Good morning, Chicago.
The picture of the presidential race has hardly been cloudy for some time, even if it is one that most voters say they don’t want to see.
On not-so-Super Tuesday, there were few surprises. It became ever clearer President Joe Biden was on a glidepath to the Democratic nomination that only some kind of personal catastrophe could alter. And his predecessor, Donald Trump — if he can navigate the 91 criminal charges against him and avoid any other calamity — is headed to a third Republican nomination, and a rematch against the president
Meanwhile, Nikki Haley will suspend her presidential campaign today after being soundly defeated across the country on Super Tuesday, according to people familiar with her decision.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Illinois Senate passes plan for ‘hybrid’ elected Chicago school board backed by CTU
The Democratic-controlled Illinois Senate on Tuesday passed a plan that would create a hybrid elected school board in Chicago this fall, with half of the members voted in by residents and the rest appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Legislators failed last fall to resolve the contentious issue of shaping Chicago’s first elected school board, and some Senate Democrats made it known that they still had problems with the latest proposal, which is backed by Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union. It ultimately passed in a 37-20 vote.
The bill now goes back to the House, which approved a similar plan last fall.
Fillmore Center project, touted as jobs engine for struggling North Lawndale, clears city commission
A nearly vacant five-story brick building on the West Side will come back to life this summer as The Fillmore Center, eventually employing hundreds and bringing business activity back to North Lawndale, a neighborhood hit by decades of disinvestment.
Most systems back online at Lurie Children’s Hospital after cyberattack
More than a month after a cyberattack disrupted communications and electronic medical records at Lurie Children’s Hospital, most of the systems are back online.
Migrants report shelter staff limits hygiene products and say they fear retaliation for speaking out
The reports of rationing hygiene products come after the Tribune last week reported that a shortage of essential supplies in the city’s shelters forced some parents to reuse dirty diapers on their babies.
Jury finds man guilty in slaying of CPD Officer Ella French
A jury on Tuesday convicted a man accused of shooting and killing Chicago police Officer Ella French and injuring her partner after the panel spent days viewing harrowing body-camera footage and hearing emotional testimony from police officers and other witnesses.
Northwestern retires basketball jersey of Billy McKinney, Zion’s mayor
McKinney’s worlds came together on Billy McKinney Day in Zion and Billy McKinney Night in Evanston Saturday as the number 30 he wore as a Wildcat became the first jersey ever retired in Northwestern University’s 173-year history.
Giants running back Saquon Barkley rushes for a touchdown past Eagles safety Reed Blankenship on Jan. 7, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J.
Chicago Bears Q&A: Who will the top target in free agency be? Is Saquon Barkley a realistic possibility?
The NFL scouting combine wrapped up a few days ago in Indianapolis and the new league year — and free agency — officially begins next week. There are a lot of questions surrounding the Chicago Bears in between.
Peace, simplicity and a sense of mystery: Exploring Amish communities across the Midwest
Amish-made decor was abundant when writer Mary Bergin checked into the 155-room Blue Gate Garden Inn in Shipshewana, population 841, about 130 miles east of Chicago. The area’s 20,000 Amish are the nation’s third-largest Amish community; that doesn’t include Mennonites, whose lifestyles are somewhat less restrictive.
The Newberry Library’s first female president is making big plans
The new president and chief librarian of the Newberry Library began work on Dec. 1 and on a warm afternoon a couple of months later, she was sitting in her book-lined office saying, with what one can sense is a genuine enthusiasm, “There will be a bar bill from Lenny Bruce.”
Astrida Orle Tantillo was talking about one of the items that will be part of the first major exhibition of her tenure, “A Night at Mister Kelly’s,” which opens March 21.
Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer.”
Our picks for Oscars 2024: What will win, what should win in a year of movie riches
It’s peculiar to look back at the movie year 2023, so full of gratifying work in so many directions, from the vantage point of relatively early 2024, writes Tribune film critic Michael Phillips.
Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony marks Hollywood’s 96th festival of statuettes and humility. We’re still here, some of us watching, even. And while we’re still here, if we can’t take the time to cheapen the entire medium with a few Oscar night predictions, then we really have lost our way. See Phillips’ picks here.
