Good morning, Chicago.
It’s that time of year when we look for any excuse to spend time outside. A day at the beach. A walk through the park. A road trip with the windows down.
Two members of our newsroom are heading out west for that last option, one that will span eight states, three time zones and more than 2,000 miles.
Tribune reporter Jonathan Bullington and photojournalist E. Jason Wambsgans set out next week to travel the length of Route 66 ahead of the highway’s centennial next year.
In pursuit of the unknown, they’re starting the journey at the farthest point from home, in Santa Monica, and working their way back to Chicago. Have a recommendation of a favorite spot along Route 66? Share it with us.
The pair will share dispatches from their travels several times each week from the road. Follow along here.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: what warm-weather destinations United Airlines is expanding service to, when tickets go on sale for the celebration of Pope Leo XIV at Rate Field and Chonkosauraus rises again from the Chicago River.
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What happens to Trump’s tariffs now that a court has knocked them down?
President Donald Trump has audaciously claimed virtually unlimited power to bypass Congress and impose sweeping taxes on foreign products.
Now a federal court has thrown a roadblock in his path.
Larry Hoover ‘deserves to be in prison,’ Chicago FBI boss says of Gangster Disciples founder as lawyers praise Trump choice
A day after Donald Trump’s stunning decision to commute the federal life sentence of Larry Hoover, lawyers for the Chicago-born Gangster Disciples founder were singing the president’s praises while Chicago’s new FBI boss told the Tribune that Hoover “deserves to be in prison.”
Latest transit proposal would hike tolls, tax ride-shares to avoid $771M fiscal cliff
After months of negotiations amid warnings of potentially drastic service cuts, Illinois lawmakers yesterday introduced a bill they said addresses the expected $771 million financial shortfall for Chicago-area public transit with proposals that include a 50-cent hike on Illinois toll roads and an additional tax on ride-sharing services.
United offering expanded service from Chicago to warm-weather locales this fall
United Airlines announced this morning that it will have expanded service to several warm-weather destinations in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean from Chicago, just as temperatures start their inevitable drop here.
The turtle, dubbed "Chonkosaurus," was seen in the Chicago River on May 6, 2023.
Chonkosauraus, famed massive snapping turtle, rises again from Chicago River
Temperatures may still be hovering in the 60s, but one more sure sign of summer’s arrival has graced Chicago: Chonkosaurus has risen.
Here’s when tickets go on sale for the celebration of Pope Leo XIV at Rate Field
The celebration, set for June 14 at the White Sox’s Rate Field in Bridgeport, is open to all. Pope Leo XIV, a native of the Chicago area and the first American to lead the world’s Catholics in the church’s history, will not be at the event but will address “the young people of the world” in a video message, according to the archdiocese’s invitation.
A portrait of Chicago Sky forward/center Candace Parker during media day on May 3, 2022, in Deerfield.
Sky will retire Candace Parker’s No. 3 jersey: ‘Chicago raised me and this will always be home’
Candace Parker will be enshrined at Wintrust Arena this summer.
The Chicago Sky will retire Parker’s No. 3 jersey on Aug. 25 before a game against the Las Vegas Aces. Parker, who grew up in Naperville, is the first former Sky player to have her jersey retired, an honor that reflects her stature in the history of Illinois women’s basketball as much as her impact on the franchise.
Jonathan Toews reportedly eyeing return to NHL after ex-Chicago Blackhawks star sat out last 2 seasons
Former Chicago Blackhawks captain and three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews is eyeing a return to the NHL in the fall, according to a new report.
Live music for summer 2025: 10 must-see concerts in Chicago beyond the fests and arena shows
This summer’s concert slate points to a transition that continues to slowly unfold locally and around the country. Shying away from big festivals, artists are opting for standalone tours or participating in smaller, manageable package bills.
That’s welcome news for music lovers who prefer the equivalent of a savory main course to a prix-fixe buffet. And great for anyone looking to catch performers in more intimate environments where headliners can stretch out with a dedicated show. In the next few months, Chicagoans have no shortage of first-rate options in smaller venues purpose-built for music — and, in most cases, at prices that remain below the three-figure threshold.
Here are 10 such stops that should be on your shortlist.
Going high or low? Film festivals ‘Summer Camp’ and ‘Bleak Week’ open on Sunday
Right now at the movies, Tom Cruise, a Hawaiian island dweller and a genetic lab experiment from space are simultaneously agitating and reassuring millions with tales of apocalypse-thwarting derring-do (“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”) and a loving family in challenging circumstances (“Lilo & Stitch”). It’s good news for theater owners, and the perpetually challenged moviegoing tradition.
This is good news, too: We have a couple of eccentric film festivals opening this week in Chicago, designed to broaden our options and reexamine some movies past, launching the new month in this nervous breakdown of a year with some striking emotional/visual extremes, careening from darkness to giddy intensity in multiple genres.
What to do in Chicago: Nikki Glaser, ‘Floating World’ and a busy weekend for street festivals
Also, around the area this weekend, a tour of R&B divas at the United Center and a plant giveaway at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
