Good morning, Chicago.
It’s that time of year again.
During the fall and spring equinoxes, the sun rises directly to the east and sets directly to the west. The buildings on the east-west streets hug the sun since, thanks to practically-minded 19th-century city planners, the city grid corresponds with the points on a compass. It’s a visual manifestation of a cyclical pattern that dictates the change of the seasons.
Sunday marks the first day of fall. The Northern and Southern Hemispheres will get the same amount of daylight and the tilt of Earth’s axis will perfectly align with the sun at 7:43 a.m. Then, day by day, the Northern Hemisphere will tilt away from the sun and Chicago’s days will get shorter, the shortest being the winter solstice on Dec. 21. The Northern Hemisphere will then slowly inch back toward the sun, resulting in the spring equinox – and another Chicagohenge – on March 20th.
Residents planning to watch Chicagohenge Sunday at sunrise should head to the western end of a downtown street and look east at 6:38 a.m. Sunday, said said Adler Planetarium Public Observing Educator Hunter Miller. Those who hit their snooze alarm can catch the phenomenon again at 6:46 p.m. if they look west from the eastern end of the street. For the best view, Butler suggests finding a higher vantage point like an elevated CTA platform. Some of his favorites are the State/Lake and LaSalle/Van Buren stations.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Today’s eNewspaper edition
With jury stuck 11-1, judge declares mistrial in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Speaker Madigan
A federal judge declared a mistrial Thursday after a jury apparently deadlocked 11-1 on charges alleging former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza bribed House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The panel was overwhelmingly leaning toward a conviction, one juror told the Tribune. But the mistrial still leaves a significant unknown about the strength of some of the prosecution’s evidence as Madigan heads to trial in less than three weeks.
As fiscal cliff, consolidation bill loom, CTA President Dorval Carter makes his case for the future of transit
CTA President Dorval Carter outlined an ambitious vision for growing train lines and bus routes in Chicago — if the state legislature comes through with needed cash for the agency.
It was a bold concept from Carter as political discontent with his leadership has mounted, outlined at a lunch for the city’s business and political elite Thursday at City Club of Chicago.
Bed supply should remain constant as city seeks to merge homeless, migrant shelter systems, social service leaders say
Social service providers recommended Thursday that the city and state maintain their current supply of shelter beds as officials move to combine Chicago’s legacy homeless shelter system with the system for migrants.
The recommendation — discussed during a community meeting for nonprofits and public agencies at Deborah’s Place shelter in Garfield Park — was one part of a long-anticipated sketch of what officials have dubbed a “One System Initiative” to serve anyone in Chicago who needs a place to stay, regardless of their immigration status.
New inclusive dental clinic at UIC an ‘oasis’ for patients with special needs
For Russell Plambeck, 53, a 2½-hour commute — each way — for a dentist appointment is definitely worth it.
Plambeck was just 17 when broke his neck in a motorcycle accident and has been in a wheelchair since. He and his partner of 27 years, Theresia Burman, 56, made the drive in August from their home in Morrison, Illinois, near the Iowa border, to University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Dentistry, where Plambeck had an appointment at the new Inclusive Care Clinic.
As Ryan Field rebuild generates dust, Northwestern University to provide free car washes
After scores of Evanston residents voiced their concerns about dust and debris from the demolition of Ryan Field, a Northwestern University representative announced at a Northwestern University/City Committee meeting last week that the university will offer car wash vouchers to residents who live in areas that trucks carrying demolition debris run through.
The Chicago Sky’s promising season ends without a playoff berth. Now the hard part begins.
This wasn’t the way the Chicago Sky planned on ending the first season of a new era for the franchise.
The year began with a record-setting, paradigm-shifting wave of change for the WNBA. But by Thursday, there wasn’t much hope left.
Chicago Bears have yet to get the run game going. Will facing the Indianapolis Colts be the opportunity D’Andre Swift and Co. need?
Through two games behind a struggling offensive line, the Bears run game has been among the worst in the league. They rank 28th with 77.5 rushing yards per game. And take out quarterback Caleb Williams’ team-leading 59 yards, and the Bears have totaled just 96 yards on the ground in two games.
Column: The Chicago White Sox have perfected the art of losing. Can they avoid the most embarrassing moment in franchise history?
In an effort to update our sports metaphors to meet the changing times, we no longer will be comparing the Chicago White Sox’s voyage of doom to the Titanic, writes Paul Sullivan.
As the Sox near the 1962 New York Mets’ modern-day record of 120 losses — with 117 and counting heading into today’s series opener in San Diego — a more fitting maritime disaster to describe the 2024 season might be the Titan, the submersible that imploded last year while exploring the wreckage of the Titanic.
‘Matlock’ review: Kathy Bates stars, but this is not your grandparents’ legal drama
The original “Matlock,” which aired from 1986 to 1995, was a reimagining of the long-running “Perry Mason” legal drama. But instead of a hardnosed attorney at the center of its case-of-the-week format, “Matlock” leveraged star Andy Griffith’s ability to play deceptively unthreatening, and then, in a climatic courtroom showdown, remarkably effective, even lacerating. With the new version of “Matlock” on CBS, it’s best to go into it understanding that it’s not a reboot so much as a show with a tenuous connection to the intellectual property of its title, writes Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz. But nothing gets green-lit today unless it’s IP, so here we are.
The national touring company of the jukebox musical “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations” will be in the Loop for a short September 2024 run. (Johan Persson)
What to do in Chicago: Riot Fest, Lang Lang at the Symphony Ball and a musical about The Temptations
Also this weekend, movie music by Hans Zimmer at the United Center, a free Jeff Tweedy concert and an early Chicago pumpkin patch.
