🌱 New Law Against Book Bans + Chicago Juneteenth Celebrations

Good morning, Chicago! In today's digest:

• A drunk motorist struck a pedicab driver near Wrigley Field over the weekend.
• A Chicago-based company announced it will lay off 400 workers.
• Chicagoland native Sean Hayes won a Tony Sunday for "Goodnight, Oscar."

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Now, today's weather: Breezy with a few showers. High: 67 Low: 58.

Here are the top 4 stories in Chicago today:

1. A Chicago woman has been missing since Sunday afternoon, police said. Allison Hague, 34, was last seen leaving her home in the 1900 block of North California to go to work in the River North neighborhood. (WGN)

2. Book bans will be against the law at Illinois libraries beginning in 2024, thanks to legislation signed Monday by Gov. J.B. Pritzer. WBEZ reports libraries who violate the rule will lose access to grant funding, making Illinois the first state in the U.S. to ban book banning. “Book bans are about censorship, marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts,” Pritzker said. (WBEZ)

3. The City of Chicago will celebrate Juneteenth this weekend with the 1865 Festival in Garfield Park. Other weekend events include a block party and family festival. Juneteenth markets will be held at The Promontory and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Choose Chicago curated a full list of Juneteenth celebrations. (City)

4. Glen Ellyn native Sean Hayes won a Tony Award Sunday for his performance in “Good Night, Oscar.” The play had its original run in Chicago. “My heartfelt thanks…to all of the producers and The Goodman Theatre for believing in me and this project,” Hayes wrote in an Instagram post Monday. (Playbill)

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Today in Chicago:

• Illinois residents get free admission to the Museum of Contemporary Art on Tuesdays. (10 a.m.)
• The Chicago Park District and Night Out in the Park host a performance of “On the Move” at Promontory Point. (4:30 p.m.)
• The Cubs are back in town to play the Pirates at Wrigley Field. (7:05 p.m.)

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From my notebook:

• A drunk driver was arrested after striking a pedicab driver and two parked cars outside Wrigley Field Sunday. (ABC)
• The CTA Pride train is now running on the Red Line. (CBS)
• Sen. Dick Durbin is looking to assist cancer patients as common chemotherapy drugs are in short supply in Illinois, ABC reports. (ABC)
• Chicago-based GrubHub announced it will lay off 400 workers this week. (CBS)
• Chicago Fire FC ticket sales skyrocketed last week after Lionel Messi announced he will join Inter Miami FC. The team comes to Soldier Field in October. (Block Club)

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Featured events:

• Become a Certified Financial Planner (June 15)
• Taxes in Retirement Seminar at DePaul University - Arts & Letters Hall (June 15)
• Winfield Mounds and Village (June 15)
• 60th Chicago Book and Paper Fair (June 17)
• 2nd Annual Lakeview East Adopt and Shop (June 17)
• A Graduate Degree Designed for You: Learn More at an Info Session (June 21)
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That's all for Tuesday, Chicago. See you tomorrow for another edition!

— Georgi Presecky

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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Chicago Patch newsletter? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.