Good morning, Chicago.
Damaging storms swept through the Midwest, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers and causing more than a thousand flight delays or cancellations at Chicago airports.
Shortly before 7:30 p.m., ComEd reported more than 250,000 customers were without power. “Right now, more than 100 crews are working around the clock to safely and efficiently restore service after this unique storm brought widespread damage and challenging conditions across our service area, including downed power lines, broken poles, and fallen trees and large limbs impacting equipment,” ComEd said in a post on X.
O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport temporarily put all flights on hold in the evening due to thunderstorms. By yesterday evening, more than 1,000 flights going into and out of Chicago had been delayed or canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website. Read the full story here.
And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including a burning cross found in Grant Park, the New York Knicks pulling off record rally from 29 points down for 107-106 win and 3-1 lead and an interview with the real Ferris Bueller.
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House Republicans press CPS chief over DEI, transgender student policies
Congressional lawmakers grilled Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King in an hourslong hearing yesterday, pressing her and two other superintendents on policies supporting transgender students and other diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
More education coverage:
Judge in fraud case orders evidentiary hearing into grand jury issues as ‘Broadview Six’ fallout intensifies
In the latest “Broadview Six” fallout, a federal judge overseeing a high-profile COVID-19 testing fraud case has ordered what would be a bombshell evidentiary hearing into potential misconduct by the U.S. attorney’s office — with no witness apparently off limits.
If it goes forward, the hearing scheduled for June 17 could force many top-line officials in the U.S. attorney’s office — including U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros and his top deputies — to testify under oath about what they knew about the grand jury issues and why attempts appeared to have been made to cover them up.
More “Broadview Six” coverage:
- ‘I thought it was a crock of (expletive)’: ‘Broadview Six’ grand jury transcripts released showing alleged misconduct by prosecutors
- Read the transcripts
- What to know about the controversial ‘Broadview Six’ case — and its collapse in court
Burning cross found in Grant Park; South Side church offering $10K reward for information
A burning cross seen in Chicago’s Grant Park Tuesday afternoon sparked outrage among some locals, who recognized the historic symbol of hate and racism bluntly placed in a public, high-traffic space.
Library and school leaders let Cook County officials have it over costly property tax delays
Suburban library and school district officials laid into Cook County leaders yesterday over the fact last year’s late property tax bills cost them millions of dollars, with another lengthy delay looming this year.
NBA Finals: New York Knicks pull off record rally from 29 points down for 107-106 win and 3-1 lead
The New York Knicks made a record comeback from 29 points down and moved to the brink of their first championship since 1973 by beating the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 last night.
Chicago White Sox move into 1st place with 2-1 win — their 2nd straight victory vs. MLB-best Atlanta Braves
Davis Martin talked about the first-place Chicago White Sox.
That’s right, the first-place White Sox. The team that lost 100-plus games the last three years is atop the American League Central this late in the season for the first time since 2021.
“Being on the team in ’24 and ’25, you know how hard it is to come to the park with some of those teams,” the right-handed starter said. “But now, every time you come through the parking lot and know that you have a chance to win the game, that really just fires you up.
“It makes all the days worth it. It makes the long road trips worth it. We have a bunch of entertainers and we a bunch of guys who make each other laugh. You are super excited to come to the yard every day.”
More from the game:
Chicago Cubs fall back to .500 for 1st time since April 15 with 3-2 walk-off loss to MLB-worst Colorado Rockies
The Chicago Cubs dugout seemed stunned watching the scene.
The Colorado Rockies mobbed pinch hitter Sterlin Thompson near first base to celebrate handing the Cubs a 3-2 walk-off loss in the bottom of the ninth inning yesterday. Cubs players slowly walked off the field while some on the bench stayed in place staring out onto the field. Even some coaches and support staff hung around briefly.
Perhaps the reality of the Cubs’ situation sunk in.
The loss dropped the Cubs to .500, a place they hadn’t been in nearly two months when they were two wins into their first 10-game winning streak on April 15. They secured their 10th consecutive series loss. The worst team in baseball is on the verge of sweeping them.
Dressed as bananas and dinosaurs, these costume-clad Chicagoans have gone viral for chasing CTA trains
It’s been a little over two months since 25-year-old Charlie Clerk perfected his social media bit: summoning swarms of costume-clad Chicagoans to run absurd lengths from outside CTA stations toward arriving “L” trains. This spring, the demand for his comedic content skyrocketed, drawing nearly 350,000 followers and video view counts in the millions on his Instagram account, @sidequesttre.
Known by viewers and fellow video participants as “Tre,” Clerk said he works tirelessly to choreograph the perfect train chases. So far, his most viral video had more that 70 million views and showed him — dressed as the Grinch and accompanied by his trademark orange dinosaur — chasing down a train at the Orange Line’s Halsted station.
Column: For ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’s’ 40th anniversary, we found the real Ferris Bueller
Director John Hughes never said flatly that Ed McNally was the basis for the Ferris Bueller character, but McNally believes he was at least a major component in a thinly-veiled composite, and frankly, the evidence is compelling. McNally and Hughes grew up on the same street and attended Glenbrook North High School together. McNally’s best friend back then was a kid named A.C. Buehler, though it was McNally who had such a talent for skipping class that Glenbrook’s principal launched a crusade to catch him. In the film, Ferris skips nine days of school. McNally skipped 27 days. On one of those days off, he “borrowed” his father’s prized possession — a purple Cadillac — and put 113 miles on it, then, as the fictional Ferris does with a red Ferrari, McNally lifted the car onto jacks and ran it backwards, hoping to reverse the odometer.
So, how is Ferris Bueller… er, uh, Ed McNally, 40 years later?
What to do in Chicago: Lupe Fiasco, Red Bull on a bike and a new pinball museum
Here are our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend.
