Good morning, Chicago.
In the half-century since Mayor Richard J. Daley presided over Chicago’s notorious Democratic machine at the height of its power, nearly 40 aldermen from across the city have ended up behind bars.
The roll call of aldermen convicted of corruption includes a father and son charged nearly 30 years apart, the two most powerful aldermen over the last five decades and a self-styled good government champion who was known to some as the “conscience of the council.”
From 1976 through 2021, the Chicago metropolitan area saw more than 1,800 federal corruption convictions, the most in the nation.
The deep-seated corruption in Illinois — which the Tribune is exploring this year in the ongoing series “Culture of Corruption” — has complex causes.
But in Chicago, it comes down to two main factors: a deeply ingrained culture where the ruling attitude toward corrupt actions is “you didn’t see nothin’,” and an unwritten power-sharing agreement between the city’s mayor and the council that has neutered the usual checks and balances on government actions at City Hall.
Read the latest in the series from the Tribune’s Gregory Royal Pratt and Ray Long.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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University of Illinois campus welcomes new policies to combat antisemitism in wake of federal civil rights complaint
The university agreed to comply with federal civil rights laws following a multiyear U.S. Department of Education investigation into allegations of antisemitism and anti-Muslim discrimination at the Big Ten university.
CTA boosted security spending, but violent crime rate remains above pre-pandemic levels
A gunman’s attack on four people sleeping on the Blue Line early Monday came during a difficult week on the CTA, highlighting the challenges city and transit officials face in tackling violent crime rates that have remained persistently higher than before the pandemic.
The likelihood of being a victim of violent crime on the “L” remained lower through the first six months of 2024 than highs seen in the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a Tribune analysis shows that reported transit crime has stayed stubbornly above pre-pandemic levels.
CTA Blue Line slayings, while unprecedented, are unsurprising to homeless, advocates: ‘You shouldn’t dread getting on the train’
Advocates said the deaths of Margaret Miller, Simeon Bihesi, Adrian Collins and a fourth victim, an unidentified man, were a lurid reminder of the risks that homeless people face. While it is not confirmed that all four riders were homeless, people who regularly sleep on trains told the Tribune they hadn’t necessarily been surprised to hear of the deaths, although they tended to worry more about theft when they found themselves sleeping on transit.
CPS pushes back against City Council on pension payments as embattled chief Pedro Martinez garners support and scrutiny
Ongoing tension over Chicago Public Schools’ $9.9 billion budget spilled into a new arena Thursday, with plans swirling in the City Council’s Budget Committee to grill district leaders on a $175 million pension payment that’s missing from the district’s spending plan.
Where and when to see peak fall foliage in Illinois and the Midwest
As temperatures cool and pumpkin spice everything hits local stores, thoughts turn to fall in the Chicago area. And what better way to celebrate the vibrant season than to take a trip to see the changing leaves?
Use our interactive map to view the expected color change in leaves during the weeks ahead.
Festivities in full swing at Soldier Field ahead of noon kickoff Bears game against Tennessee Titans
By 9 a.m., the festivities on Waldron Deck were in full swing ahead of a noon kickoff against the Tennessee Titans. The crisp fall air wafted the smell of cooking meat in every direction.
Defense, special teams carry Chicago Bears to a 24-17 win despite a bumpy debut for Caleb Williams
The Chicago Bears’ showing against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday was more about big defense and special teams plays than it was the magic of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, but the Bears still emerged from their season opener victorious.
- Bears quarterback Caleb Williams says ‘I will be better’ after defense, special teams carry him to debut win
- Column: At the start of a new QB era, the Bears win their season opener with an old-school formula
Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese suffers a season-ending wrist injury, bringing her record-breaking year to an unexpected finish
The All-Star forward’s season ended after a dominant 24-point, 12-rebound performance in a home rout of the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday. Reese caught herself on two awkward falls in the second half and showed clear discomfort the rest of the game. Her last basket as a rookie was a 3-pointer — only the third of her WNBA career.
In 1924, Chicago was a victory leg stop for the first aviators to circle the globe
A century ago next Sunday, Chicagoans’ necks craned skyward looking for a single-engine Douglas World Cruiser bearing their city’s name.
It was on the home stretch of its journey as America’s entry in a 1924 international competition to make the first flight around the world. The United States began the journey with four aircraft named for American cities: Seattle, Chicago, Boston and New Orleans.
Elizabeth Strout is the author of “My Name Is Lucy Barton,” the new book “Tell Me Everything” and “Lucy by the Sea.” (Random House)
Biblioracle: Elizabeth Strout is building a literary universe that’s almost like Marvel’s MCU
As John Warner was reading Elizabeth Strout’s new novel, “Tell Me Everything,” he kept thinking about the recent box-office smash, “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Tinned fish is making a splash on plates at Chicago restaurants and bars, as social media fuels at-home consumption
Growing up in Southern California, Lisa Shames’ canned seafood consumption was limited to tuna packed in water, a scenario that played out in plenty of other American households. While a reliable sandwich filling when paired with mayonnaise and diced celery, a delicacy it was not.
Many years later, while working at a Chicago tapas restaurant, she met a Spaniard who, when traveling back home, would bring a small empty suitcase to be filled with the canned seafood she grew up on. Shames was confused — until, that it is, she tasted the conservas, the name given to preserved tinned seafood in Spain and Portugal, she brought back. Shames has been making up for lost time ever since.
With a Ferris wheel in the background, a fest-goer takes in the performance of Foo Fighters at Riot Fest in Chicago’s Douglass Park on Sept. 15, 2023. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Column: The new fall arts season is looking rich indeed, but also election-year anxious
The fall arts season, ambitious, meaningful, robust — probably too robust for any one person — does the heavy lifting of the annual arts calendar. It’s saintly and silly, it’s epic and intimate, it’s frightening and heartening. It carries the weight of the culture. Especially during an election year, writes Christopher Borrelli.
