Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: The Sun-Times learned more about a sexual assault investigation after a fraternity party near the University of Chicago, a case placing the school at the center of a nationwide reckoning over collegiate sexual violence.
🗞️ Plus: Pope Leo XIV’s cancer diagnosis, the only televised gubernatorial debate ahead of the Nov. 3 election and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Blackhawks beat the Penguins, 5-3.
☁️ Today’s weather: After Monday’s record-shattering heat, expect a cooler, mostly cloudy day with a chance of showers and a high near 63.
🗣️ Tune in tonight: Tune in at 8 p.m. to our Chicago School Board president debate. Candidates will face questions from our journalists — plus CPS students. Watch on YouTube, listen on 91.5 FM or stream here.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Police report: Group cheered during sexual assault at frat house
Reporting by Sophie Sherry, Rosemary Sobol and Mary Norkol
Police investigation: A 21-year-old woman told police she went to the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house near the University of Chicago on Saturday, “began feeling unwell” and was sexually assaulted, according to a police report. Her account was backed up by two friends, who told police they barged past a group of men appearing to cheer and encourage the attack in a bathroom. The police report said the woman was “not fully conscious.”
No arrests: On Tuesday afternoon, University of Chicago issued an alert saying “a person of interest has been identified.” No arrests have been reported.
Key context: The case has placed the University of Chicago at the center of a nationwide reckoning over sexual assault on college campuses, fueled by investigations into a reported attack at a fraternity house at Cornell University in New York.
COURTS ⚖️
Lawsuits allege decades of child sex abuse at former Holy Angels parish
Reporting by Cindy Hernandez
Seven new lawsuits: The Archdiocese of Chicago is facing new allegations over its treatment of Black Catholic children who were sexually abused by priests at a former South Side parish. Seven lawsuits filed Tuesday claim the Archdiocese knew about sexual abuse at the former Holy Angels Parish in Bronzeville.
Lawyers claim decades of abuse: Attorneys say more than 100 Black children, some as young as 5, were sexually abused by priests at the former parish and school over several decades. The Archdiocese of Chicago said it does not comment on pending lawsuits.
Priests named: Priests named in the lawsuits were the Rev. George Clements, the Rev. Paul Smith, the Rev. John Calicott and the Rev. Kenneth Brigham. All have died. Only Calicott is named in the Archdiocese’s Clergy Substantiated Allegations List.
ELECTIONS ☑️
Gov. Pritzker, Darren Bailey meet for race’s only televised debate
Reporting by Mitchell Armentrout
Rare faceoff: Taking their most direct shots yet in Illinois’ gubernatorial election rematch, incumbent Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker went head-to-head with GOP nominee Darren Bailey on Tuesday evening.
What happened: The billionaire two-term governor squared off with the downstate farmer and former legislator in a WTTW News forum that saw the pair frequently talking over each other while weathering attacks familiar from their first electoral go-round four years ago, when Pritzker beat Bailey by nearly 13 percentage points.
Our takeaways: Both candidates sparred over President Donald Trump, data centers, the Bears stadium saga, crime, health care and more. Head here or tap the button below for our six takeaways.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Pope Leo XIV has cancer: The pope underwent surgery Tuesday that confirmed he has lung cancer, and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, the Associated Press reports.
- Man’s death investigated: An investigation is underway after firefighters extinguishing an apartment fire in North Lawndale found a 50-year-old dead from a gunshot wound. His missing car was located a mile and a half away.
- Six Flags coaster closes: Raging Bull, a roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, is closed after an incident involving a similar coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia that left one person dead and several others injured.
- Pleas in kickback scheme: Antonio Ross and Alfonzo Lewis, an ex-CPS principal and a former employee, both pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in a kickback scheme that took thousands from local school districts, officials said.
- Mayor claims tax support: Nearly 90% of Chicagoans surveyed want to tax corporations to expand city services, according to a report Mayor Brandon Johnson released Tuesday.
- Parks pushover?: The Chicago Park District asked the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry to shrink its planned 458-foot-long, two-story Welcome Hall — but later supported the design after consulting with preservationists.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- Economic update: NPR’s Scott Horsley gives an update on the latest Consumer Price Index.
- Malcolm Gladwell: The best-selling author joins the show to talk about his new book on gun violence, “The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic.”
- Businesses burglarized: Business owners are coming together and demanding tighter security after a rash of burglaries targeting Black-owned businesses on the South Side. Stephanie Hart of Brown Sugar Bakery discusses her experience and plan to fight back.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- Public education: How can public education be improved in Chicago, in Illinois and even across the country? Reema Amin of Chalkbeat Chicago — and callers — weigh in.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 2D: Chicago International ___ Festival (annual event that kicks off today)
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏈🏀
- A look at the lore: For his latest, Steve Greenberg looks back at Chicago’s 1980s sports scene, back at the Bears’ miserable Week 5 loss in Green Bay and ahead to Sunday’s game in Atlanta.
- Montez Sweat suspended: The defensive end was suspended for two games by the NFL for violating its performance-enhancing drug policy.
- Bulls analysis: A few wait-and-sees surround the Bulls as the regular season approaches, writes Joe Cowley.
- High school football preview: The final week of the regular season will deliver high-profile showdowns and winner-take-all state playoff qualifiers.
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
Mural honors sculptor Richard Hunt
Reporting by Misha Manjuran Oberoi
A three-story mural in Hyde Park honors the late sculptor Richard Hunt, a lifelong Chicagoan and the first African American artist to receive a solo retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
The mural, created by Chicago artist Chris Devins, was installed this month at 1515-19 E. 54th St., near several of Hunt’s sculptures and less than a mile from the Obama Presidential Center, where one of his final works, “Book Bird,” is on display.
Hunt was born on the South Side in 1935 and created more than 160 public works worldwide, including 35 outdoor sculptures in the Chicago area.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Today’s question is inspired by WBEZ’s Say More program, and we want to hear from you: Have you ever lost an item in Chicago and got it back? Share your lost-and-found story with us.
Reply to this question via email (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
PICTURE CHICAGO 📸
Cyrus Allen, 9, makes a filter with activated charcoal during a STEM and leadership workshop organized by Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the 10th District of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Saturday at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in Kenwood.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Michael Lansu
Copy editor: Satchel Price