Usa news

The holiday break is a cue for film buffs to catch up on what they missed this year. We asked Chicago filmmakers and critics for recommendations of films they caught in 2025 that audiences overlooked. We curate 10 here, alphabetically …

Fiery and bold, the late jazz trumpeter jaimie branch was never afraid to speak her mind. She was comfortable challenging the political beliefs of anyone, from a single person to an entire audience. That passion was on full display at …

As families across America prepare to gather around the dinner table in celebration of the end-of-year holidays, millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants do so with the looming fear that they could soon lose access to this critical lifeline. …

Sam Shepard’s “Buried Child” — the 1978 Pulitzer Prize–winning play by the Illinois-born writer — ran in Tokyo from Oct. 3-19, presented by Theatre Company Subaru. The setting is a farmhouse in Illinois where an elderly couple lives with their …

DEAR ABBY: My son died of cancer at 33. It was heartbreaking. My daughter-in-law, “Belinda,” had grown distant before his death, and although they had a son through artificial insemination, I have almost never seen him. I helped with the …

My 1990s are feeling like a lie. I watched the recent Netflix documentary “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” about the hip-hop music mogul who has tweaked his image over and over with new names and new business ventures. What stays the …

Donald Trump’s administration paints a picture of undocumented immigrants as freeloaders or depraved criminals. The Department of Homeland Security’s recent news releases trumpet a steady stream of headlines about deporting the worst offenders. In reality, only 5% of those detained …

LAS VEGAS — In what easily could have been viewed as a playoff game, the Jaguars went to Denver and proved their mettle as a postseason force to fear. Houston vs. Jacksonville, anyone, for the AFC crown? The Jaguars stepped …

The Cubs’ offseason was eclipsed by the White Sox earlier this week, when the South Siders signed Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami to a two-year deal and held a press conference to introduce their newest member. It was the splashiest move …

A man was fatally shot Thursday night in Grand Crossing on the South Side, according to Chicago police. The man was found unresponsive with gunshot wounds to his back and armpit around 10 p.m. in the 7400 block of South …

A 15-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting early Friday in South Chicago on the South Side, according to Chicago police. The teen was in the 2900 block of East 91st Street when someone in a group of males saw …

LAS VEGAS — Angie Dickinson enters an elevator just as Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford exit. Seeing Dickinson, Sinatra executes a U-turn. Acting mock-slighted in the hall, Lawford turns to Dean Martin, who had accompanied Dickinson to the elevator. “What …

The National Weather Service has issued a dense fog advisory until 11 a.m. for Cook, DuPage, Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois and Porter and Lake counties in Indiana. Areas with dense fog can reduce visibility to one quarter mile …

A tow truck driver crashed into a woman’s vehicle in River North and then shot at her windshield early Friday, Chicago police say. The woman was driving adjacent to the tow truck in the 800 block of North LaSalle Street …

We asked readers what one change to Chicago’s downtown they’d like to see in the next 20 years. Here’s what you told us, lightly edited for clarity: “Fewer cars, more and better public transportation and a marketplace, a large indoor …

On Thanksgiving, the NHL’s intense parity this season seemed like it might help the Blackhawks by maximizing their chances of playing meaningful games into March. On Christmas, the parity seems like it might instead help the Hawks by maximizing their …

Philadelphia artist Kristin Scholz has one public mural in Chicago, which can be found in a Lincoln Square alley on her best friend’s garage door. “She just wanted color on her house,” says Scholz, who also painted her friend’s back …

The city of Chicago is collecting submissions for its fourth annual “You Name a Snowplow” contest. People are encouraged to submit their best snow-related puns by Jan. 10 at Chicagoshovels.org. Six winning names will be attached to plows in each …

The holidays are a good inflection point of the MLB offseason. Most deals are done before Christmas, and free-agent activity is relatively quiet as front offices take time to be with their family. Surprisingly, the White Sox ($57.1) have outspent …

Bears wide receiver Luther Burden will play Sunday against the 49ers. Burden sprained his ankle against the Browns and didn’t play against the Packers but returned to practice this week. He was a full participant for the first time Friday. “He …