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Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Editorial: NASCAR should have a future in Chicago — if it's not held on Fourth of July weekend
NASCAR ran its Chicago race for the third time last weekend, and there was a sense that both the city and the stock-car racing world had gotten the hang of this oddball event. All went reasonably smoothly, and the weather was (mostly) fine. So now a decision needs to be made. With the three-year agreement between the city and NASCAR now ending, should the two sides keep this relationship going? Mayor Brandon Johnson said he is open to an extension, and NASCAR also wants to re-up. But the mayor raised questions about whether the Fourth of July weekend is the right time for the race. He was right to do so, and we would go a step further. If NASCAR and the city can't find another mutually suitable time for this event, both parties should go their separate ways. No hard feelings. After three years of experience, we agree with the mayor that the weekend of the Fourth stretches the city's resources too thin, particularly the Chicago Police Department. That weekend typically is among the most violent of the year, and it's simple prudence to allow CPD to focus entirely on public safety. In addition, the inconvenience to people who live downtown, as well as those just trying to get around the area during a weekend filled with barbecues and family activities, isn't worth enduring for the benefits the city gets from NASCAR. For anyone driving north to south in the area or vice versa, the DuSable Lake Shore Drive closure is a world-class headache. In the before-NASCAR times, the Fourth also drew folks from outside the area for fireworks and simply to enjoy one of the world's greatest summertime downtowns on a holiday weekend. NASCAR arguably isn't adding much in terms of tourism-related revenues to Chicago's coffers than it would be getting otherwise. A weekend when tourist traffic is comparatively light would make far more sense, at least economically for the city. Consider the example of the Bank of America marathon, which takes place in October and each year is a major economic shot in the arm for Chicago at a time of year that otherwise would be comparatively quiet. A study commissioned by the bank sponsor and released last month estimated the economic benefit of the 2024 marathon at $683 million. By contrast, an outside report estimated NASCAR in 2024 generated $128 million in value to the city, a figure critics of the event said was inflated. Last year, city government essentially broke even on NASCAR, so the event isn't a needle mover fiscally. Beyond dollars and cents, though, we do believe the race provides value to Chicago. The views of the skyline as drivers navigate the track (and sometimes careen) around Grant Park are indeed excellent marketing for a city that could use as much positive PR as it can get. For many people whose views of Chicago are shaped largely by crime coverage in conservative media, the race offers a different, more beautiful picture. But decisions of this sort are about costs and benefits. Those benefits will outweigh the costs in our view if NASCAR and the city can agree on a different weekend on the calendar. Otherwise, we all can fondly remember NASCAR in Chicago as an experiment worth trying — and return celebrating the Fourth of July to downtown Chicago. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Embattled Kenwood shelter housing migrants and homeless Chicagoans to close in coming months
A Kenwood shelter housing both migrants and Chicagoans experiencing homelessness will close in the coming months following a divide amongst neighbors, according to an email update from state Sen. Robert Peters. Located at 4900 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, the shelter opened in summer 2023 to accommodate migrants sent to Chicago by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Its opening drew sharp pushback from residents concerned about how newcomers from crisis-affected regions would integrate into the neighborhood. Tensions deepened when the facility was expanded in late December 2024 to include homeless Chicagoans, part of the city and state's One System Initiative aimed at merging shelter services for both populations. According to the state, the shelter currently holds 94 families and over 330 individuals. Early months of combined migrant, homeless shelters in Chicago see success, structural challenges Peters said he was notified of the closure by city and Illinois Department of Human Services officials at 3:15 p.m. Friday. Those currently housed at the shelter will move to new facilities over the next three to six months, he said. The state directed questions regarding the future plans and timelines for the shelter to the city, but Chicago officials didn't immediately provide comment Friday afternoon regarding the reason for the closure. 'We've always believed that housing is a human right,' Peters said. 'But also, at the end of the day, what matters most is being transparent with everybody.' As tens of thousands of people arrived by bus over roughly two years, the city and state scrambled to open enough shelters to stave off a full-blown homelessness crisis in Chicago. The city and state were running 28 migrant-exclusive facilities at the peak of arrivals in January of last year, according to city census data. The idea of a combined system was championed by some who said it would spread out resources to a wider range of people. There are dozens of shelters in the new system. The closure announcement also comes as President Donald Trump has ramped up immigration enforcement in and around the city, targeting courts and offices where people are reporting for check-ins. Many of the migrants being housed by the city are from Venezuela, a country that Trump has repeatedly singled out in immigration policy.
