South Loop

Bears

Bears put lakefront stadium cards on the table with state agency key to funding deal

Frank Bilecki, executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, said the Bears are eyeing the same portion of the hotel tax the White Sox hope to use to fund a new stadium in the South Loop.

By Fran Spielman

White Sox

White Sox fans keep Opening Day traditions alive: 'Something that'll last me a lifetime'

Fans, some in costume, tailgate in the parking lots of Guaranteed Rate Field hours before the White Sox and Detroit Tigers kick off the 2024 seasons Thursday afternoon. Some weigh in on the proposed South Loop stadium.

By Mohammad Samra

A rendering of the interior of a proposed new stadium for the White Sox at The 78 in the South Loop.

City Hall

Ask voters about taxpayer subsidies for Bears, Sox stadiums, former Gov. Quinn says

Proposed referendum on November ballot could face opposition from Mayor Brandon Johnson, but he “should want what the people of Chicago want,” Pat Quinn said.

By Fran Spielman

Immigration

Chicago slowly starts evicting migrants from shelters

Dozens of adults were expected to be evicted Sunday, amid an outbreak of measles, but just three were. They will be able to reapply for shelter at the city’s designated ‘landing zone.’

By Michael Loria

A partly build small wooden structure near a strip of stores is surrounded by clothing, blankets, a bicycle wheel and other items.

News

City shuts down work on wooden 'tiny house' structure at Dan Ryan homeless encampment

The Orange Tent Project worked with architecture students to design a small, secure wooden structure they believed wouldn’t require permits. Last week, days after construction began, the city issued a work stoppage order.

By Sophie Sherry

Religion

Church of Scientology expands in Chicago

The Printers Row location — which is next to a Columbia College dorm — had a grand opening last weekend, with help from Cook County state’s attorney candidate Bob Fioretti.

By Mariah Rush and Robert Herguth

A group holds blue and white ballons and a large photo of 17-year-old Jeremy Smith during an outdoor vigil.

Crime

Teen killed in South Loop teen takeover remembered as ‘genuine’ and ‘no person to start fights’

Dozens gathered Wednesday to release balloons in remembrance of Jeremy Smith, 17, who was fatally shot Saturday night in Chicago.

By Kade Heather

Aerial view of Soldier Field, Burnham Harbor and the lakefront.

City Hall

Bears should think big on lakefront domed stadium, state lawmaker says

State Rep. Kam Buckner, whose district includes Soldier Field, wants to put public transit in an underutilized busway to make the lakefront more accessible and surround the new stadium with bars, restaurants and a hotel.

By Fran Spielman

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

Crime

Teen suspect in fatal South Loop shooting released without charges

The 14-year-old boy was identified by a witness as the person who fired shots during a teen gathering Saturday, police said.

By Mary Norkol

Crime

Person in custody in South Loop shooting that killed teen, wounded another

A gathering of young people that had been planned in advance through social media turned violent, a pastor said. Police took nine other teens into custody, charging them with misdemeanors.

By Matthew Hendrickson and Emmanuel Camarillo

Aerial view of New Comiskey Park rising next to the original Comiskey Park in 1990.

City Hall

Reinsdorf's 'save-the-Sox-for-Chicago' argument has a familiar ring

But the argument is less compelling and believable now than it was in the late 1980s, when St. Petersburg, Florida, was already building a stadium for the team.

By Fran Spielman

City Hall

Johnson cracks door open to subsidizing White Sox stadium in South Loop

One day after Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf traveled to Springfield seeking $1 billion in state funding, Johnson was considerably more receptive to the idea of using tax revenue for new stadiums than state officials have been.

By Fran Spielman

Fran Spielman Show

Top lawmaker says Sox must say how they hope to finance South Loop ballpark

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, briefed on the Related Midwest plan, told the Sun-Times “pretty pictures” building public interest are not enough. “If they’re trying to do something in this legislative session, they need to start educating and informing people relatively soon.”

By Fran Spielman

White Sox

Here’s what a new White Sox ballpark in the South Loop could look like

New details have emerged of the plan for a new South Loop stadium, as well as what the team’s current Bridgeport home, Guaranteed Rate Field, would look like if converted to a soccer stadium.

By Fran Spielman

The 78, an undeveloped parcel of land at Clark Street and Roosevelt Road, just south of downtown Chicago.

White Sox

South Loop would get more than a new White Sox stadium — think residences, a hotel, restaurants and more

Ald. Nicole Lee’s 11th Ward includes Bridgeport, where the Sox have played for more than a century. But after she was briefed Friday night, she said the plans for The 78 looked too good to pass up, though “it breaks my heart to think that the team could go anywhere but stay on 35th Street.”

By Fran Spielman and David Roeder

Fort Campbell, home of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and other units. The installation straddles the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee.

Chicago gangs

Soldier who sold guns used by Chicago gang members in 2 mass shootings pleads guilty

Guns trafficked from Tennessee in late 2021 and early 2022 by Brandon Miller and his Army crew were linked to least eight killings, authorities say.

By Frank Main

Brian Boonstra wears a yellow plaid winter jacket as he asks his reddish curly-haired dog to turn around while they walk through snow at Cotton Tail Park on Jan. 18, 2024.

White Sox

South Loop mostly optimistic about prospect of White Sox moving in

Some balk at the idea of introducing more traffic and congestion; others are thrilled the long-empty lot known as The 78 could be filled to breathe new life into the neighborhood.

By David Struett and Mohammad Samra

White Sox

White Sox in ‘serious’ talks to build stadium in South Loop’s ‘The 78’

The team is considering building a stadium at the Clark Street-Roosevelt Road site, sources say. Mayor Brandon Johnson and Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf would say only, “We met to discuss the historic partnership between the team and Chicago and the team’s ideas for remaining competitive in Chicago in perpetuity.”

By Fran Spielman, Tim Novak, and 1 more

Chicago police work the scene where a man was shot while riding on a Red Line train near 47th Street Red Line station, Tuesday, June 21, 2022.

Crime

Woman beaten, robbed on Red Line train dies

Vivian Morgan, 61, found unresponsive on a train in the Loop Jan. 4, died at Stroger Hospital on Saturday morning.

By Sun-Times Wire

Los robos ocurrieron entre las 7:20 y las 8:20 a.m. el jueves, según la policía. | Archivos Sun-Times

Crime

Thieves take ATM after crashing into South Loop currency exchange

The crash-and-grab theft happened as film crews for the TV show “Chicago Fire” were setting up for a scene at a nearby restaurant.

By Sun-Times Wire