Good morning, Chicago.
When Nedra Sims Fears was growing up in Chatham in the 1960s and ’70s, the basement of her family home flooded at least six times.
Twice, the water rose so high that it triggered an electrical fire and her family had to move out during extensive renovations. Mementos from Fears’ early years — in a close-knit neighborhood that embraced hard work, education and block parties — were lost forever.
Now Fears is fighting back, as part of a coalition of community leaders, university scientists and concerned citizens who have joined together to answer a question that has haunted this South Side neighborhood for decades: Why is it that Chatham experiences some of the worst basement flooding in the city?
Volunteers are measuring rainfall in their yards, a local nonprofit is rallying support, and scientists at universities including the University of Illinois, Chicago State and Northwestern are gathering data with soil moisture sensors, radar, weather balloons, and groundwater probes.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Nara Schoenberg.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: TIF funds approved for a massive Central Loop renovation, the owner of a Trump-themed shop fighting closure over code issues and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and Pete Rose getting reinstated by the MLB.
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Federal judge OKs use of Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans who are labeled gang members
A federal judge says President Donald Trump can use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan citizens who are shown to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
The ruling from U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines in Pennsylvania appears to be the first time a federal judge has signed off on Trump’s proclamation calling Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization and invoking the 18th century wartime law to deport people labeled as being members of the gang.
Wisconsin judge is indicted on accusations she helped a man evade immigration agents
A federal grand jury indicted a Wisconsin judge on charges she helped a man in the country illegally evade U.S. immigration authorities looking to arrest him as he appeared before her in a local domestic abuse case.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan’s arrest and ensuing indictment has escalated a clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and local authorities over the Republican’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to make a national example of Dugan to chill judicial opposition to the crackdown.
20 Democratic attorneys general sue Trump administration over conditions placed on federal funds
A coalition of 20 state Democratic attorneys general filed two federal lawsuits, claiming that the Trump administration is threatening to withhold billions of dollars in transportation and disaster-relief funds unless state’s agree to certain immigration enforcement actions.
City commission approves $67 million in TIF funds for massive Central Loop renovation
The largest project envisioned so far for the LaSalle Street Reimagined program took a step closer to reality yesterday when the Community Development Commission recommended that City Council approve it.
Council approval would unlock $67 million in tax increment financing funds for redevelopment of the historic Clark Adams Building, a 41-story tower at 105 W. Adams St. just east of LaSalle Street in the Central Loop. The funds will help its development team transform dozens of vacant floors into hundreds of new apartments, including 121 reserved as affordable.
Canadian electric minibus manufacturer to build first US plant in Peoria
As Lion Electric faces liquidation and the auction of its shuttered Joliet electric bus factory, the state has announced another Canadian EV bus manufacturer will be opening a plant in Peoria.
Damera Corp., an Ontario-based electric bus company, plans to invest $31.5 million and create 90 full-time jobs to open its first U.S. assembly plant, backed by state tax incentives.
A father receives a video call at work: ‘Jayden and Mommy are dead’
Kassidy Miles rose early on March 13, 2024. He kissed the two sleeping boys goodbye and set off for O’Hare International Airport to start his shift at 7 a.m. About 45 minutes later, he said, he received a video call that made him scream. His 5-year-old son had dialed him up on an iPad and asked him to come home. “Jayden and Mommy are dead,” the boy told his father.
The boy referred to his older brother, 11-year-old Jayden Perkins, who was fatally stabbed in his apartment in the 5900 block of North Ravenswood Avenue while trying to protect his pregnant mother. His mother, Laterria Smith, who at the time was Miles’ fiancée, was seriously injured but survived.
Charged in the slaying is Crosetti Brand, 39, who faces charges of murder, attempted murder, home invasion and aggravated domestic battery. Brand is representing himself in the trial, which began Friday with jury selection and continued Monday with opening statements, during which he told the jury he acted in self defense.
Trump-themed shop could be closed over code issues, but owner says it’s political
The Trump Truth Store has been accused of violating village sign ordinance and building codes over the past six months, according to public records. Huntley village officials say the blow-up likeness of the store’s namesake, as well as a temporary banner and outdoor merchandise that stretch into the public right-of-way, all violate municipal code.
Northwestern hires NFL scout Christian Sarkisian as GM of athletic department, overseeing revenue sharing
Northwestern hired Cincinnati Bengals scout Christian Sarkisian as the athletic department’s general manager yesterday to oversee the school’s salary-cap and revenue-sharing issues.
Sarkisian, who spent the last seven years as a scout for the Bengals, will help Northwestern navigate a changing landscape. Schools would be allowed to share millions in revenue directly with student-athletes if a federal judge approves a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement against the NCAA. Sarkisian’s primary focus will be on football.
‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson and Pete Rose reinstated by MLB, making them eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame
Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson were reinstated by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred yesterday, making both eligible for the sport’s Hall of Fame after their careers were tarnished by sports gambling scandals.
Cassie is due back for a second day of testimony in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ trial
The R&B singer Cassie returns to the witness stand today after a day spent recounting grotesque and humiliating details of life with her ex-boyfriend, Sean “Diddy” Combs.
During her first day of testimony at Combs’ sex trafficking trial, Cassie described being pressured into degrading sexual encounters with paid sex workers. She also recounted being beaten numerous times by Combs when she did things that displeased him — like smiling at him the wrong way.
‘Murderbot’ review: A robot turns sentient and … decides to watch a lot of TV
A cyborg providing security to a corporation’s workers hacks into its own system and becomes sentient in the droll 10-episode sci-fi Apple TV+ comedy “Murderbot,” based on “The Murderbot Diaries” book series by Martha Wells.
Alexander Skarsgård stars as the Security Unit in question. People call them SecUnits for short, but Murderbot is the name this particular robot has given itself after successfully shutting down its internal module that ensures it obeys every and any human command. Unsure what to do with this newfound freedom, and reluctant to tip off the company that it’s become ungovernable, for now Murderbot pretends to be its usual robotic self while it figures out what’s next. Meanwhile, we hear its inner monologue, which is filled with snarky assessments of the annoying humans in its vicinity. Did Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz mention the show is a comedy?
Rare creatures, unusual geography add to the allure of the remote Galápagos Islands
The remote Galápagos Islands of the Pacific, about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, have no historic monuments, only a handful of human settlements and the barest smattering of amenities such as restaurants and shops.
But you don’t travel to the archipelago for these. You go in search of unearthly landscapes, pristine white-sand beaches and nearly 9,000 species of animals within the UNESCO World Heritage Galápagos National Park, all of which seem to have sprung to life from an Eric Carle picture book.
