Good afternoon, Chicago.
Several letters in support of convicted former Chicago Ald. Edward Burke were made public today in advance of his sentencing hearing in June, including one from former mayoral candidate Paul Vallas who wrote Burke’s “professional impact on Chicago is a great legacy.”
Another letter writer, longtime Democratic political operative James “Skinny” Sheahan, told the judge in a handwritten note that he knew almost nothing about Burke’s corruption case, but that Burke would be better off working with Sheahan at the Special Olympics Chicago than going off to prison.
“It makes more sense than sending an eighty year old guy to jail,” Sheahan wrote. “We could keep him very busy.”
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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Endangered crane rescued by birders (s)whooping into Wilmette yard with grapes and a puppet
When experts with the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin heard that a whooping crane needed rescuing in Wilmette, they loaded their crane costume and a bunch of grapes into a car and sped to the north suburb. Read more here.
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Chicago Tribune sues OpenAI and Microsoft
The Chicago Tribune and seven other newspapers sued Microsoft and OpenAI on Tuesday, claiming the technology giants illegally harvested millions of copyrighted articles to create their cutting-edge “generative” artificial intelligence products including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot. Read more here.
More top business stories:
- Waukegan-based Woodland Foods expanding product offerings with acquisition
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Chicago Sky forward/center Candace Parker on May 3, 2022. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Column: Candace Parker’s impact on basketball, from a 3-time Ms. Basketball of Illinois to a 3-time WNBA champion
Parker leaves the game a three-time WNBA champion, WNBA Rookie of the Year, two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player, seven-time WNBA All-Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist, three-time Ms. Basketball of Illinois and with a host of other awards and accolades. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
- Garrett Crochet bounces back, but Chicago White Sox see their 3-game winning streak end
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Review: ‘Brooklyn Laundry’ at Northlight Theatre is a truthful, moving story of a couple
Northlight Theatre’s production of John Patrick Shanley’s latest play, “Brooklyn Laundry,” as directed with sensitivity by BJ Jones, has a couple in which you can believe. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
- Buffalo Theatre Ensemble premieres ‘Into the Earth with You,’ written by Amazon series creator
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Judge holds Donald Trump in contempt, fines him $9,000 and raises threat of jail in hush money trial
The ruling was a stinging rebuke for the presumptive Republican nominee, who had insisted he was exercising his free speech rights. Read more here.
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