Good morning, Chicago.
When Carrie Mangoubi sends her young children off to school, she often worries about their safety. At least once a week, her deeply ingrained fear and uncertainty of shootings feels nearly inescapable, she said.
While these thoughts may not be “healthy,” Mangoubi said her “life is forever changed” after the 2022 Highland Park Independence Day parade mass shooting, which left seven people dead, four dozen injured and an entire community traumatized.
Last month, the gunman, Robert Crimo III, unexpectedly pleaded guilty to 21 counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of attempted murder, minutes before opening statements were set to begin in his murder trial. His decision eliminated the need for a weekslong, high-profile court battle that would almost certainly have ended in a guilty verdict. His sentencing is scheduled to begin this morning in Lake County.
The 24-year-old, who fired an AR-15-style assault rifle from a rooftop into the parade’s crowd, is expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Under state law, anyone found guilty of committing two or more murders receives an automatic life sentence in prison with no possibility of parole.
The sentencing will likely be an emotional day in court, despite its expected outcome. Many parade survivors and loved ones of those who were killed are expected to provide victim impact statements, something experts say play a powerful role in criminal proceedings even in cases where sentencing guidelines are set by state statute.
In sharing their acute personal grief and trauma, they also will be speaking for an entire community that was irrevocably changed that morning. They will explain the shooting’s direct effect on their lives, while also representing people such as Mangoubi who were not physically injured that day but remain haunted by it.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rebecca Johnson and Evangeline Leventis.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including Skokie swearing in its first new mayor in 26 years, the new job CPS chief Pedro Martinez is tapped for and what to expect from the Chicago Bears ahead of the NFL draft tomorrow.
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President Trump says he has ‘no intention’ of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
President Donald Trump said yesterday he has no plans to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, just days after his statement that he would like to terminate the head of the U.S. central bank caused a stock market selloff.
“I have no intention of firing him,” Trump told reporters.
The U.S. president had previously insinuated otherwise as he said he could fire Powell if he wanted to, having been frustrated by the Fed putting a pause on cuts to short-term interest rates. Powell has said that Trump’s tariffs are creating uncertainty about slower growth and higher inflationary pressures, while the president maintains that inflationary worries are essentially non-existent.
Gov. JB Pritzker calls it ‘ironic’ that inaugural committee accepted donation from Chinese firm Trump has criticized
Gov. JB Pritzker yesterday called it “ironic” that an electric vehicle battery company his administration helped bring to Illinois to build a $2 billion plant donated $1 million earlier this year to the inaugural committee supporting President Donald Trump, an ardent foe of the governor’s who has criticized the business for its ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
But the governor stopped short of criticizing Gotion, Inc., which has announced it would open a facility in Manteno, a town about 40 miles south of Chicago. Instead he took aim at Trump’s supporters, many of whom have called on Gotion to not set up shop in the town of about 9,000 people.
Skokie swears in first new mayor in 26 years, new Village Board
A jam-packed Council Chamber cheered and clapped for what some saw as a new day in Skokie, with the swearing in of a new mayor and Village Board.
Mayor Brandon Johnson will head to Springfield again, to demand Chicago ‘receives its just due’
Mayor Brandon Johnson will return to Springfield next week to ratchet up the pressure on his funding requests for Chicago, but under a local and national political landscape that has shifted starkly since his last excursion to the statehouse — and with Gov. JB Pritzker preemptively throwing cold water on his visit.
CPS, City Colleges and UIC announce expansion of transfer student partnership, unveiling ‘Chicago Roadmap 2.0’
Five years after its initial debut, Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago and the University of Illinois Chicago announced the expansion of their education partnership, presenting the launch of “Chicago Roadmap 2.0” yesterday at UIC’s student center.
Created in 2020 to support the city’s transfer students, partners in the Chicago Roadmap saw that increased collaboration between the district and City Colleges could allow for a “comprehensive educational pathway” for those students.
CPS chief Pedro Martinez tapped to be Massachusetts education commissioner
Outgoing Chicago Public Schools chief Pedro Martinez was tapped to become the next commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education after board members voted in his favor at a public meeting yesterday.
Jim Johnson, WLS radio newsman for 45 years, dies at 80
Jim Johnson was a news anchor and reporter at WLS-AM 890 in Chicago for 45 years during which he became known for providing wit and levity in programs hosted by well-known radio personalities.
Column: Buckle up. The Chicago Bears are well-positioned in an NFL draft that could get ‘wild.’
Buckle up.
A little more than 48 hours before the start of the NFL draft, not a single first-round draft pick had been traded. It’s unusual, no doubt, and we could be in the calm before the storm.
“I think this one’s going to be a little wild,” Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said yesterday. “But we’re going to be prepared for all the different scenarios that pop up.”
The Bears own the No. 10 pick, and provided they keep it (or trade up), it would mark their eighth top-10 selection since 2015. Quarterback Justin Fields, whom the Bears took at No. 11 after trading up in 2021, was their only Round 1 selection outside of the top 10 in the last decade.
Related:
‘We don’t quit here’: Chicago Cubs pull off a wild 11-10 win in 10 innings over the Los Angeles Dodgers
Ian Happ knew the game was over as soon as he saw his hard-hit grounder reach right field.
A wild night at Wrigley Field featuring back-and-forth blows from the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers culminated in the 10th inning. Miguel Amaya’s heroics in the bottom of the ninth — hitting a two-out, game-tying home run into the center field basket off Dodgers closer Tanner Scott — forced extra innings. Right-hander Porter Hodge’s clean top of the 10th to strand the go-ahead run at third base set up Happ to lead off the bottom of the frame.
Related:
- Column: Instead of being hated, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the new America’s team
- Photos: Chicago Cubs walk-off the Los Angeles Dodgers in 10 innings at Wrigley Field
- Chicago Cubs continue to shuffle the bullpen as they try to find right mix: ‘We have to solve that issue’
Chicago White Sox fall to the Minnesota Twins as Byron Buxton robs Andrew Benintendi of an extra-base hit
Andrew Benintendi batted in the ninth inning with runners on second and third, two outs and the Chicago White Sox down two runs to the Minnesota Twins.
Facing closer Jhoan Duran, Benintendi ripped a 101 mph fastball to right-center.
But instead of a game-tying extra-base hit, there was more heartache for the Sox when center fielder Byron Buxton made a tremendous diving catch.
It was another tough way to lose a game, as the Sox fell 4-2 in front of 11,828 on yesterday at Target Field.
Related:
- Bryse Wilson among the Chicago White Sox options to provide bulk innings with Martín Pérez on the IL
The concert venue at Orland Park’s Centennial Park West. (Village of Orland Park)
Incoming Orland Park Mayor Jim Dodge says he, new trustees want closer look at concert venue
Orland Park’s incoming mayor is questioning the timing of additional work being authorized at the village’s Centennial Park West concert facility and promised he and incoming trustees will evaluate the venue’s future use.
Jim Dodge’s comments, outlined in a news release, came before the Village Board voted Monday to approve about $1 million in work at the park.
Blue Island temporarily closes Harry’s Long Bar following ‘violent incident,’ officials say
The city of Blue Island temporarily shut down a bar following what officials are calling a “violent incident” outside it over the weekend.
Navigating price and quality in the complicated landscape of the American wine market
Long before the rising cost of eggs and recession jitters invaded our daily conversations, cost was already the dominant factor steering America’s wine choices. Now, as tariffs threaten to send import prices soaring, domestic wines might be poised to be a value alternative for many American consumers.
But navigating the landscape of value in American wines is complex, explains Zack Eastman, co-owner of Easy Does It, the wine bar and bottle shop in the Logan Square neighborhood.
Retracing the snowy footsteps of my ancestors, who traveled to Antarctica before it became commonplace
The chance to travel to the farthest corner of the planet, the Antarctic continent, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people. It’s the last frontier on Earth, a place where explorers such as Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen became legends. But for me, the trip to Antarctica followed in the snowy footsteps of my relatives, who traveled there decades earlier, long before civilian travel became commonplace, writes Caroline Eubanks.
