Good morning, Chicago.
With Englewood’s Planned Parenthood clinic set to shut its doors late next month, Cook County officials hope to figure out how to save the South Side center, which serves thousands of patients seeking reproductive care.
Citing a “financial shortfall,” Planned Parenthood of Illinois announced in January that it would close four clinics across the state. Besides Englewood, clinics in Ottawa, Bloomington and Decatur are on the closure list.
Illinois, already a haven for reproductive care, saw an influx of out-of-state patients seeking abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. The increase in patients, “coupled with low reimbursement rates from insurers and rising costs of providing care,” helped contribute to the organization’s shortfall, Planned Parenthood said in a previous statement.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s A.D. Quig.
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President Donald Trump’s moves to end foreign aid agency hit close to home in Illinois
A federal judge ordered the administration late Thursday to temporarily lift its freeze and allow funding from U.S. aid and development programs to flow for the time being. But uncertainty remains for organizations whose missions rely on government dollars to carry out projects that benefit populations in developing nations while also supporting jobs and the broader economy at home.
Mixed verdict in Madigan case reflects a new, harder reality for federal prosecutors
While former House Speaker Michael Madigan stands as a convicted felon, the verdict was far from the slam dunk often expected — however unfairly — when it comes to major federal political corruption cases in Chicago.
- Madigan case showcases pitfalls of Illinois political culture
- Ex-Speaker Michael Madigan’s conviction could give Illinois GOP a path to relevancy, but it’s still strewn with obstacles
Frigid temperatures expected this week with subzero wind chills
The Chicago area will see bitterly cold weather this week with single-digit temperatures and subzero wind chills, according to the National Weather Service.
Monday and Tuesday may see high temperatures in the low teens, with a potential for a low between zero and minus 10 Monday night.
‘Whole different level.’ The Illinois-Indiana political divide widens amid Trump 2.0, from immigration to DEI to LGBTQ rights.
The Trump administration’s surprise federal funding freeze met widespread condemnation in Illinois, as state leaders scrambled to fight the spending pause that spurred chaos and confusion prior to being temporarily blocked by a federal judge minutes before it was set to go into effect Jan. 28.
Yet just over the border in Indiana, the top state official praised the austerity measure, which was designed to root out progressive agendas, promote efficiency and end “wokeness” through federal spending nationwide.
- House bill could take a toll on motorists on Indiana highways
- Indiana would like to redraw border with Illinois
Federal plan to reduce government office space could be a blow to Chicago, where selling properties wouldn’t be easy
The future of the federal government’s footprint in Chicago is uncertain as the Trump administration embarks on a plan to shed up to half of all government office space across the nation, while also shrinking the federal workforce.
The federal government owns 19 properties in Chicago, including the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building and the 28-story Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building. It also leases more than 2 million square feet of space throughout the entire metro area.
Cameo giving all Chicago employees $10,000 raises to return to the office
Celebrity video messaging website Cameo is offering its Chicago-area employees a $10,000 raise to return from their scattered spare bedrooms and coffee shops to the company’s Fulton Market office full-time beginning today.
Those who opt out, however, may need to find a new job.
Activists anxiously await air monitors, hope Chicago isn’t backsliding on pollution promises
Chicago is building what climate scientists say could be the country’s best system for monitoring tailpipe pollution from diesel trucks.
The city expects the monitors to go online early next year. But by then, Chicago won’t have enough money to keep paying members of a community advisory panel to help operate the monitors and publish the results.
Column: It won’t be easy, but the Chicago White Sox hope to earn back their fans’ trust day by day
Earning back the trust of Chicago White Sox fans won’t be easy after last year’s record-setting 121-loss season, writes Paul Sullivan.
The evidence is everywhere. SoxFest was downsized to a South Side theater, and the Sox still couldn’t fill that small venue. Fans booed when director of player personnel Gene Watson told them the front office would one day be recognized as “the best” in baseball, knowing it was way too soon to boast.
- White Sox pitching prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith making most of 1st big-league camp
- Bobby Jenks, former White Sox All-Star closer, undergoing treatment for stomach cancer
Chess Records, Muddy Waters and the birth of urban blues music
In 1964, the Rolling Stones took a break from their first American tour to record several songs at Chess Records at 2120 S. Michigan Ave.
It was where Chicago’s Black blues performers made the records that were revered by the British group, which took its name from a Muddy Waters song, “Rollin’ Stone.”
‘Saturday Night Live’ celebrates 50 years with comedy, music and show’s many, many famous friends
Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter duetted on Simon’s “Homeward Bound” to open the show, five-decade “Saturday Night Live” luminary Steve Martin delivered the monologue, and Paul McCartney gave an epic closing to a 50th anniversary special celebrating the sketch institution that was overflowing with famous former cast members, superstar hosts and legendary guests.
Chicago Black Restaurant Week marks 10 years of celebrating Black-owned businesses
Chicago Black Restaurant Week, which runs Feb. 9 to 23, brings attention to Black-owned restaurants in the city. Founded by Lauran Smith in 2015, CBRW is celebrating its 10th season and comes shortly after the more well-known Chicago Restaurant Week. For diners, CBRW offers more flexibility and various price points; for restaurateurs, it’s another opportunity to tell their story, to refine their customer bases and menus and to connect with other Black-owned businesses.
