Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a five-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
— Matt Moore (@MattKenMoore)
This afternoon will be partly sunny with a high near 56 degrees. Tonight will be cloudy with a low near 33. Similar weather will continue into tomorrow with a high near 38.
Top story
Michael Madigan’s attorneys seek to toss recordings, dismiss part of his indictment
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan asked a federal judge yesterday to toss secret recordings made by investigators and dismiss part of the bombshell racketeering indictment the feds spent years building against him.
The more than 100 pages of motions filed in federal court amount to the most substantive response yet from Madigan’s defense attorneys to the aggressive public corruption investigation that swirled around him long before he was indicted in March 2022.
They also offer new context to a secretly recorded August 2014 meeting between Madigan, then-Ald. Danny Solis, a hotel developer and a secret government informant. The Chicago Sun-Times exposed details of that recorded meeting in January 2019 in a report that first revealed the feds’ interest in the powerful Southwest Side Democrat.
Though Madigan did not appear to cross any legal lines in that meeting, Madigan’s attorneys painted it Tuesday as the starting point of the feds’ lengthy pursuit of Madigan — and wrongly so, they say.
The motions are reminiscent of those filed by defense attorneys for indicted Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th), whose separate racketeering case was built in part on evidence gathered by Solis. U.S. District Judge Robert Dow denied those motions in June.
Yesterday’s election night deadline for Madigan’s attorneys to file the new motions was set in January by U.S. District Judge John Blakey, who presides over the case.
Madigan was indicted in March 2022, and the feds expanded their case against him last October. He is accused in multiple schemes — some involving Solis — but among them is the bribery scandal involving ComEd. None of the charges are a direct result of the August 2014 meeting.
Jon Seidel has more on Madigan’s case here.
More news you need
- Less than two months after he was shot in the head, Devin Newcombe is back home and his family says they expect the 16-year-old to make a full recovery. Devin and a cousin, a minor, were alone in the basement of a relative’s home in Hoffman Estates on Jan. 5 during his 2-year-old cousin’s birthday party when a gun was fired, according to his family and police. “He is home and doing well,” his father said.
- Oak Lawn Police Officer Patrick O’Donnell pleaded not guilty today to felony charges that he abused his authority when he repeatedly punched a 17-year-old boy in the head during an arrest last summer in the southwest suburb. O’Donnell was ordered released on his own recognizance following the bond hearing today that was attended by dozens of his fellow officers. He is expected back in court on April 4.
- O’Hare International Airport will be getting $50 million in grant money from the federal government for upgrades at Terminal 3. The airport is one of 98 others across the country that are being awarded funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law this year for improvements, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office said in a statement.
- Fresh off the 10-year-long Jane Byrne Interchange Project, now comes another doozy — a major, multiyear rehab project of a 7.5-mile stretch of the Kennedy Expressway. The project will include roadway patching, bridge rehabbing and new lighting, signs and paint between Ohio Street and the junction where the Kennedy meets the Edens Expressway near Montrose Avenue, IDOT announced yesterday. It begins in March.
- A new NBC Sports Chicago documentary aims to sum up why the city is on the verge of losing its football team. Titled, “Bear Down & Out,” the doc is timely, valuable and must-see TV, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper in his three-star review.
Elections 2023
The mayor’s race
Lightfoot is out, Vallas and Johnson are in — the April runoff
Lori Lightfoot, the first Black woman and the first openly gay person ever to serve as mayor of Chicago, yesterday became a one-term mayor.
With nearly 99% of the precincts reporting, the mayor who guided Chicago through the pandemic finished third in yesterday’s election with 17.06% of the vote behind former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, who won 33.77 %, and Cook County Commissioner and Chicago Teachers Union organizer Brandon Johnson, who wound up with 20.29%.
Vallas, 69, and Johnson, 46, will face off five weeks from now in the April 4 runoff to decide who will become the 57th mayor of Chicago.
“Obviously, we didn’t win the election. But I stand here with my head held high and my heart full of thanks,” Lightfoot told supporters shortly before 9 p.m.
Our Fran Spielman, Tom Schuba, David Struett and Emmanuel Camarillo have more from the candidates here. Spielman also has an analysis looking into how Lightfoot went from political rock star to rock bottom.
For the latest results from the ward races, follow along with our live results page. You can also follow along with our election coverage here.
It’s all part of our efforts at the Sun-Times to bring you vital, around-the-clock reporting. We get to do this work and provide election coverage — free of a paywall — thanks to the commitments of our members. If you’re not yet a member, please consider becoming one today to help us serve our city. Thank you! ❤️
A bright one
How Tony Smith aims to change the world one student — and one photo — at a time
Multimedia artist Tony Smith mentors young artists and teaches them to make a difference with the art they create.
The Mississippi-born, Chicago-raised Smith spent his high school days throwing house parties and cutting his teeth in the late ‘70s house music scene. Often collaborating with musical icons like the Chosen Few and Frankie Knuckles, who were his neighbors at the time, he found his footing in the Chicago arts scene — where he would return to follow in his parents' footsteps as an arts educator in the latter half of his career.
From high school house parties to college in Atlanta, Smith ultimately ended up in Chicago surrounded by artists including Faheem Majeed, who was then running the South Side Community Art Center. He worked with Majeed curating shows at the Center, finding his way into archival and documentary work of his own — which was later featured by the DuSable Black History Museum. The Hyde Park Art Center took note of Smith’s work, and offered him the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of his parents in his own way: they asked him to teach their teenage students.
“I’ve spent the last 20 years of my life and the arts, working on ways to expand on our creativity, to share our vibrancy, to help build new artists, to help document older artists that have passed,” explained Smith.
Still teaching at Hyde Park Art Center, Smith cherishes the relationship he builds with his students and how they are able to see things differently. Everything he has learned over the years, he offers to his students. Documenting and creating art that archives Black culture, significant cultural leaders, artists and musicians to young artists, Smith uses his art as a bridge to connect the generations. He teaches his students how to have their own voice through their art and how their voice makes a difference.
“My legacy will be the hundreds of students around the city, in Chicago,that now have been influenced by the greats that I have been exposed to, and can now continue to share their experiences,” Smith expressed.
“Something as simple as a camera or pen can change the world,” he said.
Our colleagues at Vocalo Radio have more with Smith and his work here.
From the press box
- Patrick Kane, now a member of the Rangers, leaves behind a remarkable legacy in Chicago: the greatest player in Blackhawks history, Ben Pope writes.
- Should the Bulls be happy to make the play-in? “My fear is that a play-in appearance equals confirmation bias for [Bulls president Arturas] Karnisovas. The flaws of this team go far beyond them missing [Lonzo] Ball,” Laurence W. Holmes writes.
- Authorities in Athens, Georgia, issued an arrest warrant today for Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter, one of the elite prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. Carter was charged with reckless driving and racing, both misdemeanors. He had been at the combine in Indianapolis, but left before his scheduled media appearance this morning.
- Aaron Bummer hopes to get past his injury issues in time to be on the White Sox’ Opening Day roster.
Your daily question☕
What do you think the Lightfoot administration will be remembered for?
Send us an email at newsletters@suntimes.com and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday we asked you: What was your experience like voting at the polls today?
Here’s what some of you said...
“Arrived early, before 7 and was one of only two voters, the workers were kind and enthusiastic. Thrilled to have been affected by the controversial Ward Map, putting us in the 35th with Carlos Rosa.” — Missy Wright-Scroggins
“Good voting experience in Hyde Park. The poll workers were very helpful and the process was easy.” — John Coruthers
“There was a line at my polling place in Hyde Park, but it was a short line that moved quickly. The polling place is fully ADA-compliant, though a bit crowded. You could choose between using a screen, or marking a paper ballot, and I chose paper since there was a wait for the single touch screen machine. Voted quickly and efficiently.” — Roger Deschner
“Fast. There was only one other person at my polling place in Uptown around 11:45 a.m. I knew everyone I was voting for and it is a short ballot, so it took about 4 minutes from the moment I walked in until I walked out.” — Dan Brown
“Thankfully they changed from using permanent markers to actual pens that do not bleed through the ballot. Just wish they did this change sooner. It only took two elections to fix an easy problem.” — Maureen Cronin
“No line. No wait. Easy in and easy out. Makes me curious about turnout numbers.” — Stef Metos
“We were switched to a new polling place and a lot of people still were not aware of the new location, also very unorganized. The new polling place is about a quarter of the size of our old one so everyone was super crowded and there was no privacy. Then the campaign people right on your face, ugh!” — Monica Reynoso
“Excellent experience. First time at 4th Presbyterian since they moved the poll from 100 E. Bellevue Pl. Big enough to get inside and stay warm. Enough election workers to make the process quick and trouble-free. Nice crowd.” — Howard Sims
“As an election judge, it was very slow — but a fast election. Only one short page to vote.” — Myrna Kar
Thanks for reading the Chicago Sun-Times Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.
