🌱 Jury Selected In Tim Mapes Trial + Organ Donors Needed

Good morning, friends! I'm back with your fresh copy of the Chicago Patch newsletter, fresh off the presses.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 82 Low: 69.

Here are the top three stories today in Chicago:

1. Jurors were selected for the upcoming federal perjury trial of Tim Mapes, former Chief of Staff to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Prosecutors allege Mapes lied under oath to a grand jury in order to obstruct a federal investigation into alleged illegal activities by Madigan and others. Fifty prospective jurors were interviewed and 12 were ultimately selected, and opening statements occurred yesterday morning. (NBC Chicago)
2. Yesterday in a press conference, the Illinois Secretary of State urged Illinois residents to become organ donors as thousands across the state remain on the waitlist. Of the estimated 4,000 people currently on organ waitlists across the state, around 300 of them could die within the next year. Residents can register as organ donors at the DMV or by visiting LifeGoesOn.com. (CBS News)
3. A new program will help patients who need specialized abortion care get connected with hospitals that can provide it, abortion advocates announced last week. The CARLA hotline, which stands for Complex Abortion Regional Line for Access, will connect abortion clinic staff with four major Chicago-area hospitals so they can schedule abortion appointments for patients who need hospital-based care. The new hotline connects patients with hospitals as abortion bans limit access to life-saving care spread across the Midwest. (Block Club Chicago)

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Today in and around Chicago:

Thursday, August 10

• Back To School Celebration At Fashion Outlets Of Chicago, Rosemont (10:00 AM)
• Preschool Story Time At Blackstone Branch Library (10:30 AM)
• Chair Yoga At North Austin Branch Library (12:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Chicago Architecture Center celebrated its Teen Fellows at Harold Washington College this week after sharing their designs for a community center for Just Roots Chicago. ⁠⁠You can learn more about teen programs focusing on architecture, design, and engineering at the link.⁠ (Chicago Architecture Center via Instagram)
• Attention plant-based readers: a new vegan restaurant, Sundrip, is opening in Hyde Park this September. The family-owned vegan eatery will serve açaí bowls, salads, smoothies, juices, and more. (Block Club Chicago via Facebook)
• Chicago native and inventor of the Cha-Cha Slide, DJ Casper, has died at age 58 after a prolonged battle with kidney and liver cancer. His legacy will live on at wedding receptions, school dances, and other celebrations for years to come. (Patch)

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Featured announcements:

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That's it for today. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new update!

— Kaytlyn Smith

About me: Kaytlyn Smith is a managing editor 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.