🌱 Weekend Violence + Hot Weather Week + Hendriks Returns To Sox

It's the last day of May, Chicago. Let's catch up on the latest local news, including:

• New data on violence against postal workers in the city.
• Cooling centers open as highs are expected to reach into the 90s all week.
• Taylor Swift events get underway ahead of the music sensation's "Eras" tour coming to Soldier Field.

But first, today's weather: A thunderstorm in the p.m. High: 82 Low: 65.

Here are the top 4 stories in Chicago today:

1. At least 11 people were killed in the city over the weekend, with the Sun-Times reporting it the “deadliest Memorial Day weekend in Chicago in eight years.” More than 40 others were wounded in shootings. (Paid source: Sun-Times)

2. New data from the Chicago Police Department shows five mail carriers are attacked in the city every week, NBC reports. Crimes against postal workers are up 40 percent since 2021. (NBC)

3. Cooling centers are opening as summer temperatures arrive, with highs in the 90s anticipated this week. Six community centers offer air conditioning from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with libraries and field houses also open for those who need to get out of the heat. (WGN)

4. White Sox closer Liam Hendriks returned to the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field Monday night, four months after he announced he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Fans welcomed him with a pregame ceremony alongside his wife Kristi Hendriks, who said, “when all the fan support got behind him, it was a moment of... ‘I’m doing this for the city of Chicago.’” More than $100,000 were raised for the Lymphoma Research Foundation through sales of “Close Out Cancer” T-shirts. (Paid source: Tribune)

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Today in Chicago:

• Chicago Dance Month returns with “Live at Lunch” performances at The Green. (Noon)
• See “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” for free at Gallagher Way. (6 p.m.)
• To celebrate the Eras Tour coming to Soldier Field this weekend, a Taylor Swift Trivia Night is held at Radio Room. (6:30 p.m.)
• Brew U Beer School at Old Town Pour House. (6:30 p.m.)
• Replay Lakeview hosts a Taylor Swift themed karaoke night. (9 p.m.)

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From my notebook:

• More than 300 migrants are now sheltered at Wilbur Wright College for the summer, ABC reports. (ABC)
• Schedule changes are now in effect on Metra's Union Pacific West and Northwest lines. (NBC)
• The Northwestern University lacrosse team brought home the national championship earlier this week. (WGN)
• Condٞé Nast Traveler released a new list of 23 things to do in Chicago this summer, from the lakefront trail to the Lincoln Park Zoo. (Condٞé Nast Traveler)

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That's all for today, Chicago. See you tomorrow to start a new month of daily newsletters.

— 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.