Good afternoon, Chicago.
The Justice Department yesterday joined a lawsuit challenging a city program offering reparations for civil rights violations to Black residents in Evanston, arguing that the aid program amounted to racial discrimination.
The Justice Department filed a motion to join a lawsuit, filed by the conservative activist group Judicial Watch, representing descendants of people who had lived in Evanston but could not apply for the program because they were not Black. The suit argues that the racial requirement is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment — a statute aimed at making formerly enslaved Black people equal citizens of the United States.
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
At the Obama Presidential Center, political button collectors find a new home for their obsession
Visitors to the Obama center, which is opening this week in Chicago, will find buttons scattered throughout the exhibits, including a set of four in a display about Mayor Harold Washington, Chicago’s first Black mayor. Read more here.
More top news stories:
- Chicago weather: Flood watch issued ahead of serious storms expected today
- Bodycam from fatal Mundelein police shooting of Mary Alice Love released
Today in Chicago History: Old Chicago — first indoor amusement park/mall in the US — opens in Bolingbrook
Turn-of-the-century-themed Old Chicago amusement park/shopping center — the first enclosed one in the United States — opened in Bolingbrook on this day in 1975. Read more here.
More top business stories:
- Chicago philanthropists John and Kathy Schreiber donate $35 million to Northwestern Medicine
- Michigan flag makers prep Old Glory for America’s 250th
Chicago Cubs starter Edward Cabrera exits early with a right hand cramp — and offensive woes persist
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 14th home run of the season was arguably the lone highlight in the Cubs’ 5-2 loss to the Rockies. The Cubs (38-36) again squandered opportunities, finishing 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine on base. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
- Chicago White Sox open series with a clunker in a 12-2 loss to the New York Yankees
- Column: Chicago White Sox get in a New York state of mind at Yankee Stadium
Column: A Chicago tattoo artist helps women erase their past
Tattoo artist Ben Wahhh has founded Ink Relief, a charity that supports survivors of domestic violence and other painful pasts by providing cover-up tattoos. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
- Riot Fest posts the lineup of music acts by day for 2026
- Review: At Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago vampires seduce a city
Trump administration uses hydrogen peroxide and tiny bubbles against algae in Reflecting Pool
President Donald Trump’s remodeled Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with its “American flag blue” bottom has turned chartreuse from an algal bloom that park service workers struggled to address yesterday just days after its more than $14 million renovation. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
