The hopeful revival of American tennis, the latest in the ShotSpotter drama and another assassination attempt
plus, a new (temporary) section of ‘In the Loop’
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! It’s your newsletter team – Lauren, Varun, Morgan, Ellie, Gia, Annabelle, Ella and Kiki. We’ve got a good one for you today.
To start, we have a personal essay about the struggle of being a fan of American tennis – a sport that is largely dominated by the European continent. Then, we have our newest newsletter section: a preview into stories set to publish on Friday from 14 East’s election team. We also have information on a security guard removed from DePaul’s campuses, CPS’s new five year plan and the fight against the Kroger/Albertsons merger in Washington state. To wrap up, the Little Village arch is back and a modern take on a Shakespeare play.
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With that, let’s get into it!
The Plight of American Tennis
By Varun Khushalani
I don’t watch Grand Slam Finals anymore; I hate to see my player lose.
I didn’t watch the 2024 US Open Men’s Final, where 26-year-old Taylor Fritz [USA] lost in three sets (6-3, 6-4, 7-5) to 23-year-old Jannik Sinner [ITA] who earned his second Grand Slam victory after winning the Australian Open this January. Sinner, along with 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz [ESP], are the new faces of tennis: the young kids on the block who hit harder and better than anyone else on tour. Fritz isn’t the first American to fall short. In fact, since Andy Roddick’s sole Grand Slam victory at the US Open in 2003, American men have become really good at falling short on the biggest stages in tennis. To win one of the four Grand Slams means not only playing the sport of tennis better than anyone else; it means doing it seven times in a row over two weeks. No one has even come close. In 2009, Roddick was the last one to even reach a final, when after four hours and 17 grueling minutes he lost to Roger Federer [SWI] 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14.
It’s not that Americans are bad at tennis, they just haven’t been close to being — or beating — the best. The days of Ashe, McEnroe, Sampras and Agassi are long behind us — the world of tennis changed forever when Roger Federer [SWI], Rafael Nadal [ESP] and Novak Djokovic [SRB], known as the Big Three, took over. They were just too dominant, as close to perfection in the sport of tennis as anyone has gotten thus far. And they just kept on winning. For basketball fans, imagine if Nikola Jokic [SRB], Giannis Antentokoumpo [GRE] , and Luka Doncic [SLO] won every single NBA Championship for the next 2 decades; it would inevitably have some effect on the rates of American elementary schoolers who want to grow up to play basketball. The drought saw players like Mardy Fish, John Isner, and Jack Sock fall short time and time again (Sock and Isner play professional pickleball now).
Taylor Fritz lost as well, but it doesn’t matter. Half of tennis is losing. Getting to the biggest stage is half the battle, and Fritz has proven that he’s capable of putting a fortnight together during Grand Slams. Not only that, he wasn’t the only American to go deep; Fritz faced his compatriot Francis Tiafoe in the semi-finals, the Americans going the distance over five sets, with Fritz coming out ahead after a 3 hour 19 minute battle. Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton are all in the periphery, with skills far beyond the routine serve and volley of the previous generation, where the only good American players were the tall ones.
It’s been a long time since an American has stood on the top step, and it won’t be an easy journey back. Sinner and Alcaraz represent the world of professional tennis after the Big Three revolutionized the game — perfection isn’t just needed, it’s expected from teenagers in the arenas of one of the toughest sports in the world. I’ve been watching Djokovic beat up on kids for the better part of my life — it’s quite tough to watch. Players have to be machined, precise, clinical and above all else, devoid of any negative emotions. Tennis is a sport played against the self: whoever controls their psyche better than the other player usually comes out on top.
Unfortunately, Americans are full of emotion. Our hubris marks us on not only the global political stage but the tennis court as well. In the final, Sinner couldn’t be more different than his opponent: his steely eyes unflinching in the face of immortality in the sport, his face only barely registered emotion after sealing victory on double championship point. Fritz, on the other hand, was thinking in between every point. He talked to his box, his racket, himself. He’s just like us; fallible. When Sinner hit an unforced error wide or into the net (rare occurrences), he moved on to the next point, unfazed. Even if he is, he rarely shows that to the outside world. When Fritz missed a point, you could see the calculations run in his head; you could see him searching for something at every glance at his box. Sinner knew he could win it all; Fritz didn’t. But he did come mightily close. For the first time in my (conscious) lifetime, I had a glimmer of hope that an American would finally break the streak and earn some respect for us on the global stage. Can he do it again, will he get another shot? Who knows, that’s up to him, and him only. Will the drought continue for another decade? It’s certainly possible, Sinner and Alcaraz are really that good. But who knows, crazier things have happened.
The Latest from our Election Team
By Lauren Sheperd and Morgan Kirsch
‘In the Loop’ is dedicating a section of the newsletter to previewing the stories our election coverage team puts out weekly. This week, we have an out-of-state voter guide and story on the debate.
Out-of-state voting guide, by Lauren Sheperd – This week, I’ve created a state-by-state guide on how to vote in your home state while living in Chicago. This guide includes important deadlines, application links, procedures and more. The goal of this story is to help as many students as possible vote, especially because there are several states with specific, strict laws on voting absentee. Look out for my story on Friday.
Debate review, by Morgan Kirsch – The story hinges on Vice President Harris’s first, and likely only, debate with former president Donald Trump. I’ll be exploring how Harris’s debate performance, topics and priorities aligned or fell short of the expectations and priorities expressed by some Democratic National Convention delegates.
DePaul News
By Ellie Shelton
DePaul Hosts Upcoming Career Fairs – DePaul University will be hosting career fairs throughout fall quarter for students around campus. The first of these career fairs will occur Sept. 25 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Lincoln Park Student Center, Room 120 A/B. The first career fair is open to students of all majors and is all-industry. To find more information on the Sept. 25 career fair, visit Handshake.
DePaul Students Protest Removed Security Guard – Students and professors gathered to support a campus security guard who claims to have been reassigned for being too friendly with student protesters this spring. Terrence Freeman began working on campus beginning April 9 and became a familiar face on campus by the beginning of the encampment protesting the war in Gaza at the end of April. After taking a photo with students, Freeman was told he would no longer be working on DePaul’s campus due to becoming too friendly with Palestinian students, sparking the protest that occurred Thursday. Patrick Filbin at Block Club Chicago has more.
Former NBC Chicago Reporter to Lead Journalism Center at DePaul – DePaul University is welcoming Lisa Parker – Chicago news veteran – as DePaul University’s Center for Journalism Integrity new director. Founding directors, Carol Marin and Don Mosely, will transition from directors to senior faculty fellows. Marin and Mosely will continue to oversee the FOIA Fellows program and the Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence Awards. DePaul Newsline has more.
Chicago Headlines
By Lauren Sheperd
DNC homeless shelter closed – The city closed a Gold Coast homeless shelter yesterday that housed people cleared from tent cities prior to the Democratic National Convention. According to Department of Family and Support Services spokesperson Brian Berg, the shelter was always to be temporary and originally opened to provide more beds for unhoused people during the winter months. The placement was originally offered to people from encampments near the United Center and in South Loop, most of which had been tolerated by the city for over four decades. There were 53 people living in the Gold Coast shelter on E. Chestnut St., 41 of which were connected to housing after the shelter’s closure. Others were offered beds in other shelters, according to Berg. Block Club Chicago’s Mack Liederman has more.
As costs of police misconduct grows, alderpeople want answers – Alderpeople have demanded a new answer for police misconduct in the city after a panel recommended lawyers pay $15 million of taxpayer money to settle lawsuits. So far, Chicago taxpayers have paid a total of $384.2 million to resolve lawsuits just in the four year period of 2019 to 2023. From January to June of this year, police misconduct has cost taxpayers $40.5 million. Victoria Benson, the head of the newly created complex litigation division in the city’s Law Department, said she is willing to work with alderpeople on this request. WTTW’s Heather Cherone has more.
CPS backs off on selective enrollment and charter schools – As the Board of Education prepares to vote on a “transformative” five year plan later this month, they are backing off policy changes that would change admissions criteria for selective enrollment and charter schools. This comes despite the board’s statement of their commitment to neighborhood schools from preschool to high school. The goal for the five year plan – titled “Together We Rise” – aims at providing all students with a well-rounded education that focuses on emotional and social growth as much as it focuses on academic success. Nader Issa and Sarah Karp of the Chicago Sun-Times have more.
Johnson offers scathing remarks on ShotSpotter just days before its shutdown – The controversial system that alerts police when gunfire is heard – ShotSpotter – will come to a vote in Chicago City Council on Wednesday. In a news conference earlier today, Mayor Brandon Johnson referred to the system as “walkie talkies on a stick,” saying that the system did not accomplish its goal: reducing gun violence. Johnson was pushed by alderpeople in favor of the system to extend the contract through the DNC. The alderpeople are now calling for a last attempt at removing the mayor from the decision making process. Rose Schmidt and Mary Ann Ahern of NBC Chicago have more.
National Headlines
By Gia Clarke
Everything known about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump - Former President Donald Trump was targeted in “what appears to be an attempted assassination” according to the FBI Sunday afternoon. It happened on the Trump International golf course where Trump was playing. Ryan Wesley Routh – a suspect – is currently in custody. He was arrested after a witness took a picture of the license plate as the suspect fled the scene. Another witness identified the car as Routh's. Routh voted for Trump in 2016 and regretted it, and he is a supporter of Ukraine. Bill Chappell and Rachel Treisman from NPR have more information.
Texas to follow Florida hospitals in asking immigrants about their citizenship status - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs a bill that will take effect Nov. 1 requiring hospitals enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program to ask patients whether or not they’re a U.S. citizen. Abbott was inspired by the same law in Florida that was passed in 2023, except Texas differs by allowing providers not to tell patients their citizenship status will not be shared with authorities. In Florida – despite hospitals saying they won’t report people’s citizenship status to authorities – many undocumented immigrants are so afraid of being deported that they won’t seek medical care. Valerie Gonzalez, Gisela Salomon and Devi Shastri from the AP have more information.
State of Washington attempts to stop Kroger/Albertsons merger - As its residents will feel the most impact of the merger more than any other state, Washington state lawyers are trying to stop the Kroger/Albertsons merger. Albertsons and Kroger own more than 300 grocery stores in the state and control more than half of the grocery sales there. If the merger goes through, Washington says eliminating the competition between the two grocery chains will lead to higher food prices, lower quality and most likely, store closures. Two other states – Colorado and Oregon – are also trying to stop the merger from happening for similar reasons. De-Ann Durbin from ABC has more information.
State bans on commercial food waste shown to be ineffective - Out of nine states that have implemented food waste bans, Massachusetts is the only state that has successfully reduced their food waste. Massachusetts managed to get their food waste down by 7 percent, whereas the other states only reduced by approximately 1.5 percent. Researchers cite the reason why is because Massachusetts had the fewest exemptions in their laws, and also has an extensive network of food waste processing facilities, making it easier for people and businesses to comply with new regulations. In the U.S., more than one-third of the food supply goes uneaten and put in landfills. Food waste that ends up in landfills produces methane, which is a greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to climate change. Claire Marie Schneider from NPR has more information.
14 East Pueblo: Little Village Arch unveiled after extensive restoration project
By Annabelle Rivera
The iconic Little Village Arch is back and better than ever.
On Wednesday, crowds gathered to admire the official unveiling of the improved archway. The “Bienvenidos a Little Village” sign was replaced with a brand new version, and lights were installed to illuminate the pathway. The tile roof was cleaned and rehabilitated along with surrounding planters, sidewalks and pavement.
The massive 2-year long restoration project focused on updating the arch to reflect its historic status.
“I put my heart, my soul, everything, into it when I had the opportunity to build this … This here is my greatest achievement,” Ron Baltierra, one of the original contractors who built the arch, told a crowd gathered to watch the unveiling.
The arch was erected on 26th Street in 1990 and became a Chicago landmark in 2022. It has served as an iconic monument to the Mexican and Mexican-American population in Chicago.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Ella McCoy
Dear reader, do you consider yourself a patron of the arts? As much as I would like to say that I am a patron of the arts, I simply do not get out to see as much theater as I would like. Chicago is a hot spot of creative talent and theatrical mastery, so when my friend offered me an extra ticket she had to a show at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, I excitedly said “absolutely!” Then, she told me that the show was Shakespeare’s Henry V.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand why Shakespeare is revered as the canonical writer that he is. But actually sitting through a Shakespeare play – and trying to digest the early modern English that Shakespeare employed – is a separate beast. Whenever I see any Shakespeare play performed, I usually end up wanting subtitles.
Nevertheless, I still went to see Henry V and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the show. Not only did I enjoy the show but I was able to understand it (sans subtitles)! Without further ado, let’s get into it!
To provide some context Henry V is one of Shakespeare’s historical plays, and it documents Henry V’s struggle for power over both France in addition to England. In doing so, Henry attempts to escape from his unserious and boyish reputation. At its core, the show is about the lethal dangers of nationalism, and I was struck by the timeliness of the message. Though Henry V is a story that has been told many times and in many ways, Artistic Director Edward Hall made several creative choices that helped the audience connect with the show in a fresh way.
The costumes and set design draw aesthetic inspiration from the early 1900s, reminiscent of the era of WWI. Hall also uses music from the 1970s that helped audience members to connect with the story through means of nostalgia. Using mementos from different times periods emphasizes that the moral of Henry V is not about one war or conflict, but rather represents the dangers of nationalism in all its forms and eras.
Without giving too much away, the depictions of death and violence on stage were masterful. No guns were on stage, though this interpretation of the play involved WWI influences, and there were not many physical altercations that involved physical contact between the two parties. I know that sounds impossible in a play about war, but I’ll leave you wondering about this in hopes that you will go see the play.
Henry V is running at Chicago Shakespeare Theater until Oct. 6. I also want to emphasize that CST offers ASL interpretation, closed captioning, audio description and projected Spanish translation performances to make the play as accessible as possible. Find more information on those dates and get tickets here.
Resources
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That’s it for today! See you next Monday.
The 14 East Newsletter Team