Good morning, Chicago.
On April 8, daytime skies across North America will dim as the moon obscures sunlight. It will be the last total solar eclipse seen from the contiguous United States for the next two decades. What makes this event so historic and rare? And how should Illinoisans prepare?
Tribune reporter Adriana Pérez answers commonly asked questions about the eclipse.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Ericka Matos, right, and her attorney Tamara Holder listen to questions from the media during a press conference at Romanucci & Blandin Law office in Chicago on April 3, 2024. Matos is suing Dr. Fabio Ortega and Swedish Covenant Health, contending he sexually assaulted her decades ago. Ortega pleaded guilty in 2021 to sexually abusing two former patients. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Attorneys call on AG’s office to criminally investigate former doctor Fabio Ortega and health systems where he worked
Attorneys representing former patients of OB-GYN Fabio Ortega are calling on the Illinois attorney general and the office of outgoing Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to criminally investigate the troubled doctor and the health systems where he worked.
The request came the same day that one of the women who is suing Ortega and Swedish Covenant Health spoke publicly for the first time, saying she wants justice for herself and others who allege Ortega harmed them.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, right, visits the Austin neighborhood with chief of staff Rich Guidice on July 3, 2023, where flooding occurred. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s ex-chief of staff joins private security firm that hires Chicago cops
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s former chief of staff, Richard Guidice, is going to work for a suburban private security company that employs current and former Chicago police and other law enforcement officers, the company announced a day after Guidice resigned.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul speaks at City Club of Chicago in River North on Sept. 13, 2023. (Trent Sprague/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois lawmakers consider measure to criminalize AI-generated child porn
Illinois legislators have been looking at how state law needs to adapt to address the advent of artificial intelligence and its influence on society, and on Tuesday, the discussion focused on legislation related to Internet sex crimes against children.
Outside the world headquarters of Walgreens Boots Alliance in Deerfield.
Walgreens hit with $2.7 billion tax bill after IRS audit
The Internal Revenue Service is seeking $2.7 billion from Walgreens Boots Alliance for unpaid taxes due to alleged issues over transfer pricing, after several years of audits.
The pharmacy chain, headquartered in Deerfield, said it disagrees with the audit and plans to “vigorously defend” its position in appeals, according to a company filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Pablo’s Cafe and Bar in Dolton is suing the village because licenses to operate have not been renewed. (Mike Nolan/Daily Southtown)
Dolton bar sues, saying license not renewed because it didn’t donate to Mayor Tiffany Henyard
A Dolton bar is suing the village saying it has been denied the renewal of its business and liquor licenses because it didn’t contribute to Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s mayoral election campaign.
The village contends, however, that Pablo’s Cafe and Bar is a nuisance and the subject of numerous police calls since it opened four years ago.
Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th, during a Chicago City Council meeting on Jan. 24, 2024. Hadden, chair of Environment Committee, is sponsoring an ordinance that sets emission standards strict enough to all but rule out natural gas use in most new buildings. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Battle over effort to ban natural gas in new Chicago buildings continues in council hearing
As an ordinance to effectively ban gas power in new Chicago buildings faced questions at the City Council Wednesday, the battle lines over the climate change-focused legislation came into clearer focus.
Sam Bawamia, right, and Mona Mahmoud make tea for attendees of an interfaith iftar at the Muslim Education Center in Morton Grove, March 17, 2024. (Troy Stolt/for the Chicago Tribune)
Muslim women push Chicago community to join green Ramadan: ‘We are the caretakers of the Earth’
On a recent Sunday evening, a group of Muslim women huddled around a hot beverage dispenser. They watched as one woman mixed cardamom tea, anise seed, cinnamon, ginger and different kinds of milk.
It would be easier to offer hot water and tea bags, Sam Bawamia said as she stirred the warm beverage. But she had recently read that tea bags contain countless microplastic particles and, horrified, had decided to prepare the drink from scratch.
Fans watch Stage 1 of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Grant Park on July 2, 2023, in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
NASCAR Chicago Street Race to close downtown roads again this summer
A plan made public Wednesday by the city shows streets will begin closing June 10, nearly a month before the race the weekend of July 6 and 7, to allow for setup. The closures will eventually include major roads like DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue, before all roads fully reopen by July 18.
LaVar Ball smiles during the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers, Feb. 4, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
LaVar Ball blames Lonzo, LaMelo Ball’s injuries on ‘raggedy shoes’ and ‘roody-poo workouts’ in the NBA
Lonzo Ball’s future is as uncertain as ever for the Chicago Bulls. But in an interview with CBS Sports this week, his father LaVar Ball mixed optimism and blame in equal force as he predicted a full comeback for both his NBA-playing sons at the end of another frustrating season for the family.
Helen Hunt at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York on Oct. 2, 2012. (EnidAlvarez/New York Daily News)
Helen Hunt, ‘Inherit the Wind’ and ‘Color Purple’ are all part of Goodman Theatre 2024-25 season
A new production of Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal” starring Helen Hunt, a staging of “The Color Purple” and a revival of the American classic “Inherit the Wind,” perhaps with Broadway aspirations, are all part of the Goodman Theatre’s 2024-25 season, announced Wednesday by the theater’s new artistic director Susan Booth.
The Jaws pinball machine being built at the Stern Pinball Factory. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Do they still make pinball machines? They do, in a huge new factory near O’Hare
A company of 500 employees here makes one of Chicago’s greatest exports: pinball.
Seth Davis is planning to erect a great big sign out front soon — one that would announce this enormous building as the new headquarters of Stern Pinball, the leading pinball machine manufacturer in the world.
