🌱 Teens Charged With Killing Police Officer + COVID Emergency Ends

It's Thursday, Chicago. In today's top stories:

• A woman is arrested for attacking at least nine people with a metal baseball bat.
• Pilsen officials work together to open a temporary shelter for migrants.
• President Barack Obama surprises a group of South Side students.

But first, today's weather: Increasing cloudiness. High: 74 Low: 59.

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Here are the top 5 stories in Chicago today:

1. Four teens were charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 24-year-old Chicago police officer, the department announced Wednesday. They also face charges including burglary, robbery, arson and possession of a stolen vehicle. Interim Police Superintendent Eric Carter said the group was “out looking for victims” when they attacked Areanah Preston, who was just getting home from the end of a shift. “She wanted to create a better future for Chicago,” Carter said at a press conference. “But the incomprehensible actions of these four offenders took that future from her and the loss to the City of Chicago is tremendous." (Patch)

2. Today marks the end of the federal public health emergency declared at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chicago Public Health Department Commissioner Allison Arwady said “COVID-19 continues to circulate and still causes 150-200 deaths a day nationally, especially in older Americans who are not up to date with COVID vaccines and not taking the early treatments that help keep serious outcomes in check… I’m thrilled that COVID doesn’t have to be top of mind anymore, but it’s also not completely over.” (City)

3. A woman has been arrested in connection with a series of metal baseball bat attacks on the northwest side, NBC Chicago reports. The attacker targeted at least nine women in three different neighborhoods over the course of this week. (NBC)

4. More than 70 migrants were moved into a vacant commercial space in Pilsen this week with help from Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez and building owner Doug Wynne. The alderman said he was receiving calls that people were being turned away from the 12th District police station as a shelter due to crowding. (ABC)

5. President Barack Obama surprised a group of Bronzeville student musicians Tuesday. Mentorship organization “Guitars Over Guns” received a $15,000 grant from his foundation. (CBS)

Today in Chicago:

• The American Writers Museum hosts “Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justice.” (10 a.m.)
• Check out the “Mozart Immersive: The Soul of a Genius” exhibit at Lighthouse Artspace. (1 p.m.)
• The Chicago Critics Film Festival wraps up with two screenings at the Music Box Theatre. (5 p.m.)
• Biographer Jonathan Eig speaks on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. at Chop Shop as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival. (7 p.m.)
• Gladys Knight performs at the Chicago Theatre. (7:30 p.m.)
• “The Second City Swipes Right” at UP Comedy Club. (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The Special Olympics Chicago Spring Games are being held this week. Illinois Managing Director Melissa Garritano told CBS, "It's all about inclusion, it's all about focusing on their abilities, not their disabilities.” (CBS)
• Chicago River Day is this Saturday, in which volunteers clean up 70 sites along the Chicago and Calumet rivers. Registration is open for the annual event, which dates back to 1992. (Friends of the Chicago River)
• Arlington Heights trustees said earlier this week the process of moving the Chicago Bears to the village still has a “long, long way to go.” (Paid source: Tribune)
• More than 70 arts organizations received grants from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. (CBS)
• Logan Square brewery owners are teaming up to launch a “Brewer’s Triangle” in the neighborhood. (Block Club)

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That's all for today. See you tomorrow for the Friday 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.