Good morning, Chicago.
Searchers have discovered the wreck of a luxury steamer that sank in a Lake Michigan gale in the late 19th century, completing a quest that began almost 60 years ago.
Shipwreck World, a group that works to locate shipwrecks around the globe, announced Friday that a team led by Illinois shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn found the Lac La Belle about 20 miles (32 kilometers) offshore between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, in October 2022.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: what to expect from Gov. JB Pritzker’s annual State of the State and budget address, what to know about the first beatified Illinois native and how a Pizano’s waiter serves life lessons with pizza.
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White House border czar Tom Homan holds a news conference at the Bishop Whipple Federal building on Feb. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Donald Trump’s border czar says ‘small’ security force will remain in Minnesota after enforcement drawdown
White House border czar Tom Homan said yesterday that more than 1,000 immigration agents have left Minnesota’s Twin Cities area and hundreds more will depart in the days ahead as part of the Trump administration’s drawdown of its immigration enforcement surge.
A “small” security force will stay for a short period to protect remaining immigration agents and will respond “when our agents are out and they get surrounded by agitators and things got out of control,” Homan told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” He did not define “small.”
Gov. JB Pritzker answers questions at an event at Union Station in Chicago on Dec. 16, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Gov. JB Pritzker expected to target budget gap — and President Donald Trump — in Illinois statewide address
One year ago, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker used his annual State of the State and budget address as a national platform to warn Illinoisans about President Donald Trump’s threats to democracy, likening Trump’s leadership to that of Nazi-era Germany.
On the eve of his next statewide address in an election year where both he and Democrats hope to retake Congress, Pritzker is expected to deliver a speech shaped as much by political crosscurrents as by fiscal math.
Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, a candidate for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, speaks during the candidates forum at Collins Academy STEAM High School on Jan. 27, 2026, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago treasurer employee alleges political staff pushed office on US bonds boycott
A whistleblower in City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin’s office filed a wide-ranging ethics complaint against her late last year, alleging the congressional candidate’s political staff pushed a questionable plan to boycott U.S. Treasury bonds in protest of President Donald Trump, despite internal objections over its financial prudence.
Oct. 20: Ofelia Torres, 16, left, and her mother, Sandibell Hidalgo, sit in their Chicago home. Torres’ father and Hidalgo’s husband, Ruben Torres Maldonado, had been taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers over the weekend. Torres was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma cancer in December 2024. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago teen whose father was detained by ICE while she fought cancer dies
Ofelia Torres, the teenage Chicago Public Schools student whose fight against cancer while her father was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers represented the federal government’s overreach during Operation Midway Blitz, has died, her family announced on Saturday.
Portraits of people killed by federal immigration agents are posted on a fence near the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in suburban Broadview as people attend a protest of federal immigration agencies on Feb. 14, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters chant, sing outside Broadview ICE facility, plan recurring Saturday demonstrations
Around 50 people attended a peaceful rally Saturday outside the Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center, which became a focal point for protests last fall during Operation Midway Blitz, a 64-day surge of immigration enforcement raids throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs.
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen greets an admirer outside Holy Name Cathedral on Aug. 24, 1965, in Chicago. Bishop Sheen, of New York City, was attending the installation of Cardinal John Cody as the head of the Chicago Archdiocese. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)
A path to sainthood: Famed evangelist, TV host Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be the first beatified Illinois native
With a captivating voice and piercing eyes that seemed to penetrate the camera, the Illinois-born bishop explained the paradox of human suffering to millions of viewers on one episode of his acclaimed 1950s television show, “Life Is Worth Living.”
Draped in a flowing ferraiolo and pectoral cross, Fulton J. Sheen declared that love has the ability to transform worldly burdens, paving the way for grace and redemption.
Catholic faithful continued to be touched by Sheen’s words and legacy for decades after his 1979 death, prompting calls for his canonization as a saint of the church.
The Internal Revenue Service 1040 tax return form for 2022. (Jon Elswick/AP)
Tax season is here. Here’s what you need to know for stress-free filing.
Tax season is underway and you have until April 15 to file your return with the IRS. If you want to avoid the stress of the looming deadline, start getting organized as soon as possible. Here are some things to know before filing.
Cubs equipment sits near a field after practice during spring training at Sloan Park on Feb. 15, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Cactus League report: Full-squad workouts begin in Arizona as the Cubs and White Sox face off Friday
Although most of the Cubs’ 58-player big-league camp roster has already reported to Arizona, they hold their first official full-squad workout today. The White Sox held their first full squad workout yesterday, with base running among the fundamentals addressed.
After an ‘extremely frustrating’ season, Cubs left-hander Jordan Wicks looks make an impact
‘His best days are ahead’: White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery looks to improve his consistency
African American men gather in the lobby of the Wabash YMCA, circa 1915. (Library of Congress)
Black History Month is 100. Can its Bronzeville birthplace outlast the age of Trump?
The history of Black History Month began 100 years ago, in the old YMCA building on South Wabash, a wide-shouldered block of pale red brick erected in 1913. It was once the nexus of Bronzeville, the premier gathering spot. At least 80 Chicago organizations met there regularly. When the Harlem Globetrotters (which formed in Bronzeville) were still a novelty, they trained regularly in its gym, for years. If you moved to Chicago during the Great Migration and didn’t have a place to stay, you stayed here, maybe. If you were lucky. During the peak of the Great Migration, the YMCA turned away 20 travelers a day.
Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta server Joe “the Chach” Ciaccio talks with customer Clayton Mieritz during his evening shift at the East Madison Street location on Jan. 13, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Everybody loves the Chach: Pizano’s waiter serves life lessons with pizza
Enter the Madison Street location of Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta and you just might come across a wiry, gray-haired and mustachioed waiter holding court at a table. With the kinetic energy of a preacher or politician, he captivates his customers with inspirational sayings and witticisms.
Like the Rock or Slash, the waiter is known only by his nickname, “the Chach,” and he has been serving Pizano’s customers for more than 30 years.
