Good morning, Chicago.
On a sunny morning in May 2019, Brittany Hill held her toddler daughter on her hip as she spoke to family and friends on a residential North Austin street, at first barely noticing the car that pulled up.
Her daughter, though, smiled at two men in the car, and then 1-year-old Ja-Miley Jones waved at them.
Moments later, prosecutors said during a bench trial this week, the two men aimed their guns, then fired.
Hill, 24, ran away, using her 123-pound body to shield her infant child even as she fell to the ground. She was killed, but her baby was spared any injury — and all of it was captured by a police street camera.
Nearly six years later, Judge Thomas Byrne said he found the video so clear and compelling that yesterday he convicted Michael Washington and Eric Adams of first-degree murder shortly after hearing closing arguments in the case.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Madeline Buckley.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including world reaction to tariffs announced by the White House, why Cubs and White Sox fans are already in midseason form and which Chicago restaurants were named James Beard nominees.
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Sweeping Trump tariffs draw dismay, calls for talks from countries around the globe
Sweeping new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump provoked dismay, threats of countermeasures and urgent calls for talks to find ways to rescind the stiff new import taxes imposed on goods from countries around the globe.
Trump said the import taxes, ranging from 10% to 49%, would do to U.S. trading partners what they have long done to the U.S. He maintains they will draw factories and jobs back to the United States.
- In Mexico, Gov. JB Pritzker positions Illinois as a ‘stable and reliable trade partner’ amid Trump tariffs
- Senate rebukes Trump’s tariffs as some Republicans vote to halt taxes on Canadian imports
Elon Musk could be headed for a Washington exit
DOGE’s days appear to be numbered.
Elon Musk recently suggested that he will be done with his work in the near future. President Donald Trump told reporters this week that “at some point, he’s going to be going back” to running his companies. As far as the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump said “it will end.”
Illinois GOP suffered major election losses in suburbs that are critical for its rebuilding effort
Two days before Tuesday’s local elections, the Illinois Republican Party sent out an email to supporters declaring it to be “a do or die moment for us.”
The email was just another in a series of fundraising solicitations. But it may have more accurately captured the importance of the election, which featured wide-ranging Democratic victories in the suburbs critical for rebuilding a state GOP already on the verge of irrelevance in Illinois politics and reflected voter angst over the early tumultuous months of Republican President Donald Trump’s second presidency.
Venezuelan migrant to be temporarily released from ICE to donate kidney to ailing brother, attorney says
The attorney representing two Venezuelan siblings announced yesterday that one of the brothers will be released from ICE custody under supervision in order to donate his kidney to his ailing younger brother, an asylum-seeker in Cicero.
Indiana lawmakers amend Indiana-Illinois border bill
Indiana legislators are seemingly preparing to review the Indiana-Illinois border without its neighboring state.
House Bill 1008, authored by Speaker Todd Huston, would establish an Indiana-Illinois boundary adjustment commission to research the possibility of adjusting the boundaries between the two states.
Two students sue DePaul University after alleged antisemitic attack on campus
The plaintiffs in the case, first-year student Max Long and third-year student Michael Kaminsky, allege that on Nov. 6, 2024, they were physically assaulted by two individuals wearing ski masks. As they were being attacked, the suit claims that a campus public security officer witnessed the event and stood idly by.
Column: April is here, and Chicago Cubs and White Sox fans are already in midseason form
Months from now we might not remember the great tarp incident at The Rate or the Chicago Cubs bullpen implosions at Chase Field in Phoenix, writes Paul Sullivan. Everything seems magnified at the start of a baseball season, especially for Cubs and White Sox fans who hope to exorcise the nightmares of the last few years.
Fortunately they’re already in midseason form, finding things to worry only a week (or two) into the regular season. Here’s what we’ve learned from the first breath of a typical Chicago baseball spring.
- What’s the forecast for the Chicago Cubs home opener — and how has weather affected debuts since 1989?
- Chicago White Sox lose series finale to the Minnesota Twins 6-1 after a 3-hour, 20-minute rain delay
Chicago Bears Q&A: Will Rome Odunze eventually become WR1? How do Ryan Poles’ drafts rate?
April is here, and the NFL draft is a mere three weeks away. The Chicago Bears brass — including general manager Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson — have returned from the owners meetings in Florida to delve into the final stretch of draft preparations.
The Tribune’s Brad Biggs tackles plenty of 2025 draft questions in this week’s Bears mailbag — but he begins with an inquiry about one of last year’s top picks.
- How the NFL’s new rules on kickoffs, overtime and replay assist will work
- NFL adds AAFC stats to its record book — so Northwestern’s Otto Graham has a well-deserved spot by Tom Brady
Review: ‘Titanique’ at Broadway Playhouse avoids the icebergs and showcases a rising star
There’s no time limit on the global fascination with the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic. So when Tribune theater critic Chris Jones says that “Titanique,” the new spoof musical at the Broadway Playhouse, plays that disaster strictly for laughs, it might sound like a jarring idea. But it’s a matter of time passed, of course, and of tone.
Here are Chicago’s 5 James Beard nominees
The James Beard Foundation announced the finalists vying for its coveted Restaurant and Chef awards, and among them are five Chicago chefs and restaurants, including first-time nominees Galit and Kumiko.
“I was just doing some cleaning and repair stuff, and then my phone started blowing up — I was like ‘What’s happening?!’” said Julia Momosé, Kumiko partner and creative director. “It’s really incredible. … It’s just amazing.”
Cedar Lake man wins World Champion of ribs title
After making it to the final round with 39 competitors, Brian Neale was declared the World Champion in Ribs in mid-March. But the Neales have come a long way since their first neighborhood cook-off in 2015, which netted them a bowling trophy for best barbecue ribs.
