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

Education

CPS’ selective, magnet schools appear to take hit under new equity funding formula

Local School Councils at several specialty elementary schools say they are facing budget cuts — a claim backed up by a WBEZ/Sun-Times analysis.

By Sarah Karp | WBEZ and Nader Issa

Crime

Services set for Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca as off-duty killing ruled line-of-duty death

Funeral services for Huesca will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Rita of Cascia Catholic Church at 7740 S. Western Ave. in Chicago, according to the Fraternal Order of Police.

By Tom Schuba

Money

Oberweis Dairy says it found two potential buyers following Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Loop

Loop's weekend foot traffic exceeds level before pandemic, but retail vacancies still at record high

Small Business

Dom's Kitchen and Foxtrot abruptly shutter stores, months after specialty grocers merged

Crime

14-year-old boy charged with murder in South Loop shooting

Commentary

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

CST Editorial Board

Time for a leadership change at CTA: Show Dorval Carter the exit door

Michael Eric Dyson

Author and professor of African American and Diaspora Studies, Vanderbilt University

The hard truth about Rainbow PUSH and why the Rev. Frederick Haynes III quit after 3 months

Rummana Hussain

Editorial board member and columnist

Watch and learn: Chicago Palestine Film Festival aims to entertain, educate

Ismael Pérez

Columnist, audience specialist

Someone in Chicago wants to support lemonade stands but shuns germs

Politics

Education

$5 million fund to aid Chicago students with disabilities

The Diverse Learners Recovery Fund, launched through a partnership with the city and Ada S. McKinley Community Services, will provide up to 8,000 families with one-time grants of $500.

By Sophie Sherry

Chicago Police graduation at McCormick Place. Chicago Police shoulder patch.

Police Reform

Chicago police union files notice of appeal in case that would open serious discipline cases to the public

Money

Oberweis Dairy says it found two potential buyers following Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Housing & development

House next to Obamas' Kenwood home, once linked to Tony Rezko, nears completion

Environment

Judge OKs $12.25 million class-action settlement over Hilco's Little Village dust storm

Sports

Bears

Bears GM Ryan Poles: Plan is set for No. 1 pick in draft Thursday

The Bears have been studying quarterbacks for months as they look to turn their offense around.

By Jason Lieser

White Sox

Ken 'Hawk' Harrelson on White Sox: 'It's been ugly, and I feel bad for our fans'

Cubs

Cubs put struggling right-hander Kyle Hendricks on IL with back strain amid flurry of roster moves

Chicago Sky and WNBA

Kamilla Cardoso is looking forward to her WNBA transition with Sky

Cubs

Former Cub Don Kessinger watching with pride as grandson Grae arrives with Astros at Wrigley Field

Entertainment and Culture

JoJo Siwa speaks during the GLAAD Media Awards last month in Beverly Hills, California.

Entertainment and Culture

JoJo Siwa, Natasha Bedingfield among headliners for 2024 Chicago Pride Fest

Bob the Drag Queen and Amber Riley also set to perform during June 22-23 event at Halsted and Addison.

By Leah Love

Movies and TV

'Downtown Owl': '80s period piece doesn't know what it wants to be

Theater

Sublime ‘How I Learned What I Learned’ delves into life lessons that shaped August Wilson the writer and his works

Theater

Eddie Izzard delivers solo 'Hamlet' with range, directness of a stand-up comedian

Small Business

Astrology-themed sober bar raised $47k in Kickstarter funds, predicts late summer opening

All latest stories

Quarterback Caleb Williams, wearing a T-shirt with SC and 13 printed on it, raises his arm, football in hand, preparing to throw.

Other Views

NFL draft day: How teams legally collude to restrict draftees' rights and choices

Sports leagues benefit from two technical points that allow collusion.

By Eldon Ham

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: Couple’s noisy canoodling bugs the neighbors

Funny at first, the racket during their many intimate moments now disturbs people and keeps them up at night.

By Abigail Van Buren

Environment

Get ready -- 17-year cicadas preparing to emerge in northern Illinois

Cicada nymphs have recently been seen at the ground’s surface, meaning the mass arrival of the periodical cicadas is a few weeks away.

By Kade Heather

Bowl of sauerkraut in close up on wooden table

Eat Well

Sauerkraut has plenty to offer, from tangy flavor to some health benefits

Although sauerkraut is perhaps the best-known national dish of Germany, and has been a staple of the German diet since the 1600s, it didn’t originate in Germany.

By Environmental Nutrition

Pursued by both Art (Mike Faist, left) and Patrick (Josh O'Connor), Tashi (Zendaya) lures both into a makeout session in "Challengers."

Movies and TV

'Challengers' as sexy as a tennis movie can be

In beautiful and brutal sports drama, Zendaya portrays a coach playing sophisticated games with her two charismatic suitors.

By Richard Roeper

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Wednesday, April 24, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

White Sox

White Sox blow three-run lead to Twins, find another way to lose

It was the fifth loss in a row and 11th in the last 12 games for the Sox, who plummeted to 3-20.

By Daryl Van Schouwen

Bears

Bears’ second selection in NFL Draft is where the mystery starts

By pure circumstance, USC quarterback Caleb Williams was on the same flight to Detroit on Tuesday as Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze. Time will tell whether they’re on the same flight out of Detroit — and to Chicago — on Friday morning.

By Patrick Finley

Cubs

Jordan Wicks pitches 'wonderful game,' makes key adjustment as Cubs beat Astros

The Cubs also provided an update on outfielder Cody Bellinger’s midgame injury.

By Maddie Lee

Crime

Man shot, killed in South Shore

The 59-year-old was found about 7 p.m. in the 6700 block of South Chappel Avenue with a gunshot wound to his abdomen, police said.

By Sun-Times Wire

Crime

Man shot dead at Schiller Park bar

Jonathan Vallejo, 38, of River Grove, suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the Friday shooting and was pronounced dead at Lutheran General Hospital, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

By Sun-Times Wire

Bulls

Bulls guard Coby White finishes second in Most Improved Player voting

Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey jumped into the national spotlight this season, becoming an All-Star, leading the 76ers to the playoffs and edging out White for the league award.

By Joe Cowley

Back in 2020, the Castaways Bar and Grill located on North Avenue Beach was one of the few restaurants to reopen amid the COVID-19 shutdown.

Food and Restaurants

Castaways Beach Club, formerly Castaways Bar & Grill, closed for renovations last summer. A refresh features an updated menu and renovations costing more than $3 million.

By Jessica Ma

Crime

39-year-old slain in Oak Forest shooting remembered as 'loving father' who'd 'help anyone in need'

Three others, including a 12-year-old girl, were wounded in the shooting, Oak Forest police said.

By Mohammad Samra

Bears

NFL Draft is final piece of Bears GM Ryan Poles' rebuild

Poles has the Nos. 1 and 9 picks, and then it’s time to test the sturdiness of his construction.

By Jason Lieser

Bears

Justin Fields trade 'tough' for ex-Bears teammates, who think he'll do well with Steelers

The Bears weren’t blindsided by the trade of Justin Fields to the Steelers last month. But that didn’t make it any easier.

By Patrick Finley

USC quarterback Caleb Williams grips a football as he looks on from the sidelines during a game against UCLA on Nov. 18, 2023.

Halas Intrigue

Halas Intrigue podcast: It's almost time for Caleb Williams

All indications are the Bears are taking the USC quarterback with the first pick, but we’ll still have to wait until the NFL Draft to make it official.

By Sun-Times staff

Bears

Caleb Williams to the Bears is only a matter of time

Though Bears GM Ryan Poles has played it coy, selecting the USC quarterback has gone from presumed to inevitable. “I feel really good about our process and where we’re headed,” Poles said. “We know what we’re going to do.”

By Mark Potash

Bears

Bears matriarch Virginia McCaskey, 101, attends Brian Piccolo Awards

The Bears paid their annual tribute to Brian Piccolo in front of their matriarch Tuesday.

By Patrick Finley

Lomelok, the 15-month-old lion cub, plays with a cardboard roll in his outdoor enclosure at Lincoln Park Zoo, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. | Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times

Entertainment and Culture

Lion cub returns to Lincoln Park Zoo exhibit weeks after unprecedented surgery

The spinal surgery is common in dogs and older big cats, but it’s the first documented case in a growing lion cub, according to experts at Lincoln Park Zoo.

By Mary Norkol

Taste

Pasta a great go-to for a tasty, budget-friendly meal options

The average price an American pays for pasta is about $1.45 per pound. It’s easy to see why the country’s pasta consumption is on the rise.

By Wealth of Geeks

Moroccan Chicken Skewers With Apricots and Onion

Recipes

Moroccan chicken skewers burst with flavors from spices and apricots

This recipe relies on a heady blend of North African spices muddled with oil, lemon and runny honey to create a soupy, fragrant paste.

By Lynda Balslev | Taste Food

Columnists

An empty chair at Passover Seder, affixed with a picture of a hostage

The continuing bloody war in Gaza — the 33,000 Palestinians killed and the unknown fate of Israeli hostages — casts a pall over Passover celebrations.

By Neil Steinberg

Outdoors

Chicago fishing: Lakefront spurts of salmon and trout while inland fishing heats up

Spurts of lakefront salmon and trout along with inland fishing heating up lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

By Dale Bowman

Crime

2 attempted sexual assaults reported in Lake View

Chicago police said they believe the same man attacked both women Monday night.

By Sun-Times Wire

South Deering

Woman dead, 2 children critical after car crash in South Deering

The woman struck a pole in the 3000 block of East 106th Street, police said.

By Sun-Times Wire

From left, Frances Walker's brother Arnold Walker and sister-in-law Maggie Walker wear pink and speak into news microphones at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

Crime

Tenant convicted of murdering, dismembering 69-year-old landlord on Northwest Side

After about 7½ hours of deliberations, the jury convicted Sandra Kolalou of all charges including first-degree murder, dismembering Frances Walker’s body, concealing a homicidal death and aggravated identity theft. Her attorney plans to appeal.

By Emmanuel Camarillo and Sophie Sherry

Outdoors

Finding early morel mushrooms is underway

Ryan Leonard continues a tradition of finding early morel mushrooms in Cook County.

By Dale Bowman

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: I wasn’t supposed to see my sister’s texts complaining about me

During a tense vacation together, it turns out she was writing to someone about her sibling’s ‘B.S.’

By Abigail Van Buren