Good morning, Chicago.
Olympic Triple jumper Tori Franklin of Chicago hopes to ride a barge down the Seine River during the opening ceremony and venture outside the athlete’s village to watch a fencing competition.
Orland Park native Evita Griskenas, a rhythmic gymnast, wants to share a meal with athletes from other sports without plexiglass separating them.
BMX racer Felicia Stancil of Lake Villa looks forward to competing on a familiar track.
Wilmette native Maggie Shea, a top-ranked sailor, plans to march in the closing ceremony after her event.
And we are excited to tell their stories — on and off the field of play — from Paris as we cover the Summer Games.
We will be following the nearly three dozen Illinois athletes named to the U.S. team, including 18 competitors making their Olympic debuts. Our coverage begins with the story of four athletes — Griskenas, Franklin, Shea and Stancil — who are looking for Paris to give them the typical Olympic experience they missed out on during the COVID-hobbled Tokyo Games.
You can find the latest coverage on our Olympics page and by following us on social.
— Brian Cassella and Stacy St. Clair
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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President Joe Biden drops out of the 2024 race; announces support behind VP Kamala Harris
Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.
Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump, and encouraged his party to united behind her. Harris, in a statement, praised Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” and said she intends to “earn and win” her party’s nomination.
Democrats are rallying around Kamala Harris as she vows to ‘earn and win’ party nomination for president
Shortly after Biden stepped aside he firmly endorsed Harris, who would make history as the nation’s first Black and South Asian woman to become a major party’s presidential nominee. Other endorsements flowed from former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the first major female presidential nominee, and prominent U.S. senators, a wide swath of House representatives and members of the influential Congressional Black Caucus.
- Kamala Harris looks to lock up Democratic nomination after Joe Biden steps aside, reordering 2024 race
- Harris could become first woman, second black person to be president
Biden’s decision to drop out creates big questions for Chicago convention, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s political future
President Joe Biden’s stunning decision Sunday to drop his reelection bid cast Democrats into unprecedented uncertainty less than a month before they gather in Chicago for their national convention and try to unite around a new nominee to challenge former President Donald Trump.
Biden’s decision also recasts the role of J.B. Pritzker from the convention’s home state governor to a potential candidate. A loyal supporter and surrogate for Biden’s reelection, Pritzker also has a personal interest in the White House and now faces a decision on whether to back the president’s call to support Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination or seek to join her on the ticket as a candidate for vice president.
Bickering in DuPage County reveals lack of oversight and loss of millions of tax dollars
When recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois in 2020, it seemed like an easy source of new revenue for local governments. DuPage County was among many that enacted a sales tax on cannabis.
But by mid-2021, officials there noticed they weren’t getting any of the new money. The Illinois Department of Revenue said the county never notified it to collect the tax.
Over a year in office, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign coffers still buoyed by unions
Since his election as mayor of Chicago in April last year, Brandon Johnson has raised $2.6 million, nearly half of which has come from a variety of labor organizations — some of them key backers from his election campaign, others that came around afterward.
The progressive first-term mayor’s continued reliance on union support is no surprise after his campaign was mostly bankrolled by major labor groups such as the Chicago Teachers Union and the Service Employees International Union — two organizations whose leaders retain close access to the mayor, per his public schedules and text records.
But an analysis of his political campaign’s receipts show increasing variety among his labor backers and an overall broadening of his political fundraising sources, including a large check from a Grammy-winning rapper with ties to Chicago.
Illinois continues to struggle to fill vacancies on public boards, state audit shows
State boards and commissions tasked with solving some of Illinois’ biggest problems have been left with hundreds of vacancies for appointed positions and often didn’t have enough members to conduct business, a report released last month from the state auditor general found.
People shop on Black Friday at Water Tower Place on Nov. 24, 2023. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Sephora shuttering its Water Tower Place location
The Magnificent Mile will soon lose another of its major retailers. Personal care and beauty aid retailer Sephora plans to shutter later this summer its 5,000-square-foot store on Water Tower Place’s fifth floor, joining a long list of outlets that have recently closed their Michigan Avenue operations.
Column: Remembering Bob Newhart and his love of Chicago sports — especially the Cubs
Bob Newhart, the Chicago-born comedian who died Thursday at the age of 94, was remembered for his many accomplishments, from stand-up comedy to starring in two beloved sitcoms.
But Paul Sullivan will remember him mostly for his love and promotion of the Chicago sports scene on “The Bob Newhart Show,” where he played Dr. Bob Hartley, a psychologist and avid Bears, Cubs, Bulls and Loyola fan.
Chicago Bears training camp report: QB Caleb Williams learning on the fly, and safety Kevin Byard’s secrets to success
The Chicago Bears continued to progress through the ramp-up period of training camp and held a short non-padded practice Sunday morning at Halas Hall.
After Sunday’s practice and subsequent interviews with several players and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, here’s a snapshot of the camp proceedings.
- Column: Caleb Williams has the Bears’ 3 star wide receivers, but throwing to running backs can lead to wins
- Photos: QB Caleb Williams and the Bears at their 1st practice of training camp
The Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago around the time that John Dillinger was shot and killed by the FBI in an alley nearby. (Chicago Tribune archive)
John Dillinger saw his last movie at the Biograph Theater 90 years ago
For years, sightseeing buses have paused at an alley next to the Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue. Compared to other stops, there is not much to see. Passengers might wonder where they are and why.
“Look, at the mouth of the alley,” their driver/guide announces. “That’s where John Dillinger was killed on July 22, 1934. He and a pair of lady friends had just seen the movie ‘Manhattan Melodrama.’ ”
Styx has few original members. Lynyrd Skynyrd has … none? When is a band still a band?
Of all the philosophical questions posed by pop music over the past 60 years or so — Will you love me tomorrow? Is there life on Mars? Should I stay or should I go? — among the toughest in 2024 is this: When is a famous rock band or R&B act no longer themselves? When should a group of musicians with a famous name stop performing under that famous name?
Guide: The new buttery, flaky, golden age of croissants around Chicago, from crookies to chiles rellenos and hot dogs
When Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu last tasted dozens upon baker’s dozens of croissants around Chicago, two sisters at one bakery stood out among an impressive field: Lizette and Marisol Espinoza at Pan Artesanal.
