Good morning, Chicago.
Minutes before opening statements were set to begin in his murder trial yesterday, Robert Crimo III pleaded guilty to opening fire on spectators at the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July parade and killing seven people.
The plea was yet another unusual move from the 24-year-old gunman, who often skipped his court appearances and was accused of staring down the victim’s families during hearings. Crimo nearly pleaded guilty to the mass shooting in June but changed his mind in court.
Crimo’s 11th-hour decision to plead guilty to 21 counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of attempted murder short-circuited a trial that was expected to last up to five weeks. Instead, he will be sentenced April 23 for killing seven people, wounding 48 others and traumatizing an entire community.
Crimo’s mother, Denise Pesina, who was in the gallery for the proceedings, created an outburst after the plea was announced. She was brought before Judge Victoria Rossetti, who warned her to remain silent if she wanted to stay in the courtroom.
When Pesina left the Lake County courthouse a short time later, she screamed at journalists about deporting immigrants but refused to answer questions about her son.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, who was in court, said the guilty plea was the best outcome for victims and their families, calling it “1,000%” better than a trial.
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US tariffs on Canada and Mexico take effect, as China takes aim at US farm exports
President Donald Trump’s long-threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico went into effect Tuesday, putting global markets on edge and setting up costly retaliations by the United States’ North American allies.
Starting just past midnight, imports from Canada and Mexico are now to be taxed at 25%, with Canadian energy products subject to 10% import duties.
Trump hits ‘pause’ on US aid to Ukraine after Oval dustup, pressuring Zelenskyy on Russia talks
President Donald Trump yesterday directed a “pause” to U.S. assistance to Ukraine after a disastrous Oval Office meeting as Trump seeks to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in peace talks with Russia.
Senate confirms former WWE head Linda McMahon to lead Education Department as Trump pushes to shut it down
The Senate voted to confirm former wrestling executive Linda McMahon as the nation’s education chief, a role that places her atop a department that President Donald Trump has vilified and vowed to dismantle.
McMahon will face the competing tasks of winding down the Education Department while also escalating efforts to achieve Trump’s agenda. Already the Republican president has signed sweeping orders to rid America’s schools of diversity programs and accommodations for transgender students while also calling for expanded school choice programs.
DOGE says it’s closing Hoffman Estates’ Obama Presidential Library site, but federal officials had already announced lease ending
President Donald Trump’s administration canceled the lease for the Barack Obama Presidential Library in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates, one of many federal leases and contracts recently terminated, according to a list published by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
But the cancellation may have little impact. Federal officials who run the temporary facility said in mid-2024 that they planned to exit the lease and move the library to a permanent, out-of-state location this year.
Rahm Emanuel won’t rule out another run for Chicago mayor, but says city and Democratic Party need work
Rahm Emanuel, a former Chicago mayor and most recently the U.S. ambassador to Japan, is not ruling out making another bid for the city’s top job or even seeking the Illinois governorship but stressed both the city and the Democratic Party in which he’s long been a leading voice have a lot of work to do.
Judge dismisses lawsuit alleging violations in lucrative Illinois vendor program
A Cook County judge has dismissed a lawsuit alleging a company violated the terms of a lucrative state contract in ways that included failing to inform the state that a pair of political insiders profited from the deal.
‘He has that aura’: Chicago Cubs catching prospect Moisés Ballesteros impresses in his first big-league camp
Catcher Moisés Ballesteros, a top-100 MLB prospect, is part of his first big-league camp coming off a stellar season in which he reached Triple A at 20. His age is not indicative of his advanced feel for hitting and ability to handle more experienced pitchers. He put up a .281/.340/.454 slash line, 10 home runs and 15 doubles in 68 games at Triple-A Iowa; between Iowa and Double-A Tennessee, Ballesteros recorded just four plate appearances against pitchers younger than him.
4 takeaways from Chicago White Sox camp, including Austin Slater as the latest outfielder slowed by injury
Austin Slater became the latest Chicago White Sox outfielder slowed by an injury after he was scratched from Monday’s lineup because of a strained left oblique. Slater was originally penciled in to play left field Monday against the Athletics at Camelback Ranch.
The Sox are already without left fielder Andrew Benintendi, who will miss four to six weeks after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right hand on Feb. 27. Outfielder Michael A. Taylor is dealing with right elbow inflammation, but the Sox are hopeful he’ll return to game action by the end of this week.
NASCAR announces smaller concert lineup, lower ticket prices and downsized buildout for Chicago Street Race on July Fourth weekend
NASCAR is gearing up for its third Chicago Street Race this summer with a smaller concert lineup, downsized hospitality buildout, reduced ticket prices and an accelerated setup/breakdown schedule.
The Cup Series race is also moving from broadcast to cable TV.
How springing forward to daylight saving time could affect your health — and how to prepare
Most of America “springs forward” Sunday for daylight saving time and losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day. It also could harm your health.
Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, dies at 82
Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, died Monday in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 82.
Parton met Dean outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat the day she moved to Nashville at 18. “I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton described the meeting. “He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
Review: A still indie Regina Spektor revisits her album ‘Songs’ at Thalia Hall
Regina Spektor thinks about words differently than most of us, writes music critic Bob Gendron. That much was clear Sunday at the first of a sold-out three-night stand at Thalia Hall, where the singer-songwriter literally and figuratively explored the consequence of sounds, syllables and silences at a bare-bones show bursting with accessible eclecticism and quirky perspective. Though flawed, the solo outing possessed the courage to fail and put a refreshing spin on the tired “album-play” concept.