Good afternoon, Chicago.
A British woman who was caught at O’Hare International Airport with nearly 100 pounds of cocaine was sentenced to six years in prison today, resolving the case after a bizarre interlude in which prosecutors accused her of trying to induce Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport her in order to flee the country.
Hall’s case was splashed across her hometown British tabloids in the wake of her arrest in August of last year after she landed in Chicago, where she was connecting between Cancun, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. As she tried to clear customs, officers searched her bag and found 21 bundles of cocaine weighing around 43 kilograms, according to court documents. They had an estimated street value of around $6.2 million.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History
Records show the VA failed to treat a Plainfield father’s common infection. Now he’s paying the price.
Tony Walker’s plight, one of his attorneys said, is reflective of a larger problem as health care for American military veterans has found itself in political crosshairs. Read more here.
More top news stories:
- Photos: Protesters march against Trump administration immigration enforcement threats
- Today in Chicago History: Lady Elgin — the Titanic of the Great Lakes — sinks off the North Shore
Black McDonald’s operators detail history of alleged racial discrimination in lawsuit
For 25 years, Robert Bonner was committed to working under McDonald’s iconic Golden Arches. But by the time the native Floridian had severed ties with the franchise founded in Des Plaines by Ray Kroc in 1955, he burned everything that was related to the restaurant chain — awards, shirts, valuable collectibles — in his backyard. Read more here.
More top business stories:
- Closest residential property to Wrigley Field’s front door sells for $1.15M
- Lake County questions St. John’s annexation of Donald Trump Jr. parcel
Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese misses 2nd half of Sunday’s game with injury after a first-half suspension
The Sky sidelined Reese for the first half of Sunday’s game to serve a brief suspension for “statements detrimental to the team” given Tuesday in an interview with the Tribune. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
- 3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ 3-3 homestand that saw injuries to 3 key players
- Chicago Stars set season-high attendance in a win at Northwestern’s lakefront Martin Stadium, their 2026 home
Review: The Who says a lovely, ragged farewell at the United Center
Growing old itself became the theme, and The Who, with some unintended Spinal Tap panache, leaned into creaks and groans of age with laughs and even genuine tension. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
- Pop-up cafes show Chicago’s matcha obsession is reaching peak while farmers struggle to keep up
- Elizabeth McGovern channels Ava Gardner in ‘Ava: The Secret Conversations’
- Howard Stern returns to SiriusXM radio show after trolling listeners
Supreme Court lifts restrictions on LA immigration stops set after agents swept up US citizens
The conservative majority lifted a restraining order from a judge who found that “roving patrols” were conducting indiscriminate arrests in LA. The order had barred agents from stopping people solely based on their race, language, job or location. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
