Daywatch: How Paris offers a 2nd chance for Tokyo Olympians

Good morning, Chicago.

Olympic Triple jumper Tori Franklin of Chicago hopes to ride a barge down the Seine River during the opening ceremony and venture outside the athlete’s village to watch a fencing competition.

Orland Park native Evita Griskenas, a rhythmic gymnast, wants to share a meal with athletes from other sports without plexiglass separating them.

BMX racer Felicia Stancil of Lake Villa looks forward to competing on a familiar track.

Wilmette native Maggie Shea, a top-ranked sailor, plans to march in the closing ceremony after her event.

And we are excited to tell their stories — on and off the field of play — from Paris as we cover the Summer Games.

We will be following the nearly three dozen Illinois athletes named to the U.S. team, including 18 competitors making their Olympic debuts. Our coverage begins with the story of four athletes — Griskenas, Franklin, Shea and Stancil — who are looking for Paris to give them the typical Olympic experience they missed out on during the COVID-hobbled Tokyo Games.

You can find the latest coverage on our Olympics page and by following us on social.

— Brian Cassella and Stacy St. Clair

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

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President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the airport in Atlanta following his debate with former President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)

President Joe Biden drops out of the 2024 race; announces support behind VP Kamala Harris

Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.

Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump, and encouraged his party to united behind her. Harris, in a statement, praised Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” and said she intends to “earn and win” her party’s nomination.

 

FILE - Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. is seen on Capitol Hill, Jan. 10, 2017, in Washington. She's already broken barriers, and now Vice President Harris could soon become the first Black woman to head a major party's presidential ticket after President Joe Biden's ended his reelection bid. The 59-year-old Harris was endorsed by Biden on Sunday, July 21, after he stepped aside amid widespread concerns about the viability of his candidacy. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. is seen on Capitol Hill, Jan. 10, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Democrats are rallying around Kamala Harris as she vows to ‘earn and win’ party nomination for president

Shortly after Biden stepped aside he firmly endorsed Harris, who would make history as the nation’s first Black and South Asian woman to become a major party’s presidential nominee. Other endorsements flowed from former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the first major female presidential nominee, and prominent U.S. senators, a wide swath of House representatives and members of the influential Congressional Black Caucus.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at President Joe Biden's appearance on June 28, 2023, at the Old Post Office in Chicago, where Biden talked about his economic policies. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at President Joe Biden’s appearance on June 28, 2023, at the Old Post Office in Chicago, where Biden talked about his economic policies. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Biden’s decision to drop out creates big questions for Chicago convention, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s political future

President Joe Biden’s stunning decision Sunday to drop his reelection bid cast Democrats into unprecedented uncertainty less than a month before they gather in Chicago for their national convention and try to unite around a new nominee to challenge former President Donald Trump.

Biden’s decision also recasts the role of J.B. Pritzker from the convention’s home state governor to a potential candidate. A loyal supporter and surrogate for Biden’s reelection, Pritzker also has a personal interest in the White House and now faces a decision on whether to back the president’s call to support Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination or seek to join her on the ticket as a candidate for vice president.

DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy holds a budget meeting with chief administrative officer Nick Kottmeyer, left, and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Martynowicz (not pictured) in her office at the DuPage County Administration Building in Wheaton on July 18, 2024. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy holds a budget meeting with chief administrative officer Nick Kottmeyer, left, and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Martynowicz (not pictured) in her office at the DuPage County Administration Building in Wheaton on July 18, 2024. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Bickering in DuPage County reveals lack of oversight and loss of millions of tax dollars

When recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois in 2020, it seemed like an easy source of new revenue for local governments. DuPage County was among many that enacted a sales tax on cannabis.

But by mid-2021, officials there noticed they weren’t getting any of the new money. The Illinois Department of Revenue said the county never notified it to collect the tax.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at City Hall on July 17, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at City Hall on July 17, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Over a year in office, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign coffers still buoyed by unions

Since his election as mayor of Chicago in April last year, Brandon Johnson has raised $2.6 million, nearly half of which has come from a variety of labor organizations — some of them key backers from his election campaign, others that came around afterward.

The progressive first-term mayor’s continued reliance on union support is no surprise after his campaign was mostly bankrolled by major labor groups such as the Chicago Teachers Union and the Service Employees International Union — two organizations whose leaders retain close access to the mayor, per his public schedules and text records.

But an analysis of his political campaign’s receipts show increasing variety among his labor backers and an overall broadening of his political fundraising sources, including a large check from a Grammy-winning rapper with ties to Chicago.

Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino, center, in the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Jan. 29, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino, center, in the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Jan. 29, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois continues to struggle to fill vacancies on public boards, state audit shows

State boards and commissions tasked with solving some of Illinois’ biggest problems have been left with hundreds of vacancies for appointed positions and often didn’t have enough members to conduct business, a report released last month from the state auditor general found.

Black Friday Shopping

People shop on Black Friday at Water Tower Place on Nov. 24, 2023. Personal care and beauty aid retailer Sephora plans to shutter later this summer its 5,000-square-foot store on Water Tower Place's fifth floor.

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune

People shop on Black Friday at Water Tower Place on Nov. 24, 2023. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Sephora shuttering its Water Tower Place location

The Magnificent Mile will soon lose another of its major retailers. Personal care and beauty aid retailer Sephora plans to shutter later this summer its 5,000-square-foot store on Water Tower Place’s fifth floor, joining a long list of outlets that have recently closed their Michigan Avenue operations.

Bob Newhart smiles during a TV interview while seated near a statue in his likeness as Dr. Robert Hartley, the psychologist played by Bob Newhart in the 1970s television show, on July 27, 2004. The statue was unveiled in the Plaza of the Americas on Michigan Ave in Chicago. (David Klobucar/Chicago Tribune)
Bob Newhart smiles during a TV interview while seated near a statue in his likeness as Dr. Robert Hartley, the psychologist played by Bob Newhart in the 1970s television show, on July 27, 2004. The statue was unveiled in the Plaza of the Americas on Michigan Ave in Chicago. (David Klobucar/Chicago Tribune)

Column: Remembering Bob Newhart and his love of Chicago sports — especially the Cubs

Bob Newhart, the Chicago-born comedian who died Thursday at the age of 94, was remembered for his many accomplishments, from stand-up comedy to starring in two beloved sitcoms.

But Paul Sullivan will remember him mostly for his love and promotion of the Chicago sports scene on “The Bob Newhart Show,” where he played Dr. Bob Hartley, a psychologist and avid Bears, Cubs, Bulls and Loyola fan.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws a pass during training camp at Halas Hall on July 20, 2024. (Tess Crowley/Chicago Tribune)
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws a pass during training camp at Halas Hall on July 20, 2024. (Tess Crowley/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Bears training camp report: QB Caleb Williams learning on the fly, and safety Kevin Byard’s secrets to success

The Chicago Bears continued to progress through the ramp-up period of training camp and held a short non-padded practice Sunday morning at Halas Hall.

After Sunday’s practice and subsequent interviews with several players and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, here’s a snapshot of the camp proceedings.

The Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago around the time that John Dillinger was shot and killed by the FBI in an alley nearby. (Chicago Tribune archive)
Chicago Tribune

The Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago around the time that John Dillinger was shot and killed by the FBI in an alley nearby. (Chicago Tribune archive)

John Dillinger saw his last movie at the Biograph Theater 90 years ago

For years, sightseeing buses have paused at an alley next to the Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue. Compared to other stops, there is not much to see. Passengers might wonder where they are and why.

“Look, at the mouth of the alley,” their driver/guide announces. “That’s where John Dillinger was killed on July 22, 1934. He and a pair of lady friends had just seen the movie ‘Manhattan Melodrama.’ ”

Styx performs the song "Lady" during a concert at then-Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on June 4, 2022. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Styx performs the song “Lady” during a concert at then-Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on June 4, 2022. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Styx has few original members. Lynyrd Skynyrd has … none? When is a band still a band?

Of all the philosophical questions posed by pop music over the past 60 years or so — Will you love me tomorrow? Is there life on Mars? Should I stay or should I go? — among the toughest in 2024 is this: When is a famous rock band or R&B act no longer themselves? When should a group of musicians with a famous name stop performing under that famous name?

A seasonal cherry croissant on July 13, 2024, at Pan Artesanal Bakery in Chicago. (Vincent Alban/for the Chicago Tribune)
A seasonal cherry croissant on July 13, 2024, at Pan Artesanal Bakery in Chicago. (Vincent Alban/for the Chicago Tribune)

Guide: The new buttery, flaky, golden age of croissants around Chicago, from crookies to chiles rellenos and hot dogs

When Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu last tasted dozens upon baker’s dozens of croissants around Chicago, two sisters at one bakery stood out among an impressive field: Lizette and Marisol Espinoza at Pan Artesanal.

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