Good morning, Chicago.
Happy Super Tuesday.
Today, voters in 16 states and one territory will cast their ballots in the 2024 presidential primaries.
On the Republican side, 854 of 2,429 delegates — more than 35% — are up for grabs. About 36%, or 1,420 delegates, are in play for Democrats. Nobody will become the presumptive nominee after tonight’s primaries. But President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are expected to get close. Here’s why the day matters — and why it looks a little different this year.
As a reminder, Illinois primary voters will select their party’s nominees in two weeks. Here’s our voters’ guide for Chicago residents. We also have a voters’ guide for suburban residents you can find here.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Illinois officials predict 40% of ballots will be cast before March 19 primary
As of Monday, about 2,700 Chicago voters had turned in primary ballots through in-person early voting, up about 42% from the same time ahead of the 2016 and 2020 presidential primaries, Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chair Marisel Hernandez said. So far, about 165,000 applications for mail-in ballots have been made, compared with 200,000 requested before the 2022 midterm primary, she said.
Supreme Court ruling allows Donald Trump to remain on Illinois primary ballot
Illinois was the third state in the nation to bar the former president from the ballot, along with Colorado and Maine. But Cook County Judge Tracie Porter had put her ruling on hold and kept Trump on the Illinois ballot pending resolution by the nation’s highest court.
Settlement in Wisconsin fake elector case offers new details on the strategy by Trump lawyers
Two attorneys for then-President Donald Trump orchestrated a plan for fake electors to file paperwork falsely saying the Republican won Wisconsin in a strategy to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory there and in other swing states, according to a lawsuit settlement reached Monday that makes public months of texts and emails.
Democratic bona fide accusations flare in state’s attorney race
As early voting kicked off across Chicago Monday, intra-party attacks on the progressive credentials of both Democratic candidates for Cook County state’s attorney heated up.
Clayton Harris III joined several backers — including pastors, elected officials, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Anjanette Young — at Federal Plaza Monday for a news conference highlighting an influx of campaign cash to his primary opponent Eileen O’Neill Burke, suggesting the support made her a “Democrat in name only.”
Should Illinois become a ‘right-to-die’ state? Lawmakers consider end-of-life option for terminally ill adults.
Illinois could become the 11th state to legalize medical aid in dying — often referred to as physician-assisted suicide or medically assisted death — which would give mentally competent, terminally ill adults the right choose the option of ending their lives. A controversial bill filed in the General Assembly last month would allow these patients the right to access life-ending prescription medication, which they could then self-administer at a time of their choosing.
Suburban mayors warn that Pritzker’s plan to eliminate grocery sales tax will hurt services or raise other taxes
The mayors of Algonquin, Barrington, Cary and Libertyville said the tax cut proposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker would hurt their ability to provide basic services. They say the governor should reconsider, or that the state needs to replace the full 10% that municipalities previously received from the state income tax.
“This is only going to hurt us immensely,” Algonquin Mayor Debby Sosine said.
Nurses at UChicago Medicine plan one-day strike
Amber Turi, an ICU nurse at UChicago Medicine and a member of the bargaining team, said the team has “reached an impasse” with management and are “forced ” to strike because they can’t proceed with a new contract without the hospital coming to terms on staffing.
First over-the-counter birth control pill in US begins shipping to stores
The first over-the-counter birth control pill will be available in U.S. stores later this month, allowing American women and teens to purchase contraceptive medication as easily as they buy aspirin.
Cubs slugger Cody Bellinger in a good spot with his swing
Cody Bellinger will make his Cactus League debut Wednesday as the designated hitter and will likely play in the field Friday or Saturday.
“It was a perfect setting especially to get ready for Wednesday,” Bellinger said. “… I feel really confident with it. For me just building off it and obviously staying within myself through the process. I think that I’m in a great spot and I feel really confident with it.”
- Cubs prospects Kevin Alcántara and Owen Caissie are able to focus on progress over pressure in spring training
- Michael Soroka is ready ‘to really let it fly’ after the White Sox righty missed almost 3 seasons with injuries
Ronnie Marmo is back in town with Lenny Bruce and ‘Dr. Bob,’ opening this week
Marmo is back in town, bringing with him a new bride, an old friend named Lenny Bruce and a play about a couple of men who stopped drinking and changed the world.
Martin Sorge’s version of the Andersonville Coffee Cake from the now-closed Swedish Bakery. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Swedish Bakery nostalgia: Your guide to re-creating a recipe from one of Chicago’s most-missed bakeries
The closure of the classic Chicago bakery hit Martin Sorge hard.
So, he did what he knows how to do: bake. He bought a final coffee cake from the Swedish Bakery before they closed. He dissected it and took notes. He tasted the warm flavor of cardamom in the soft, yeasted dough. He peeled apart the layers and tried the filling on its own: buttery, moist, with subtle flavors of cinnamon and almond extract. After that analysis, he hit his stash of recipes.
