The Rundown: Chicago’s massive police overtime costs

Good afternoon. It’s Friday, and the bill rolling back funding for public broadcasting now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature. Here’s what else you need to know today.

1. City Hall wouldn’t pay $14 million for police overtime. Now, it might have to pay at least $195 million.

Already facing massive yearly budget deficits, the city of Chicago could face a bill in the hundreds of millions of dollars for police overtime in a long-running case on behalf of 8,500 current and former Chicago Police Department employees.

It’s been nearly 10 years since the case was filed and almost five years since a federal judge ruled in favor of the officers, who argued the city “willfully violated” labor laws by miscalculating overtime pay they were due over a span of years.

But the case has gone on, and interest keeps building as City Hall disputes how much it should pay, my WBEZ colleague Dan Mihalopoulos reports.

An expert hired by the officers says the city owes the cops somewhere between $310 million and $450 million, court records show. City Hall’s hired expert says it’s much less — no more than about $195 million.

A spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department wouldn’t comment. An outside lawyer for the city denied accusations from the lawyers for the police employees that the city has been delaying the legal proceedings. [WBEZ]

2. Trump’s campaign promise to cut food prices has fallen short

Consumers — frustrated by prices that shot up in 2022 and never came down — are facing the highest inflation level since February, and tariffs threaten to drive prices higher. Consumer prices rose 2.7% in June, compared with a year earlier, according to Labor Department data released this week.

High grocery prices played an outsized role in November’s presidential election, with 7 in 10 voters saying they were “very concerned” in a November survey by The Associated Press.

Then-candidate Donald Trump vowed on the campaign trail that if he won, he would “immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One.”

So in December, the Chicago Sun-Times started tracking monthly grocery prices of 35 items at four stores: Jewel, Mariano’s, Target and Walmart. My colleague Stephanie Zimmermann found very few items actually dropped in price.

At Jewel, Chicago’s largest grocery chain, the shelf prices for everything on her list totaled $262.45 in December and $273.35 in July, a 4.2% increase. Ten items went up in price, 22 stayed the same and three declined: Land O’Lakes butter, Campbell’s chicken noodle soup and Tide laundry detergent. [Chicago Sun-Times]

What are you seeing at the store? Tell reporter Stephanie Zimmermann at szimmermann@suntimes.com.

3. City Council members are pushing to legalize video gambling at Chicago airports or even citywide

Two ordinances were introduced at Wednesday’s Council meeting, the last before the August recess, my colleague Fran Spielman reports.

One would authorize installation of hundreds of video gambling machines beyond security checkpoints at O’Hare and Midway airports. The other would lift the longstanding ban on video gambling citywide in an attempt to offer an economic lifeline of sorts to neighborhood bars and restaurants fighting for survival.

However, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has argued the potential jackpot from lifting Chicago’s ban on video gambling would be so meager that it’s not worth pursuing. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. A former Gitmo detainee will be allowed to testify about alleged torture by a former Chicago detective

A Cook County judge will allow a Mauritanian-born writer and terrorism suspect to testify at a hearing that will determine whether a Chicago man imprisoned more than three decades for an infamous North Side murder will get a new trial.

Circuit Court Judge Adrienne E. Davis ruled at a brief hearing yesterday she would let Mohamedou Ould Slahi testify about his “enhanced interrogation” at the U.S. detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, starting in 2003.

The abuse was allegedly overseen by Richard Zuley, at the time a U.S. Naval reservist on leave from his CPD detective job. Years earlier, Zuley allegedly tortured a confession out of Anthony Garrett that led to his conviction for 7-year-old Dantrell Davis’ 1992 fatal shooting in the Cabrini-Green public housing complex. [WBEZ]

5. Thanks to his daughters, psychedelic soul man Charles Stepney is taking his place in music history

When Chicago’s famous soul music scene was at its pinnacle in the 1960s and ’70s, the biggest artists — from Earth, Wind & Fire to Minnie Riperton — shared one key thing: They worked closely with the legendary producer, composer and arranger Charles Stepney.

Despite his many contributions, Stepney was not well known in Chicago after his death in 1976, my colleague Courtney Kueppers writes.

That has started to change because of his daughters, who have worked to bring recognition to their father’s extensive catalog and contributions.

Their efforts resulted in a 2022 album, “Step on Step,” made up of demos and experimental music Stepney made in his basement studio at the family’s South Side home. [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• President Trump repeated his threat to sue the Wall Street Journal after its report on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. [NPR]
• Affordable Care Act health insurance will cost the average person 75% more next year, researchers found. [NPR]
• CBS will end “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” next year. [NPR]
• Demolition of Chicago’s Damen Silos is underway and could be complete within months. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

Pitmasters traveled from across the country last week for Windy City Smokeout, a barbecue showcase of meats and sauces, to cook up their own distinct styles. Attendees could enjoy smoked beef with banana pudding from Texas, brisket and beans from St. Louis and slow-smoked pulled pork from Mississippi, just to name a few.

A handful of local vendors set up shop as well, showcasing Chicago’s own barbecue culture. But what is Chicago barbecue?

Other states have distinct flavor palettes, side pairings and even types of wood over which they cook the meat. On the national scene, however, Chicago has yet to carve out a distinct identity.

WBEZ went straight to the source and asked five pitmasters to define Chicago barbecue; you can read highlights from the interviews in the link. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What have been your favorite places to shop, whether it’s local or a chain and whether or not it still exists?

John writes:

“Breslauer’s Department Store in Hyde Park provided a time portal into service-oriented shopping as long as it stayed open. And Boyajian’s Bazaar, less than a block away, was a tiny nook with a treasure trove of everything you didn’t know you needed until you got there.”

Laura writes:

“My favorite place to shop is My Sisters Closet on Devon in Edgebrook.”

Karen writes:

“On a suburban note / I love Bead in Hand on Harrison in Oak Park. They have everything — from tiny Japanese glass beads, authentic African beads and finished jewelry! Prices are fair and the staff is helpful.”

And Debbie writes:

“I can always find something delightful at Hazel on Montrose in Ravenswood, whether the occasion is a birthday, anniversary, new baby, housewarming, or just a sparkly new jewelry piece or fragrance to boost my spirits. Their sister clothing shop next door is full of kicky originals for men and women. During the winter holidays, it’s not to be missed, especially for its treasure trove of ornaments hanging all about the shop.”

Thanks for all the responses this week! I couldn’t include them all, but it was great hearing from everyone.