Afternoon Briefing: Mayor Johnson appoints new chief of staff

Good afternoon, Chicago.

Mayor Brandon Johnson today officially tapped key progressive adviser Cristina Pacione-Zayas to be his chief of staff following Richard Guidice’s recent resignation.

Pacione-Zayas, a former state senator who has been deputy chief of staff since the start of Johnson’s term, will be the city’s first Latina to hold the post, the mayor’s office wrote in its announcement.

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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Madi Hecox, softball coach of Jenna Newcomb, signs a memorial cross for her during a vigil for the stabbing victims in Rockford on March 28, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Christian Soto, charged with 4 slayings in Rockford, is denied pretrial release

Authorities have said Soto was behind a series of frenzied attacks Wednesday at multiple addresses in a Rockford neighborhood, but said they have not determined a motive. Read more here.

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UChicago Medicine residents and fellows filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a formal election to decide whether to unionize under the Committee of Interns and Residents. The University of Chicago along the Midway Plaisance on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The University of Chicago along the Midway Plaisance on April 26, 2023. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

More than 1,000 UChicago Medicine residents, fellows move to unionize

The doctors filed a petition Monday morning with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a formal election to decide whether to unionize under the Committee of Interns and Residents, a union representing resident physicians and fellows. Read more here.

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Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen speaks at a news conference at Halas Hall on March 16, 2024, in Lake Forest (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen at a news conference at Halas Hall on March 16, 2024, in Lake Forest (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Keenan Allen was a surprise guest at Caleb Williams’ pro day — and the Chicago Bears think the WR will keep showing up for the likely No. 1 pick

The idea behind the Bears trading a 2024 fourth-round pick to acquire Allen in March is that he’ll keep showing up for Williams should they draft the USC quarterback later this month. Read more here.

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New music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Klaus Mäkelä at the Mandarin Oriental New York on March 20 in New York.(Barry Williams/for Chicago Tribune)
New music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Klaus Mäkelä at the Mandarin Oriental New York on March 20 in New York.(Barry Williams/for Chicago Tribune)

CSO appoints Klaus Mäkelä as the youngest music director in the orchestra’s history

Mäkelä will be the orchestra’s 11th music director, effective in the 2027-28 concert season, following the conclusion of Riccardo Muti’s tenure at the end of the 2022-23 season. Read more here.

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Wreckage from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the cargo ship Dali efforts begin to clear the debris and reopen the Port of Baltimore on April 1, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. Two survivors were pulled from the Patapsco River and six missing people are presumed dead after the Coast Guard called off rescue efforts. A work crew was fixing potholes on the bridge, which is used by roughly 30,000 people each day, when the ship struck. The accident has temporarily closed the Port of Baltimore, one of the largest and busiest on the East Coast of the U.S. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty)
Wreckage from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the cargo ship Dali as efforts begin to clear the debris and reopen the Port of Baltimore on April 1, 2024, in Baltimore. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty)

First vessel uses alternate channel to bypass wreckage at the Baltimore bridge collapse site

Some barges and tugs that have been stuck in the Port of Baltimore since the collapse are also scheduled to pass through the channel. Read more here.

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