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Over the course of a yearlong investigation, Tribune reporters Lisa Schencker and Emily Hoerner found that well-known Illinois health systems have allowed workers accused of abusing patients to keep providing care.
The failures to respond adequately to abuse allegations had devastating consequences for the victims, who felt betrayed by medical systems they had trusted with their health and safety.
While some medical systems in other states have reckoned publicly with their failures, Illinois health care providers have quietly settled lawsuits, entered into confidentiality agreements with patients and often refused to acknowledge wrongdoing.
Read Part 1 of our investigation.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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As corruption trials continue, Illinois lobbyist reform effort pushed in General Assembly
As the Illinois General Assembly begins its spring session, among the mountain of legislation being proposed is a bill that aims to tackle two key issues around lobbying — requiring statehouse lobbyists to report the compensation they receive from their clients and giving the secretary of state’s office the power to boot bad actors.
Mexicans prepare to vote in Chicago for their homeland’s president, with a woman as a front-runner
For the first time, Mexican nationals living in Illinois and northern Indiana can cast a vote in person at the Consulate General of Mexico of Chicago for the country’s presidential election that could elect its first-ever female president.
The troubled past of the Joliet man accused of murdering his family in what officials called a ‘reign of terror’
When Andre Shorter saw a TikTok about an eight-person shooting in his hometown of Joliet, he didn’t expect to recognize the suspect.
“Usually you don’t see anything for Joliet on TikTok,” said Shorter, 22. “And then I saw Romeo’s face and was like, ‘What the… oh my God, Romeo?’”
Dancers, dragons draw crowds at Chinatown’s Lunar New Year Parade
Hundreds of people filled the streets of Chicago’s Chinatown on Sunday afternoon for a parade celebrating the Lunar New Year, featuring vibrant colors, festive floats and dancing.
Amid the bustling crowds, dragon puppets snaked through the streets. Marching bands followed with upbeat music. Chains of intricate red lanterns hung across the sidewalks, fluttering in the wind.
Living in a Far South Side ‘toxic doughnut,’ Hazel Johnson fought for environmental justice
Hazel Johnson wasn’t out to bug the bureaucrats when she tried to speak at a meeting of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in 1984. She just wanted to say something about the facts of life for residents of Altgeld Gardens, a public housing complex on Chicago’s Far South Side.
The air she and her neighbors breathed there was palpably unhealthy. Their homes were surrounded by smoke-belching industries.
The championship era is over for the Sky. How can Teresa Weatherspoon and the new ownership group build a new one?
When Kahleah Copper left in a trade with the Phoenix Mercury last week, she took with her the final pillar of the 2021 WNBA champs, a clear punctuation mark at the end of that chapter for the franchise.
This is worth mourning in itself for the city — after all, the Sky brought home Chicago’s first championship since the 2016 Cubs.
Ayo Dosunmu is tapping into new parts of his game — namely long-range shooting — in his 3rd Bulls season
Dosunmu always has understood the value of patience in his role for the Chicago Bulls.
It was the key to his rookie season, when he mostly played reserve minutes until injuries suddenly propelled him into the starting point guard job. And it defined the way he responded to a slight decrease in minutes and scoring during his second season.
- Coby White is learning who he can be in clutch moments. That growth is key for the Bulls — even in losses.
- Adam Silver says NBA’s 65-game policy for awards is leading to players playing more
When strength, resilience and #BlackGirlMagic is a burden
When Lincoln University administrator Antoinette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey took her own life last month, the news broke the internet, a family friend said in a eulogy during homegoing services in Joliet.
People had a lot to say about the death of the 49-year-old Chicago native who was the Missouri school’s vice president of student affairs: She was a conduit, a convenor and, most passionately, an advocate, said her friends, family and colleagues.
Candia-Bailey’s death brought to the fore how consistent mistreatment and marginalization can chip away at their mental health, resulting in devastating consequences.
Review: The new Ramova Grill and Taproom brings chili back to Bridgeport in Chicago
If you ever went to the old Ramova Grill, you remember the chili, writes Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu. It was perhaps the signature dish of Bridgeport, the working-class neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago in a bowl. Or better yet, sauced over eggs with hash browns, rendering the taste memory of your breakfast plate in a sepia tone.
The new Ramova Grill and Taproom is not the old Ramova Grill. It’s a reimagined space now making a modern, minimalist, Midwestern chili that packs heat on a perplexing menu with potential.
Cillian Murphy stars as Robert Oppenheimer in “Oppenheimer.” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced it is adding a category for Best Casting starting in 2026. If films were eligible this year, “Oppenheimer” — with its star-studded cast — would have likely been a contender. (Universal Pictures)
Column: ‘Oppenheimer’ casting director talks about the new Oscar category for best casting
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is adding a new Oscar category for casting directors, starting in 2026.
The Oscars are a pinnacle of achievement for actors. But casting those actors is an art and talent all its own. The Emmys have recognized casting directors since 1994. It’s good to see the Oscars finally catch up, writes Tribune critic Nina Metz.
