Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: Federal authorities say 50-year-old Lawrence Reed, who was arrested at least 40 times, had “no business being on the streets,” but now is charged with setting a 26-year-old woman on fire on the Blue Line.
🗞️ Plus: A youth mentoring program faces defunding under Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget, White Sox’ co-owner asks the pope to bless a new South Side stadium and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: Nikola Vucevic’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer delivered the Bulls a 122-121 win over the Trail Blazers.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER ☁️
Cloudy with a high near 47.
TODAY’S TOP STORIES 🗞️
Blue Line attack leads to terrorism charge after woman set on fire
By Jon Seidel, Frank Main and Casey He
CTA assault: Federal authorities say a man with “no business being on the streets” approached a 26-year-old woman scrolling through her phone on a CTA Blue Line train Monday night, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. And then, 50-year-old Lawrence Reed allegedly watched her burn.
Terrorism charges: Now, Reed faces a terrorism charge never before brought in Chicago’s federal court, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said Wednesday. Reed has been arrested at least 40 times since 1993, court records show. The judge set a detention hearing for Friday after a prosecutor argued Reed should be detained to protect the public and ensure he doesn’t flee.
Victim critical: Federal authorities say the victim is in critical condition. She tried to roll on the ground of the train to extinguish herself, but no one came to her aid until she was able to get off the train to the platform, Boutros said.
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Newly released cache of Epstein emails reveal deeper ties with Thomas Pritzker, governor’s cousin
By Mariah Woelfel
Epstein emails: Recently released documents by Congress from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are shedding new light on the disgraced financier’s relationship with prominent Illinois civic figure Thomas Pritzker.
Key context: Thomas Pritzker, Gov. JB Pritzker’s cousin, has not been accused of any wrongdoing, nor has he been named in any investigation into Epstein’s crimes. Thomas Pritzker currently serves as executive chairman for Hyatt Hotels Corporation and the Pritzker Organization. He’s also a board trustee of the University of Chicago.
‘Nice to see you’: Thomas Pritzker exchanged at least 20 back-and-forth emails with Epstein, according to a review of some of the 20,000 pages of documents released by the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform committee. In one exchange, Epstein writes Pritzker, “nice to see you, please come more often,” though it’s unclear what Epstein is referring to.
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Johnson pledges to use head tax for youth programs, then wants to cut funding for mentoring
By Fran Spielman
Head tax pitch: Mayor Johnson has tried — and so far failed — to sell his corporate head tax by rebranding it as a “community safety surcharge” with $100 million in annual revenue for crime fighting and prevention programs that include summer jobs and mentoring for Black and Hispanic youth.
Defunding looms: In his proposed 2026 budget, however, the mayor wants to cut funding for one of Chicago’s most successful youth mentoring programs and change city guidelines to disqualify school-based group counseling programs known as Becoming a Man and Working on Womanhood. Without city funding, group counseling programs now serving 1,400 Chicago Public School students in 33 schools will end Dec. 31.
Why? A city spokesperson cited data and “youth feedback” showing more participants preferred a one-on-one model instead of group-based counseling. BAM and WOW leadership says young people find comfort in sitting in a circle and learning that they are not alone.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED ✶
- Gov. meets Pope: Gov. JB Pritzker paid Pope Leo XIV a visit, bearing some beer from the pontiff’s home state and an invitation to come to Chicago. They also discussed Trump’s campaign against immigration. In a separate visit, White Sox co-owner Justin Ishbia met the pope, asking him to bless the stadium that Ishbia wants to build.
- Ruling halted: The federal appeals court in Chicago signaled Wednesday it might narrow an historic order handed down earlier this month, which limited the use of force by federal agents amid the aggressive deportation campaign that swept the city this fall. For now, the entire order is on hold.
- Clergy sue feds: The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership says in a lawsuit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security used “shifting, contradictory, and often opaque communication” to deny clergy the ability to pray with detainees at the ICE facility in Broadview.
- Hospital data breach: The February breach at St. Anthony Hospital could have exposed the personal information of patients, staff and others, according to hospital officials.
- Expanding treatment: Northwestern Medicine is launching a behavioral health institute with a $25 million gift from the Kent and Liz Dauten Family Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic investments in behavioral health in the region, according to the hospital system.
- Rate hike slashed: The Illinois Commerce Commission slashed a proposed $314 million rate hike by suburban gas company Nicor by nearly half. The commission also cut the return on equity from 10.35% to 9.6%, marking another win for consumer advocates.
- Henry Horner Homes complete: The Chicago Housing Authority and its partners marked the end of their decadeslong effort to transform the land where the Henry Horner public housing complex once towered on the West Side.
COMMUNITY CLOSINGS ✶
White Eagle banquets in Niles to close at end of year
By Kade Heather
End of an era: White Eagle Events and Convention Center in Niles — which hosted dinners for numerous celebrities, a pope and a president — will permanently close at the end of the year. Ted Przybylo opened the business in 1947 in Chicago and moved it to Milwaukee Avenue in the suburbs in 1967.
Key context: The iconic banquet hall and restaurant was a staple in the Polish community — perhaps best known for its mushroom-barley soup. And it was a common spot for funeral receptions, located across from a Polish cemetery.
Key quote: “Whether you joined us for a holiday brunch, stopped by to pick up some of our famous mushroom-barley soup, or celebrated a milestone event here, we’d like to thank you for being part of our story,” a closure notice on the hall’s website reads.
SHARE YOUR MEMORIES 🗣️
Did you host or attend an event at White Eagle? Share your memories with us via email.
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏈🏒🏀⚾
- Rodgers redemption? Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers says he doesn’t want to be the Bears’ villain anymore.
- ‘Life is a journey’: Blackhawks prospect Kevin Korchinski has learned to embrace his AHL development.
- Essengue on the sidelines: Playing time still a tough get for Bulls rookie forward Noa Essengue.
- Getz turns inward: The White Sox aren’t “actively looking to move anyone,” GM Chris Getz said. Insead, they’re trying to grow from within.
- Boys basketball: DePaul Prep is at the top of Michael O’Brien’s preseason Super 25 high school basketball rankings. And see who made the Chicago area’s top 50 boys high school basketball players for the 2025-26 season.
GAMES AND CROSSWORDS 🧩
This week’s Chicago-style crossword theme is: Da Bears
Can you solve this clue?
11D: “Papa Bear” George ___
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
Students cook up Thanksgiving dinner for older South Siders
By Casey He
Students at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in Mount Greenwood had a special lesson Tuesday.
Starting at about 7 a.m., a group of pupils began buttering turkeys, cutting up potatoes and preparing vegetables for a farm-to-table Thanksgiving feast.
Students in the high school’s food science program worked alongside chefs Michelle Sandifer and Isagani Alma, who mentored the young cooks during the day.
Ten hours later, more than 400 older adults filed into the school’s gym for its annual Thanksgiving dinner, a neighborhood tradition now in its 13th year, organized by Ald. Matt O’Shea’s (19th) office with help from local restaurants and businesses.
Among them was Maureen Hurley, 76, who says she has been to the dinner at least five times before and has made it part of her Thanksgiving tradition. She says she most looks forward to the sweet potatoes.
“The food is always so delicious, and the kids are so helpful,” Hurley said of the student servers dashing between tables, carrying water and plates. “By the time you walk out, you are going to be really full.”
DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Yesterday, we asked you: What’s the oldest recipe that you still cook today? 🍽️
“Hungarian Chicken Paprikash with dumpling. [It] was past down from my Hungarian grandmother to my mother and then to me. My Grandmother immigrated from Hungary in the early 1900s, settled in Chicago, married and had 5 children. My mother married her son in 1935, and was taught how to cook Hungarian. This favorite recipe was then past down to me; been cooking this recipe for almost 60 years.” — Laura Pergola
“My grandmother was a master cookie baker and a culinary artist. She made the fanciest, best cookies, using tried and true recipes and making up her own. She passed down a hand-written recipe to my family for a delicious cookie called, ‘The Hundred Year Old Cookie.’ It is a very simple cookie, but so good; you can keep it simple or fancy it up with decoration or sandwich it with a filling. I have no idea where she got the recipe, and I have never encountered the cookie anywhere but at family gatherings, but it is fun to bring to nonfamily events because everyone loves this unique cookie, which I have been baking for many years. Grandma was born in 1900, and the title references the recipe being 100 years old. ” — Loretta Namovic
“Among the many recipes from my Mom, which I typed onto large index cards in 1970, is one that I am making again this week. I’ve been making this recipe at least yearly for over 55 years. Mom called it ‘Fried Spinach.’ It’s very simple — a pound of lean ground beef cooked with a lot of garlic. A package of thawed frozen chopped spinach is added, and then four beaten eggs. The dish is topped with Parmesan cheese. After cooking it a year ago and finding myself with leftovers that included orzo, I had a revelation — soup! I put the fried spinach and orzo in a pot with chicken broth. It was delicious, kind of like Italian wedding soup!” — Amy Jackson
“Years ago in the Sun Times, maybe 15-20, I was featured in a food story about making povitica, a sweet nut-filled bread. Povitica is the central Croatian name for this bread, and it is known by other names in Eastern European countries. I first made this bread with my grandmother when I was four years old. I am still making it 75 years later. I also have recipes for beef roast, lamb shanks, sarma (another Croatian dish), stuffed peppers, various cookies etc. that I have been making for over 50-60 years.” — Janice Sachen
“I still make my yiayia’s pastitsio, ‘Greek lasagna,’ which she learned from her mother in their tiny Greek village in the 1930s. I got the recipe by writing down what I saw her making from memory without measurements. Before Yiayia passed, I was able to make it for her and she told me it was the best pastitsio she had ever tasted–of course it was her version! Cooking takes about 6 hours start to finish It helps me stay connected to my Greek heritage.” — Elizabeth Niarchos Neukirch
Thanks for reading the Sun-Times Morning Edition!
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Edited by: Eydie Cubarrubia and Satchel Price
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