time Out)
• Afternoon Tea: Drag Brunch at Ace Hotel (11 a.m.)
• Flamingosis at Lincoln Hall (7:30 p.m.)
• Hyde Park Jazz Fest at Midway Plaisance Park. (1 p.m.)
• Chicago's Best Stand Up at Laugh Factory (7 p.m.)

Chicago Patch Notebook:

• Listen Up! Patch columnist Mark Konkol joins Connected To Chicago with Nick Gale for a reporters' roundtable about the news of the week on WLS AM 890. (WLS AM 890)
• Dogs inside a stolen van get returned to Lake View groomer. (Patch)
• Larry’s BarberMaximus sets up shop in the Chatham WalMart. (Chicago Defender)
• Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg: Will adding life rings on the Lake Michigan shoreline really save lives? (Behind the CST paywall.)
• Storyteller Rick Kogan remembers attorney Ron Miller and his Public Affairs Roundtable. (Tribune)

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That's it for today! See you all tomorrow for your next update. If you're loving these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Mark Konkol

Have a news tip or suggestion.? You can reach me at mark.konkol@patch.com.