Afternoon Briefing: Cook County judge who was reassigned amid investigation into alleged racist comments retires

Good afternoon, Chicago.

A Cook County judge who was reassigned last year after he was accused of making racist comments to a defendant and his attorney has retired from the bench, according to county officials.

Judge William Hooks, who was appointed in 2008, retired in July, more than a year after he was taken off judicial duties in the wake of an investigation into alleged derogatory remarks made about Middle Eastern men during a conference in chambers Jan. 17, 2023.

Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.

Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy

The casket of Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy Rafael Wordlaw is carried from his funeral at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Harvey on Aug. 9, 2024, Wordlaw was fatally shot during an attempted robbery in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Slain Cook County sheriff’s deputy Rafael Wordlaw mourned at funeral: ‘He was a protector’

Hundreds of Wordlaw’s family and friends, many wearing red in honor of his favorite color, filtered into St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Harvey Friday morning to pay their respects to the Cook County sheriff’s deputy. Read more here.

More top news stories:

Cartons of eggs at a Kroger grocery store on Aug. 15, 2022, in Houston. (Brandon Bell/Getty)
Cartons of eggs at a Kroger grocery store on Aug. 15, 2022, in Houston. (Brandon Bell/Getty)

Kroger can label eggs ‘farm fresh’ even if they weren’t produced by ‘hens frolicking in elysian green pastures,’ federal judge rules

Plaintiff and Mariano’s shopper Adam Sorkin filed a lawsuit against Kroger in federal court in Chicago last fall. Read more here.

More top business stories:

The USA men's volleyball team celebrates their bronze medal win with a 3-0 win over Italy on Aug. 9, 2024, at South Paris Arena 1 during the Paris Olympics. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The USA men’s volleyball team celebrates their bronze medal win with a 3-0 win over Italy on Aug. 9, 2024, at South Paris Arena 1 during the Paris Olympics. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Wheaton natives Thomas Jaeschke and Jeff Jendryk win bronze with the US men’s volleyball team

Wheaton natives Thomas Jaeschke and Jeff Jendryk are bringing home Olympic medals after the U.S. men’s volleyball team won its third-place match over Italy on Friday. Read more here.

More top sports stories:

Marcella Arguello, right, dances to DJ music during the "Don't Drink the Water" dance party at The Hideout, on Aug. 8, 2024, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Marcella Arguello, right, dances to DJ music during the “Don’t Drink the Water” dance party at the Hideout, on Aug. 8, 2024, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

How does one mark the infamous Dave Matthews Band potty mess? With a Hideout dance party

On Thursday night, to recognize the 20th anniversary of the unloading of an enormous cascade of poop and urine by the Dave Matthews Band tour bus onto the heads of a Chicago River tour group — to acknowledge this infamous local fecaltastrophe — the Hideout threw a dance party. Read more here.

More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, with Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, left, speaks at a campaign rally at UAW Local 900, Thursday, August 8, 2024, in Wayne, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, with Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, left, speaks at a campaign rally at UAW Local 900 on Aug. 8  in Wayne, Michigan. (Julia Nikhinson/AP)

Harris and Walz head to Arizona, where a VP runner-up could still make a difference

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and gun control advocate, had been a top contender for Harris’ running mate. Read more here.

More top stories from around the world:

Related posts