First newsletter of the 2024-25 school year, increased holiday violence in Chicago and a hot dog eating champion
Plus, your guide to BRAT summer
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! We’ve got a good one for you today. It’s your newsletter team – Lauren, Isabella, Audrey, Annabelle and Ella – back from a short break for the first newsletter of the 2024-25 school year!
To start, we have a letter from our new newsletter editor – Lauren Sheperd. I am thrilled to start my new role as Special Projects Editor for 14 East, and can’t wait to bring you all weekly newsletters and investigations throughout the school year. We also have updates from the holiday weekend in Chicago, including a winner of Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest as well as NASCAR in the city. We also have national news. Finally, take a look at the White Sox’s Mexican Heritage Night and a “how to” guide for BRAT summer.
If you want to show support for 14 East and ‘In the Loop,’ we invite you to donate directly to our newsroom. Whether it’s a one-time contribution or a monthly gift, every cent helps us build a newsroom that serves you, our readers, and we get 100% of your donation.
With that, let’s get into it!
A Letter from the New Editor
By Lauren Sheperd
Welcome back to In the Loop – 14 East Magazine’s weekly (or every other week in the summer) newsletter. My name is Lauren, and I’m taking over as editor of In the Loop for the 2024-25 school year. I am a rising senior studying journalism and digital marketing, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead our incredible newsletter team for the next year.
I first got involved in journalism during my freshman year of high school – shoutout to The Shakerite. Since then, I’ve learned not just from fellow journalists in newsrooms I’ve been a part of but from student journalists across the country. Whether the unprecedented topic of the day was another school shooting, COVID-19 or pro-Palestinian encampments on college campuses across the country, student journalists aren’t just writing the stories but accurately representing communities. We are often the first on these scenes which requires a level of maturity and professionalism not often associated with young people.
When I first joined 14 East my sophomore year, I was instantly drawn to the newsletter which was under the leadership of Kate Linderman at the time. I learned the ins and outs of the newsletter by contributing every week as the recommendation columnist. Now, I am excited to see how our new rec columnists – Ella McCoy and Varun Khushalani – will bring their own personal twists to the section.
In the Loop was originally created by the 14 East staff, who were working remotely at the time, as a way to provide easy, accessible information to DePaul’s student body about the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has evolved to meet the needs of our changing student body in one of the most dynamic cities in the world.
My own journalistic philosophy involves two main elements that are completely captured by In the Loop: inclusivity and accessibility.
Inclusivity involves having a diverse staff that brings to the table complex perspectives on coverage for a diverse readership, which is difficult to obtain. In the Loop achieves both components by making news easy to comprehend and short and sweet. While readers are able to access more in-depth stories from In the Loop, they are also able to understand key events taking place at DePaul, in Chicago and around the country without taking too much time out of their busy schedules.
In the Loop is also accessible. Our readers don’t have to take the time to go searching for the headlines of the day. Instead, the newsletter is dropped into their inboxes weekly. This doesn’t just give the reader easy access to our newsletter, but it also directs them to the rest of 14 East’s coverage.
As we get into the upcoming school year, I am thrilled to continue to accomplish the goals of past editors and put my own spin on In the Loop. Without further ado, here is our first newsletter of the new year, and don’t forget to subscribe to get the newsletter sent directly to your email each Monday night!
DePaul News
By Lauren Sheperd
DePaul Track Star Darius Brown Competes in Olympic Trials
Rising senior track athlete Darius Brown competed in the American Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon at the end of last month. Brown competed in the men's 100 meter, making it to the semifinals as one of the top six runners from his heat with a time of 13.56 seconds. As the third youngest runner to qualify for semifinals, this was Brown’s first go at the Olympics. DePaul Athletics has more.
President Manuel joins the Cristo Rey Network
DePaul University President Robert L. Manuel began his new position on the Board of Directors for the Cristo Rey Network on July 1. The Cristo Rey Network was founded in 2000 and is a nonprofit that focuses on delivering a “powerful and innovative approach to education” for families of limited economic means, comprising 39 Catholic college preparatory schools. Manuel has been involved since his time as dean at Georgetown University. DePaul Newsline and the Cristo Rey Network have more.
Study led by DePaul psychologist spikes concerns of violence against educators
DePaul University psychologist Susan Dvorak McMahon led a study about rates of violence and aggression against educators, which has caused many to quit the profession entirely. McMahon led a team of researchers from the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Task Force on Violence Against Educators and School Personnel surveying close to 15,000 K-12 educators before and 12,000 after COVID-19 restrictions ended. This is the first national study on this subject, and results can be found in the American Psychologist, APA’s leading journal. DePaul Newsline has more.
Chicago Headlines
By Isabella Salinas
Chicago man wins hot dog eating contest — The annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest held in Brooklyn’s Coney Island was won by Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago, making it his first men’s title. Bertoletti won by consuming 58 hot dogs in a tight, 10-minute race surpassing his personal best of 55 hot dogs. 39-year-old Bertoletti beat 13 competitors, from around the world, with competitors coming from over a dozen states and five continents, with prospects from Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia and the Czech Republic all gunning for the coveted title and $10,000 prize money. The Associated Press’s Cedar Attanasio has more.
Second year of NASCAR in Chicago — NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race was met with a late start and a major in-race delay for the second year in a row before it was shortened Sunday due to downpours and ended early due to NASCAR’s curfew. The first stage of Sunday’s Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup race ended under a yellow flag, with the second stage delayed due to inclement weather. The race was originally delayed due to short disruption from a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters who chained themselves to the race barriers. Alex Bowman was declared the winner, as he held onto the lead on the slick course against second-place Tyler Reddick, with Ty Gibbs finishing third. This win marked the end of an 80-race winless streak by Bowman dating back to March 2022. Under the contract with the city, NASCAR can come back for a third year, and it has an option to renew for two additional years but the weather has NASCAR officials questioning their return. Block Club Chicago’s Melody Mercado has more.
Chicago Sky rookie set a new WNBA record — Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese set a new WNBA record for consecutive double-double performances on Sunday after logging double-digit rebounds and points for the 13th straight game. Reese broke the record in the third quarter of Sunday’s game, surpassing former Sky star and Naperville native Candace Parker, who previously set the record with a 12-game streak between the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Her performance got her to a first-time All-Star designation this season, one of only two rookies to be selected alongside Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. Julia Poe at the Chicago Tribune has more.
Fourth of July weekend in Chicago this year shows an increase in shootings since 2023 — Chicago faced a wave of gun violence over the Fourth of July holiday weekend which resulted in 109 people shot – at least 19 were fatally – police said in a Monday news conference. In the United States, law enforcement statistics and independent researchers have continually pointed to summer months as a time of increased gun violence, with July 1-7 being an especially violent period each year for both mass shootings and individual incidents, according to this article by CNN. On Friday, Mayor Brandon Johnson released a statement addressing the violence, stating that “The City of Chicago is committed to ensuring the safety of all residents and visitors.” Fabiana Chapparo with contributions from Chris Boyette and Alisha Ebrahimji at CNN have more in her article.
National Headlines
By Audrey Leib
More Democrats call on Biden to end campaign — After a worrisome debate, more democrats have called on Biden to end his presidential campaign during a phone call with House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday. Sources told CNN that the amount of those who called for Biden to end his bid outweighed those who spoke up for him to stay. Five lawmakers have publicly pushed for his bid to end. Former Congressional Black Caucus chair Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio said the Democrats “shouldn’t be going rogue against our own president.” This comes as news breaks about a Parkinson’s doctor visiting the White House eight times over eight months – President Biden said he has had a neurological exam only three times. Dana Bash, Jeff Zeleny, Priscilla Alvarez, MJ Lee and Pamela Brown have more about the phone call from CNN. Read more about the Parkinson’s doctor’s visits from Emily Baumgaertner and Peter Baker of the New York Times here.
Tropical storm Beryl slams Eastern Texas — Beryl, now forecasted to weaken to a tropical depression, made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Texas on early Monday. Beryl made landfall near the coastal town of Matagorda, Texas, where winds were recorded at a sustained 80 mph. The hurricane center says the storm surge, high winds and rainfall with chances of flooding will continue to barrage Eastern Texas. More than 2.7 million customers are without power. The storm barreled through the Mexican Yucatan peninsula and the Caribbean as a hurricane, killing 11 people. Three of those deaths are in Texas. Read more about tropical storm Beryl from NBC’s newsroom, including live updates, here.
Republicans reevaluate national abortion ban — Former President Trump has asked Republicans to remove the federal abortion ban from its party platform for the first time in 40 years. The removal would make abortion bans a state’s decision. The decision comes as Democrats attack Trump allies’ “Project 2025,” a party platform guideline that imposes broad tariffs, replaces government workers with Republican loyalists and boasts a large-scale deportation operation. Trump has claimed to not know about Project 2025 and said he disagreed with some of its policies, per statements made on his social media website. Read more about the Republican Party platform from the Associated Press’s Thomas Beaumont and Christine Fernando here. Read more about Project 2025 and Trump’s connection from the Associated Press’s Adriana Gomez Licon here.
Nasa crew emerges a year later from Mars simulation — Four NASA crew members participated in the year long Mars simulation, named NASA’s Mars Dune Alpha. The members ate, slept, communicated and researched as if they were on Mars for 378 days. Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell and Nathan Jones emerged from the simulation to a round of applause. The simulation was 1,700 square feet and entirely 3D printed, housed at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The program was set up to study how well the crew members could respond to the conditions and constraints of a year long mission. ABC’s Leah Sarnoff has more here.
14 East Pueblo: White Sox hold first Mexican Heritage Night
By Annabelle Rivera
The Chicago White Sox hosted their first Mexican Heritage Night on June 26, their first sold out game of the season.
Nearly 40,000 people attended the home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Sox have previously hosted their annual Hispanic Heritage Night but decided to hold a Mexican Heritage Night to celebrate their growing Mexican fan base.
“I think we should come and support our team," one Sox fan told CBS. "We always do it on the North Side. Why shouldn't we do it on the South Side?"
Fans arrived hours before the game started and lined up outside Guaranteed Rate Field. Some fans were given exclusive jerseys that said “Los White Sox.” Tickets to other games were going for as little as $10, while resale prices for the Mexican Heritage Night game were going for up to $400.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Ella McCoy
Dear reader, welcome back to the recommendations column of ‘In the Loop.’ This week I’m recommending that you have a brat summer, inspired by none other than Charli XCX’s latest album. Before I get into the nitty gritty of what exactly a brat summer entails, let me introduce myself.
My name is Ella McCoy and I’m a sophomore at DePaul studying Sociology. I’m a pop culture fanatic, and whether it’s movies, music, fashion or social media, I’m always looking out for what’s next in terms of trends. This week I am making my case for you to have a brat summer. Let’s get into it!
In June 2024, Charli XCX, most well known for her 2012 pop hit “Boom Clap” released BRAT, one of her most vulnerable albums to date. With hard-hitting narratives, and catchy, sonically intricate beats, Charli XCX redefines the viral online notion of a “hot girl summer.”
From upbeat hits like “Club classics” to the reflective poignancy of “Rewind,” XCX forms her magnum opus accompanied by slick synth and bouncy hyper pop beats. In their review of the album, Pitchfork called it “imperious and cool, nuanced and vulnerable, and one of the best pop albums of the year.”
At its core, BRAT urges its listeners to embrace themselves, weaknesses, doubts and all, and to go out and have fun. As promised, here is a list of things you can do to have yourself a brat summer.
Strut to those “Club classics” on a hot girl walk on the Lakefront Trail.
Get a perm (they’ll say you and Charli have the same hair!)
Learn the “Apple” TikTok Dance and post it straight to your drafts for your sole admiration.
Get tickets to the SWEAT tour.
Host your own BRAT listening party.
Pick up a Chicago Public Library card. True brats know that knowledge is power.
Block your ex.
Craft a delectable sour apple mocktail!
Rewatch all 14 seasons of Real Housewives of New York.
Unblock your ex.
Happy brat summer!
Resources
Need resources regarding cooling centers, rental assistance, abortion access, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s it for today! See you in two weeks.
The 14 East Newsletter Team