Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago news, sports, politics, entertainment

City officials were warned of possible dangers months before the botched implosion of the Crawford smokestack in the 3500 block of South Pulaski Road in 2020.

Official who oversaw Little Village implosion gets City Council OK to head buildings department

Marlene Hopkins should have been disciplined for her role overseeing the botched Hilco demolition of the former Crawford power plant in 2020, a watchdog report said. On Wednesday, nearly two dozen alderpersons praised the new top buildings official.

By Brett Chase

Walter "Slim" Coleman (center) speaks at a rally in the Loop called to protest an immigration raid in Little Village in 2007.

Obituaries

Walter 'Slim' Coleman, 'supreme organizer' who helped elect Mayor Harold Washington, dies at 80

Mr. Coleman led countless demonstrations in his six decades as an activist. “Slim believed the real power was in organization, putting people in the streets and packing people into government meetings,” said friend Michael Klonsky.

By Mitch Dudek

Mayor Brandon Johnson makes his inaugural address at Credit Union 1 Arena on Monday, May 15, 2023.

City Hall

Petition drive launched to give Chicago voters power to recall mayor

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, left, is pictured with his parents, Rachel Goldberg center, and Jon Polin, right. Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage by Hamas at a music festival on Oct. 7, 2023.

News

Mother of Hamas hostage with Chicago roots named one of Time's 100 most influential people for 2024

City Hall

Council delays votes on migrant funding, $1.25 billion bond issue, ShotSpotter

The Oberweis Dairy at an Aurora location on Randall Rd, just north of I-88

Money

Oberweis Dairy plans to close plant, lay off 127 workers

Commentary

The opinions in and around Chicago that inform, analyze, hold power accountable and entertain.

Lynn Sweet

Washington bureau chief

City gets $2 million federal grant to address damage to the West Side by the Eisenhower Expressway

Lee Bey

Architecture Critic and member of the Editorial Board

Obama Center gets skin in the game with fancy new granite cladding on its tower

CST Editorial Board

When a 9-year-old is gunned down, we must keep sounding the alarm against gun violence

Annie Costabile

Chicago Sky + Red Stars reporter

Sky earn a B- for draft: They got big names, but they’re big projects

Politics

Obituaries

Walter 'Slim' Coleman, 'supreme organizer' who helped elect Mayor Harold Washington, dies at 80

By Mitch Dudek

Environment

Official who oversaw Little Village implosion gets City Council OK to head buildings department

City Hall

Petition drive launched to give Chicago voters power to recall mayor

Politics

Chicago lobbyists escape serious punishment for improper donations to Mayor Johnson’s campaign

City Hall

Council delays votes on migrant funding, $1.25 billion bond issue, ShotSpotter

Sports

White Sox

White Sox break six-game losing streak, cap wonky week with doubleheader split vs. Royals

Sox go 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position, score 4 runs, but pull out doubleheader split

By Daryl Van Schouwen

Bears

QB decision is Bears GM Ryan Poles' moment of truth

Cubs

Cubs make series of roster moves to help short bullpen before series finale against the Diamondbacks

Bears

Mock draft: Bears go for USC QB Caleb Williams first, but who's next?

White Sox

White Sox' Yoan Moncada heading to Arizona soon to begin rehab from adductor strain

Entertainment and Culture

Blake Cameron James (left) and Gian Knight Ramirez play the boys looking out at the skyline from their Cabrini-Green homes in "We Grown Now."

Movies and TV

'We Grown Now' a lovely but haunting Chicago snapshot of two boys' lives

Lyrical film juxtaposes the innocence of 10-year-old best friends in Cabrini-Green with the real-life murder of young Dantrell Davis.

By Richard Roeper

Movies and TV

'Sasquatch Sunset' a surreal showcase for bigfoot bodily functions

Music

Ashanti, Nelly expecting first child together

Movies and TV

'Under the Bridge': Heartbreaking Hulu series shows how bullies took the life of an unhappy teen

Entertainment and Culture

Taylor Swift Chicago QR code mural drawing crowds in anticipation of 'Tortured Poets' release

All latest stories

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Education

What does Springfield's selective enrollment bill mean for Chicago Public Schools?

The proposed legislation is the latest and most significant backlash to a declaration in December by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Board of Education that it would no longer prioritize selective schools and would refocus resources to neighborhood schools that have faced years of cuts and under-funding.

By Nader Issa

iHeartRadio Y100's Jingle Ball 2023 - Show

Things To Do

Things to do in Chicago April 18-25 — The Mix

Concerts by Nicki Minaj, Leslie Odom Jr. and Suzanne Vega, the CineYouth Film Festival and Congo Square Theatre’s staging of “How I Learned What I Learned” are among the entertainment highlights in the week ahead.

By Mary Houlihan - For the Sun-Times

Cubs

Cubs' Hayden Wesneski replaces bad memories at Chase Field with bullpen-saving performance

The Cubs claimed a series win against the Diamondbacks with a 5-3 victory on Wednesday

By Maddie Lee

Environment

Early spring warming could be having an effect on bird migration: “A lot more, a lot earlier.”

Bird experts say temperature fluctuations could impact available food supply and the timing of arrivals.

By Jessica Ma

Crime

Person fatally shot in Brighton Park

The person, only identified by police as a male, was near an alley about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday in the 4600 block of South Washtenaw Avenue when he was shot in the chest, police said.

By Sun-Times Wire

Entertainment and Culture

Little Village venue Apollo's 2000 inks landmark status

Owners Javier and Lidia Galindo have operated Apollo’s 2000 for more than 35 years. Now, they’re ready for the venue to enter its next era as a city-designated landmark.

By Abby Miller

Sports Media

Jerry Reinsdorf’s timing for new RSN isn’t great, but it shouldn’t stop him: expert

“It may be the best option available,” Marc Ganis, the co-founder and CEO of Chicago-based Sportscorp Ltd., said Wednesday. “Sometimes you just have to take the best option available, even if it’s not ideal.”

By Jeff Agrest

Crime

New Chicago intelligence hub aims to ‘squeeze every last piece of evidence’ out of guns used in crimes

A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives facility is the latest effort to disrupt violent crime in Chicago, where police have been taking 12,000 guns off the street every year.

By Jon Seidel

Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals

White Sox

A 'surreal' start for Jonathan Cannon marks two good debuts in row for White Sox pitchers

Cannon pitches five innings of one-run ball

By Daryl Van Schouwen

Flowers, photos, balloons and words of condolence adorn a black iron-like fence.

Other Views

Pass Karina's Bill to seize guns from the most dangerous domestic abusers

My dad shot and killed my sister and mom and left me with a gunshot wound. Law enforcement hadn’t removed a gun from his possession, even though his FOID card had been suspended.

By Jesus Emmanuel “Manny” Alvarez

Columnists

Supreme Court passes on a chance to protect peaceful protesters

The court rejected an appeal by a Black Lives Matter organizer who is being sued for an injury to a police officer committed by another demonstrator during a protest.

By Jacob Sullum

A bookshelf filled with children's and young adult books.

Letters to the Editor

Phonics is the answer to illiteracy in Chicago Public Schools

Americans cast off a winning method to improve literacy. Replacing it with what?

By Letters to the Editor

City Hall

Retired firefighter meets 911 call-taker who helped save his life: 'God was resting on your shoulders'

Chicago fire communications operator Amanda Garr and retired Chicago firefighter George Ma’Ayteh met for the first time Wednesday morning, months after Garr instructed 911 caller Paula Anast how to save Ma’Ayteh’s life through CPR.

By Mohammad Samra

NFL

Thanks partly to NIL, fewer underclassmen enter NFL Draft

This month’s draft features 58 early entrants, the lowest number of players to enter the draft with college eligibility remaining since 2011.

By Associated Press

Bears

Bears hire Chiefs' executive Ted Crews to run public relations ahead of QB Caleb Williams' likely arrival

In their search to find someone who can steer the team through the tremendous amount of attention it’ll be getting, they chose an executive who worked with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

By Jason Lieser

Blackhawks

Blackhawks' Joey Anderson quietly enjoyed career breakthrough by not obsessing about it

Anderson became a full-time NHL player for the first time on the 2023-24 Hawks, and he did so by not focusing so singularly on that exact objective.

By Ben Pope

NBA

Raptors' Jontay Porter gets lifetime ban from NBA

A league investigation found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games.

By Associated Press

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry

Olympic Sports

LeBron James, Stephen Curry lead USA Olympics men's basketball team

The group has seven players with 10 combined Olympic gold medals.

By Associated Press

MLB

Woman who accused Trevor Bauer of sexual assault is now charged with defrauding ex-MLB player

An indictment in Arizona charges the woman with fraud and theft by extortion, both felonies, but doesn’t provide specific details about the alleged crimes. It says Bauer and one other person were defrauded in a scheme that potentially spanned several years.

By Associated Press

FBI agent James Rudisill takes down a flag at sunset at his home. The Army veteran and his Chicago lawyer are asking the Supreme Court to take his case, which could help other long-serving vets tap college educational benefits for themselves and their families that they earned under more than one version of the GI Bill.

GI Bill

Supreme Court ruling in GI Bill case could force VA to give more than 1 million vets greater college benefits

The ruling Tuesday in favor of Rudisill, who’s now an FBI agent, also could help other long-serving vets tap college educational benefits for themselves and their families that they earned under more than one version of the GI Bill.

By Stephanie Zimmermann

Recipes

Meyer lemon salsa is bright and spicy, just perfect for spring and summer foods

The key to a good salsa is to hit all the flavor components, and this salsa does just that: Sweet and sharp citrus, laced with skulking chili heat, mingles with spring garlic.

By Lynda Balslev | Taste Food

Tofu cut in cubes. Firm tofu on white plate. Vegan protein food.

Food and Restaurants

Firm, extra firm, silken — tofu types and how to prepare, serve them

Knowing how you want to cook it or use it in your favorite recipe will help you choose the right kind.

By Clare Mulroy | USA Today

Leroy Bowman holds one of the more than 1,000 comforters he pieced and sewed for the Mennonite Central Committee.

Outdoors

Picking at memories of a long life: Leroy Bowman, who has died at age 95, did it all

My dad, Leroy Bowman, whom I credit with much of my love of the outdoors, led a full life filled with anomalies: deer hunting, ordained Mennonite deacon, quarryman, trout fishing, raising six kids. He died at 95 over the solar-eclipse weekend and the memories bubble up.

By Dale Bowman

Blackhawks

Analyzing Lukas Reichel's difficult Blackhawks season, what he improved and what he didn't

The soon-to-be 22-year-old forward struggled throughout most of the year, although he did at least improve his ability to move on from mistakes.

By Ben Pope

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: Our widower friend is dating his niece, and we’re disgusted

The man keeps trying to make plans to hang out, but his friends want nothing to do with him.

By Abigail Van Buren

Blackhawks

Blackhawks fall to Golden Knights in penultimate game of season

The Hawks weren’t able to translate possession time into much tangible offense during a 3-1 loss Tuesday in Vegas.

By Ben Pope

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Wednesday, April 17, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Weather

Thunderstorms, strong winds move through Chicago, suburbs

A hazardous weather outlook, bringing gusty winds and showers, was in effect in Cook County on Tuesday evening, as well as much of northern Illinois and parts of northwest Indiana through midnight.

By Sun-Times Wire

Cubs

Cubs have rotation decisions to make with Jameson Taillon nearing a return

Ben Brown and Javier Assad have performed well, while veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks again struggled in Tuesday’s 12-11 loss to the Diamondbacks.

By Maddie Lee