Chicago

Plymouth Restaurant, rooftop bar closing after 20 years downtown; rooftop to reopen as Mexican cantina

The owner hopes the rebrand will appeal to more customers after the spot suffered losses in recent years. The restaurant downstairs, for now, will be used for private events and catering.

By Jessica Ma

Entertainment and Culture

Heading to C2E2 this weekend? Have a game plan ready to navigate its vast offerings

The massive pop culture convention runs through Sunday at McCormick Place.

By Stefano Esposito

Environment

Here's how some Chicagoans are taking an eco-friendly approach to funerals

About 60% of people are interested in exploring green funeral options, more than ever before.

By David Struett

Officer Luis Huesca wears a light blue police uniform as he poses for a portrait in front of an American flag.

Crime

Chicago police officer is shot to death as his car is taken in Gage Park

Officer Luis Huesca, 30, was going home from work about 3 a.m. in the 3100 block of West 56th Street when a ShotSpotter alert went off, police Supt. Larry Snelling said. No one has been arrested.

By Mohammad Samra, Tom Schuba, and 1 more

Crime

Woman found fatally stabbed in Ashburn home

The 20-year-old was found Saturday in a bedroom of a home in the 7700 block of South Trumbull Avenue, police said.

By Sun-Times Wire

Crime

1 killed, 2 hurt in Dan Ryan Expressway shooting

State troopers responded late Friday to the northbound lanes of Interstate 94 at Canalport Avenue for a report of shots fired, Illinois state police said.

By Sun-Times Wire

Food and Restaurants

Two new Filipino eateries open in Chicago, adding to wave of restaurants offering fun spins on ube and longanisa

Being their own boss is key for these business owners, but also being there for their kids is just as important.

By Dorothy Hernandez

Environment

Hundreds protest in Global Climate Strike, demand that U.S. declare a climate emergency

Led by Fridays For Future, hundreds of environmental activists took to the streets to urge President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency and call for environmental investments, according to youth speakers.

By Sun-Times staff

Crime

Woman killed, man injured in West Garfield Park

The two were driving in an alley just before 5 p.m. when several people started shooting from two cars, police said.

By Sun-Times Wire

A voter feeds her ballot into a voting machine on Election Day at Isabelle C. O’Keeffe School in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, April 4.

Elections

Ballot bypass? Illinois sees lowest presidential primary voter turnout in decades

The statewide voter turnout of 19.07% is the lowest for a presidential primary election since at least 1960, according to Illinois State Board of Elections figures.

By Sun-Times staff

Israel-Hamas War

Chicagoans with ties to Middle East brace for consequences after Iran's missile strike on Israel

“There’s all kinds of dangers that can happen,” said Itai Segre, a teacher who lives in Roscoe Village with family in Jerusalem.

By Mary Norkol

Crime

Woman accused of killing, dismembering landlord takes stand in defense

Sandra Kolalou, 37, denied killing and then cutting up Frances Walker in 2022 at the Northwest Side home they shared.

By Matthew Hendrickson

Back of the Yards

A party, a cake — and then gunfire: Toddler and 7-year-old brother remain hospitalized after Back of Yards mass shooting

Aaron Mendez, 22 months old, suffered kidney damage and may have to have a kidney removed. His older brother, Isaiah, has been sedated since undergoing surgery. “I’m devastated to think I could have lost both of my kids that night,” their mother told the Sun-Times.

By David Struett and Kaitlin Washburn

City Hall

Mayor Brandon Johnson's $1.25B borrowing plan sails through City Council

With interest, the plan could cost the city $2.4 billion over 37 years, officials have said. Johnson’s team says that money will be more than recouped by property tax revenue flowing back to the city’s coffers from expiring TIF districts.

By Mitchell Armentrout

Crime

Kim Foxx won't take sides on request by man facing rape trial for 'certificate of innocence' in murder case

William Dukes Jr. was acquitted of the 1993 killings of a Cicero woman and her granddaughter after a second trial in 2019. In 2022, he was arrested in an unrelated sexual assault case in Chicago.

By Frank Main and Matthew Hendrickson

Jim Gwinn, who has worked at Conn-Selmer for 11 years, works on a trombone at the factory in Elkhart, Indiana Wednesday, March 27, 2024. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Picture Chicago: 18 must-see Sun-Times photos from this week in news

By Sun-Times staff

Crime

Man stabbed to death in Pilsen

The man was found with stab wounds around 4:15 a.m., police said.

By Sun-Times Wire

The Rev. Mark Santo, shown at St. Philip High School in Chicago in the 1960s.

The Watchdogs

Catholic priest accused of sex abuse served in 9 church jurisdictions, including Chicago. So why is he on just one abuser list?

The Catholic church’s transparency on accusations of sexual abuse by clergy members, including the Rev. Mark Santo, remains inconsistent and lacking across the United States, clouding the extent of the crisis more than 20 years after it exploded into view.

By Robert Herguth

Miracle Boyd, wearing a pink shirt and green headband, gives public comment while standing at a lectern microphone during a Chicago Police Board meeting at CPD Headquarters on April 18, 2024.

Dexter Reed Shooting

Protesters demand firing of top cop and officers who fatally shot Dexter Reed

At a rally at police headquarters, community members called for greater transparency of the investigation, a halt to the use of tactical units and an end to pretextual traffic stops.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

A woman shields herself from the rain as she crosses North Wabash Avenue near East Washington Street, in The Loop, as rain falls across the Chicagoland area, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.

News

Showers, winds move through Chicago Thursday; temperatures to cool down through the rest of the week

Rain started moving through the area and is expected to continue into Friday, according to meteorologist Zachary Wack with the National Weather Service.

By Sun-Times Wire

Health

Measles case count reaches 63 in Chicago, but pace of new cases is subsiding

Another exposure location was reported at the Sam’s Club at 9400 S. Western Ave. in Evergreen Park, Cook County health officials said Thursday.

By Kade Heather

Green cherry trees with no pink blossoms are seen against a blue sky in Jackson Park.

News

Cherry blossom trees in Chicago skip blooming for second year in a row

The Chicago Park District said April’s cold and wet weather has kept the buds of 190 cherry blossom trees at Jackson Park from fully opening.

By Cindy Hernandez

Health

Howard Brown, union reach tentative agreement after 17 months of negotiations

The contract would include raises across the union body — including annual wage increases — a new minimum wage of $19.23, insurance for part-time employees, two weeks of paid leave for gender-affirming care, a union rights clause and protections against layoffs, among other things.

By Violet Miller

Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III points at Rev. Jesse Jackson as both sit and eat at a red cloth covered table at the Rainbow PUSH Convention, with a packed crowd seen behind them.

Politics

Rainbow PUSH leader’s quick exit underscores challenge of following Rev. Jackson: ‘It’s the most difficult job in Black America’

It’s unclear why the Rev. Frederick Haynes III, a Texas megachurch pastor, suddenly resigned Tuesday as president of the South Side social justice organization. But longtime observers say an out-of-towner was doomed from the start.

By Mitchell Armentrout

News

Top dogs: Here are Chicago's most popular breeds

The most common dog breed in Chicago — making up about 14% of all registered dogs — is a mixed-breed dog, followed by pit bulls, Labrador retrievers and German shepherds.

By Amy Qin and Matt Kiefer

Marijuana

4/20 is Saturday: What you need to know for weed's 'high' holiday

Read on to find out about how 4/20 came about, some frequently asked questions about Delta-8 weed alternative and a weed syndrome that causes vomiting, and some events that fall on the high holiday.

By David Struett

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates

City Hall

Chicago Teachers Union demanding 9% annual raises, won't rule out a strike

Having former CTU organizer Brandon Johnson in the mayor’s office won’t keep the union from walking out if needed, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates told the Sun-Times, adding that, “We’re a labor union that understands the power of solidarity and the power of work stoppage.”

By Fran Spielman

Politics

Watchdog group asks feds to probe Trump over $50 million 'nonexistent' loan to his Chicago company

Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in a letter to the FBI and Justice Department that it’s possible the loan, connected to the development of the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, may be “nonexistent.”

By Lynn Sweet

Paradegoers march in the 52nd annual Pride Parade on the North Side, Sunday, June 25, 2023.

LGBTQIA+

Pride Parade will now allow participants from schools, organizers say

A teacher says Nettelhorst School will help “coordinate” a group of schools into one entry after six schools had been denied participation when organizers scaled back the popular parade.

By Mariah Rush

The Recording Academy's 2024 Special Merit Awards Ceremony

Music

The Clark Sisters, Chandler Moore among Chicago Gospel Music festival lineup

The event on June 1 at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park kicks off the 20th anniversary festival season at the lakefront venue.

By Miriam Di Nunzio

Politics

Cook County approves the sending of up to $70 million to Chicago to feed migrants

Commissioners widely supported sending cash to the city, but raised concerns about making sure the city uses the money for its intended use.

By Kristen Schorsch | WBEZ Chicago

The Shedd Aquarium will undergo a $500 million transformation beginning this summer and culminating with the Shedd’s 100th anniversary in 2030.

Work

Shedd Aquarium workers form union

In an open letter, staff cited work-life imbalance, financial struggles and lack of communication from management, among other grievances, as reasons for unionizing.

By Amy Yee