Good morning, Chicago.
The brother of James Weiss, the politically connected business owner convicted of bribing two state elected officials, plans to plead guilty later this month in an indictment accusing him of lying to federal investigators about his brother’s contacts with notorious Outfit hit man Frank “The German” Schweihs.
Joseph “Joey” Weiss, 43, of Oak Lawn, was charged in an indictment unsealed last year with lying to federal investigators and obstruction of justice.
During a brief status hearing Thursday, Weiss’ attorney, Lisa Wood, said they have reviewed a draft plea agreement from prosecutors and were ready to move forward with a guilty plea in the case. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly set a change-of-plea hearing for May 20.
The charges against Weiss brought new mob intrigue to a case that already had elements of political corruption, a state senator-turned-government mole, a corrupt former police officer and the shady world of sweepstakes gaming machines.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jason Meisner.
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Tiny pieces of plastic pose one of the biggest threats to Chicago River wildlife and water quality
While large trash is not as big of a threat, plastic debris from food and product packaging and the smaller bits from when it breaks down has emerged as a persistent problem that affects wildlife, water quality and public health.
“It’s no longer the dumping ground it was — it’s more of this incidental, wind-blown picnic, restaurant, parking lot pollution,” said Margaret Frisbie, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of the Chicago River.
Migrant mourns death of child, one of the many unaccounted for in Chicago; ‘Without money, you’re nobody’
Karis Calderon, 25, walked across seven countries to make it to Chicago for a stable job. Four weeks later, she couldn’t even afford to pay for the funeral services of her youngest child.
The Venezuelan mother lost her 3-year-old — Luciana Valentina Suarez Calderon — at the end of April to a bacterial infection in Chicago. But without the $2,750 needed for a funeral, Calderon had to wait in mourning while her daughter’s body sat at the morgue for days.
Search the database to find Illinois hospitals and their ratings
A number of organizations release ratings for U.S. hospitals each year to help patients make decisions about where to receive care. Use our searchable database to see where each Illinois hospital ranked across the three reports.
Youngest captain with Chicago’s First Lady Cruises is anchored by her love of the job
Diamond Gibbs navigates the official Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise down all three branches of the Chicago River. Five years ago, her eyes were on the prize of being a captain. Now that she has her captain’s license, she’s working toward getting the keys to all of the cruise company’s vessels, five more to be exact.
Chicago baseball report: Richard Lovelady’s swing-and-miss stuff for Cubs — and adjustments continue for White Sox’s Garrett Crochet
The White Sox are facing their only American League Central foe of the month with their current four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field. Meanwhile, the Cubs hit the road looking to win their first series in two weeks as they continue to get healthier.
Column: The WNBA’s anticipated season is almost here, yet the league still seems to be playing catch-up
To address player safety concerns, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Tuesday that the league will launch a charter flight program “as soon as we can get planes in places.” But the announcement was the first time teams had heard the news.
The announcement of full-time charters is significant and comes at a pivotal time, writes Shakeia Taylor. But with such a huge, season-impacting announcement, why weren’t teams made aware? Why wasn’t the announcement made on a bigger stage instead of in a meeting with sports editors? Why was it made so close to the start of the season and not weeks — or even months — in advance?
‘Slow’ review: He’s asexual. She’s not. The movie explores what happens next.
Like the couple it’s about, “Slow” acknowledges and, to some degree, gives in to expectations set by a world overloaded with conformist-minded romcoms and conventional relationship blueprints. But it’s worth seeing, writes Tribune critic Michael Phillips. And for a weeklong run starting Friday at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago audiences can see for themselves.
In memoriam: As a ’90s producer and music tastemaker, Steve Albini was brutally honest — and usually right
He was an intimidating guy, and eventually, a sweet guy. He was, as kids say these days, a “gatekeeper,” the prototypical record store owner who frowns at what you bring to his cash register — though he made records, he didn’t sell them.
