SHAREProsecutors on Sunday said a teenager charged in the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl at a McDonald’s drive-thru was allegedly found with guns tied to the attack after he was shot during a police chase last week on the Eisenhower Expressway — but he wasn't one of the gunmen.Marion Lewis, 18, of East Garfield Park, faces counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and a litany of other felony charges stemming from the earlier this month and . He was denied bail during his initial court hearing Sunday.While Lewis wasn’t named as one of the alleged gunmen in Jaslyn’s shooting,...…SHAREProsecutors on Sunday said a teenager charged in the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl at a McDonald’s drive-thru was allegedly found with guns tied to the attack after he was shot during a police chase last week on the Eisenhower Expressway — but he wasn't one of the gunmen.Marion Lewis, 18, of East Garfield Park, faces counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and a litany of other felony charges stemming from the earlier this month and . He was denied bail during his initial court hearing Sunday.While Lewis wasn’t named as one of the alleged gunmen in Jaslyn’s shooting,...WW…

SHAREA police watchdog agency Thursday released a video showing a Chicago police officer shooting 13-year-old Adam Toledo, whose seemingly empty hands were raised —but who appeared to have a gun in his hand just a moment earlier.The officer who shot Adam was wearing a body camera that shows him chasing the teen down an alley in Little Village at about 2:38 a.m. on March 29. The officer orders him to stop and show his hands.A slow-motion version of the video from that body camera shows Adam standing sideways in a large gap in a wooden fence with what looks like a gun in one of his hands...…SHAREA police watchdog agency Thursday released a video showing a Chicago police officer shooting 13-year-old Adam Toledo, whose seemingly empty hands were raised —but who appeared to have a gun in his hand just a moment earlier.The officer who shot Adam was wearing a body camera that shows him chasing the teen down an alley in Little Village at about 2:38 a.m. on March 29. The officer orders him to stop and show his hands.A slow-motion version of the video from that body camera shows Adam standing sideways in a large gap in a wooden fence with what looks like a gun in one of his hands...WW…

SHAREThe leader of a city commission charged with reviewing dozens of problematic monuments reported Wednesday that many Chicagoans who have commented on the process contended that removing monuments and statues would be “akin to erasing history.”The comments came during a meeting of the Chicago Monuments Project’s advisory committee, which was convened following Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s controversial decision to temporarily remove two statues of Christopher Columbus after they became focal points of demonstrations over police brutality and racial injustice last summer.Erin Harkey, the first...…SHAREThe leader of a city commission charged with reviewing dozens of problematic monuments reported Wednesday that many Chicagoans who have commented on the process contended that removing monuments and statues would be “akin to erasing history.”The comments came during a meeting of the Chicago Monuments Project’s advisory committee, which was convened following Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s controversial decision to temporarily remove two statues of Christopher Columbus after they became focal points of demonstrations over police brutality and racial injustice last summer.Erin Harkey, the first...WW…

SHAREVerano Holdings, a Chicago weed firm worth roughly $3 billion, was sued Monday in federal court as part of a sweeping racketeering complaint that accuses the company of illegally trafficking marijuana from Illinois to Arkansas.The lawsuit filed in Colorado alleges a complicated conspiracy that allegedly included the company and Harvest Health & Recreation, an Arizona firm that attempted to acquire Verano for $850 million in March 2019. The plaintiff, Nicholas Nielsen, worked for a cultivation center in Newport, Arkansas, that was owned by Natural State Wellness Enterprises and...…SHAREVerano Holdings, a Chicago weed firm worth roughly $3 billion, was sued Monday in federal court as part of a sweeping racketeering complaint that accuses the company of illegally trafficking marijuana from Illinois to Arkansas.The lawsuit filed in Colorado alleges a complicated conspiracy that allegedly included the company and Harvest Health & Recreation, an Arizona firm that attempted to acquire Verano for $850 million in March 2019. The plaintiff, Nicholas Nielsen, worked for a cultivation center in Newport, Arkansas, that was owned by Natural State Wellness Enterprises and...WW…

SHARESen. Dick Durbin on Sunday urged U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to step down as the country grapples with a mail service crisis that’s created “serious problems” across the Chicago area.During a news conference alongside Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) and four women affected by the mail slowdown, Durbin hammered on the issues plaguing the U.S. Postal Service while railing against DeJoy, an appointee of former President Donald Trump who’s under intense scrutiny.“It’s best that he step aside and somebody new with a better creative idea comes into the picture. But sadly we’re in a position...…SHARESen. Dick Durbin on Sunday urged U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to step down as the country grapples with a mail service crisis that’s created “serious problems” across the Chicago area.During a news conference alongside Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) and four women affected by the mail slowdown, Durbin hammered on the issues plaguing the U.S. Postal Service while railing against DeJoy, an appointee of former President Donald Trump who’s under intense scrutiny.“It’s best that he step aside and somebody new with a better creative idea comes into the picture. But sadly we’re in a position...WW…

SHAREThe Chicago Teachers Union is reviewing a potential agreement with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration to reopen schools for in-person learning and avert the city’s second teachers strike in 15 months.Under the city’s latest proposal, which grants the union many of its requests, no teacher or staff member would be required to return to work before being offered a vaccine, and the reopening of schools would be pushed back to March for elementary and middle school students.At a late morning news conference, an upbeat mayor said she was “tremendously pleased” to announce that at “long...…SHAREThe Chicago Teachers Union is reviewing a potential agreement with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration to reopen schools for in-person learning and avert the city’s second teachers strike in 15 months.Under the city’s latest proposal, which grants the union many of its requests, no teacher or staff member would be required to return to work before being offered a vaccine, and the reopening of schools would be pushed back to March for elementary and middle school students.At a late morning news conference, an upbeat mayor said she was “tremendously pleased” to announce that at “long...WW…

SHAREA group of minority leaders gathered Sunday to urge members of Congress and Gov. J.B. Pritzker to prioritize the distribution of any coronavirus vaccine to Black and Brown communities hit hard by the pandemic.“We’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, and we’re asking and demanding that we have a sense of trust by allowing us to be considered to be first when it comes to distribution,” Pastor John Harrell, of Proviso Baptist Church in Maywood, told reporters gathered outside the JLM Abundant Life Community Center on the Near West Side.The speakers, who included state Rep. La Shawn...…SHAREA group of minority leaders gathered Sunday to urge members of Congress and Gov. J.B. Pritzker to prioritize the distribution of any coronavirus vaccine to Black and Brown communities hit hard by the pandemic.“We’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, and we’re asking and demanding that we have a sense of trust by allowing us to be considered to be first when it comes to distribution,” Pastor John Harrell, of Proviso Baptist Church in Maywood, told reporters gathered outside the JLM Abundant Life Community Center on the Near West Side.The speakers, who included state Rep. La Shawn...WW…

Filed under:The fire broke out about 9:20 p.m. at the home in the 4200 block of North Kildare Avenue and soon engulfed the building, authorities said.An elderly couple died Thursday night in a house fire in the Old Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.Robert Szalacha, 85, and his wife Carol Szalacha, 78, were found inside the home and pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.Their daughter, who was also inside, got out and refused medical attention, police and neighbors said.The fire broke out about 9:20 p.m. on the first...…Filed under:The fire broke out about 9:20 p.m. at the home in the 4200 block of North Kildare Avenue and soon engulfed the building, authorities said.An elderly couple died Thursday night in a house fire in the Old Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.Robert Szalacha, 85, and his wife Carol Szalacha, 78, were found inside the home and pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.Their daughter, who was also inside, got out and refused medical attention, police and neighbors said.The fire broke out about 9:20 p.m. on the first...WW…

SHAREFor many folks, the fragrance of weed is unmistakable.But the mere smell of pot can still prompt cops to search a vehicle in Illinois — despite the state fully legalizing the drug at the start of the year.In an article published Monday by the Illinois State Bar Association, a former prosecutor and a public defender raised questions about what exactly constitutes probable cause for a search when a cop or drug-sniffing dog smells marijuana. Earlier this month, lawmakers in Virginia passed two bills preventing officers from conducting similar warrantless searches that are currently...…SHAREFor many folks, the fragrance of weed is unmistakable.But the mere smell of pot can still prompt cops to search a vehicle in Illinois — despite the state fully legalizing the drug at the start of the year.In an article published Monday by the Illinois State Bar Association, a former prosecutor and a public defender raised questions about what exactly constitutes probable cause for a search when a cop or drug-sniffing dog smells marijuana. Earlier this month, lawmakers in Virginia passed two bills preventing officers from conducting similar warrantless searches that are currently...WW…

SHAREA woman in Little Village sobs after learning she is the latest member of her family to test positive for COVID-19. She fears she won’t be able to take care of her grandson.A worker at a West Side food-processing company explains how no precautions are taken to protect employees who are herded into a small room to punch timecards.A young woman is frustrated that the customers at her small Lake County store won’t social distance or wear masks.These are stories told to contact tracers, the people who investigate interactions between those infected with COVID-19 and their family, friends...…SHAREA woman in Little Village sobs after learning she is the latest member of her family to test positive for COVID-19. She fears she won’t be able to take care of her grandson.A worker at a West Side food-processing company explains how no precautions are taken to protect employees who are herded into a small room to punch timecards.A young woman is frustrated that the customers at her small Lake County store won’t social distance or wear masks.These are stories told to contact tracers, the people who investigate interactions between those infected with COVID-19 and their family, friends...WW…