Afternoon Briefing: Latino students face an uncertain future in Chicago schools

Good afternoon, Chicago.

The former general counsel for Commonwealth Edison testified today that he had “reservations” about selecting Juan Ochoa for the utility’s board after a background check turned up some significant political baggage.

But Ochoa had something far more important in his back pocket: the recommendation of House Speaker Michael Madigan.

In one of the central allegations in Madigan’s corruption case, Tom O’Neill, ComEd’s former chief lawyer, testified that the then-powerful speaker wanted Ochoa, the former chief of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, placed in a rare vacant seat on the company’s board in late 2017. He said CEO Anne Pramaggiore was behind the move because Ochoa’s resume came from Madigan.

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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Parents and students rally outside Sandra Cisneros Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 23, 2024. Cisneros is one of seven Acero schools that administrators have voted to close. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

An uncertain future for Chicago’s Latino students: What’s been their experience amid CPS turmoil?

Immigrant and advocacy groups are concerned about further inequity for Latino communities. Read more here.

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Juan De Luna, left, and Lino Banuelos, from Miller Pipeline, put the finishing touches on a section of a Peoples Gas pipeline replacement project at Wrightwood and Sheffield avenues in Chicago on May 29, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Juan De Luna, left, and Lino Banuelos, from Miller Pipeline, put the finishing touches on a section of a Peoples Gas pipeline replacement project at Wrightwood and Sheffield avenues in Chicago on May 29, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

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Los Angeles Sparks coach Curt Miller reacts against the Indiana Fever in the first half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on May 24, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Los Angeles Sparks coach Curt Miller reacts during a game against the Indiana Fever in the first half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on May 24, 2024. (Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

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Usher performs during night one of his three night stay at the United Center as part of the Past Present Future Tour on Oct. 28, 2024. (Talia Sprague/for the Chicago Tribune)
Usher performs during the first night of his three-night stay at the United Center as part of the “Past Present Future” tour on Oct. 28, 2024. (Talia Sprague/for the Chicago Tribune)

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Backed by a 10-piece band with three backup vocalists, and complemented by a dance team that swelled to 15 dancers, Usher proved ever the multihyphenate: suave showman, passionate vocalist, extraordinary dancer, competent roller-skater and debonair model included. Read more here.

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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Trump says his New York rally marked by crude and racist insults ‘was like a lovefest’

Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump claimed that “there’s never been an event so beautiful” as his Sunday night rally in his hometown of New York City. Read more here.

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