FILE - Tape cordons off the scene where multiple people were shot including police officers in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022. In a report issued this week, homicides in 2023 are declining in a cross-section of American cities, though their numbers remain higher than before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, according to a new report analyzing data from 30 U.S. cities. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) ORG XMIT: NYWS302 AP Two men were wounded in a shooting Thursday night near the United Center on the Near West Side. The men, 18 and 20, were in the 1800 block of West Monroe Street ab ..read more

CPS CEO Pedro Martinez defended a new budgeting system being rolled out for schools at Thursday’s board meeting at Chicago Vocational Career Academy in Calumet Heights on the South Side. “Let us celebrate this change as an important milestone in the long, broad struggle to improve the quality of education for all of Chicago’s children, especially those farthest from opportunity,” Martinez said. Facing criticism over a new budgeting system being rolled out this month, Chicago Public Schools officials defended the change, calling it a "milestone to be celebrated" for its focus on equitably d ..read more

Anyela Faneite and Yorfran Chirinos are one of 15 couples newly arrived in Chicago who’ll be tying the knot Friday at Park Community Church Near North. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times Back in Venezuela, Luis Rodriguez was the "popular boy" in high school: slim with an athletic build and a mischievous smile. Crucelis Rodriguez, who is a couple of years older, was more reserved, studious and focused on graduating. It was those qualities that first caught Luis' eye and captivated his heart. "She was a hard worker, kind of serious," said Luis, 28. "She was responsible and curious; I liked ..read more

Members of Daniel Martinez — a 23-year-old, Chicago area Marine who was fatally stabbed outside a Boston bar in 2022 — hold photos of him outside Suffolk Superior Court after Alvaro Larrama, the bouncer who stabbed him, was sentenced to 17 to 20 years in prison, according to prosecutors. Provided A Boston bouncer who killed a former Marine from the Chicago-area pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges Thursday and faces up to two decades in prison, according to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office. Alvaro Larrama, who originally pleaded “not guilty” to second-degree murder, has be ..read more

ComEd installed two additional electric vehicle charging stations Thursday in the parking lot of the Illinois Eye Institute, 3241 S. Michigan Ave. Sophie Sherry/Sun-Times ComEd unveiled two additional public electric-vehicle charging stations in Bronzeville Thursday morning, the final stations to be installed as part of a two-year pilot project aimed at increasing charging availability for communities with limited access. The two charging stations installed Thursday in the parking lot of the Illinois Eye Institute, 3241 S. Michigan Ave., join three others in the area — one near 43rd Stre ..read more

Renderings of the proposed Bears stadium, released Wednesday, included this vision of Soldier Field would look like if it were deconstructed, with the colonnades preserved and the playing surface converted to parkland and baseball/softball diamonds. But this part of the project would not be completed until after the new stadium — and would require hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayers. Chicago Bears In laying out their dream for a new $3.5 billion domed lakefront stadium, Bears President Kevin Warren and Mayor Brandon Johnson repeatedly invoked the name of Daniel Burnham as they ..read more

Documentary filmmaker Scott Craig David C. Brigham Scott Craig knew how to tell a story. As a producer, writer and director of documentaries for more than 40 years, he told a broad range of stories that hit local and national airwaves for stations like PBS, WBBM-Channel 2 and WMAQ-Channel 5. Mr. Craig laid out in vivid detail the human impact of the closure of an automobile plant in South Bend, Ind. He unfolded Mike North's head-scratching rise from the high school drop-out and hot dog stand owner to one of Chicago's best known and most successful media personalities. And he teamed with ..read more

The CTA van Darion Lindsey admitted he helped set fire to on May 30, 2020. U.S. District Court records A federal judge handed a sentence of more than three years in prison Thursday to a man who helped set a CTA van on fire during the rioting downtown in May 2020 — and who has already served nearly that entire sentence. Darion Lindsey, 22, pleaded guilty in February to arson conspiracy and civil disorder, admitting he helped set the unoccupied van on fire on State Street on May 30, 2020. Denzal Stewart and Lamar Taylor also previously admitted helping set fire to the van. Stewart was sent ..read more

The Federal Trade Commission building in Washington. U.S. companies would no longer be able to bar employees from taking jobs with competitors under a rule approved by the FTC. Alex Brandon/AP file WASHINGTON — U.S. companies would no longer be able to bar employees from taking jobs with competitors under a rule approved by a federal agency Tuesday, though the rule is sure to be challenged in court. The Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 to ban measures known as noncompete agreements, which bar workers from jumping to or starting competing companies for a prescribed period of time. Accor ..read more

Imani returned to his birthplace for the third year running. Birders first observed him Thursday morning. Courtesy of Matthew Dolkart Piping plover Imani returned home to Montrose Beach on Thursday, leading Chicago birders to wonder if the eligible bachelor will find a mate this year. Imani is the son of beloved couple Monty and Rose. Imani, Searocket, Prickly Pear and Wild Indigo headed south for the winter around the beginning of August. Birder Matthew Dolkart spotted Imani at 5:30 a.m., according to Tamima Itani, the lead volunteer coordinator of Chicago Piping Plovers. “He admitted t ..read more