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

Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

Crime

A list of every known Illinois resident charged in the U.S. Capitol breach

More than 1,300 people have been arrested in connection with the breach in almost all 50 states. That includes Illinois, where at least 49 known residents have faced federal charges for their role.

By Jon Seidel

This postcard-inspired mural for the city of Blue Island welcomes drivers headed south on Western Avenue from Chicago.

Murals and Mosaics

In Blue Island, Chris Campagna's murals aim to soften hard edges, tie together neighborhoods

Construction of roadways and bridges decades ago brought a kind of starkness to residential areas in the south suburb, which is now using public art as part of a plan for beautification.

By Genevieve Bookwalter

Bears

Bears get all A's for Caleb Williams-Rome Odunze draft

La Voz Chicago

Artistas para el Festival de Micheladas 2024: Junior H, Los Ángeles Azules, Luis R. Conriquez entre la lista

Bears

New Bears QB Caleb Williams sets draft night sales record for Fanatics

Crime

2 teens critically wounded in South Shore shooting

Commentary

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

Lee Bey

Architecture Critic and member of the Editorial Board

Bears have designs on the lakefront, as Mayor Johnson plays the wrong position of cheerleader-in-chief

David Roeder

Business reporter

Bears, White Sox want stadium deals, so how about a cut of the action?

Mary Mitchell

Columnist

Scam calls asking for money are serious business; authorities believe one was tied to an Ohio death

CST Editorial Board

In blocking April Perry from U.S. attorney post, J.D. Vance shows he’s pro-Trump, pro-crime

Politics

Cristina Nichole Iglesias, who received gender affirming surgery in March 2023 while she was serving her prison sentence, sits among the flowers at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Garfield Park, Friday, April 5, 2024. Iglesias said that going through gender dysphoria was “traumatic” and “torture.” The surgery was made possible by a settlement she reached with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

LGBTQIA+

After fighting to have gender-affirming care, a former prisoner adjusts to life in Chicago as a woman

Cristina Nichole Iglesias sued the federal Bureau of Prisons for the right to have the surgery and get the agency to pay for it and won.

By Stefano Esposito

Democracy Solutions Project

Illinois Republicans grapple with mail voting amid mixed signals from Trump — 'We have to adapt'

Housing & development

Pritzker spending boost to fight homelessness includes targeting racial disparities

Environment

ComEd unveils 2 more EV charging stations in Bronzeville as part of 2-year pilot project

Education

Arlington Heights school nurse placed on leave amid probe into possible medicine swap

Sports

Lauren Sausser | KFF Health News

Amy Rynell

La Voz Chicago

15 parejas de migrantes venezolanos contraerán matrimonio en iglesia de Chicago

Dance

A dance party at heart, Joffrey Ballet's 'Midsummer Night's Dream' is a joyous celebration

Housing & development

How Realtors deal will affect homebuying

Entertainment and Culture

Ondřej Pšenička in 52 Lovers. Michael Brosilow Photo.jpg

Theater

There's plenty to like in magician Ondřej Pšenička's '52 Lovers'

The Czech performer, who has fooled Penn and Teller, engages his audiences with a show of personality and interactive tricks.

By Steve Heisler | For the Sun-Times

Music

Travis Scott, Playboi Carti and Chief Keef to headline 2024 Summer Smash

Theater

Timeless ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ richly acted by Goodman Theatre's all-Chicago cast

Murals and Mosaics

In Blue Island, Chris Campagna's murals aim to soften hard edges, tie together neighborhoods

Movies and TV

Routine heist movie 'Cash Out' relies on Travolta's sturdy star power

All latest stories

Taste

Cava restaurant opens in Wicker Park on Friday, announces future suburban location

Following its launch, the popular Mediterranean restaurant is set to open a second area outlet this summer in Vernon Hills.

By Erica Thompson

Vera Drew, "The People's Joker" director, wears clown makeup and a comic book-like costume as she stars in the movie.

Movies and TV

Why so serious? 'The People's Joker' warps Batman tropes into wildly inventive punk parody

Like no superhero movie before it, the subversive coming-of-age story reinvents the villain’s origins with a mélange of visual styles and a barrage of gags.

By Richard Roeper

Crime

Four armed robberies in downtown Chicago in 30 minutes

A 66-year-old woman was dragged into the street in the 600 block of North Fairbanks Avenue by two armed robbers who fired shots, police said.

By Sun-Times Wire

Jared Verse had nine sacks each of the last two seasons to complete his climb from FCS red-shirt to possible top-10 pick.

Bears

The day-of mock draft: Our picks for the Bears at No. 9

The Sun-Times’ experts pick whom they think the team will take with the No. 9 pick in Thursday night’s draft.

By Patrick Finley, Mark Potash, and 1 more

Dear Abby

Dear Abby: Daughters dislike that I get alimony from their father

They have abandoned their mom and say relationship won’t resume until she stops ‘taking the money’ from her alcoholic ex.

By Abigail Van Buren

Columnists

Columbine could have been a turning point in tackling America's gun violence. It wasn't.

Twenty-five years later, the gun industry’s greed and elected leaders’ cowardice continue to prevail, the head of the National Urban League writes.

By Marc H. Morial

Outdoors

Go & Show: RFC's swap meet and NADCA's decoy & sporting collectibles show

Riverside Fishing Club’s Fishing Tackle & Outdoors Swap Meet on Saturday and the continuing North American Vintage Decoy & Sporting Collectibles Show are Go & Show this week.

By Dale Bowman

Horoscopes

Horoscope for Thursday, April 25, 2024

By Georgia Nicols

Cubs

Cubs' Kyle Hendricks is approaching IL stint with mind to turn around his season

“I need to get back to being myself,” the starting pitcher told the Sun-Times, “using my full arsenal and mixing it in and out.”

By Maddie Lee

Cubs

Cubs’ Cody Bellinger to IL with fractured ribs; Pete Crow-Armstrong recalled

Bellinger left Tuesday’s game early after crashing into the outfield wall at Wrigley Field.

By Maddie Lee

White Sox

White Sox hitting coach Marcus Thames is trying to stay positive — no small task

Their struggling lineup is the biggest reason for the Sox’ atrocious start.

By Daryl Van Schouwen

White Sox

Andrew Benintendi's struggles at center of 3-21 White Sox' woes

The Sox hit two homers, but Garrett Crochet allowed five runs in the 6-3 loss to the Twins.

By Daryl Van Schouwen

Angel Reese sits at a table with a background of Chicago Sky logos during a press conference.

Chicago Sky and WNBA

Sky rookie Angel Reese's star power is already being felt in Chicago

Reese’s jersey sold out on the online WNBA store within days of her being drafted by the Sky with the No. 7 overall pick.

By Annie Costabile

Crime

Southwest Side man charged with luring 14-year-old girl walking home from school

Arley Carrillo Mendez, 39, is charged with one felony count of child abduction and luring of a minor after he followed a girl Monday afternoon in the 5000 block of South Long Avenue.

By Sun-Times Wire

Media members enter the NFL Draft theater Wednesday in Detroit, where workers continue to set up for the event Thursday.

Sports Media

ESPN, NFL Network will put Bears at center stage for NFL Draft broadcasts

The traditional TV broadcasts will be heavy on the Bears, who own the first and ninth picks of the first round. They’ll be on the clock at 7 p.m.

By Jeff Agrest

Bears

Caleb Williams' evaluation a test of Bears GM Ryan Poles' intuition

Does the USC quarterback have the “it” factor that makes everyone around him better and tilts the field in his favor in crunch time? There’s no doubt Poles sees something special in Williams.

By Mark Potash

image (6).Hersh Goldberg-Polin (left) is pictured with his parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin. Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage by Hamas at a music festival on Oct. 7.

Israel-Hamas War

Hamas releases video of Hersh Goldberg-Polin — hostage with Chicago roots

The video is the first proof of life of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was captured Oct. 7 in southern Israel. His parents have Chicago ties. Last week, his mother was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people of 2024.

By Associated Press

Elections

Arizona indicts 18 in case over 2020 election in Arizona, including Giuliani and Meadows

Eleven Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Donald Trump won Arizona in 2020 are among those indicted. Trump is described as an unindicted co-conspirator.

By Associated Press

Bears

Caleb Williams will be unlike any Bears QB ever — and that's a good thing

Painting his nails helps Caleb Williams relax.

By Patrick Finley

Bears

Rome Odunze: It would be 'awesome' to land with Bears, Caleb Williams in draft

It’s unclear if Odunze, who led FCS receivers with 1,640 receiving yards last season, will be available at No. 9. He’s one of a trio of receivers — alongside Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and LSU’s Malik Nabers — expected to be picked in the top 10.

By Patrick Finley

Bears Stadium

Caleb Williams a fan of the Bears' proposed dome

The USC quarterback, whom the Bears are expected to pick first in the NFL draft here on Thursday night, was clear that he’s prepared to play in cold temperatures in the NFL.

By Patrick Finley

Bears

A chance to wipe out 75 years of Bears quarterback futility with one simple announcement

If presumed No. 1 pick Caleb Williams is as good as advertised, Chicago won’t know what to do with itself.

By Rick Morrissey

Northwestern hazing scandal

Northwestern hazing scandal lawsuits are consolidated

Seven lawsuits filed by former football players will be temporarily consolidated with a lawsuit filed by former head coach Pat Fitzgerald during the pretrial process.

By Kade Heather

“Russian War Prisoner” by Egon Schiele is a watercolor painting with shades of green, blue and red on a pencil drawing.

Art

Art Institute argues it legally owns watercolor: 'No evidence' it was 'ever physically seized or looted by Nazis’

The Chicago museum, responding to a motion filed by New York prosecutors, says claims that Egon Schiele’s ‘Russian War Prisoner’ was looted by Nazis from the original owner’s heirs is ‘factually unsupported and wrong.’

By Emmanuel Camarillo

Bill Skarsgård plays a mute man whose inner voice is provided by H. Jon Benjamin in "Boy Kills World."

Movies and TV

Ultraviolent 'Boy Kills World' hits you over the head with gimmicks

Bill Skarsgård plays a fighter seeking vengeance as film builds to some ridiculous late bombshells.

By Richard Roeper

Crime

Vandals smash Palestine flag window display at Women & Children First bookstore

A window of the Andersonville feminist bookstore displaying a Palestine flag and a sign calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war was shattered early Wednesday. Police are investigating.

By Kade Heather

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (center), Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (left) and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon (right) discuss the budget agreement Wednesday afternoon.

Bears Stadium

No love for new Bears stadium from Illinois' top Democrats

Gov. J.B. Pritzker brushed aside the latest proposal, which includes more than $2 billion in private funds but still requires taxpayer subsidies, saying it “isn’t one that I think the taxpayers are interested in getting engaged in.”

By Tina Sfondeles

MAMMA-MIA-2.jpeg. Christine Sherrill (Donna Sheridan), and the Company of MAMMA MIA! 25th Anniversary Tour
Photo by Joan Marcus

Things To Do

Things to Do in Chicago April 25-May 1: The Mix

‘Mamma Mia!’ at the Nederlander Theatre, the spring One of a Kind Show at the Mart, and the Joffrey Ballet’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” are among some of the entertainment highlights in the week ahead.

By Mary Houlihan - For the Sun-Times

An artist's rendering of a revamped Museum Campus anchored by a new stadium for the Chicago Bears.

Bears Stadium

Bears eye taxpayers for stadium-related infrastructure costs. The bill? $325 million to start, $1.5 billion overall

Two additional infrastructure phases that would “maximize the site” and bring “additional opportunities for publicly owned amenities” could bring taxpayers’ tab to $1.5 billion over about five years, according to the team.

By Mitchell Armentrout

Crime

Orland Park man held in custody in connection with fatal Oak Forest shooting

Omar Zegar, 37, was arrested after the shooting Sunday and was charged with a felony count of aggravated unlawful use of weapon with a revoked firearm owners ID card, Oak Forest police said.

By Mohammad Samra

Crime

2 shot, wounded near United Center on Near West Side

The men, 18 and 20, were in the 1800 block of West Monroe Street about 9:20 p.m. when two people got out of a light-colored sedan and fired shots. They were hospitalized in fair condition.

By Sun-Times Wire

Top draft prospects stand on stage during the first round of the NFL football draft.

NFL

2024 NFL Draft first-round results: Full list of top 32 selections

Here’s where all the year’s top rookies are heading for the upcoming NFL season.

By Sun-Times staff

Bears

Bears GM Ryan Poles corrects errors, fixes WR room with Rome Odunze pick at No. 9

The position has been a headache for Poles, but now he has stacked DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Odunze for incoming quarterback Caleb Williams.

By Jason Lieser

33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - Arrivals

Music

Mike Pinder, Moody Blues co-founder and keyboardist, dies months after bandmate Denny Laine

Pinder, the last original member of the band, sang and played keyboards, as well as organ, piano and harpsichord. He founded the British band in 1964 with Laine, Ray Thomas, Clint Warwick and Graeme Edge.

By USA Today Network

Northwestern University students stand on green grass holding signs and a Palestinian flag at a protest camp on Deering Meadow, with blurred trees in the background.

Israel-Hamas War

Northwestern students set up pro-Palestinian encampment, joining protesters nationwide

Students linked arms and formed a line against police after Northwestern leaders said the tent encampment violated university policy. By 9 p.m. protest leaders were told by university officials that arrests could begin later in the evening.

By Isabel Funk

NFL

J.J. McCarthy, former Nazareth QB, selected by Vikings in 1st round of 2024 NFL Draft

McCarthy, who went to Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park before starring at Michigan, will now play for the Bears’ rivals in Minnesota.

By Patrick Finley

Education

Facing budget criticism, CPS officials say changes are 'milestone' to be celebrated

In a surprise, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s top ally — the Chicago Teachers Union — was also critical of the district’s lack of transparency and failure to prioritize classroom aides in the budget, even though the union has long supported a shift toward needs-based funding.

By Nader Issa

Bears

Bears draft Washington WR Rome Odunze at No. 9 to pair with QB Caleb Williams

They’ll go into Williams’ rookie season with DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Odunze at wide receiver.

By Jason Lieser

Immigration

15 migrant couples to exchange wedding vows at Near North church

A big ceremony will be held Friday evening at Community Park Near North Church for 15 migrant couples. They pooled together money to help pay for the celebration, which will be witnessed by about 200 family and friends of the couples.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

Bears

He's No. 1: Caleb Williams era to get started right away

The Bears tried an ill-fated apprenticeship plan with Mitch Trubisky in 2017 (behind Mike Glennon) and Justin Fields in 2021 (behind Andy Dalton). But the 2024 Bears are set up for Williams as the Week 1 starter.

By Mark Potash