Good morning, Chicago.
The lungs that Dr. Ankit Bharat took out of Tadd Crosslin, a 49-year-old father of twins, were marred with billions of cancer cells.
They were “perhaps the most diseased that we’ve ever seen,” said Bharat, a thoracic surgeon and director of Northwestern Medicine’s Canning Thoracic Institute.
A technology the institute adopted just months ago was a game changer for Crosslin, whose lungs were fused so tightly to his chest cavity that doctors needed extra time to delicately remove them.
The innovative technology, a lung refrigerator, was used in a dozen of the 148 lung transplants the Chicago health system performed in 2024. These days, it’s being used in “pretty much every” transplant.
“It’s going to become the new norm,” Bharat said.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Dick Durbin seeks watchdog inquiry into Kash Patel, alleges behind-the-scenes role in purge at FBI
Illinois’ senior senator has asked the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate after he says he received information that President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, had been “personally directing the ongoing purge” of agents at the bureau.
The letter from Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, asserts that Patel may have misled the panel at his confirmation hearing last month when he said in response to a question that he was not aware of any plans inside the FBI to punish or fire any agents.
What’s next for pardoned ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich? A book and no apologies.
Perhaps the most telling moment of the news conference Rod Blagojevich held hours after President Donald Trump granted the disgraced ex-Illinois governor a full pardon came even before he answered a single question from the media scrum gathered outside his Ravenswood Manor home.
“Patti, honey,” Blagojevich said with a smile to his wife Monday night. “They’re back.”
The comment reflected one of Blagojevich’s most prominent and defining traits — witnessed at campaign rallies, during his time in office and later in countless TV appearances in which he declared his innocence — that of a cockalorum, a boastful and self-important person in need of public attention and adoration.
6 men accused of kidnapping family from Chicago townhouse and forcing a transfer of $15 million in cryptocurrency
Six men are accused of kidnapping three family members and a nanny from a Chicago townhouse in October and forcing a transfer of about $15 million in cryptocurrency assets before releasing them days later near a dry cleaners, according to recently unsealed court records.
The five-day kidnapping is detailed in a 44-page FBI affidavit unsealed last week. Agents collected evidence — including receipts, unused zip ties and surveillance footage — from rental cars, cryptocurrency wallets, a suburban Airbnb and various fast-food restaurants and retail stores, court records show.
Winter weather advisory issued for Wednesday; 3 to 6 inches of snow expected
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for the Chicago area from 9 a.m. Wednesday until 3 a.m. Thursday, according to officials. Chicagoans can expect to see 3 to 6 inches of snowfall Wednesday, which is less than what was initially forecast earlier in the week.
Walgreens must pay $987 million arbitration award to virtual care company, judge rules
Deerfield-based Walgreen Co. must pay a $987 million arbitration award to a company it contracted with to help order COVID-19 tests for patients, a federal judge ruled Monday.
As egg prices continue to soar, grocers limit how many cartons customers can buy
Trader Joe’s and other grocers are limiting the number of eggs customers can buy across the U.S., citing limited supply caused by the ongoing bird flu outbreak.
Trader Joe’s is capping purchases to one carton per customer each day, the Monrovia, California-based chain confirmed. That limit applies to all of Trader Joe’s locations across the country.
Crete Ace Hardware employee John Minerd, right, points Feb. 11, 2025, to a retention pond where he and co-worker Adam Kroll, left, rescued the driver of a truck that drove onto the frozen pond Saturday night. (Mike Nolan/Daily Southtown)
Crete hardware store workers rescue man who drove onto iced-over pond
Employees of the Crete Ace Hardware store were getting ready to close the store for the day when they saw headlights of a vehicle on a nearby retention pond. Then they heard ice crack.
‘He wants to be that guy’: Alex Bregman remains unsigned. The Chicago Cubs remain an intriguing destination.
Third baseman Alex Bregman lingers on the free-agent market as major-league pitchers and catchers report to spring training this week. Two of his former Houston Astros teammates have new homes with the Chicago Cubs, making them a naturally intriguing destination given the lack of an established player at Bregman’s position and how he could boost the organization’s quest to win the division and return to the postseason.
- 10-year-old heart patient from Country Club Hills gets trip to Cubs spring training
- San Diego Padres sign former Cubs World Series champion Jason Heyward to a $1 million, 1-year contract
Chicago White Sox players ready to ‘earn opportunities’ as pitchers and catchers report for spring training
After a 2024 that was historical for all the wrong reasons, the Chicago White Sox are preparing for a new season with a new manager in Will Venable.
Google Calendar users no longer see default entries for events like Pride, Black History Month
Google’s online calendar has removed default references for a handful of holidays and cultural events — with users noticing that mentions of Pride and Black History Month, as well as other observances, no longer appear in their desktop and mobile applications.
Transparent, $60,000 TV on display in Glenview
Technology continually pushes boundaries, but LG Electronics has produced something clearly different, and there’s only one in the country on display, according to an electronics and lifestyle store in Glenview.
Abt Electronics is the first, said Marketing Manager Lyndsey Ager, to display the 77-inch see-through device from LG, which they’re billing as the “world’s first transparent 4K TV with true wireless video and audio transfer.”
