Good morning, Chicago.
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, the Chicago-based Baptist minister, political figure and two-time presidential candidate whose soaring oratory and knack for capturing media attention made him a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement and national politics for more than six decades, died today. He was 84.
Jackson battled Parkinson’s disease since 2017, and in April, he was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurological disorder.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said in a statement. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
A public memorial service will be held in Chicago and announced at a later date, according to the family.
Read the full obituary and see a timeline of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s life.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including Tom Pritzker stepping down as Hyatt’s executive chair, Chicago Cubs’ Tom Ricketts shares his expectations for 2026 season and how Black wine visionaries in Chicago are reimagining wine culture.
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Initiative to boost affordable homeownership on South and West sides wins Chicago Prize
An initiative designed to boost affordable homeownership across the South and West sides was recently awarded the third Chicago Prize, a $10 million grant competition established by the Pritzker Traubert Foundation to help revive neighborhoods that historically suffered from disinvestment.
Tom Pritzker, citing Epstein connection, steps down as Hyatt’s executive chair
Thomas J. Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, stepped down from his role as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corp., becoming the latest person felled by an association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Pritzker, 75, cousin to Illinois Gov. JB Prtizker, said in a letter to the Hyatt board that he was retiring, effective immediately, adding: “Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret.”
Illinois Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey rebukes national GOP for post mocking Pritzker’s weight
In an unorthodox political move, Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey is rebuking his political party’s national leaders for posting a meme on social media mocking Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s weight.
The Feb. 14 posting on X by the Republican National Committee was designed as a cartoon Valentine’s Day card, declaring, “My love for you is bigger than JB Pritzker.”
At 65 degrees, Chicago breaks century-old record for warmest Feb. 16 in history
After a snow-steeped and sometimes bone-chilling January, Chicago is enjoying a downright balmy — even record-setting — start to the week.
But don’t pack up your sweaters just yet.
Chicago trading card magnate lists condo in One Magnificent Mile building
Chicago trading card magnate Matthew Bayer and his wife, Joyce, who are the mystery buyers who paid $14.25 million in 2024 for a seven-bedroom, 15,000-square-foot Lincoln Park mansion, are trying to sell their penthouse condominium on the 46th floor of Streeterville’s One Magnificent Mile building.
‘We have to win more World Series’: Chicago Cubs’ Tom Ricketts has high expectations for 2026 and beyond
As players started to trickle out of the clubhouse with bats and gloves in for the Cubs’ first full-squad workout yesterday, Chairman Tom Ricketts stood off to the side, taking in the scene. The Ricketts family enters its 17th season owning the franchise and coming off the Cubs’ first playoff appearance since 2020, the long-term vision remains the same.
“We have to win more World Series,” Ricketts said. “I mean, it’s about winning. All this other stuff, it all leads to one thing, and that’s about winning. We just have to put the kind of teams on the field that can be in the playoffs every year and get back on top.”
- Cubs’ Matt Shaw gets ready for the outfield — while 2 players are still delayed by visa issues
- Photos: An inside look at Cubs spring training
What drew assistant GM Carlos Rodriguez to Chicago White Sox? ‘A lot of momentum’ heading into 2026.
Carlos Rodriguez listed tradition, legacy and the fan base as some of the appealing factors in joining the White Sox as an assistant general manager.
“It’s an organization with tremendous legacy, and I’m hoping to really be able to contribute in whatever way we can make the city proud of their organization,” Rodriguez said yesterday at Camelback Ranch.
Black wine visionaries in Chicago are reimagining wine culture
The arrival last October of a wine and charcuterie bar was an unexpected addition to the quiet stretch of low-lying brick storefronts in Park Manor, the historically Black, residential neighborhood of Chicago’s South Side.
But Park Manor 75, founded by Jacare Thomas and Charlette Stanton-Thomas, was “a much-needed third space” for the South Side, says Thomas. Not merely a wine bar, but a gathering place beyond work and home, centered on community, conversation and the joy of Black social life.
Column: The Chicago Reader bursts back in a ’50 Years’ book and a lively new issue
“Free Chicago: 50 Years of the Reader” is a big, beautiful book, delivered to some 1,600 supporters who helped fund its publication through a Kickstarter campaign launched in 2024. This book coincides, serendipitously, with the “rebirth” of the Reader itself, writes Rick Kogan.
From Muslim portraiture to a nose punch: Photography exhibits to see this spring
Two Chicago-area collegiate museums are using photography this season to explore how images shape cultural memory.