Good afternoon, Chicago.
With an eye toward a potential third term as governor and a possible White House bid, Gov. JB Pritzker used his budget and State of the State address to outline an optimistic no-tax-hike spending plan and offer an ambitious set of initiatives in fields including education and health care, while likening the actions of President Donald Trump and his followers to the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany.
“I do not invoke the specter of Nazis lightly,” he said, adding that he was “watching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country right now.”
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.
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Former Cook County assistant state’s attorneys acquitted of wrongdoing in ‘unprecedented’ trial
Two former Cook County prosecutors were acquitted today of multiple counts following an unusual criminal trial connected to a wrongful conviction case. Read more here.
More top news stories:
- ‘You can raise me five grand’: New details emerge in bribery case against state Sen. Emil Jones III
- Mayor Brandon Johnson escalates push for CPS to pick up pension payment, borrow more money
Green social housing ordinance introduced at City Council meeting
Chicago’s plan to build “green social housing,” one of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s cornerstone housing initiatives, moved one step closer to being actionable today when Johnson introduced a key ordinance in the City Council meeting. Read more here.
More top business stories:
- Trader Joe’s union notches uncertain win amid backdrop of Trump-era federal labor landscape
- Bev’s closes in downtown Naperville, Effin Egg shutters after short stint
Chicago Bears are raising season ticket prices by an average of 10%
In a letter to season ticket holders, Bears President/CEO Kevin Warren announced increases in ticket prices for 2025 with an average hike of 10%. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
- Chicago Bears Q&A: Has Ryan Poles been too cautious in free agency? What is Plan B at guard after Trey Smith?
- Chicago basketball report: Bulls lead the NBA in lost viewers — and Angel Reese gets tough love from a legend
For Polish post-punk band Trupa Trupa, coming to Empty Bottle, the atrocities of the past aren’t in the past
Trupa Trupa plays at the Empty Bottle on Feb. 25 to commemorate their just-released EP, “Mourners.” Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
- ‘Good Cop/Bad Cop’ review: A brother and sister become police partners, with dad as their boss
- Column: Football star, war hero, businessman … the many lives of Robert ‘Buck’ Halperin
President Donald Trump calls Zelenskyy a ‘dictator’ as tensions rise between the leaders over the Russia-Ukraine war
President Donald Trump called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections,” lashing out after the Ukrainian president said Trump was being influenced by Russian disinformation as he moves to end the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine on terms that Kyiv says are too favorable to Moscow. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
