Good morning, Chicago.
Christopher Colwell of Valparaiso, Indiana, teared up a bit as his grandmother sang with her church choir during Northwest Indiana Pridefest earlier this month, calling the moment a haven of acceptance in a state and nation that’s become increasingly hostile to queer men like him.
The grandson and grandma briefly embraced after her performance on a stage adorned with rainbow-colored balloons and a giant Pride flag.
“I can’t stand the current climate in this state. It don’t represent its people anymore,” said Colwell, 25, at the June 8 event at Riverview Park in Lake Station. “I have a really poor outlook on the country as a whole.”
While Pride events in the past were largely celebrations of the rights the LGBTQ community has secured — as well as promotions for greater representation and acceptance — many activists say the focus this year has been on girding protections and freedoms that are being actively rolled back on the federal level as well as in many Republican-led states such as Indiana.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Angie Leventis Lourgos.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including CPS eliminating more than 200 positions, violent crime dropping to levels not seen in a decade in Chicago and which restaurant Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu says is one of the best in the city right now.
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Amid celebration, Pride Parade calls for resistance to federal incursions on LGBTQ+ rights
Dozens of Bikes and Mics motorcyclists revved their engines, leaning forward on their handlebars as the crowd cheered. After a final countdown from parade organizers, they rolled down North Halsted Street, heralding Chicago’s 54th annual Pride Parade forward.
This year’s theme was “United in Pride,” as the Pride Chicago organization emphasizes community solidarity in an uncertain political time for the LGBTQ+ population in America and celebrates 10 years of legalized same-sex marriage.
‘Having Medicaid keeps me alive’: Illinois residents anxiously watch as Congress considers Medicaid cuts
Across Illinois, millions of people are anxiously awaiting the next move on a bill that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid across the country.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” would slash the program, which provides health care coverage to people with low incomes, in order to help pay for tax cuts and border and national security. President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans say the bill would cut waste, fraud and abuse from Medicaid, providing coverage only to those who truly need it.
CPS lays off 161, eliminates 209 positions to plug budget hole
In a cost-cutting move to plug a $734 million shortfall, Chicago Public Schools officials on Friday said they laid off dozens of workers in the district’s central office and citywide staff.
In all, CPS laid off 161 employees, according to district officials.
Sharp drop in arrests, other long-term crime trends shown in new Cook County data dashboard
Throughout 2019, Chicago police officers made nearly 80,000 arrests before scaling them back significantly during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the following spring.
Now five years later, that drop appears not to be just a COVID-era blip: In recent years, arrests have rebounded slightly, but annually police still are recording tens of thousands of fewer arrests than they did in 2019.
Violent crime drops to levels not seen in a decade in Chicago during first half of 2025
Major cities across the country, including New York and Los Angeles, have seen significant dips in violent crime since the unrest of 2020, when protests, riots and looting followed the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis and the COVID-19 pandemic was taking hold.
Now Chicago finds itself firmly in that group.
Mayor Brandon Johnson faces tough task with Chicago Housing Authority CEO search
A $24 million lead paint lawsuit payout. Dissatisfied residents. Staff members who have seen the vast majority of executive leaders turn over in the last 10 months. The Trump administration’s priorities to slash the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s programs and staff.
These are just some of the issues the next CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, the third largest public housing authority in the country, will face coming into the role.
Last weekend’s heat wave shows gaps in Chicago’s network of cooling centers
Record high nighttime temperatures, a dangerously high heat index and intense humidity swept through Chicago from June 21 to 23, marking the city’s first major heat wave of the summer. Ahead of the heat wave, Mayor Brandon Johnson told residents at a June 20 news conference that the city was “prepared to demonstrate the full force of government” by offering city-run cooling centers.
The city’s website promotes 288 cooling center locations across the city, which are intended to “offer residents air-conditioned refuge” during extreme heat advisories. Of those, 110 are outdoor “splash pads” — water features operated by the Chicago Park District that don’t offer any indoor cooling space. In addition, only two-thirds of the indoor cooling centers were open at least part of the day every day during the three-day heat wave.
Column: As summer heats up, Chicago’s sports teams buckle down — and the NASCAR course just buckles
It was a hot start to summer in Chicago for our legacy sports teams, writes Paul Sullivan. Up was down, down was up and our downtown streets buckled just in time for the Chicago Street Race.
- 3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ series loss against the Houston Astros as they lose ground in the division
- Chicago White Sox earn series victory over the San Francisco Giants as Luis Robert Jr. goes on the IL
‘The Big D,’ a matchmaking comedy show for divorced singles, is coming to Chicago
A unique comedy game show is coming to Chicago, and while anyone can watch, the show’s contestants share one commonality: Divorce.
“The Big D” (you can guess what the “D” stands for here) is a matchmaking show that allows divorced singles in the 40-60 age range to meet people in the real world and, hopefully, spark a connection.
Restaurant review: Void, a whimsical Italian American refuge for the weird and wonderful in Chicago
While the Italian American restaurant Void does whimsy well, most evident with its Spaghetti Uh-O’s and No-Lört, it’s become one of the best restaurants in Chicago right now, writes Tribune food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu.
Route 66: The last (or first) 300 miles in Illinois
The Route 66 road trip ended at the beginning, at East Jackson Boulevard and South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, where a brown sign hanging 12 feet high on a light post tells people they’ve reached the venerable road’s threshold.
While the route often conjures images of quaint small towns, its foundation, said historian and author Jim Hinckley, has always been rooted in Chicago. The existing roads and trails that would eventually become Route 66 nearly 100 years ago largely followed the railroad, with Chicago as its hub.
Read the series:
- Catch up on earlier dispatches from the Tribune’s Jonathan Bullington and E. Jason Wambsgans