Good morning, Chicago.
A recently freed man who spent more than 12 years in prison for a fatal South Side shooting in which a legally blind witness identified him as the perpetrator is suing the city of Chicago and several police officers over their handling of the murder investigation.
Darien Harris was an 18-year-old Chicago high school senior with a clean criminal record when police arrested him as a suspect in an ambush-style attack at a gas station that left one man dead and another seriously injured in 2011. In 2014, a judge convicted Harris of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.
But after serving more than 12 years of a 76-year prison term, Harris won his release in December when a judge vacated the convictions and prosecutors dropped all charges.
Now, the 31-year-old is seeking compensation in a federal civil rights lawsuit that alleges authorities framed him despite evidence of his innocence.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Christy Gutowski.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker continues clashing with Illinois Senate over parole board
Over opposition from the governor’s office, Senate Democrats, joined by their Republican colleagues, voted without opposition late Sunday to codify a series of changes to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, a body that has been a source of long-running bipartisan tension between the legislative chamber and the Pritzker administration.
Double lung transplants weren’t typically recommended for lung cancer patients. But a new technique developed at Northwestern has been successful.
For decades, double lung transplants were not considered a viable option for treating lung cancer.
But after developing a new technique to replace damaged lungs during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Northwestern Medicine’s Canning Thoracic Institute has now performed more than 40 successful lung transplants on cancer patients in just two and a half years.
‘We are indebted to you’: Fallen U.S. troops remembered on Memorial Day
One of Danny Montcalm’s first memories of Memorial Day took place near Rosehill Cemetery.
Now, Montcalm, 70, spends every Memorial Day just feet away, watching as a parade of local veterans groups, Cub Scouts, high school students and other organizations march past that very monument and through the gates of Rosehill Cemetery to honor America’s fallen military troops.
Montcalm, whose father and grandfather were members of the armed forces, was one of hundreds of Chicago-area veterans, current service members and other residents who gathered to watch the cemetery’s annual Memorial Day parade Monday, which was followed by a ceremony, a cannon salute and a cookout.
Closing arguments, jury instructions and maybe a verdict? A major week looms in Donald Trump’s hush money trial.
After more than four weeks and nearly two dozen witnesses, testimony in Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial is all wrapped up, meaning the case heads into the pivotal final stretch of closing arguments, jury deliberations and possibly a verdict.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli airstrike that killed at least 45 Palestinians in Rafah was the result of a ‘tragic mistake’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that a “tragic mistake” was made in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that set fire to a camp housing displaced Palestinians and, according to local officials, killed at least 45 people.
The strike only added to the surging international criticism Israel has faced over its war with Hamas, with even its closest allies expressing outrage at civilian deaths. Israel insists it adheres to international law even as it faces scrutiny in the world’s top courts, one of which last week demanded that it halt the offensive in Rafah.
Sueños Music Festival finale canceled as heavy storms batter Chicago
Heavy downpours forced organizers of the Sueños Music Festival in Grant Park to cancel the event Sunday evening just before the world-renowned headliner Peso Pluma was set to perform.
Despite several public announcements asking patrons to disperse, thousands of festivalgoers refused to leave Grant Park for a considerable amount of time and many chanted the Grammy Award-winning artist’s name, “Peso, Peso,” in unison and in protest of the decision to stop the concert.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle speaks about the Build Up Cook program during a news conference in Posen. (Cook County Board president’s office)
Cook County program to fund infrastructure, projects throughout south suburbs
Water main improvements, roof work on municipal buildings and new fire hydrants in the south suburbs will be paid for with federal COVID-19 stimulus money through the Build Up Cook program.
Column: Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s return to Milwaukee figures to be intriguing. What kind of reaction will he get?
The long-awaited return of Craig Counsell to Milwaukee took place Monday when the Chicago Cubs began a four-game series against the Brewers.
So what kind of reaction did Counsell expect? Sports columnist Paul Sullivan found out.
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Cashiers process purchases at a Walmart Supercenter in North Bergen, N.J., on Feb. 9, 2023. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP)
Major retailers are offering summer deals to entice inflation-weary shoppers
Major retailers are stepping up discounts heading into the summer months, hoping to entice inflation-weary shoppers into opening their wallets.
Target, Walmart and other chains have rolled out price cuts — some permanent, others temporary — with the stated aim of giving their customers some relief. The reductions, which mostly involve groceries, are getting introduced as inflation showed its first sign of easing this year but not enough for consumers who are struggling to pay for basic necessities.
Top 10 for art in Chicago: Georgia O’Keeffe to Art on the Mart in a 2024 summer of firsts
An unusual number of firsts are taking place in Chicago museums this summer, from older artists getting their due to under-examined histories being recovered to emergent talents making their local debuts.
