Good morning, Chicago.
Federal prosecutors indicted 22 people last week in a wide-ranging gambling and extortion ring operating out of Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville and Paragon in Hobart.
Here’s what to know about Operation Porterhouse Parlay, including the key players.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including what Mayor Brandon Johnson said in Springfield, how the new top basketball executive for the Bulls is embracing change and why mahjong is having a moment in Chicago.
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Man charged in DC shooting near Washington Monument was walking near JD Vance’s motorcade, agent says
A man accused of firing a gun at law enforcement officers near the Washington Monument this week was walking along the path of Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade before the shooting and made a vulgar remark about the White House after the confrontation, according to a court filing.
Mayor Brandon Johnson in Springfield pushes against Bears suburban stadium and for funding boost for Chicago
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson arrived at the state Capitol yesterday with an ambitious agenda and three weeks before the General Assembly’s scheduled adjournment as he pressed lawmakers on a sweeping set of priorities — from pushing the state to increase a critical source of municipal revenue to making a last-ditch effort to keep the Chicago Bears from leaving the city.
Previous efforts by Johnson to get the support he seeks from Springfield have gotten middling results at best. But on his third visit as mayor to the state capital, Johnson met with an array of legislative leaders, including Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside and members of the Black Caucus and Asian American caucuses, as he also attended a Latino Unity Day event on the southern end of town.
- Poll finds Illinois residents think funding for a new Bears stadium should be limited
- What to know about the Chicago Bears’ possible move from Soldier Field
After botched raid, Anjanette Young a step closer to serving on police oversight board
Anjanette Young, a leading Chicago police reform activist since cops stormed her home in a botched raid, could soon have a key role overseeing the Chicago Police Department.
Aldermen yesterday advanced Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointment of Young to the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.
Samantha Steele and attorney say her drunk driving prosecution was ‘over the top’
Fresh off her acquittal on charges of drunk driving, Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele is crying foul over treatment by the media, critics and the state’s attorney’s office since she crashed a car on Chicago’s North Side in November 2024.
Following a two-day bench trial, Cook County Judge Donald Suriano on Tuesday found Steele not guilty, saying prosecutors had not met the burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was under the influence of alcohol. Steele and her attorney said the extent of the prosecution — a two-day trial with multiple witnesses — was uncommon.
‘Would it matter to you if I told you I’m Pope Leo?’ What happened when he called customer service.
Even while leading more than 1 billion Catholics around the world and living in gilded splendor amid priceless works of art, popes can sometimes be entangled in the mundane, both accidentally and with purpose.
- One year of Chicago native Pope Leo XIV: Championing migrants, uplifting his hometown — and challenging Donald Trump
- Today in History: Cardinals pick Pope Francis’s successor
Matthew Boyd to undergo surgery for torn meniscus, another blow to injury-riddled Chicago Cubs pitching staff
The Cubs ran into another obstacle in their injury-plagued season yesterday, placing Matthew Boyd on the 15-day injured list with a torn meniscus in his left knee.
- Cubs continue to defy the odds and take 3rd straight walk-off win over the Cincinnati Reds
- Photos: Chicago Cubs 7, Cincinnati Reds 6 (10)
Bryson Graham embraces change and is eager to dig in on Chicago Bulls rebuild: ‘We’re going to get out the mud’
Bryson Graham isn’t afraid to admit that this is a dream come true.
When the new top basketball executive for the Chicago Bulls received the job offer over the phone from President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf, Graham broke down in tears.
It wasn’t out of surprise. Graham couldn’t be surprised by a moment he worked this hard and planned this long to reach. But as a kid who grew up idolizing Michael Jordan in the ’90s, Graham still felt this moment meant something more — to himself, to his family and to basketball as a whole.
- Column: Bulls rebuild won’t be easy, but Bryson Graham’s openness and humility are signs of a new era
- Photos: Bulls introduce Bryson Graham as VP of basketball operations
Review: In ‘Eelpout!’ by Shattered Globe, ice fishing buddies find they have a lot on the line
An eelpout is not a Minnesota expression of surprise but a nocturnal, eel-like creature, often the quarry of ice-fishers. Some people call them the “poor man’s lobster.”
In Paul W. Kruse’s play “Eelpout!,” they are also a kind of confessor, writes Chris Jones.
Column: Mad for mahjong — the game from China is having its moment in Chicago
The game of mahjong, born not as long ago as you might think — if you think of mahjong at all — is having a lively time across the Chicago area and elsewhere in this game-crazy country, writes Rick Kogan. Its popularity may not yet rival that of pickleball or online gambling but just look around and you’ll see it being played in libraries and senior living facilities, in some of the hippest bars and restaurants… all over.
DoorDash plans to spend more than $50 million on gas price relief for its drivers this spring
DoorDash said it expects to spend more than $50 million in the second quarter on gas price relief for its delivery drivers.
The San Francisco-based company said in March that it would offer extra compensation to U.S. and Canadian drivers as part of a temporary program to offset a sharp increase in gas prices due to the Iran war.
