Good morning, Chicago.
The owner of Gene’s Bistro, an offshoot of iconic Chicago steakhouse Gene & Georgetti, is suing Midway concessionaire SSP America for breach of contract, alleging the airport restaurant is being unlawfully squeezed out to make room for a Bally’s sports bar.
Surprisingly, the restaurant remains open at the airport seven months after SSP America formally terminated a 20-year licensing agreement in October, giving Gene & Georgetti a 90-day notice of closure.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, is seeking more than $50,000 in damages and a different kind of closure: ending the continued use of the family-owned restaurant’s trademarked brand and recipes in what has been an underperforming venue panned on social media.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Robert Channick.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including the story of a South Side woman that underwent a rare quadruple organ transplant, how to attend a watch party for the Obama Center museum’s grand opening and 10 movies for this summer.
Editor’s note: A story included in Friday’s May 15th edition of Daywatch included a Post-Tribune story reporting on charges leveled against 22 defendants for allegedly being involved in a Northwest Indiana gambling ring. Although the headline of the story correctly reported that all defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, the story included one misstatement reporting that all had pled guilty to the charges. We hereby correct and retract the incorrect statement and apologize for our mistake.
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Senate advances bill aimed at ending Iran war as Sen. Bill Cassidy, after primary loss, flips to support it
The Senate advanced legislation yesterday that seeks to force President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Iran war, as a growing number of Republicans defied the president’s direction on a conflict that has spanned well over two months.
South Side woman undergoes rare quadruple organ transplant at University of Chicago Medicine
In January, University of Chicago Medicine doctors performed a rare quadruple organ transplant on Jasmine Jones. Over the course of 36 hours, they gave Jones a new right lung, left lung, kidney and liver, all from one deceased donor.
The procedure was the first known one of its kind in Illinois, and one of six such transplants that have been performed across the country, according to UChicago Medicine, citing information from the United Network for Organ Sharing.
Aldermen advance Chicago voting access ordinance honoring Rev. Jesse Jackson
After abandoning the centerpiece idea in his voting legislation honoring the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Mayor Brandon Johnson moved ahead yesterday on a plan to celebrate the late civil rights icon with toned-down measures.
Judge orders mother of CPS student to be released from ICE custody
A federal judge ruled yesterday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement must release the mother of a Chicago Public Schools student after she was arrested with her son at a routine check-in earlier this year.
Chicago firm sues Live Nation, alleges security issues led to sexual assault at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Chicago law firm Wallace Miller filed a lawsuit yesterday against Live Nation Entertainment and its venue Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park alleging the venue had inadequate security measures that led to the sexual assault of a minor at a Wiz Khalifa and Sean Paul concert in July 2025.
The lawsuit also claims the venue failed to implement safety policies for minors, remove predatory adults, prevent underage drinking and monitor restricted areas of the venue.
Obama Center offers nearby watch party on the Midway for museum’s June 18 grand opening
The Obama Foundation is hosting a free watch party along the Midway Plaisance to celebrate the opening of the Obama Presidential Center on June 18.
The center’s official grand opening ceremony, scheduled for 11 a.m., is invite-only with “performances by global icons and engaging storytelling about the Foundation’s work to inspire, empower and connect people to make change in their own communities,” according to a release from the foundation.
Nick Martinelli’s motivation, Kylan Boswell’s role and looming decisions: Big Ten news ahead of NBA draft
Nick Martinelli played in 120 games with 77 starts over four seasons at Northwestern, so there’s plenty of film out there to show NBA teams what he could bring them.
But the two-time Big Ten scoring leader, known for his unorthodox midrange game, believed he still had more to show during games at the NBA draft combine last week at Wintrust Arena. Martinelli had 18 points, three rebounds and two assists in one game Wednesday and 13 points, five rebounds and a block in the second game Thursday as he tried to boost his draft stock.
Women’s flag football on track to gain NCAA championship status before sport makes its Olympic debut
Women’s flag football is on track to gain NCAA championship status. If all goes according to plan, a title game may even take place right before the sport makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games.
The NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact voted to recommend that Divisions I, II and III add a national collegiate flag football championship as soon as the spring of 2028.
10 movies for summer 2026: Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi and a slew of comedies
The big screen extravaganza this summer is Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” which already has classicists and pseudo-classicists afroth.
Despite Hollywood’s predisposition for remakes, sequels and the like — even “The Odyssey” is IP — there are plenty of original stories on tap this summer. Especially comedies. Who couldn’t use a decent comedy right about now? With that in mind, here’s a look at what’s on tap in the coming months.
The next-generation of canned wine is here
You might think that serious wine drinkers would never drink wine from a can. Canned wines, after all, are for beaches and baseball games, not for people with strong opinions about pinot noir or organic grape growing, right?
Despite a global slump in wine sales, canned wines and other ready-to-drink beverages have grown roughly 14% annually in the U.S. since 2019. The format has never been more popular, and a new generation of wines-in-can is giving skeptics something harder to dismiss — wines with real identity and origin.
