Afternoon Briefing: City plan not enough to protect migrating birds, advocates say

Good afternoon, Chicago.

When Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office announced in February it would replace Erin Harkey, commissioner of the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) since 2021, it came as a surprise to many in Chicago’s cultural world. In March, Johnson announced former art appraiser and curator Clinée Hedspeth as Harkey’s successor.

Hedspeth spent much of her half-hour interview with the Tribune giving a detailed tour of the art in her corner office at the Chicago Cultural Center, including pieces pulled from the city’s own art holdings: sketches by Alison Saar, a vibrant textile by Nick Cave and a small sculpture by the late Richard Hunt.

But when it came to her specific plans for DCASE — and its $87 million operating budget this year, its largest ever — Hedspeth had less to say.

Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.

Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy

Long-awaited Chicago policy doesn’t do enough to protect migrating birds, advocates say

A long-awaited policy update from the city of Chicago is supposed to help prevent bird injuries and deaths, which occur by the thousands each year when migrating birds crash into local buildings. Read more here.

More top news stories:

• Female passenger drives off with ride-share vehicle on Near North Side

• Body of man pulled from lake on Far South Side

New Amtrak service to begin between Chicago and St. Paul

The new Borealis service will offer a daily trip between Chicago, Milwaukee and the Twin Cities, Amtrak said Wednesday. Read more here.

More top business stories:

• Elmhurst Hospital continues long run of A grades in Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades

• Portillo’s workers at Aurora food prep facility vote to unionize

Chicago Bears Q&A: Were other needs more urgent than WR? Why support a punter in Round 4? Are the playoffs realistic?

How excited should Bears fans be after the additions? Are the playoffs — or even a division title — a realistic possibility this season? And what’s up with drafting a punter in the fourth round? Read more here.

More top sports stories:

• Miguel Amaya’s development continues to impress Chicago Cubs. Could he be the long-term solution at catcher?

• Pac-12 posts an impressive NFL draft haul — including Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze — before the conference breaks up

‘The Idea of You’ review: My daughter went to Coachella and all I got was this hunky pop star

“The Idea of You” does everything it can, and a lot more than it should, to repackage a popular bestseller with lots of sex for a touchier mainstream audience. Read more here.

More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:

• ‘Shardlake’ review: A Tudor-era murder mystery on Hulu

• Get some culture with summer art shows

Dueling protesters clash at UCLA hours after police clear pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia

Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza have spread across campuses nationwide in a student movement unlike any other this century. Read more here.

More top stories from around the world:

• Trump returns to his campaign facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order

• Brian McCardie, ‘Line of Duty’ and ‘Rob Roy,’ actor, dies at 59