Afternoon Briefing: Tariffs could test Canada-Illinois relationship

Good afternoon, Chicago.

Despite having put five of her kids in Chicago Public Schools, Blaire Flowers said once her eldest daughter graduates high school, she may have to make the difficult decision of moving her children to a school district in the suburbs.

“It’s not worth the fight,” Flowers said. “My son is missing out on too much. You want me to sit here and wait while (teachers) scream and holler about wanting more money, and I’m still not getting the basic services my son should be getting from CPS.”

Following months of turmoil that has consumed the district, some parents say they have had enough of the constant battling between the three groups leading the public school system. With district CEO Pedro Martinez’s firing in December, upheaval on the school board, and a four-year Chicago Teachers Union contract in its ninth month of negotiations, some parents say their students have become an afterthought.

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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Visitors look over a puppet previously used at pro-Gaza protests, on display at the “Potential Energy, Chicago Puppets Up Close” exhibit at the Cultural Center, Jan. 22, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Aldermen blast Cultural Center display as antisemitic, call on Mayor Brandon Johnson to remove it

A majority of the City Council signed a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson today condemning a puppet display at the Chicago Cultural Center as antisemitic and calling on the city to take it down. Read more here.

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Dear Margaret executive chef Ryan Brosseau walks past a print of a 1950s Hockey Night in Canada coloring book in the kitchen at the Lakeview neighborhood restaurant in Chicago on Jan. 16, 2025. Brosseau grew up in the small town of Merlin, Ontario. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Dear Margaret executive chef Ryan Brosseau walks past a print of a 1950s Hockey Night in Canada coloring book in the kitchen at the Lakeview neighborhood restaurant in Chicago on Jan. 16, 2025. Brosseau grew up in the small town of Merlin, Ontario. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Canada, Illinois share strong ties; tariffs could test that relationship

The ties between Canada and Illinois are particularly strong. Canada sells more to Illinois than it sells to China, its largest foreign export market after the U.S., according to a 2024 fact sheet by the Canadian embassy in Washington.  Read more here.

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Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson works on the sideline against the Bears at Soldier Field on Dec. 22, 2024. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on the sideline against the Bears at Soldier Field on Dec. 22, 2024. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

True or false? Hiring Ben Johnson is an unquestioned home run for the Chicago Bears.

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Katharine Hepburn (right) and Spencer Tracy talk between scenes on the set of "The Desk Set." (AP)
Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy talk between scenes on the set of “The Desk Set.” (AP)

Column: This movie with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy anticipated anxieties about the internet and AI

The 1957 romantic comedy “Desk Set” stars Katharine Hepburn as the head of research at a TV network. But the department’s future is threatened by a new technology in the form of a massive room-size IBM computer. Read more here.

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Volunteers talk in a tent along a border wall separating Mexico from the United States Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Volunteers talk in a tent along a border wall separating Mexico from the United States on Jan. 22, 2025, in San Diego. (Gregory Bull/AP)

Pentagon to send up to 1,500 active duty troops to help secure US-Mexico border, officials say

The Pentagon will begin deploying as many as 1,500 active duty troops to help secure the southern border in the coming days, U.S. officials said today, putting in motion plans President Donald Trump laid out in executive orders shortly after he took office to crack down on immigration. Read more here.

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