Good morning, Chicago. ✶
.🔎 Below: A traditionalist Catholic group whose leaders were excommunicated by Pope Leo XIV has shrouded allegations of sexual abuse.
🗞️ Plus: Illinois sees a drop in SNAP food benefits enrollment, a sit-down with another president with Chicago ties and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Cubs lost to the Pirates, 8-7; the White Sox beat the Astros, 12-3.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER ☀️
Showers and thunderstorms with a high near 90 and heat index values as high as 106.
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Secrecy over sex abuse permeates traditionalist Catholic group
Reporting by Robert Herguth
Dark history: A fraternity of priests whose leaders were recently excommunicated by Pope Leo XIV — and which maintains a presence in the Chicago area with a church in Oak Park and a priory on the Northwest Side — fashions its members as authentic practitioners of Catholicism. But the Society of Saint Pius X has a history of alleged child sexual abuse.
No public list: While some of the troubles are known publicly, it’s unclear how widespread they’ve been within the international organization, often referred to as SSPX. The SSPX website doesn’t maintain a public list of its members in the United States who are deemed to have been credibly accused of sexual abuse, which many religious orders have done.
Among the accused: William T. Welsh is among the SSPX’s former members who have faced misconduct allegations. Australian authorities tried to extradite Welsh, a cleric in the south suburbs, to face child sex crimes there.
GROCERIES 🛒
Illinois sees 16% drop in SNAP enrollment 1 year after food program overhaul
Reporting by Elvia Malagón and Cindy Hernandez
SNAP drop: Over the last year, enrollment in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Illinois has declined by 16%. By June, the number of SNAP recipients had fallen to nearly 1.6 million, down from about 1.9 million last year, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services. That’s the lowest number receiving food assistance in the state since 2009.
Key context: The decrease comes after Congress last summer passed expanded work rules and other new restrictions to receive SNAP benefits. The state estimates 148,000 Illinoisans lost SNAP because of the work requirements. Nearly 97% of the people still receiving SNAP were exempted because they meet certain requirements, such as living with a physical or mental condition or having a child 13 years or younger.
Food insecurity: In Chicago, there are growing signs food insecurity is trickling down to residents. Save A Lot discount grocery stores cited cuts to SNAP as one reason it is closing stores. On the West Side, one food pantry is seeing an uptick in lines for food, and online food pantry orders are up.
Save A Lot struggles: At Save A Lot in West Lawn, we caught up with customers shopping the emptying shelves hours before the stores were set to close for good. The closures will leave some predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods without a grocery store for miles. “How are they gonna get what they need?” one shopper asked regarding seniors and disabled Chicagoans. “We have to eat, too.”
CHICAGO’S BALTIC BOND 🇱🇹
Besides Obama, Chicago produced another modern president — of Lithuania
Reporting by Stephanie Zimmermann
Chicago connection: Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama aren’t the only presidents claimed by Illinois. Former Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus moved to Chicago as a young man and headed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes regional office. For part four of our Lithuania-set series, reporter Stephanie Zimmermann sat down with Adamkus, who turns 100 this year, for an exclusive interview.
Coming Tuesday: We’ll share the final installment in our series, exploring Lithuania’s economic strategy to push for innovation, investment and institutions amid Trump administration tariffs.
Catch up: Find the full series addressing Lithuania’s democracy, leadership, basketball and more, click here.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- S.S. Eastland victims remembered: People gathered Friday on the Riverwalk between La Salle and Clark streets to commemorate the 844 killed there when a steamship rolled onto its side while docked in July 24, 1915.
- YouTuber charged in scheme: Amateur perfume reviewer Philip Carter has been charged with mail fraud and theft after a monthslong investigation into fraudulent returns to Nordstrom, which authorities dubbed “Operation Eau de Fraud.”
- Cyclosporiasis outbreak: Illinois and three other states were added Friday to federal health officials’ investigation into a diarrhea-causing parasite that was first tied to shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants.
- Small biz help: The Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation will award 52 grants of $5,000 each to qualifying Chicago-area small businesses affected by immigration raids and patrols.
- St. Vincent review: The artist has gone through many transformations throughout her career, but with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia, her work really shone for being complex and experimental, writes Selena Fragassi in a review for the Sun-Times.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- How accessible is Chicago?: An organization that successfully sued the city two years ago alleging Chicago’s crosswalks violated the Americans with Disabilities Act has filed a new lawsuit, claiming the city has failed to maintain sidewalks, which left them inaccessible for people with mobility disabilities. An attorney, a plaintiff and an advocacy group leader discuss.
- What’s that building?: Dennis Rodkin of Crain’s Chicago Business stops by to discuss Promontory Point.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- What can American democracy learn from Lithuania?: Sun-Times reporter Stephanie Zimmermann sits down to discuss her two-week reporting trip to Lithuania, sponsored by the Pulitzer Center’s Richard C. Longworth Media Fellowship. Callers weigh in.
WNBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND 🏀
Tap above to watch our coverage of the WNBA All-Star Weekend Orange Carpet. | WBEZ/Sun-Times
- All-Star Weekend: The WNBA celebrated its 30th All-Star Weekend in Chicago with fan experiences, a 3-point contest, an all-star game and more.
- Point guard power: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Olivia Miles are ushering in a new golden age at point guard. Let’s try to enjoy it, writes Alissa Hirsh.
- Commissioner hears the feedback: WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert says she has heard players’ feedback that she needs to communicate more — so she plans to text them.
- Reese is living the Dream: Former Sky star Angel Reese said she’s happier in Atlanta: “Anything I need, I got it … I ain’t never had that before.”
- What Weatherspoon wants: Teresa Weatherspoon, fired by the Sky in 2024, said this weekend that she “absolutely” wanted a second crack at coaching in the WNBA.
- Obama drops in: President Barack Obama stopped by to give a few remarks to about 100 high school freshman girls attending a WNBA Changemaker Day event at his presidential center. He also surprised pro players as they practiced, providing advice to some of the league’s biggest stars.
MORE FROM THE PRESS BOX ⚾🏀🏒🏈
- HOF inductees: It took a while, but Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent made the Baseball Hall of Fame, writes Barry M. Bloom.
- The Jameson Taillon talk: Cubs will discuss whether Taillon makes the next start after he got rocked again Sunday.
- Savannah Bananas pack Wrigley: Fans descended on Wrigley Field this weekend for the team’s sold-out three-game Chicago stand, embracing a baseball experience built on entertainment, dancing and crowd participation.
- Sneaky depth: The Bulls’ starting five is all but done in pen as rookie Caleb Wilson will likely team with Matas Buzelis and Nic Claxton in the frontcourt, while Josh Giddey and Norman Powell have the backcourt locked up.
- Sophie Cunningham fever: The Indiana star is embracing her ascent with gusto, but she might not be the only one controlling her narrative, writes Scoop Jackson.
- Hawks lineup forecast: The Blackhawks’ two big summer additions change the complexion of their forward and defensive groups. But who will fill in while Connor Bedard recovers from surgery?
- Bears start training camp: The team must back up all the offseason talk, especially on offense, with a sharp start to training camp this week, writes Jason Lieser.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 3D: Word after “Chicago” or “Calumet”
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
John Prine mural adorns Old Town School of Folk Music
Reporting by Genevieve Bookwalter
For John Prine fans, the massive new mural painted on the Old Town School of Folk Music in Lincoln Square can prompt pedestrians to stop and blink back tears.
This month, his friend and fellow musician Jon Langford, who designed the painting, teamed up with Chicago artist Darius Dennis, owner of Big Wall Sign & Mural, to paint a tribute to the late Maywood native and folk music legend during the school’s annual Square Roots Festival. Prine once took lessons at the school in the 1960s and remained a mainstay as his career took off.
The mural is 56 feet wide and 26 feet tall. It features an older Prine strumming his guitar in front of a Chicago flag background. His song lyrics “How lucky can one man get?” stretch in a wavy line above him.
In white are tributes to Prine’s life, much of it referencing his job as a mail carrier before his musical career took off. “Maywood, Illinois,” his hometown, is written in postcard lettering on one side.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
If you became your ward’s alderperson for a week, what would you do?
Reply to this question via email (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
On Friday, we asked you: What aging architecture in the city would you like to see refurbished?
Here’s some of what you said, edited for length and clarity.
“The Uptown Theatre! It’s a stunning facility and needs to be revitalized.” — Mary Godlewski
“The Regal Theater on Stoney Island. I know it’s been in renovations for years, but OPEN it! It’s a highly valuable asset to the community.” — Heidei Sommer
“Many smaller docks [and] piers along the lake and both branches of the river could use refurbishing — great opportunity to expand access to our gorgeous water frontage for safe enjoyment.” — Anshul Jain
“The Chicago Harbor lighthouse. It’s in every lakefront photo.” — Larry Wright
“The arc lamp posts from the Columbian Exposition in Beverly/Morgan Park. They were last restored in the 1990s … very few remain.” — Tim Blackburn
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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