💻 From Under the El
Chicago has been in the national spotlight this week. Lio Cundiff, who you may remember from our very first newsletter, has made huge headlines, and now the whole country is looking our way for something good. Well deserved, if you ask me. There’s even more Good Samaritan news today: Neighbors in Lincoln Park banded together to track down a stolen dog. Add in a billion dollars in erased medical debt for Illinois families and a 60-year low in violent crime, and you can feel it — Chicago is a place where great things happen. Let’s get into Tuesday’s good news.
⏰ tl;dr
A Lincoln Park daycare dog was stolen, but the community helped bring him home.
Chicago violent crime has hit a 60-year low following major community investment.
🎉 Tickled Pink 2026 is back: a high-energy breast cancer fundraiser that turns the dance floor into a force for good.
🌻 What’s Going Right In Chicago Today
🐶 Lincoln Park dog recovered after strangers track alleged dog thief across the city
Hundreds of strangers — and two determined Good Samaritans — helped reunite a Lincoln Park family with their stolen dog.
When Charlie, a dog tied up outside a Lincoln Park daycare on Friday night, was taken, his family knew it had been a mistake to leave him there, but they never expected him to disappear. What happened next was pure Chicago. Word spread quickly online, and strangers began tracking tips in real time.
Two people spotted Charlie inside a Target, followed the dog and the alleged thief to an apartment, then picked up the trail again when they headed for the Jewels in Uptown, calling police and the owner immediately.
“Charlie is home with us tonight because of our community. It was our friends, neighbors, the news, police, but most incredibly complete and total strangers. Hundreds, maybe thousands of total strangers that were spreading out around the internet, reaching out to us with tips.”
The $5,000 reward Charlie’s family offered was split between the two Good Samaritans. And in a twist that somehow makes this even more Chicago, one of them gave their share to the other because they felt the other person needed it more. It’s the kind of story that restores your faith in the group chat and the city.
📉 Chicago violent crime hits a 60-year low
A new impact report confirms violent crime in Chicago is at its lowest level in six decades.
According to a new city impact report, Chicago’s violent crime rate has dropped to a 60-year low following sustained investment in Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs. 27,000 people have been served by $300 million in investment in street outreach and social services.
The report shows that the neighborhoods with the highest levels of public investment saw the most significant drops in crime. Overall, this is a win for Chicago’s most vulnerable neighborhoods and the city overall.
Image credit: Anastasiia Gudantova / Unsplash
💰 Illinois erases $1 billion in medical debt
Half a million Illinois residents are waking up to smaller balances and breathing room in their budgets.
Illinois has now wiped out more than $1 billion in medical debt, impacting roughly 500,000 residents across the state. Hospital stays, emergency visits, surgeries, and bills that have lingered for years: erased.
Medical debt is a public health crisis across the country. The bill that created the relief program was sponsored by Democratic Chicagoan State Sen. Mike Simmons, who called it “an extraordinary, life-changing, and literally life-saving program.”
People who have medical debt are three times as likely to struggle with depression and anxiety. We know that medical debt disproportionately affects Black and Latino residents.
🐍 9 rare rattlesnakes hatch at Lincoln Park Zoo
A fragile native species just got a fighting chance, right here in Chicago.
Nine eastern massasauga rattlesnakes have hatched at Lincoln Park Zoo. For conservationists, that’s not just cute baby snake news (or scary baby snake news, depending on how you feel about snakes). It’s a major milestone.
These babies were the first to hatch here in nearly a decade, and the great-grandsnakes of what are believed to be Cook County’s last remaining eastern massasauga rattlesnakes, which were brought to the zoo as part of state and federal conservation efforts. The eastern massasauga is a federally threatened species native to the Midwest, and its numbers have been shrinking due to habitat loss and environmental pressures.
“People tend to fear eastern massasauga rattlesnakes because they’re venomous, but they’re actually a rather shy species and an important part of the Great Lakes region’s ecosystem. It’s always exciting to welcome new offspring of a threatened species, and the fact that this is a local animal we’re actively working to conserve out in the field makes it even more special.”
For now, the newly hatched snakes will stay behind the scenes to grow, but look for them in the future at the Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House.
🏊♂ An update on Lio Cundiff, the Chicago man who saved a baby from Lake Michigan
A Chicago rescue story is now resonating far beyond the lakefront, and support is pouring in
Lio Cundiff didn’t hesitate when a baby was in danger near Lake Michigan; he just acted. The rescue made headlines locally, and then brought national attention to one of Chicago’s everyday heroes.
The ripple effect has been powerful. Friends and family have come out of the woodwork to say they’re not surprised that Lio ran to the rescue. And Chicagoans are banding together to help Lio pay his medical bills after a multi-day hospital stay that resulted from his plunge into the 30-degree water in Belmont Harbor: A GoFundMe supporting Cundiff has surpassed $50,000.
🗓️ Eye On the Chi
Tickled Pink 2026
A high-energy fundraiser supporting breast cancer awareness and research: dancing, community, and serious impact.
When: Feb. 27, 7 p.m.
Where: 3801 N Elston Ave
GGO Camp Night at The Plant
Play camp games, win prizes, and raise money for kids to experience the great outdoors.
When: Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Plant, at 1400 W 46th St.
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Till next time,
Good News, Chicago
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