Good morning, Chicago.
Illinois ranks 30th in the nation for hospital safety, down two spots from the fall, according to new ratings released by the nonprofit Leapfrog Group today.
In all, 22% of Illinois hospitals earned A grades for safety from Leapfrog, compared to nearly 25% in the fall.
Illinois hospitals earning top marks include University of Chicago Medical Center and Rush University Medical Center. Five Endeavor Health hospitals in Evanston, Highland Park, Glenview, Elmhurst and Arlington Heights also earned As, as did six Northwestern Medicine hospitals in Huntley, DeKalb, Winfield, Geneva, Lake Forest and McHenry.
No Illinois hospital got an F grade this spring, though 15 hospitals across the state earned D grades.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Lisa Schencker.
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Customers in the Cresco Labs’ flagship Sunnyside recreational marijuana store, a block south of Wrigley Field on Nov. 15, 2021. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois pot businesses could gain tax benefits, easier loan access under DEA reclassification
Cannabis company owners in Illinois welcomed the news Tuesday that the federal government is expected to reclassify marijuana as a drug with medicinal value and lower potential for abuse.
The change will not be immediately noticeable to most consumers in Illinois, where medical and recreational use already are legal under state law. But it may have a huge impact on weed businesses, allowing them greater ability to take tax deductions for business expenses and making it easier to get loans.
What marijuana reclassification means for the United States
Federal prosecutors say Joseph Cipolla used fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds to buy this 11,000-square-foot mansion in Bloomingdale in 2021. (U.S. District Court records)
‘He’s like a Talented Mr. Ripley’: Serial scammer Joey Cipolla faces sentencing for life of fraud
Cipolla is facing his most significant prison sentence yet today, after pleading guilty in November to a multi-pronged scheme: stiffing people on luxury auto sales over eBay, rip-offs in the leasing of aircraft out of DuPage County Airport, and using more than $1 million in fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds to fund his over-the-top lifestyle.
A pro-Israel activist walks through the quad at DePaul University on April 30, 2024, where students have set up an encampment site calling for the university to divest from donations and funding associated with Israel. (Vincent Alban/Chicago Tribune)
Encampment opposing war in Gaza at DePaul launches, as university leaders meet with Foxx on response to student protests
Student groups at DePaul University, a longtime locus of student organizing in solidarity with Palestine, launched an encampment in protest of the war in Gaza Tuesday, joining demonstrations on campuses across the country amid midterms at the private Catholic university.
Protesters clash at UCLA after police clear pro-Palestinian demonstrators from Columbia University
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives to meet with reporters following a closed-door GOP strategy session, at the Capitol in Washington, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Democrats say they will save Speaker Mike Johnson’s job if Republicans try to oust him
House Democrats will vote to save Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s job should some of his fellow Republican lawmakers seek to remove him from the position, Democratic leaders said Tuesday, likely assuring for now that Johnson will avoid being ousted from office like his predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
The Rev. Tracy Cox of First United Methodist Church, left, and members of her congregation pray for Tracy Merrick, a delegate representing Western Pennsylvania at the United Methodist General Conference, as well as The Rev. Anais Hussian and Joshua Popson, April 14, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
United Methodists begin to reverse longstanding anti-LGBTQ policies
United Methodist delegates voted to delete mandatory penalties for conducting same-sex marriages and to remove their denomination’s bans on considering LGBTQ candidates for ministry and on funding for gay-friendly ministries. Still to come later this week are votes on the core of the bans on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage in church law and policy, which may draw more debate.
The exterior of the Etta restaurant on W. North Avenue in Chicago on April 29, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Bankrupt Etta restaurants bought for $4 million by Texas fintech entrepreneur, who plans to grow the brand
A Texas financier has purchased the bankrupt Etta restaurant group for $4 million, with plans to expand the Chicago brand nationwide.
Narcan nasal spray. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
DuPage County overdose deaths down 24% in 2023
For the first time in the past decade, overdose deaths in DuPage County took a significant downturn in 2023, decreasing 24% from the year before, according to a new coroner’s office report.
Mayor Brandon Johnson marches in the 52nd annual Chicago Pride Parade on June 25, 2023. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
LGBTQ+ community members call on Mayor Brandon Johnson to rescind plan to scale back Pride Parade
Organizers of the annual Chicago Pride Parade and allied groups are calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson to rescind the city’s plan to downsize the event this June.
The city last month cited “safety and logistical concerns” when it said this year’s parade would be limited to 125 groups, a decrease of more than a third from last year.
Distance runner Kayla Jeter runs along Chicago’s lakefront on April 23, 2024. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Local runner Kayla Jeter seeks to make an impact with her 100-mile challenge on women and the Black community
Warmer days in Chicago mean a few things: Our marquee season — summer — is on the way, yearslong road work resumes and recreational runners hit the paths and pavement.
Tribune writer Shakeia Taylor has long admired the commitment of anyone who can get outside and run without a reason or destination, people for whom the running itself is the point.
Ohio native Kayla Jeter is one of them.
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet throws against the Minnesota Twins, April 29, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Column: Chicago White Sox rotation in flux as fans tune out after a horrific April
Maybe Garrett Crochet should cherish his time in the Chicago White Sox starting rotation. He might not be long for the role, writes Paul Sullivan.
The latest on White Sox prospects — including Colson Montgomery, Noah Schultz, Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte
Slumping José Abreu — the former AL MVP with the White Sox — will be optioned to the Houston Astros spring training facility
Lawrence Edelson is Chicago Opera Theater’s new general director. (Mia Isabella)
Chicago Opera Theater and Symphony Center Jazz announce seasons
Chicago Opera Theater announced a scaled-back 2024-25 season on Tuesday, its first programmed by new general director Lawrence Edelson. The company will oversee just two staged productions in its 51st season, both of which will receive three performances rather than the two that have long been COT’s standard.
The nonclassical arm of the Chicago Symphony also announced its Symphony Center Presents Jazz lineup for the 2024-25 season.
Butter chicken croissant at Swadesi Cafe, 328 S. Jefferson St., April 25, 2024, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Swadesi Cafe offers Chicago a Western coffee shop experience that’s distinctly Indian
Swadesi Cafe in the West Loop opened on March 26 and offers customers the sense of sipping chai at home but with a modern menu that beautifully marries French and Indian culinary styles.
The total solar eclipse as seen from Crab Orchard Lake within Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Carbondale on April 8, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Itching to catch the next eclipse? Get your passport ready
If you’ve developed a raging case of umbraphilia — the love of eclipses — you’ll have three chances over the next four years to see the moon blot out the sun.
