? Below: Across the region, video gambling devices are allowed in more than 200 communities and banned in more than 60. We examine this boon.
?️ Plus: Multimillion-dollar momentum builds in Bronzeville, a local man prepares for his 48th Chicago Marathon and more news you need to know.
? Keeping score: The Bears beat the Jets, 23-12; the Stars fell to the Summit, 3-0.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
Big bet: Not even 20 years ago, video gambling was illegal in Illinois. Today, nearly 80% of Chicago's six-county metropolitan area has legalized video gambling, a level of saturation that means more than 200 municipalities now allow it to varying degrees, while more than 60 communities ban the machines.
Key context: Video gambling terminals were legalized in Chicago last year against objections from Mayor Brandon Johnson and the developers of the Bally's Chicago casino, who feared the gambling devices would cannibalize the local market. The machines have yet to go live within the city, a City Hall spokesman said.
Where you'll find it: Wealthy suburbs generally outlaw video gambling — North Shore communities of Evanston, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Wilmette and Winnetka all have prohibitions. Lower-income south suburbs generally allow it.
At issue: Beyond gambling addiction, the vastness of video gambling also has the potential to normalize gambling for children, who are exposed to marketing. Studies show many who gamble are those who can least afford it. And video gambling is fueling a crime wave of after-hours burglaries at establishments with the machines. A trade group representing the video gambling industry didn't return calls from the Sun-Times.
Heat casualties: More people — 16 — died from the heat in Cook County this summer than in any previous year in the last decade, according to our analysis of county data.
Questions remain: Experts say heat-related deaths should be preventable and those who died from the heat this summer leave behind questions about what individuals and Chicago officials can do to adapt to and mitigate future stretches of extreme heat.
Community cares: A network of eight community leaders says it has raised $75 million to help build or redevelop nine Bronzeville cultural sites and solidify the neighborhood as a national destination for the arts.
Among the sites: The National Museum of Gospel Music, Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House, and a recreational Bronzeville Trail. Other sites include a food hub called Bronzeville Cookin', the Muddy Waters MOJO Museum and more.
Key context: The Bronzeville Legacy Collective, the group behind the effort, is trying to raise more amid cuts to federal arts funding. Ultimately, the collective hopes to raise $250 million, including $100 million for the Bronzeville Trail to be constructed from 40th and Federal streets to 41st Street and Lake Park Avenue.
The matchup: Incumbent Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, seeking a rare third term as Illinois governor, is squaring off with Republican nominee Darren Bailey and independent candidate Collin Corbett in the Nov. 3 general election.
Key context: Pritzker was first elected in 2018, and this year's contest presents a rematch of his 2022 reelection victory — when he beat Bailey by nearly 13 percentage points.
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
Today's clue: 1D: "___ Patrol" (song by Chicago band Naked Raygun)
This will be the 48th Chicago Marathon that Henry Kozlowski runs in his high school gym shorts.
The cotton shorts, issued by Lane Technical High School, as it was then named, in 1966, or possibly 1967, come out of the closet once a year.
Why his high school gym shorts? They’re just the shorts he had, and he wore them, Kozlowski, 76, told the Sun-Times.
He's one of two runners who have finished every Chicago marathon since the race started in 1977. He hopes to complete this year's race in under eight hours.
"[The shorts are] a little snug, not as comfy as they were when I was in high school, but they still work," said Kozlowski, who hopes to finish 50 marathons before hanging them up for good.
"They’ll wear out the same time I do," he said. "Maybe I’ll have them bronzed."
Have you ever run the Chicago Marathon before? What tips do you have for a first-time marathoner?
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Michael Lansu
Copy edited by: Satchel Price
