Good morning, Chicago.
Cook County leaders and health officials sounded the alarm yesterday, warning that only 100 days remained until major, new Medicaid requirements take effect – changes that they worry may lead to hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents losing coverage.
“We’re 100 days away from some real devastation here,” said Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya at a news conference yesterday.
Under HR1, also called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, starting Jan. 1 certain adults who are on Medicaid must meet new work requirements to keep their coverage. Medicaid is a state and federally-funded health insurance program for people with low incomes and disabilities.
The changes will apply to more than 700,000 adults in Illinois – people who gained Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of the program.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Lisa Schencker.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including what to know about dueling tenants’ rights proposals at City Hall, what’s next after multiple belugas have died at Shedd Aquarium and Chicago-based Hotel Chocolat is going nationwide.
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| Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in HistoryIdaho authorities say they have a new lead on the Tylenol murders. Illinois investigators are skeptical.
An unknown man walked into the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Boise on Dec. 4, 1982.
He wore a Seiko watch, a leather belt and a bolo tie made of turquoise and silver. He carried a wallet but no identification. An envelope filled with 19 $100 bills sat inside his shirt pocket. His hair was dyed and he had a deep tan, not common in the Idaho winter.
Within hours, he died by suicide inside the church. The cause was cyanide poisoning.
The Ada County sheriff’s office has spent decades searching for the man’s identity. At a news conference yesterday, they announced they’ve uncovered the identity of the “Unknown Wanderer” and that he may be connected to the 1982 Tylenol murders. Illinois investigators, however, remain highly skeptical.
Cook County settles Burge and scooter crash cases, defers jail monitoring proposal
The Cook County Board’s finance committee approved roughly $22 million in settlements yesterday — including one to a man injured in a scooter crash involving the sheriff’s office and Chicago police, and another to a victim of a coerced confession and abuse by detectives who worked under disgraced Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge.
Dueling tenants’ rights proposals stall as City Hall heads toward negotiations
A pair of ordinances aimed at overhauling renters’ rights in Chicago were delayed yesterday as Mayor Brandon Johnson and his opponents stood by their respective versions and both sides tried to rally support.
Aldermen used parliamentary maneuvers to stop the ambitious neck-and-neck packages from coming to a final vote — creating additional time for the two sides to potentially negotiate what could become the most consequential legislation to come out of City Hall this year.
Multiple belugas have died at Shedd Aquarium since dramatic rescue from Canada. Activists say the transfers happened too quickly.
More than three weeks have passed since the last beluga whales were transported from a shuttered marine park in Canada to Shedd Aquarium and other facilities across the U.S. and Spain. The dramatic rescues involved lifting the whales with cranes and flying them across international borders.
But since then, five belugas have died: Three who arrived at Shedd from Canada, one already living at the Chicago aquarium and another in Spain. Advocates for animal well-being say a rushed transfer process may have contributed to their deaths, and they are worried about government approval of export agreements lacking commitments not to breed the whales.
UIC students protest amid canceled Customs and Border Protection appearance at career fair
Over three dozen protesters at the University of Illinois Chicago condemned immigration enforcement officials on campus and called on school leadership for stronger student protections yesterday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection was slated to appear at a career fair earlier in the week.
Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Bookmobile stops in Chicago
A traveling bookmobile displaying copies of the Jeffrey Epstein files stopped in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood yesterday as part of a national campaign to educate the public on the 3.5 million declassified federal documents.
Don Cooper, the longtime Chicago White Sox pitching coach who oversaw the 2005 championship staff, dies at 70
Don Cooper knew how to get the most out of a pitcher. And under his guidance, White Sox pitchers put together a run for the ages during the 2005 postseason on the way to winning the World Series.
The longtime former Sox pitching coach died at age 70, the team announced yesterday.
Chicago Cubs to play doubleheader in Boston against Red Sox as forecast impacts the final series
The Cubs’ quest to secure home-field advantage by finishing in the first National League wild-card position will face an added challenge this weekend.
Due to a nor’easter that is expected to bring heavy rain, high winds and potential flooding through the Boston area this weekend, the Cubs are now scheduled to play a doubleheader tomorrow against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Saturday’s game is currently still scheduled to be played that night.
- Column: Alex Bregman’s return and a nor’easter could bring dramatic pause to the Cubs’ final weekend
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- Cubs again fail to clinch a playoff spot with a 3-2 loss to the Miami Marlins
Chicago-based Hotel Chocolat going nationwide with airport concessions, grocery stores and new retail markets
Hotel Chocolat, the British chocolatier that staked its turf in Chicago last year after being acquired by candy giant Mars, is going cacao coast-to-coast.
Johnny Galecki has been down on the farm for years. Why has he come to Chicago to play Tennessee Williams?
This month, Johnny Galecki has put his toe back into the waters in Chicago by way of a play called “Kowalski,” wherein he plays Tennessee Williams, a character who is a far cry from Leonard Leakey Hofstadter, but who has proved to be a remarkably good match for Galecki.
It is a return to his Chicago theater roots. Galecki grew up in suburban Oak Park, and his history in Chicago theater goes all the way back to his 1985 appearance in director Ann Fournier’s production of “The Member of the Wedding” at Stage Left Theatre, then located in Wrigleyville.