Good morning, Chicago.
As a heat dome builds in the Plains and “dangerous” record highs become a possibility for parts of the country, the Chicago area is forecast to experience at least three days of 90-degree weather this week, tomorrow through Thursday.
The area will get little overnight relief as temperatures remain in the mid to upper 70s. No rain, mostly sunny skies and light winds will contribute to the uncomfortably warm weather.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Adriana Pérez.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: how law enforcement is taking a different tack to fight prostitution in Chicago, why immigration arrests near county courthouses still persist and takeaways from the 2026 MLB draft for the Cubs and the White Sox.
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Senate returns to Washington after Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death with uncertain agenda
Senate Republicans will return to Washington today with an uncertain agenda after the sudden death of prominent Republican Lindsey Graham, a committee chairman and key player who served as a crucial ally with President Donald Trump.
Graham, 71, died Saturday evening after a tear in his aorta, according to a statement from his office yesterday. The shocking news came after another prominent Republican senator, former Republican leader Mitch McConnell, has been hospitalized for almost a month. McConnell broke a weekslong silence about his health yesterday evening, saying that he was still recovering after suffering from pneumonia and falling in his home.
- Medical examiner releases preliminary findings in death of Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Sen. Mitch McConnell says a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking weeks of silence about health condition
Archdiocese: St. Sabina’s Father Michael Pfleger removed amid sexual abuse investigation
The Rev. Michael Pfleger has been removed from his ministry at St. Sabina Church in Auburn Gresham, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago, as it investigates an accusation of sexual abuse of a minor from more than 30 years ago.
Pfleger was previously accused of sexual abuse by three men in 2021 and one man in 2022. He vehemently denied the allegations and, after independent investigations, the Archdiocese of Chicago cleared him of wrongdoing.
Law enforcement takes different tack to fight prostitution in Chicago
Lately, local law enforcement agencies have shifted their focus to prioritize the well-being of sex workers and sex trafficking victims. But a person’s access to the resources and assistance to get out of the sex trade can depend on which law enforcement agency is involved and a person’s willingness to cooperate, the Tribune has found.
US Rep. Chuy García draws criticism as opponents of his chosen successor face ballot challenges
As Manny Diaz testified in a fluorescent-lit basement hearing room, he returned time and again to a single response: “I do not recall.”
Pushing to kick a progressive independent Latina off this autumn’s 4th Congressional District election ballot late last month, he said he couldn’t recall if he had ever before challenged a candidate’s signatures. He said he didn’t know if he had ever worked outside regular business hours in his busy job as a political staffer.
Most strikingly, Diaz paused when asked whom he worked for, responding only when the attorney representing him in the hearing gave him the go-ahead.
Immigration arrests near county courthouses still persist, despite state law
In December, Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law a ban on federal agents making certain arrests near courthouses and easing a path for individuals to sue if they think their rights were violated during civil immigration arrests. The Court Access, Safety and Participation Act, which is being challenged by the Trump administration, followed an order issued by Cook County’s chief judge at the time, Tim Evans, similarly barring civil immigration enforcement around county courthouses.
Despite the measures, though, the presence of immigration agents around Cook County courthouses is stubbornly persistent, according to a Tribune review of a tracker maintained by the Cook County public defender’s office.
‘Grief is a beast’: Interventional care, palliative care. It’s time to consider bereavement care.
The tattoo on Amari Mead’s inner left arm demands attention. Mead calls it her Butterfly Garden.
The artwork includes the footprints of Kaiden Amir Tappler, imprinted with the meaning of his name, “Warrior Prince” surrounded by butterflies and roses. The tattoo has yet to be finished, but the words ‘this too shall pass, because nothing lasts forever’ and a clock face without hands fill out the arm below the elbow. The clock doesn’t have hands, because as Mead says, “grief has no time limit.”
Scientists team up in ‘unparalleled’ effort to protect Illinois’ endangered turtles from increasing threats
This June, more than 20 people, mostly veterinarians, participated in a yearly “Blanding’s Bowl” — a friendly competition that splits scientists from multiple institutions, including the Cook and Lake County forest preserves, into several teams to tend to native species such as the painted turtle, the common snapping turtle and the event namesake, the state-endangered Blanding’s turtle, of which fewer than 500 are left in Illinois.
3 Chicago White Sox draft takeaways, including a ‘dream come true’ for Nazareth’s Landon Thome
Pitching was a priority for the Chicago White Sox during the second day of the MLB draft.
The Sox selected eight pitchers yesterday, which featured rounds 5-20.
- White Sox’s 2026 draft: See full list of selections
- Resurgent White Sox sweep the Athletics, an exclamation point on a strong first half of the season
3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ 2026 draft: Lots of pitching and heavy investment on college players
The Cubs set the tone of their 2026 draft with their first pick.
Their investment in University of Mississippi right-hander Cade Townsend with the No. 23 pick paved the way for the Cubs to hone in on pitching and scour the college ranks for the best fits. The Cubs finished with 16 pitchers — 14 right-handers and two left-handers — two infielders, two catchers and one outfielder.
- 2026 MLB draft: Meet the players with local connections who were selected — including 2 in the top 10
- Column: Alex Bregman ends the first half on a roll as the Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-4
‘A veritable fairyland’: The Aragon Ballroom once lived up to its name, enchanting dancers with mellow music from the ‘Waltz King’
The Aragon Ballroom’s ballroom era formally ended with three shows in 1964 featuring the venue’s longtime regular bandleader, Wayne King, dubbed in the Tribune as “the master of soft, smooth and silken melody.”
The Aragon, which later generations experienced mainly as a shabby, sticky home for loud rock music, was once the North Side’s hub for romance, where young men and women came in droves to dance to mellow music in an elegant atmosphere. An early advertisement for the ballroom promised “a veritable fairyland of romantic enchantment.”
Actor Sam Neill, known for ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Piano,’ dies at 78, his family says
Sam Neill, a smoothly elegant and versatile actor whose career moved from art film to blockbuster as he dodged velociraptors in “Jurassic Park” and played Holly Hunter’s husband in “The Piano,” has died. He was 78.
