Good morning, Chicago.
Chicago native Pope Leo XIV called for unity in an increasingly divided world yesterday during his inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square, marking the official start of his historic papacy as the first American-born pontiff.
The 69-year-old Augustinian priest, a longtime missionary, also urged care for the environment and well-being of the poor, causes championed by his late predecessor Pope Francis.
“Brothers and sisters, I would like that our first great desire be for a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world,” the new pope, who grew up in the south suburbs, declared during his homily. “In this time … we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest.”
Travelers from the Chicago area were in attendance, hoping to get a glimpse of their homegrown pontiff. Among these spectators were students from Loyola University Chicago’s Arrupe College.
“For me, it’s a moment in history,” said Esdaini Lopez, 20, who lives on the Southwest Side of Chicago.
She was raised in an atheist household but has been exploring her faith since attending a Jesuit school.
“It’s really a beautiful thing,” she said.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Angie Leventis Lourgos and see Brian Cassella‘s photos from Vatican City.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: a Mass at Rate Field to celebrate Pope Leo XIV, what predated the Dexter Reed killing by police and when “Hamilton” will return to Chicago.
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Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his office said yesterday.
Biden was seen last week by doctors after urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule was found. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday, with the cancer cells having spread to the bone.
US Rep. Jonathan Jackson spending taxpayer dollars to rent district office space from longtime business partner
U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson is spending federal tax dollars to rent a congressional district office on the South Side from his longtime business partner, powerful city developer Elzie Higginbottom, at more than twice the rate paid by the previous tenant.
Jackson last spring moved the district office into the first floor of a high-rise in the Theodore Lawless Gardens apartment complex that is owned and managed by Higginbottom. A Chicago political powerbroker who has been an ally of Illinois governors and Chicago mayors for decades, Higginbottom is a close friend of the Jackson family, including the congressman’s father, civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Problem traffic stops predated Dexter Reed killing by police
The five tactical officers for months were on the radar of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
From mid-2023 through March 2024 — the month 26-year-old Dexter Reed was killed in a shootout during a traffic stop in the 3800 block of West Ferdinand — those five cops were named in at least four separate COPA investigations that stemmed from traffic stops initiated in the Chicago Police Department’s Harrison District (11th).
Chicago housing nonprofit providing rental subsidies for very low-income renters facing a $10M budget shortfall
The Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund’s budget has fluctuated over the last 10 years, ranging from as low as $9 million to as high as $31 million. It has always relied on unsteady funding streams and survived a lawsuit against the state that caused its state dollars to be inaccessible for a couple of years about a decade ago.
Federal DEI crackdown threatens Illinois graduate student scholarship program
The Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives threatens an Illinois program that provides scholarships to minority graduate students who agree to stay in the state and work in the education field.
Northwestern launches mental health research institute fueled by $25M donation
Northwestern University is launching a new research institute to study young adults’ mental health, made possible by a $25 million donation from an anonymous donor.
The Institute for Adolescent Mental Health and Well-Being will bring together researchers across various fields from psychiatry and neurobiology to communication studies and social policy. Housed in the psychology department at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the institute will work to translate findings into wellness programs that directly benefit Northwestern students and “beyond,” according to a news release.
Tribes fear consequences for Great Lakes as Trump administration fast-tracks Line 5 pipeline
Water is sacred and central to the way of life of Indigenous tribes in the Great Lakes region. For generations, the interconnected streams, rivers and lakes have been a source of food, transportation, and cultural identity through ceremonies and traditions.
That is why they have been fighting for over a decade to remove the Line 5 pipeline not only from land they own but also from proximity to the life-giving watershed.
‘I think it’s here’: Uprooted Afghan family settles in Chicago after being rescued ahead of refugee program suspension
The route to Kilmer Elementary School is about a mile and a half each way for Hamid Azizi, who heads out every afternoon to walk his daughters home. What would seem like a mundane activity for most is a joyous occasion for the father of seven, who arrived in Chicago a little more than a month ago.
The 30-minute walk has been Azizi’s easiest journey in many years.
At the start of the summer of 2021, his family fled its village in Afghanistan, moving quickly and often to evade the Taliban, which swiftly took control after United States armed forces began withdrawing from the region following a 20-year war.
3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ weekend, including how they plan to use Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cade Horton
The first round of this season’s City Series ended yesterday at Wrigley Field with the Cubs’ 6-2 win, the first competitive game of the weekend. The crosstown rivals won’t meet again until July 25-27 on the South Side, where the importance of the series will likely increase if the Cubs remain in a tight divisional race.
Here are three takeaways from the Cubs’ weekend.
- White Sox left the door open and the Cubs took advantage to complete the 3-game sweep in the City Series
- Column: Cubs sweep the City Series and get the last laugh on the White Sox
Review: An intimate, optimistic ‘Sweet Charity’ from Blank Theatre Co.
When it comes to optimism, Charity Hope Valentine bests ever other character in a Broadway musical, writes Tribune theater critic Chris Jones.
Whatever life throws at the dance hall hostess from the 1996 musical “Sweet Charity” by Cy Coleman, Neil Simon and Dorothy Fields, the titular heroine dusts (or dries) herself off and carries on. Her travails range from financial impecunity to employment instability and from getting stuck in an elevator to dealing with a crummy boyfriend. Each and every time, she abides.
‘Hamilton’ will return to Chicago in 2026 following Kennedy Center cancellation
The Broadway musical “Hamilton” will return to Chicago in 2026, the producer Jeffrey Seller announced yesterday. The first national touring company of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit will play the CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., from March 4 to April 26.
