Good morning, Chicago.
At least 87 people drowned in the Great Lakes this year, and more than half of the deaths happened in Lake Michigan, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
“Drowning is way up there in fatality rates … but it doesn’t get treated like a public health issue — which it is,” said Dave Benjamin, co-founder and executive director of the water safety group, which has tracked drownings in the region for more than 10 years. “It’s one of the leading causes of unintentional injury-related death in the nation, in the world. And that’s with a very poor drowning statistic database, so the problem is exponentially worse than anybody even knows.”
More than 1,300 people have drowned in the Great Lakes since the surf rescue project started collecting data in 2010. The highest number of drownings occurred in 2018 when 117 deaths were recorded.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Adriana Pérez.
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Donald Trump’s picks for key positions so far
President-elect Donald Trump is starting to fill key posts in his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign.
Here’s a look at who he’s selected so far.
Biden and Harris appear together for the first time since she lost the election to Trump
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday made their first joint appearance since her election loss when they observed Veterans Day together by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
The pair then went to the cemetery’s memorial amphitheater, where Biden honored the service and sacrifice of America’s military veterans — including those who paid the ultimate price, and their families — during what was his final time speaking there as commander in chief of the U.S. military.
US Sen. Dick Durbin says Democrats’ minority status a consideration as he mulls reelection bid
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said that last week’s election giving Republicans control of the chamber and leaving Democrats in the minority is now part of the calculus as he evaluates his political future.
Durbin, the Senate’s No. 2 ranking Democrat, turns 80 on Nov. 21 and has yet to say if he’ll run for reelection in 2026. He has been in the Senate since 1997 after serving 14 years in the House.
Indiana man is found guilty of murder in the 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls
A jury in the small Indiana town of Delphi convicted a man of murder on Monday in the 2017 killings of two teenage girls who vanished during an afternoon hike.
Deliberations stretched into a fourth day before jurors found Richard Allen guilty in the killings of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German. The former drugstore worker was convicted of two counts of murder and two additional counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping. Allen, 52, could now face up to 130 years in prison.
South suburban casino opens to huge crowds
The opening culminates a more than two-decade goal of south suburban politicians, and patrons, who began getting in line more than a hour before the opening, saying they were eager to see it.
Students, teachers mourn the closure of historic Illinois outdoor camp
At an open house event Sunday, students and teachers walked the grounds at Lorado Taft Field Campus one last time while reminiscing about the spots where they learned to build a fire, roamed the dining hall where they competed to leave the least food waste, and peeked into the dorms trying to spot their old bunk bed.
For more than 70 years, the outdoor education camp affiliated with Northern Illinois University in Oregon has hosted thousands of elementary and middle school students each year for field trips.
Column: Call failed? Matt Eberflus’ indecisiveness on changes to the offense another sign of Chicago Bears being disconnected.
Coach Matt Eberflus had a forum, with his usual day-after-game appearance on WMVP-AM 1000, to offer a sense of direction by acknowledging all that has unraveled for his last-place team. Instead, over the span of eight minutes and 10 questions, Eberflus’ phone cut in and out. And in and out. And in and back out again.
So much for the idea the Bears escaped their latest demoralizing loss without a viral lowlight, writes Dan Wiederer.
Review: For ‘Frozen,’ Paramount Theatre has created winter world that’s simply spectacular
Kids’ mouths will fall open at the sheer amount of spectacle the designers have created for them, writes Tribune theater critic Chris Jones of the new production of “Frozen” at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
Mattel says it ‘deeply’ regrets misprint on ‘Wicked’ dolls packaging that links to porn site
Toy giant Mattel says it “deeply” regrets an error on the packaging of its “Wicked” movie-themed dolls, which mistakenly links toy buyers to a pornographic website.
The error gained attention on social media over the weekend, where numerous users shared photos of the URL printed on the back of the boxes for the special edition dolls, which feature characters from the movie adaptation of “Wicked” set to hit theaters later this month. Instead of linking to Universal Pictures’ official WickedMovie.com page, the website listed leads to an adult film site that requires consumers to be over 18 to enter.
From glögg to glühwein: Mulled wine in all its variations ushers in a cozy holiday season
Every November for the last 25 years, a lively crowd of regulars has packed Simon’s Tavern in Andersonville for a can’t-miss holiday tradition. The Prohibition-era speakeasy, operating legally since 1934, is an institution in Chicago, known for its live music and kitschy Swedish decor. But on one special night — this year on Thanksgiving Eve — they gather to kick off the official start of glögg season.