Happy Valentine’s Day, Chicago!
Love was in the air at the Milan Cortina Games, where an American athlete got engaged days after winning gold and husband-and-wife U.S. ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates took home the silver medal.
In more Olympic news, the injured skier everyone was rooting for, Lindsey Vonn, crashed Sunday and then underwent surgery for a fractured tibia, ending her time at the Games. But speedskater Jordan Stolz and the U.S. figure skating team won gold, snowboarder Chloe Kim finished with silver in the women’s halfpipe and “Quad God” Ilia Malinin failed to podium after falling twice in the men’s free skate. See all the medalists for Team USA so far, here.
The Seattle Seahawks took home a prize of their own this week: the Lombardi Trophy. Quarterback Sam Darnold and a ferocious Seattle defense led the Seahawks to a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday night. But for many, Bad Bunny’s halftime performance was the real highlight.
Chicago’s football team was also in the news as two Midwestern states, Indiana and Iowa, made new pitches to lure the Bears across state lines. In Illinois, Arlington Heights officials and state legislators rallied Wednesday in an attempt to shore up support for a Mega Projects bill that could get the Bears to stay in-state. Illinois lawmakers also turned their attention to new legislation that would protect utility ratepayers from seeing bill hikes due to data centers.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s administration announced more federal funding cuts this week, revoking $100 million in Illinois transportation funds and another $600 million in federal health care grants for Illinois, California, Colorado and Minnesota. In a victory for the four Democratic-run states, a judge temporarily blocked the grant cuts from taking effect Thursday afternoon.
Also Thursday, the Trump administration announced the end of its immigration operation in Minnesota, which started just two months ago and led to massive protests, thousands of arrests and two fatal shootings at the hands of federal agents. The outcry from Minnesota’s crackdown and the president’s mass deportation campaign more broadly has poured onto Chicago’s streets, with a flurry of student-organized walkouts on Wednesday and Friday.
Relatedly, Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday that his office will not send alleged cases of misconduct by immigration agents to the Cook County state’s attorney following pushback from the top prosecutor’s office. Later that day, investigative materials from Marimar Martínez’s case were made public. The files showed Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum and his colleagues joking via text about Exum shooting Martínez five times.
Plus, political endorsements for the upcoming midterms kept rolling in this week. Gov. JB Pritzker endorsed state Rep. Margaret Croke in her Democratic primary race for Illinois comptroller, and the Tribune reported that Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle didn’t seek the Chicago Teachers Union’s endorsement. Three candidates for the Illinois GOP Senate primary race, meanwhile, debated Wednesday night and all avoided criticizing the president. Here’s what else to know before the March 17 election — and catch up on the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements, here, including in the Illinois House and Senate races.
Oh, and we almost forgot! If you’re still figuring out what to do with your Valentine (or Galentines) this weekend, the Tribune has you covered with a slew of themed events and restaurant specials around Chicago. Whether you’re still able to get a reservation, however, is another thing.
Now for the fun stuff! Think you know who said what this week? Take the Tribune’s Quotes of the Week quiz to find out.
Missed last week? You can find it here or check out our past editions of Quotes of the Week.
