Afternoon Briefing: Illinois grocery tax returns tomorrow
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Good afternoon, Chicago.
It’s been a busy week in Washington.
A sharply divided Supreme Court this morning effectively killed President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts for millions of Americans.
The 6-3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, said the Biden administration overstepped its authority with the plan, and it leaves borrowers on the hook for repayments that are expected to resume in the fall.
This decision followed one issued shortly before, that a Christian graphic artist who wants to design wedding websites can refuse to work with same-sex couples.
Yesterday, the court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/breaking and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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After yearlong reprieve, Illinois grocery tax returns, while gas tax rises for second time this year
A key component of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s $1.8 billion reelection year tax relief plan will come to an end tomorrow as consumers will again start paying a state tax on groceries, while at the same time seeing a hike at the gas pump for a second time this year. Read more here.
More top news stories:
After nearly a year of planning, the NASCAR Chicago Street Race is here. Will it rev up the city’s economy as promised?
After months of planning, weeks of disruption and an 11th-hour push to complete the transformation of Grant Park into a pop-up NASCAR track, ready or not, the inaugural Chicago Street Race has arrived. Read more here.
More top business stories:
· Deadly germ behind infant formula shortage joins CDC watchlist
4 lighter moments for the Chicago Blackhawks at the NHL draft
Even though there are young futures on the line and front office jobs at stake, it’s not all business at the NHL draft. There’s room for lighter moments.
Here are four that Chicago Blackhawks players and executives had during two days in Nashville. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
· Meet the 11 players the Blackhawks selected in the 2023 NHL draft
· Photos: Blackhawks’ NHL draft party at Salt Shed in Chicago
Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ actor, dies at 89
A member of Chicago’s famed Second City comedy troupe, Alan Arkin was an immediate success in movies with the Cold War spoof “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” and peaked late in life with his win as best supporting actor for the surprise 2006 hit “Little Miss Sunshine.” More than 40 years separated his first Oscar nomination, for “The Russians Are Coming,” from his nomination for playing a conniving Hollywood producer in the Oscar-winning “Argo.” Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
· Lookingglass Theatre will pause shows, lay off much of its staff
· Who makes Chicago’s best hot dog? Food critic tries 21 to find out.
President Joe Biden talks Supreme Court and Russia in rare network interview
President Joe Biden rarely gives network interviews, and when he sat down in the MSNBC studio on Thursday, it came at an especially busy time, with the Supreme Court having just overturned the use of affirmative action in college admissions and in the aftermath of a revolt in Russia. Read more here.
More top stories from around the world:
· Man arrested with weapons near Barack Obama’s Washington home
· Ukraine aims to wear down and outsmart a Russian army distracted by infighting
