Good morning, Chicago.
Huddled around a pair of tables on the second-floor cafeteria of Chicago’s Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, mother Mellanie Washington and daughter Taniyah Tanner spoke about future plans. They prattled about diplomas to be earned, careers to build, healing to last. They laughed. They reminisced.
It was a moment more than nine years in the making.
In a hearing yesterday afternoon, a federal judge handed down the maximum sentence to a man who earlier this summer admitted to the 2016 shooting of Washington’s son and Taniyah’s twin brother, Tavon Tanner.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Tess Kenny.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: what’s next now that President Trump has signed a bill to release the Epstein files, how CPS culinary students are assisting in the Drake Hotel’s gingerbread tradition and what to do in Chicago this weekend.
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Marimar Martinez arrives for a hearing, Nov. 5, 2025, at Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago’s Loop. Martinez was shot by federal immigration agents during an altercation in the Brighton Park neighborhood in October. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
More texts uncovered from Border Patrol agent who bragged about ‘shooting skills’ after wounding woman in Brighton Park
A immigration agent who bragged to colleagues about his marksmanship after shooting a Chicago woman accused of ramming his vehicle sent other text messages that are now in the hands of defense attorneys, marking yet another twist in a controversial case arising from Operation Midway Blitz.
Federal agents use tear gas and smoke on community members and activists while they protest near the 3900 block of South Kedzie Avenue on Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago appeals court halts order restricting use of force by immigration agents, calling it ‘overbroad’
A Chicago federal appeals court yesterday put the brakes on a lower court’s preliminary injunction restricting the use of force in Operation Midway Blitz, saying it is “overbroad” and improperly targets virtually the entire executive branch, including President Donald Trump.
Tom Pritzker hosts an evening of dinner and conversation with University of Chicago faculty leaders at the Park Hyatt Chicago on April 8, 2013. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
Tom Pritzker, cousin of Gov. JB Pritzker, named in latest release of Epstein documents
Tom Pritzker, cousin to Gov. JB Pritzker and a Hyatt Hotels magnate, is repeatedly named in documents released last week from the estate of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The trove of more than 20,000 documents, made public by the House Oversight Committee, includes emails between Tom Pritzker and Epstein long after the late financier pled guilty to soliciting a minor in 2008.
What’s next now that President Trump has signed a bill to release the Epstein files
Ascension Alexian Brothers in Elk Grove Village on April 29, 2020. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
State board approves closure of Ascension Alexian Brothers’ labor and delivery unit
Ascension Alexian Brothers will soon close its inpatient obstetrics unit after a state board voted Tuesday to allow the move, despite outcry from nurses and community members.
The state Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted 6-3, after a lengthy discussion, to approve the hospital’s application to close the unit.
North-Grand High School senior Andrea Rodriguez ices a gingerbread cookie as part of a Chicago’s Careers through Culinary Arts Program in the kitchen of the Drake Hotel on Nov. 18, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
CPS culinary students assist in century-old gingerbread tradition at the Drake Hotel
From the basement level of the Drake Hotel, the scent of gingerbread wafts through the air as pots and pans clank and the shoes of busy chefs shuffle across the kitchen floor. At the front of the space stands a 6-foot-tall tiered platform, each level adorned with uniquely decorated miniature gingerbread houses — a more than century-old tradition that Chicago Public School students helped bring to life this season.
Pope Leo XIV reacts wearing a Chicago White Sox baseball team cap as he meets newly wedded couples during the weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on June 11, 2025. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP)
Column: After meeting Pope Leo XIV, Justin Ishbia eager to build relationship with Chicago White Sox’s No. 1 fan
Paul Sullivan writes that it’s going to be awhile before Justin Ishbia takes over the White Sox from Jerry Reinsdorf, but he’s already looking to a future with a new ballpark blessed by Pope Leo XIV and a team winning “many championships for decades to come.”
That was the message Ishbia relayed to the world’s most prominent Sox fan yesterday in Rome when Ishbia met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. A photo of Ishbia gifting an autographed 2005 Sox jersey to the pontiff was posted on the Pope’s Instagram page.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers calls a play at the line of scrimmage against the Chargers on Nov. 9, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Harry How/Getty Images)
How has Aaron Rodgers’ game changed since the Chicago Bears last saw him? Here’s what the numbers say.
Does Aaron Rodgers still own the Bears? We’re about to find out.
Well, that’s if Rodgers plays Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Bears. He’s battling through a fractured left wrist and his status is up in the air. It certainly would make for good drama if he does return to Soldier Field for the first time since 2022.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza reacts after running back Roman Hemby scored a touchdown against Maryland, on Nov. 1, 2025, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Who will win the Silver Football as the Big Ten’s top player? The answer may intertwine with the Heisman race.
College football is down to its final two regular-season weeks, followed by conference championship weekend. That means the playoffs and bowls are just around the corner — and so is awards season.
For 100 years, the Chicago Tribune Silver Football has been awarded to the Big Ten’s best player, based on a vote of the conference’s head coaches. The award is announced in early December, and this year the race for the Silver Football looks like it will intertwine with the race for the Heisman Trophy.
Fireworks burst as Chicago’s Christmas tree is lit during a ceremony in Millennium Park on Nov. 22, 2024, near Michigan Avenue and Washington Street. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
What to do in Chicago: Paul McCartney, Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and more to open the holidays
Our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend include the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, Paul McCartney at the United Center and Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza.
Rehearsal director Adam Blyde leads dancers Laila Madison, center, and Natali Taht at a rehearsal of Joffrey Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” snow scene on Nov. 12, 2025, at Joffrey Tower in Chicago’s Loop. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Milestones and memories: Chicago ‘Nutcrackers’ celebrate big anniversaries
Joffrey Ballet artistic director Ashley Wheater has been doing “The Nutcracker” for six decades. He performed in the ballet for the first time at age 6, dancing in the children’s cast of Rudolph Nureyev’s production for the Royal Ballet.
“Yeah, I’ve done a lot of Nutcrackers,” he said. “I’ve always felt really good about ‘The Nutcracker.’ It is such a great introduction to the ballet world. For me, it’s always had magic.”
