Daywatch: Perspectives on life in Illinois
Good morning, Chicago.
What’s it like to live in Illinois?
A Black doctor recalls navigating a predominantly white neighborhood when she and her family moved to a new home in Springfield’s Washington Park area. A man reflects on growing up in apartments above a funeral home in downstate Anna. A woman talks of serving as an English translator for her Mexican parents as a 7-year-old growing up in Chicago.
Those recollections of everyday life are interspersed with the stories of more well-known Illinoisans in “Here I Have Lived: Home in Illinois,” an exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum that offers a mix of perspectives from residents past and present about how Illinois shaped their understanding of the world around them.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner.
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Voters OK’d property tax hike. Now here’s how the Forest Preserve is going to spend your money.
Long-maligned for damaging headlines about mismanagement, neglect, and politically motivated hiring, the Cook County Forest Preserve District’s turnaround agenda in recent years convinced even some of its harshest critics it was deserving of more money. Even the tax-averse Civic Federation supported the hike, arguing the district had right-sized its workforce, cut expenditures and improved planning.
Trinity Christian College cuts 10% of faculty positions in first year of tuition reduction
School officials said these cuts are both part of its effort to keep a balanced budget and reduce the student debt accumulated by students.
Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich celebrates Christmas Mass with Cook County Jail detainees
Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich spent Christmas morning with detainees at the Cook County Jail, telling them during Mass they were not alone, not forgotten.
“Any time that we, in our life, have felt, no matter our circumstances, as though we’ve been overlooked or told that we don’t matter or that we’re second-class citizens, this feast is for us,” he told the gathered men.
A Christmas to remember: How a single migrant mom built a home for the holidays with the help of these Chicago women
December had never felt jovial for Yohana Moreno and her two sons despite the colorful bright lights adorning the streets and Christmas trees all around them. The single mother first ran away with her children from a turbulent relationship, then they ran away from poverty and misery in their native Venezuela.
Chicago planted 23,000 trees this year, with 8,600 going to neighborhoods with the highest need, officials say
The city is on track to meet its goal of planting 75,000 parkway trees by 2026, according to spokesperson Mimi Simon, a statistic environmental advocates think is a good start. Some also hope the city prioritizes tree maintenance, a concern they say neighbors often share with them.
Column: Surviving another year of watching bad Chicago teams can only make us stronger, right?
People who think they’re being sympathetic sometimes apologize to sports writers paid to write about bad teams, mistakenly believing it makes our jobs tougher.
But if you grew up here and remember the great stories spun in the Tribune by Bob Verdi, Jerome Holtzman and other writers covering awful teams, you know that’s not true, writes Paul Sullivan.
How far off are the Bears in the NFC North? Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts after the Week 16 win on Christmas Eve.
In the spirit of the holiday season, here are 10 thoughts following the win with a look at how far off (or not) the Bears are in the NFC North.
From neon hot dogs to wagyu beef, Chicago-based Levy cooks up Vegas-style menu for Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium
Launched as a Chicago restaurant group more than 45 years ago, Levy has evolved into a leading sports and entertainment hospitality company with more than 300 venues in North America. That includes providing food and beverage service for 112 professional sports teams in 36 arenas, 24 stadiums and 42 ballparks.
Column: With sports movies an endangered species, a movie critic and sports writer look back at memorable offerings of decades past
Sports movies can serve as a backdrop for all kinds of storytelling about what it means to navigate through life. But mid-budget movies have all but disappeared from theaters, taking sports movies with them. When was the last time you saw a great sports comedy or drama that was new? Once a hardy genre, sports movies are something of an endangered species at the moment.
With that in mind, Tribune film critic Nina Metz and sports writer Shakeia Taylor look back at four titles from decades past: “Slap Shot,” “A League of Their Own,” “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Bend it Like Beckham.”
The ultimate Chicago burrito guide: 15 standouts, from overloaded West Coast options to spare northern Mexico bites
You can learn a lot about a person by how he or she orders a burrito.
Is he a maximalist, demanding every possible ingredient in the kitchen wrapped up inside, or a minimalist, preferring to stay laser-focused on the freshly made flour tortilla? Does she eschew lettuce, yet demand french fries? The answers to these questions not only unveil certain preferences but can clue you into where someone was born or even briefly lived.
Best performances in Chicago theater in 2023: These actors made plays, musicals and comedies come alive this year
Our annual list of the 10 greatest performances of the year in Chicago theater is back! This joins Tribune critic Chris Jones’ earlier top 10 theater productions of the year.
Here’s hoping they recall some happy memories for you. And that this list adds some formidable performers to watch out for in 2024.
