Good morning, Chicago.
Chicago taxpayers could be on the hook for another $24 million to settle lawsuits alleging police misconduct.
The city’s Law Department is recommending a series of settlements in three wrongful conviction cases tied to infamous members of the Chicago Police Department. The City Council’s Finance Committee will vote on the settlements Monday, setting them up for a final vote Wednesday.
If approved, the settlements will continue to hike the soaring cost of police lawsuit payouts. Chicago taxpayers have already approved $145.3 million to settle police lawsuits this year, a record amount far above the city’s $82.6 million budget that through May already towers above such spending in past years.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jake Sheridan.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: what Gov. JB Pritzker said yesterday in a House hearing, the latest on Israel’s attack on Iran and how the cost of President Donald Trump’s tariffs are hitting home.
Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History
Gov. JB Pritzker uses House hearing to defend Illinois’ sanctuary laws and to slam Congress for not passing immigration reforms
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker defended Illinois’ sanctuary laws for immigrants in the U.S. without legal permission before a House committee yesterday and pointed at congressional Republicans and Democrats for using the issue to try to score political points rather than enacting comprehensive immigration reform.
Chicagoans continue protests against Trump and ICE Thursday as demonstrators rally across US
Protests continued yesterday in Chicago as part of demonstrations across the country against President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops in Los Angeles amid his immigration crackdown.
The crowd at the day’s second protest grew to about 400 people by 4 p.m., as demonstrators held red signs and shouted their support for immigrants at Michigan Avenue and Ida B. Wells Drive.
As legal fight over National Guard plays out, Kristi Noem vows to continue President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to carry on with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown despite waves of unrest across the U.S.
Hours after her comment yesterday, a judge directed the president to return control to California over National Guard troops he deployed after protests erupted over the immigration crackdown, but an appeals court quickly put the brakes on that and temporarily blocked the order that was to go into effect today.
- Gov. Abbott deploys over 5,000 Texas National Guard troops ahead of planned ‘No Kings’ protests
- California Sen. Alex Padilla forcefully removed from Homeland Security chief’s news conference
Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear and missile sites, prompting Iranian drone-strike retaliation
Israel attacked Iran early today in strikes that took out top military officers and hit nuclear and missile sites, raising the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.
Cost of President Trump’s tariffs hits home, as several consumer goods and services surge to record highs
President Donald Trump’s trade war is affecting Americans everywhere from the grocery store to their electric bill, with the cost of bananas, ground beef and electricity surging to all-time highs, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Here’s a closer look at how the price of everyday goods is changing under the second Trump administration.
Plea deal ends career of Chicago police officer who struck 14-year-old student
A veteran Chicago police officer will no longer carry a badge as part of a plea agreement in which he admitted that he struck an eighth grade boy while making an off-duty visit to a South Side elementary school two years ago.
Craig Lancaster, 56, was placed on 18 months’ supervision and ordered to undergo eight hours of anger management as part of a plea deal in which prosecutors reduced the original felony charge of aggravated battery to misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
Chicago Cubs bullpen has been MLB’s best over the last month: ‘It’s a pretty resilient group’
For the Chicago Cubs front office, revamping the bullpen was a top offseason priority.
The return on investment over the last month has been apparent. Entering play Wednesday ahead of a 7-2 loss in Philadelphia, the Cubs bullpen’s 0.82 earned-run average was MLB’s best dating to May 14 — a stretch of 24 games.
- Column: Craig Counsell doing his best Don Zimmer imitation — and his impact on the Cubs’ success is real
- Ryan Pressly earns 1st save in nearly 2 months to seal the Cubs’ 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates
Family receives World War II hero’s Purple Heart at ceremony in Geneva
Edward Gorski Jr.’s Purple Heart medal was returned by the Illinois treasurer’s office to the World War II veteran’s grandson, Shawn. An Army veteran himself, Shawn said receiving it was an emotional experience.
“It just shows that everything he went through, we’re able to, you know, tell those stories,” he said. “Ultimately, our teachings and his legacy will live on.”
Newborn Brookfield Zoo dolphin calf dies suddenly
A 4-day-old bottlenose dolphin born last weekend at the Brookfield Zoo Chicago died suddenly Wednesday. The male calf was the first dolphin born at the west suburban zoo in more than a decade.
Review: ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ arrives in Chicago, a moving musical about a teenager facing mortality
At this year’s Tony Awards, a delightfully quirky little musical called “Maybe Happy Ending” beat out big competitors and walked off with the big prize. Although it’s about family dynamics rather than robotic romance, “Kimberly Akimbo,” a similarly small and unusual show that won best musical in 2023, paved its way writes Tribune theater critic Chris Jones.
