Chicago Sun-Times
TEENS’ UNWELCOME ENCOUNTER
At around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 19, more than 160 Chicago teenagers were hanging out, eating food and taking photos at North Avenue Beach. But then, the volleyball players came. The beach party — permitted by the city — had signage around the courts....
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PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THESE EXCLUSIVE BRANDS
Known for its unique blend of 23 flavors, Dr Pepper offers a truly one-of-a-kind taste experience. Since its creation in 1885 in Waco, TX, Dr Pepper has become a beloved favorite, delivering smooth, satisfying refreshment for every occasion. For those...
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THE WOUNDED CITY
BEARING THE BLITZ COVERAGE BY CINDY HERNANDEZ, LAUREN FITZPATRICK AND ALDEN LOURY,
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LINCOLN GLOVES RESURFACE AT CALIFORNIA MUSEUM
After being auctioned last year, bloodstained gloves Abraham Lincoln had when he was assassinated and that once were showcased at his presidential museum in Springfield have now turned up about 2,000 miles away in Southern California. The rare...
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WHAT BLITZ GRAND JURORS WANTED TO KNOW
Federal grand jurors listened to more than an hour of testimony last fall about a tussle between Operation Midway Blitz protester Cole Sheridan and then-U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino — an event that lasted a matter of seconds. Prosecutors...
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GARY’S ‘WARNING’ FOR COMED
ComEd customers have footed the bill for billions of dollars spent by the utility in recent years to help ensure that power stays on in Northern Illinois even during the worst weather. Yet the lights still went out in 2.4 million homes during storms...
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A BRIDGE TOO AJAR
The DuSable Lake Shore Drive bridge was reopened to traffic Wednesday afternoon, more than four hours after the bridge became stuck open during a routine lift. With the bridge unable to close all the way, traffic was snarled up and down the...
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CITY SEES FEWEST SUMMER MURDERS SINCE 1965
Despite historically low levels of violent crime in Chicago this year, candidates trying to replace Mayor Brandon Johnson are sweeping aside the numbers in favor of anecdotes and are depicting the city as reeling in a “crisis” of gun violence and...
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THE TROUBLED HISTORY OF SOUTH CHICAGO CHAPEL
The tax bills piled up for years on an Evergreen Park couple that ran a sprawling network of crematory and funeral services across the South Side and suburbs. So did a series of professional disciplinary cases against Clark and Johanna Morgan, along...
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THIS KISS
Earlier this year, Lyons Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg, a Democratic candidate for Cook County Board, pushed for the installation of surveillance cameras at her Countryside government office at taxpayer expense. Footage from those cameras is now at...
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‘WHERE IS MY MAMA?’
Months ago, Shawnese Shannon’s family mourned her death and celebrated her life in a sea of purple. She loved Prince’s “Purple Rain” and had asked her family and friends to wear her favorite color. But recently, the memory of that celebration turned...
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THE NEW TORNADO ALLEY?
So far this year, 207 tornadoes and counting have touched down in Illinois. That figure may rise as officials continue working through the remaining post-storm assessments, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado season also has yet to...
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GARY POWERS ON
“We’ve been getting up trees and stuff out from people’s cars and from the front of their houses, and it’s a bunch of broken branches and everything over there from the storm that happened. I came to help out because it was in my neighborhood and my...
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BLUE CROSS’ PAINFUL NEW POLICY?
The day a Chicago woman named Rachel learned Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois was “downcoding” her longtime psychiatrist’s claims and cutting his pay, she immediately got to work. She reached out to elected and state officials to see what, if...
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1ST DAY ALL ABOUT POMP — AND CIRCUMSTANCES
With a DJ playing celebratory hip-hop music and blue balloons flying overhead, Leland Elementary Principal Alesia Franklin-Allen welcomed back her students. She worked to put first-timers, like five children who’d moved to the West Side school from...
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‘WHY IS THIS OK?’
Melissa Dixon is on edge as she walks into Gary’s City Life Center gymnasium toward the end of the free Saturday dinner service. Three daughters, her 1-year-old granddaughter and her son-in-law surround her. Another daughter is off with a relative who...
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FUNERAL HOME OF HORRORS
Latasha Johnson had given the eulogy and ended her mother’s funeral service at the South Chicago Chapel, 2939 E. 95th St., Thursday afternoon when she and her family noticed their vehicles were blocked in by Chicago police. Not long after, officers...
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‘A GOOD FIGHT’ AGAINST BIG OIL
Jessica Skalka, 37, rounded the corner of a homemade bar in her dad’s garage, passing a framed collage of cutout newspaper clips marking the end of the 99-day strike at BP’s Whiting, Indiana, refinery in 2015. A row of championship banners for the...
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FIRST & GOAL
Players cycled through warmups, worked at individual position drills and scrimmaged under the watchful eyes of coaches and gathered media Wednesday at Chicago State University. It was a lot like any other media day for a lot of Division I football...
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FINDING HUMOR IN PUBLIC ‘BATCH-ROOMS’ — & BEYOND
Musician and comedian Al Scorch thinks he got the “last gasp” of an old-school childhood growing up in the 1980s and ’90s on Chicago’s blue-collar Northwest Side. “Pre-cellphone, pre-internet … where you’re just kind of running around the neighborhood...
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DID COPS JUMP THE GUN IN ARRESTING ANTI-VIOLENCE VOLUNTEER?
Nakia Smith says he walked into a Far South Side police station to get a gun off the street. Instead, he walked out in handcuffs. Three years later, the 51-year-old antiviolence volunteer is set to go on trial Monday on gun charges that could send him...
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GIANNOULIAS LAUNCHES MAYORAL BID, KNOCKS ‘REVOLVING DOOR’ AT CITY HALL
Taking aim at Mayor Brandon Johnson’s revolving door of senior leadership, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias joined the race for mayor Sunday, portraying himself as the coalition builder needed to solve Chicago’s enormous...
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POURING REIGN
Zara Larsson As sweeping visuals of sun-kissed skies and crashing waves flashed behind her, Swedish popstress Zara Larsson stepped onto the T-Mobile stage and wasted no time before kicking into “Midnight Sun,” to the delight of the swelling crowd,...
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LOLLA’S HOT LINES
Even with Lollapalooza in full swing at Grant Park, some fans of British pop star Charli xcx found themselves in Wicker Park yesterday for a conversation with fans ahead of the musician’s headlining Lollapalooza performance Friday. Tickets to the...
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LOSS OF A CHICAGO HOOPS LEGEND
Tim Bankston, a South Side basketball star at Simeon and current boys basketball coach at Thornton Fractional North High School in Calumet City, was found fatally shot Wednesday morning inside a home in Auburn Gresham, according to Chicago...
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SPEAKER’S UNRESOLVED SCANDAL
When Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch became speaker, a women’s group and fellow state rep called for an investigation into domestic violence and sexual harassment accusations made against him. Five years later, one person says, ‘I don’t think it was ever spoken...
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GOV’T HELP GONE IN A SNAP
Small hands helped load five boxes of food into the trunk of Irene Salinas Torres’ van. “I carried this one,” one child proudly said in Spanish. Salinas Torres and her family had stopped by a nonprofit in Pilsen for its monthly food distribution this...
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CHICAGO’S FIRST PRESIDENT
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Valdas Adamkus is one of the most beloved political figures in his country, serving as Lithuania’s president for two separate five-year terms in a transformative period just before and after it joined the European Union and...
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WNB-YAY SURPRISE
Fourteen-year-old London Harris has dreams of someday being president of the United States, and on Friday morning, she got to see a former commander in chief up close. Former President Barack Obama surprised London, along with nearly 100 other ninth...
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PARKS AND RESTORATION
Some of the city’s best architecture is found not just around Chicago’s parks, but in them. Yet for decades, the Chicago Park District allowed many of its structures to fall into embarrassing disrepair. Do I have to name names? For starters, how...
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MEXICO SEEKS JUSTICE FOR 17 ICE ‘HOMICIDES’
Mexico’s government has begun taking legal action to seek accountability for the deaths of 17 of its citizens during U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations — 14 of them in ICE custody, and three during other “arrest operations.” They...
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WHALE OF A DEBATE
In special steel containers marked “live animals, this side up,” the mammoth sea creatures arrived in Chicago in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday. It was the first phase of a beluga whale rescue mission Shedd Aquarium staff call “urgent” and...
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Former Illinois public health chief Nirav Shah drops Maine Senate bid
Illinois’ former public health chief who oversaw a series of fatal Legionnaires disease outbreaks at the Quincy veterans home has dropped his bid for the U.S. Senate in Maine — one of several Democrats who are instead supporting the candidacy of Troy...
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SUPPLY-RIDE ECONOMICS
The way Bob Singh sees it, the taxi industry has drastically changed, but he and other cabbies are still playing by the old rules, struggling to stay afloat as ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft dominate the market. “Financially, it’s...
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BEACH BUMMER
Thick, acrid smoke still blanketed the Chicago area Friday, prompting closings and cancellations in the city and suburbs. An air quality alert is in effect through Saturday night, though the concentration of pollution in the air had begun to decrease...
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HAZY SHADE OF SUMMER
Chicagoans woke up to the smell and taste of thick smoke Thursday, an unpleasant start to the summer day. Polluted air from Canadian wildfire smoke made it dangerous for anyone to be outside for long periods of time, government officials warned. For...
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GUT CHECK
Concerns over a statewide cyclospora outbreak have caused some Chicago shoppers to rethink where they buy their produce. Enter farmers markets. Chelsa Moore, an urban planner who works near the Pullman Farmers Market, said the recent outbreak has...
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NOT COOL
Chicagoans caught outside on Tuesday sought relief from the heat any way they could as the city entered its second stretch of 90-degree-plus temperatures in a month. Popsicles, cold water and Gatorade were the provisions provided to beat the heat for...
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REVERSING TIME’S TOLL
There’s a warm nostalgic spot in Chicago’s brick, concrete and glass heart for those big vintage outdoor signs that were once plentiful in this town, especially the signage that told us the time and temperature. It’s a shame that signs like these have...
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WILL HE, OR WON’T HE?
Gov. JB Pritzker has consistently said he’s focused on winning a third term for governor this November — and despite the speculation, those close to him insist he hasn’t made a decision on whether he’ll run for president in 2028. But the governor is...
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RAVINIA STAGE IS SET
Audiences who visit the Ravinia Festival this weekend for an opening concert featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, pop artist Lizzo and classical pianist Yunchan Lim will likely see and hear a few improvements. They’ll be the first to experience...
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CASTING A SMELL
The Thornton Quarry has long been a scenic destination within Chicago’s south suburbs. But this week, the usual sights have been joined by an all-too-usual smell. The quarry, also known as the Thornton Reservoir, is nearly full after weeks of heavy...
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TEMPTING YOUR TASTE BUDS
The Taste of Chicago kicked off Wednesday morning with more than 80 vendors from across the city — from booths by local restaurants to food trucks to featured popups. And while there are plenty of Chicago classics up for grabs, including Connie’s...
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A FLOODING FIX?
Acknowledging the city’s persistent flooding problem, Mayor Brandon Johnson, flanked by other elected officials Tuesday, touted a West Side pilot project aimed at temporarily capturing rain underground before it can overwhelm Chicago’s outdated...
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HUMBLE ORIGINS TO HAIR CARE HISTORY
George E. Johnson, who founded Johnson Products Company, and along with it a new universe of hair care products tailored to Black consumers, died Monday morning. He died from natural causes at his Downtown Chicago condo, said his son John Edward...
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LAWMAKERS’ ARTIFICIAL ASSISTANCE
Illinois Rep. Bill Foster is using AI to draft legislation, while Sen. Tammy Duckworth ‘involuntarily’ uses it in Google searches. Meanwhile, others like Rep. Delia Ramirez are purposefully steering clear.
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HONESTLY SPEAKING
As the country celebrates its 250th anniversary, one of the soundtracks of this moment is Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” memorializing one of Illinois’ most famous sons. The widely heralded 1942 work features folk tunes, big brass parts and...
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DIBS IS NO PICNIC
Shortly after noon on a Sunday last August, police were dispatched to a forest preserve picnic grove near Chicago’s Edgebrook neighborhood for an unusual call. A “subject was trying to attack our complainant with a sword,” according to a police report...
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TOP COP CALLS IT A CAREER
When Mayor Brandon Johnson introduced Larry Snelling as the next leader of the Chicago Police Department in August 2023, he touted his pick as a “son of Englewood” with decades of experience policing Chicago streets. Less than three mostly...
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A MOTHER’S BIRTHRIGHT RELIEF
WASHINGTON — Many Chicago advocates and immigrant families say they are “excited” and “relieved” the Supreme Court has upheld a broad definition of birthright citizenship, rejecting President Donald Trump’s executive order which had declared that...
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HEAT HITS
City officials warned that sweltering temperatures gripping the Chicago area this week pose a significant risk to vulnerable communities, including older residents, people with disabilities, young children and those without access to air...
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POWER OF PRIDE
Ricardo Jiménez, director of public health initiatives for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, has every reason to be quiet. His activism for Puerto Rican independence landed him a 90-year sentence on allegations of seditious conspiracy. He was granted...
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The latest breakthroughs in brain health research at the University of Chicago
• The latest breakthroughs in brain health research at the University of Chicago
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HOME COURTYARD ADVANTAGE?
Chicago’s entire class of vintage residential courtyard buildings — totaling in the thousands — could be headed for the National Register of Historic Places under a measure before a state panel Friday. The nine-member Illinois National Register...
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THE AIR UP THERE
Serap Erdal stopped at a light pole in the middle of Grant Park and pulled out her phone. Behind her, the city’s towering skyscrapers cut into a sunny, blue sky as she zoomed in on her palm-sized map of the city. The researcher barely noticed the hum...
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SOLO ACT?
The federal prosecutor whose nearly two decades of work in Chicago is going under a microscope tackled one of the city’s top fraud investigations before the “Broadview Six” case led to multiple claims that she’d acted improperly while seeking...
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Back to the future?
The last time the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry’s south entry was opened to the public, radio hadn’t yet been invented. Or aspirin. Half of all U.S. homes were also still being lit by natural gas, and the first motion picture camera wouldn’t...
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LONG WAIT FOR FLOOD RELIEF ON WEST SIDE
Andre Moseley’s Austin home was hammered by flooding twice in the summer of 2023, causing a lot of damage and leaving a stale smell of sewage in his basement. “It was horrible,” he said. “It was coming at such a fast rate.” The 2023 floods drenched...
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A STORYBOOK BEGINNING
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama surprised Hyde Park elementary students at the Obama Presidential Center’s public library on Friday morning, just ahead of the doors opening to the public for the first time. The...
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SWEET HOPE, CHICAGO
Standing in front of his namesake presidential center near the neighborhood where he launched his historic political career, former President Barack Obama paid homage Thursday to the city that inspired him to run and led him to love. The South Sider...
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INAUGURATION DAY
Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden plan to attend Thursday’s dedication ceremony celebrating the opening of former President Barack Obama’s Presidential Center in Jackson Park, according to a source with direct knowledge of...
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SETTING THE BENCHMARK
On a mid-morning weekday in his lightfilled studio on the West Side, the furniture designer Norman Teague runs his hands along one of his latest creations in wood. “I’ve enjoyed walnut because of its softness, but it’s also dense,” says Teague, who is...
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Portrait of Obamas unveiled
The first official portrait of Barack and Michelle Obama — a large, detailed artwork that includes images of the significant moments, objects and places in their lives — was unveiled this week at the Obama Presidential Center. The framed 9-by-10 foot...
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