Good morning, Chicago.
Standing in the sunshine and crowds and books and authors that was Printers Row Lit Fest over the weekend, it was not possible to hear the Soldier Field crowd expressing its collective relief and enthusiasm during and after the Chicago Bears win over the Tennessee Titans. It wasn’t until about 5 p.m. Sunday when a couple of guys stood in the middle of the street and screamed, “Super Bowl!!” that many people even remembered there was a game.
That was because five blocks of Dearborn Street, south from Ida B. Wells Drive to (and on) Polk Street, was so alive with activities that it was able to overshadow sports and punctuate our vitality as a literary center.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rick Kogan.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Today’s eNewspaper edition
Tropical Storm Francine gains strength and is expected to be a hurricane when it reaches US Gulf Coast
Tropical Storm Francine churned in the Gulf of Mexico with increasing strength and was expected to reach hurricane status today before reaching landfall in Louisiana.
An Israeli strike on a Gaza humanitarian zone tent camp kills at least 19 people, Palestinians say
An Israeli strike on a crowded tent camp housing Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza killed at least 19 people and wounded 60 early today, Palestinian officials said. Israel said it targeted senior Hamas fighters with precise munitions.
RFK Jr. loses attempt to withdraw from Michigan ballot
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Monday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will remain on the state’s November presidential ballot, ending Kennedy’s efforts to withdraw his name to help support former President Donald Trump.
Kennedy suspended his third-party presidential campaign and endorsed Trump in August. He sued Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, on Aug. 30 in an attempt to remove his name from the ballot so as not to siphon votes away from Trump, who won Michigan by about 10,000 votes in 2016.
Bally’s Chicago celebrates one year at temporary casino, as demolition begins at permanent site
Bally’s Chicago celebrated its one-year anniversary Monday, touting 1.3 million visitors since opening its temporary Medinah Temple casino, and still banking on the development of its permanent facility to meet the city’s ambitious revenue goals.
Wheatland Tube closes Southwest Side plant, will lay off nearly 250 workers
Steel pipe manufacturer Wheatland Tube is shuttering a factory on Chicago’s Southwest Side and laying off more than 230 workers there, the company reported in a state filing Friday.
City Council spars over ShotSpotter once again as end date in Chicago nears
ShotSpotter’s days in Chicago are numbered, but some aldermen are trying — once again — to throw the gunshot detection system a last-minute lifeline.
Aldermen called on Mayor Brandon Johnson to abandon his plan to end the city’s use of the technology at a Public Safety Committee hearing Monday. Johnson plans to phase out ShotSpotter over the course of two months starting Sept. 22, fulfilling a campaign pledge.
After ‘a complicated season’ for the Chicago Cubs offense, how can they avoid such extremes in 2025?
There are stretches when the Chicago Cubs lineup’s production makes it a top-10 offense in the majors.
But the Cubs have endured just as many confounding periods of offensive futility, most notably a crushing May and June, that present challenging questions the organization must answer this offseason.
NASCAR has finalized a new charter agreement. Team co-owner Michael Jordan won’t sign it.
NASCAR is in a stalemate with basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and how it ends could potentially get very messy for both sides.
True or false: Caleb Williams’ first start for the Chicago Bears was worth throwing away
Starting with a blocked punt by Daniel Hardy, which turned into a 21-yard touchdown return by Jonathan Owens, the Bears made a series of game-changing plays on special teams and defense and clawed their way to an improbable 24-17 victory.
Tribune writers Dan Wiederer and Colleen Kane assess all that happened Sunday, offering layered analysis in true-or-false format.
James Earl Jones, acclaimed actor and voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93
The pioneering James Earl Jones, who worked deep into his 80s, won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor.
Oktoberfest 2024: 28 Chicagoland festivals, restaurants and breweries with beer and brats
Oktoberfest kicks off Sept. 21 in Munich, but you don’t have to leave the Chicago area to get in on the fun. There are big festivals throughout the city and suburbs with plenty of German beer, food and music along with stein-holding contests where participants show off their strength and endurance. Get ready to raise a glass and dance to some polka music at one of these 28 Oktoberfest events.