Good morning, Chicago.
In the hours after New Orleans officials announced that at least 15 people had been killed and 30 were injured in an attack on a crowd of New Year’s revelers, Chicagoans with ties to the city, and the Sugar Bowl college football game that it was due to host, said they were still struggling to process the events.
Nina Moffa, president of the Tulane Club of Chicago, lived in New Orleans for 14 years. After eventually resettling in Chicago, she began volunteering with Tulane University’s local alumni chapter to maintain a connection to the New Orleans university, which she said instilled in her a commitment to public service.
“It’s just super upsetting that what should have been a celebration turned into a horrific tragedy,” said Moffa, who added that watching people spring into action, to offer the victims’ aid, has been a balm.
She said she hopes that the attack which marred the onset of the new year doesn’t also tarnish the public’s view of New Orleans’ inspiring trajectory. In the same 70,000-seat Superdome that housed residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago, the city will be hosting the Super Bowl next month.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Sarah Macaraeg.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Today’s eNewspaper edition
US Army veteran who killed 15 in New Orleans attack was inspired by Islamic State
A U.S. Army veteran who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing 15 people, had posted videos to social media hours before the carnage saying he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressing a desire to kill, the president said.
Investigators found guns and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle — which bore the flag of the Islamic State group — along with other explosive devices elsewhere in the city’s famed French Quarter.
- What we know about the New Year’s Day vehicle attack in New Orleans
- Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia postponed after deadly attack in New Orleans
Hello world: Newborn babies welcomed in first minutes of 2025
As many Chicagoans saw in the new year reveling with friends, glued to their TV sets or just sleeping it off, Sophia and Joshua Sartori brought new life into the world, delivering what may be the area’s first baby of 2025.
Scarlett Carmela Sartori was born at 12:12 a.m. at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, laying early claim to becoming the first new Chicagoan of the new year.
Injured Chicago-area teen being flown to US after Mexico shooting that killed his father and uncle
Five days after a Chicago-area teen was shot in the head in Mexico, the 14-year-old was being flown Wednesday to a U.S. hospital for treatment while his family continues to grieve the loss of his father and uncle who were killed in the shooting.
Chicago church stops hosting in-person Spanish services amid fears of mass deportations from Trump administration
The church pews where Francisca Lino and her family had sat for services every Sunday are now empty. Though she once sought sanctuary in the Chicago church to avoid deportation, this time “not even that holy space feels safe,” she said.
Instead, Lino, a mother of six and wife of a U.S. citizen, plans to gather her family in front of a computer to watch a Spanish-language service at Lincoln United Methodist Church virtually every Sunday from now on.
Hemp business owner sues over what he calls illegal raid, as officials in several towns consider bans
A raid and criminal charges against a suburban smoke shop owner have ignited a dispute over enforcement of hemp laws, with the store owner filing a lawsuit claiming improper arrest — all while officials in several towns consider bans and Illinois legislators debate new hemp regulations.
Chicago White Sox acquire lefty Tyler Gilbert in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies
The Chicago White Sox added a left-handed pitching option Wednesday, acquiring Tyler Gilbert from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for minor-league right-hander Aaron Combs.
8 New Year’s resolutions for Chicago basketball, including a Bulls decision on Zach LaVine and steps forward for Sky’s frontcourt
The Chicago Bulls and Chicago Sky will welcome change in the new year as they approach 2025 with mutual goals of rebuilding their rosters — and returning to the playoffs.
Last year was a tumultuous one for professional basketball in Chicago, and 2025 could serve as a turning point for both teams and for star players such as Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
Here’s a wish list for Chicago basketball in 2025.
‘Nickel Boys’ review: Starting the new year right, with an astonishing feature film debut
Everything’s dissolving into something new and squishy and unpredictable in the commercial cinema world, but a handful of big, pre-sold brand names still take care of themselves every year. This leaves 90-95% of the other theatrical releases vulnerable to the vagaries of luck and chance and financial disappointment.
Tribune film critic Michael Phillips writes this because “Nickel Boys,” which is the film of 2024 for him as well as a few other folks, will have to fight for the audience it deserves.
Movies for winter 2025: Wolf men and vampires and bears, for starters
Ladies and gentlemen, start your jump-scares. Early 2025 brings us lots of horror, for starters, because no matter how churning and erratic the state of the film industry, certain genres tend to pay off better than others. The winter months will also bring familiar intellectual properties in recycled scenarios and new takes on characters we already know. These range from Snow White to Captain America to the Wolf Man, though not in the same movie.
Here are 10 titles due for January to March release, most of which remain known unknowns.
TV for winter 2025: 15 shows coming up, including the return of ‘Reacher’ and (finally) ‘Severance’
Here’s a wider look by Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz at the winter TV season, which includes more medical dramas (TV wouldn’t be TV without ’em) plus a Hollywood satire starring Seth Rogen and a new twist on Sherlock Holmes featuring Watson at the forefront.
