Trump’s tax refund win, the Chicago Fire’s new training facility and more in your Chicago news roundup

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about an eight-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

— Matt Moore (@MattKenMoore)

Weather ☀️

This afternoon will be sunny with a high near 51 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear as the temperature dips to a low near 36. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for a mostly sunny day and a high near 65.

Top story

Trump wins $1 million property tax refund on his namesake Chicago skyscraper

Former President Donald J. Trump and co-owners in his namesake Chicago skyscraper are now set to get $1 million in property tax refunds that they’ve been seeking for years.

That’s after the Illinois Appellate Court agreed that the Trump International Hotel & Tower was overvalued by the Cook County assessor’s office and the Cook County Board of Review a dozen years ago.

The refunds will come out of the property taxes due this year to the city of Chicago and eight other government agencies. The Chicago Public Schools system stands to lose the most money — about $540,000.

The Cook County treasurer’s office will begin preparing approximately 339 refunds totaling $1 million for the skyscraper’s hotel rooms and condo spaces after a three-member appellate court panel on Monday rejected an appeal by the Cook County Board of Review. 

The appeals court ruled in favor of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, a state agency that in June 2021 found that county officials had overvalued the commercial portions of the skyscraper in 2011.

The ruling has no impact on the Trump Tower residential condos.

Justice Mary Ellen Coghlan wrote in the 13-page ruling that the state agency’s decision in favor of Trump came after the Board of Review and its lawyers from the Cook County state’s attorney’s office had presented “no expert testimony in support of its estimation of value” for the skyscraper. 

Our Tim Novak has more on Trump’s tax refund win.

More news you need

• The Chicago police oversight agency has released video of a cop striking a man at Midway Airport earlier this year after getting complaints that the man was drinking and bothering passengers. The incident took place near a baggage carousel on Feb. 23, according to a statement from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
• Federal jurors have begun to deliberate the case against four former political power players who were labeled Tuesday “grand masters of corruption” for their alleged conspiracy to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan to benefit ComEd. The deliberations come after six weeks of trial. Jurors heard from about 50 witnesses. And they heard a cache of secret FBI recordings resulting from an aggressive probe dating back to 2014 aimed at the once-powerful Southwest Side Democrat. 
• Kim Foxx’s decision not to seek a third term as state’s attorney sets the stage for a political free-for-all not seen in 15 years in Cook County — the last time there was an open seat in the prosecutor’s office. Our Fran Spielman and Andy Grimm explain break down what the 2024 race for state’s attorney could look like.
• Singer-actor-activist Harry Belafonte, who died yesterday at age 96, left behind a legacy that expanded far beyond the entertainment world, as he was a fierce advocate for civil rights. Our Mariah Rush looks into Belafonte’s major influence on his Chicago peers.
• When Southwest Sider Joaquin Becerril and his wife bought a timeshare in Mexico four years ago, they thought they’d get yearly access to their favorite resort south of the border. But Becerril fell victim to a timeshare-related scam — one of many types of schemes that have grown more popular as people travel more post-COVID lockdown, according to a new Better Business Bureau report. More on timeshare scams from our David Struett.
• Officials took part yesterday in a groundbreaking for an $80 million training center the Chicago Fire soccer club is building on the Near West Side at a site once occupied by public housing. The Fire paid $8 million upfront and also will pay rent to the Chicago Housing Authority, starting at $800,000 a year, with future increases. The 40-year lease is expected to generate $40 million for the CHA.
• Imani, the offspring of the famous Monty and Rose piping plovers, was spotted yesterday at Montrose Beach. The bird has returned to Illinois to nest — if it can find a female, bird experts say.
• Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper today dropped his 2023 summer movie preview, a list of 15 films he’s anticipating come the sunny season. From “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” to “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie” and more, there’s a little something for everybody.

A bright one ✨

Black-owned cafe opening West Side locations: ‘An investment in peace’

Decorated with a large mural featuring titans of Black cinema, Momentum Coffee in North Lawndale doesn’t look like most cafes.

The beans from a local Black roaster and actress Pam Grier looking down from a mural on the wall are a MacGuffin for what the Black-owned coffee shop is really about.

“Our mission has always been to create spaces in underutilized communities,” said Tracy Powell, who owns the cafe with his spouse Nikki Bravo.

The North Lawndale cafe, on Ogden Avenue across from the Sinai Medical Center, is their fourth and the first on the West Side. The others are in the South Loop, Englewood and downtown. It’s a needed oasis in the West Side neighborhood, an area with few bars, restaurants or other cafes.

The menu includes espresso drinks, teas, smoothies and sandwiches. The cafe also sells equipment for making coffee at home. The decor was inspired by its proximity to Cinespace Chicago Film Studios and the predominantly Black neighborhood. It opened in late February.

Powell hopes it can become a buzzy cafe, but for him, a cup of joe is just a way to welcome folks to the place.

“Once you get in the door, then you can see what kind of stuff we have going on,” Powell said.

For Powell, the idea is to create a space where community can form and for community programs, including the adult entrepreneurship programs and youth technology education classes hosted by Powell and Bravo’s nonprofit, Ignite Technology and Innovation.

More on Momentum Coffee and its co-founders from our Michael Loria.

From the press box ????⚾

• Patrick Finley has an NFL Draft primer on how it works and where the Bears fit in.
• White Sox manager Pedro Grifol spoke today on the team’s current slump: “I didn’t anticipate it being like this,” he said.
• Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks will begin a rehab assignment this week.

Your daily question☕

Tomorrow is “take your child to work day,” so we want to know — do you and your little one plan to participate? Have you ever participated before? What was that like?

Email us (please include your first and last name) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday we asked you: What’s a local tourist attraction that, as a Chicagoan, you actually love?

Here’s some of what you said…

“The Architectural Boat Tour. It shows you Chicago from an angle you can only see on the tour, allowing you to appreciate the towering majesty of each skyscraper and the uniqueness of each structure. It’s a ‘duck’s eye view.’” — Dave Clarkin

“Wrigley Field — the best baseball stadium in the country!” — Jim Grosse

“People come from all over the world to view our city’s lakefront, and I love it so much that I ride my bike on the Lakefront Trail six or seven days per week, 52 weeks per year.” — Gene Tenner

“The Lincoln Park Zoo. I love walking through there, especially in the spring, when the flowers are blooming. I also love the contrast of seeing wild animals with the cityscape while walking south through the zoo.” — Derek M.

“Manny’s Deli is a local tourist attraction because of all the famous politicians who have eaten there. I am a regular at Manny’s because I love the pastrami, the short ribs and the matzoh ball soup.” — Kathy Posner

“Many have already mentioned the boat tours but don’t leave out the Chicago Riverwalk. Sitting near the river with an adult beverage and watching is such a summer delight!” — Ginna G. 

“Buckingham Fountain. It is the city’s icon more than anything else. Its hourly high spray is itself an event. Fabulous views of the Downtown skyline and the lake. It’s also a meeting point for those in Grant Park, where its cooling spray offers relief in warm summer weather. Featured on the intro to the sitcom ‘Married, with Children’ and it should be shown frequently on this summer’s NASCAR race, which will surround it.” — Roger D.

“Sitting at the lakefront in Grant Park watching sailboats — beautiful and peaceful.” — William Bleecker

“The Lakefront. I have lived in many cities including DC, Houston and the St. Louis area suburbs. Not one city can compare to the miles of lakefront that Chicagoans are blessed to have. I miss it the absolute most now that I’ve moved away. Nothing beats the lakefront.” — Tisha Mills 

“The Chicago Cultural Center, hands down. Although I may be biased because I work there.” — Jennifer B.

Thanks for reading the Chicago Sun-Times Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.