Daywatch: Turn right on Barack Obama Drive

Good morning, Chicago.

With mail-in ballots pouring in after Election Day, the Democratic primary race for Cook County state’s attorney remained razor-thin yesterday as both candidates eschewed declaring victory or conceding defeat and called for restraint as election officials continued to tabulate votes.

Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Johnson acknowledged that hope was waning for the Bring Chicago Home referendum but remained defiant, saying his progressive agenda would go on regardless of whether the tax hike to fund homelessness services prevails.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

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New ordinance would rename ‘Columbus Drive’ to ‘Barack Obama Drive’

Ald. Lamont Robinson, 4th, introduced an ordinance Wednesday to rename the roadway. The move to honor former President Barack Obama, a former 4th Ward resident, would further cement Chicago as a tourist destination for Black history, Robinson said in a statement.

Founder of employment law firm donates $100,000 toward Chicago’s migrant crisis

Instituto del Progreso Latino, a decades-old nonprofit organization that provides education, training and employment resources to Latino communities, received the donation from David Fish, founder of the law firm Fish Potter Bolaños, P.C. The funds will support the organization’s Asylum Migrant Outreach Response, called Project AMOR.

Illinois moves to make it easier for schools to get inhalers

Illinois first passed a law in 2018 that allowed schools to keep inhalers on-hand in case a student or staff member without their own inhaler needed it. But until now, if a school wanted an asthma inhaler to keep on-hand for anyone — as opposed to for a specific student with a prescription — it had to find a local physician willing to issue a standing order for the school.

After pandemic cuts, CTA will start running more buses on some routes

After cuts in transit service during the pandemic, more than two dozen Chicago bus routes will return to “near pre-covid-19 scheduled service levels,” in the coming days, according to the CTA.

Column: Illinois’ NCAA Tournament dreams live and die on Terrence Shannon Jr.’s shoulders

Paul Sullivan asks: Where would the Illinois men’s basketball team be without Terrence Shannon Jr.?

Big Ten Tournament champions and a No. 3 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament? Doubtful.

At-large bid and a No. 8 seed? Possible.

Cubs unveil plan for new rooftop signs, and say they’re bringing back an old tradition

Cubs spokesperson Julian Green said Coca-Cola and Benjamin Moore are both already partners of the ballclub, and the signs are part of new multiyear rooftop deals.

Hubbard Inn sues woman after viral TikTok alleges assault

River North restaurant Hubbard Inn has filed a defamation lawsuit against Julia Reel, a TikTok user who posted a viral video accusing restaurant staff of injuring her.

The lawsuit, filed by the law firm Forde & O’Meara on March 18, charges a count of defamation with a loss of over $30,000 in damages due to canceled reservations and one-star reviews, as well as damage to the restaurant’s reputation.

‘Palm Royale’ review: Kristen Wiig in a comedy of manners, circa 1969 Palm Beach

Armed with a Southern accent, a tan and the fluffiest blonde wig available, Kristen Wiig plays a socialite wannabe who is equal parts sunny and scheming in the 10-episode comedy of manners “Palm Royale” on Apple TV+.

With “Palm Royale,” Hollywood’s wealthaganda obsession continues unabated. There’s a fizzy delirium to the show that promises more fun than it is, writes Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz.

Cristina Henriquez and the secret to writing a (good) historical novel

“The Great Divide” is set a century ago during the digging of the Panama Canal, and not on the fringes, but among men constructing it, international emigrants hoping to find work in a prosperous Panama, locals protesting Americans, and Americans both eager to help and make a buck. It’s a brisk 319-page epic about love and violence that, seamlessly, holds history in balance. It’s also one of the buzziest new books of spring. The Tribune’s Christopher Borrelli met with Henríquez recently to discuss the risks and rewards of stepping into historical fiction.

The story behind New York’s hottest new restaurant, Hamburger America, and a look at the owner’s time in Chicago

George Motz crisscrossed the country, spending almost three years eating burgers and filming/interviewing the people who made them. That was what he was doing when the Tribune’s Rick Kogan met him, as he bit into his first Billy Goat burger and said, “It’s incredible. It was everything I had heard it was. The taste was distinctive, just a great burger.”