Chicago (Ill)

Subterms

    Latest story

    113 Shares14 Views

    Here Are the 2025 James Beard Restaurant Award Winners

    by

    Toni Tipton-Martin, Jungsik Yim and the restaurateurs behind Le Veau d’Or were among the top honorees.The James Beard Foundation gave out its annual culinary awards Monday night in Chicago, with the chefs and co-hosts Andrew Zimmern and Nyesha Arrington handing out gold medals to chefs, restaurateurs, bakers and bartenders from across the United States.To reflect the growing influence of cocktail and bar culture, three new awards were given out this year: best new bar, outstanding professional in beverage service and outstanding professional in cocktail service.New York City restaurants won three of the six major national awards: outstanding chef (Jungsik Yim of Jungsik), outstanding hospitality (Atomix) and outstanding restaurateur (Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr of Frenchette, Le Rock and Le Veau d’Or).It was the 35th edition of the black-tie gala, which has been transformed from a Monday-night-only event (to allow chefs to squeeze in a trip when restaurants are traditionally closed) to a full weekend of panels and pop-ups. (Food media professionals like writers, directors, podcasters and influencers received their awards at a ceremony on Saturday.)The awards program was suspended in 2020 and 2021 as the industry responded to the pandemic, and as the foundation tried to incorporate rapidly evolving ideas about race, gender, privilege and workers’ rights. Since then, priorities have shifted away from the traditional guest experience — food, service and décor — and toward evaluating chefs and restaurants as employers, community members and professional leaders.Toni Tipton-Martin was presented with the lifetime achievement award.Jeff Schear/Getty Images For James Beard FouWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    More stories

    • 150 Shares18 Views

      in Elections

      Alex Polikoff, Who Won a Marathon Housing Segregation Case, Dies at 98

      by

      He notched a victory in a Supreme Court decision against the City of Chicago in 1976. He then spent over 40 years making sure the ruling was enforced.Alex Polikoff, who won a landmark discrimination case before the Supreme Court in 1976 showing that the City of Chicago had segregated Black and white public housing residents, and who then spent decades fighting to make sure that the court’s will was enforced, died on May 27 at his home in Keene, N.H. He was 98.His daughter Eve Kodiak confirmed the death.Mr. Polikoff’s class-action lawsuit, known as Gautreaux after its lead plaintiff, Dorothy Gautreaux, ranks among the most important decisions in the history of civil rights litigation.Ms. Gautreaux, a public-housing resident, and her five co-plaintiffs claimed that the Chicago Housing Authority had systematically funneled Black residents into a small number of poorly constructed high-rise complexes, which became havens of crime and drug use.Such segregation was an open secret in Chicago, and the subject of decades of protest — Mr. Polikoff filed the case in August 1966, just months after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began his own grass-roots campaign to desegregate the city.But Chicago, under Mayor Richard J. Daley, pushed back. Dr. King left the city without success, while Mr. Polikoff spent a decade fighting the city in court. Ms. Gautreaux died in 1968, eight years before the case reached the Supreme Court.By then, the lawsuit had been combined with a similar suit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In oral arguments before the court, Mr. Polikoff squared off against one of his former classmates from the University of Chicago Law School: Robert H. Bork, the solicitor general.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 88 Shares41 Views

      in Elections

      Thousands of Protesters March Through Downtown Chicago

      by

      The demonstrators carried signs denouncing federal immigration officials.Demonstrators in Chicago gathered at Federal Plaza and took to the streets to protest immigration raids.Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York TimesProtesters by the thousands marched through Chicago on Tuesday, stopping traffic in the downtown Loop and chanting anti-Trump slogans as they denounced immigration raids in Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities.Marchers, by turns upbeat and defiant, waved Mexican flags and held signs denouncing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and President Trump, reading “ICE Out of Chicago,” “One mustache away from fascism” and “Immigrants make America great.”They were also joined by protesters supporting Palestinians, wearing kaffiyehs and calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.“From Palestine to Mexico, these border walls have got to go,” the marchers chanted.In Chicago, a city with a sizable immigrant population, tensions have been high in predominantly Latino neighborhoods over arrests of undocumented people. In communities like Pilsen, a heavily Mexican neighborhood, some residents have been afraid to go to work or go shopping, worried that they will be detained by federal immigration agents.On Tuesday, Chicago police officers monitored the protests from the sidelines while clearing parts of downtown to allow marchers to pass. On some streets, motorists honked their horns in support and residents of high-rises took pictures from their balconies. Some protesters streamed onto DuSable Lake Shore Drive in the early evening.Cheryl Thomas, 26, said that she had joined the march “because of the injustices being perpetrated against brown and Black people.”“They are basically being kidnapped,” she said, adding that she doesn’t know if the march will make a difference. “Doing nothing sure won’t change anything.”The marchers tried to reach Trump International Hotel & Tower, a gleaming skyscraper along the Chicago River, but the police department blocked the way with officers and large trucks in the street.The demonstration in Chicago, a predominantly left-leaning city of 2.7 million, was far larger than the regular protests in the city in opposition to the Trump administration since January. For months, groups denouncing President Trump’s policies have held protests downtown, often joined by Democratic elected officials.“This is cruelty with intent,” Representative Chuy Garcia of Chicago, a Democrat, said at a separate protest this week. More

    • 125 Shares166 Views

      in Elections

      Larry Hoover, Former Chicago Gang Leader, Wins Commutation From Trump

      by

      Mr. Hoover was accused of directing the Gangster Disciples even after he went to prison in the 1970s. The federal commutation will not change his state prison sentence.When an Illinois judge sentenced Larry Hoover to up to 200 years in prison for murder in the 1970s, it was the sort of punishment that seemed destined to end his career as a Chicago gang leader.But in the decades that followed, prosecutors said, Mr. Hoover’s power only grew as he directed one of Chicago’s most powerful gangs, the Gangster Disciples, from behind prison walls.Young members would pledge allegiance to Mr. Hoover, whom they called their “king,” and those who broke Gangster Disciple rules, prosecutors said, would face bloody retribution “up to and including murder.” His influence continued to grow into the 1990s, when he was convicted of more crimes in federal court and shipped off to a supermax prison with a life sentence.On Wednesday, after years of lobbying from Mr. Hoover’s supporters, including celebrities, President Trump fully commuted the federal sentence of Mr. Hoover, according to a White House official familiar with the matter.The commutation was not likely to bring Mr. Hoover, who is now 74 and largely a memory in his hometown, back to Chicago’s streets. His state prison sentence remains in effect, with a projected parole date of 2062, when Mr. Hoover would be 111. But the president’s decision showed his willingness to extend leniency to some prisoners, despite his frequent rhetoric about the danger of violent criminal gangs.Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer for Mr. Hoover, said that the process to commute Mr. Hoover’s sentence had been years in the making. The entertainer Ye, who was formerly known as Kanye West, lobbied Mr. Trump during his first term in office, she said, and others have joined the effort since then.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 150 Shares115 Views

      in Elections

      Gloves Lincoln Wore to Ford’s Theater Sell for $1.5 Million at Auction

      by

      More than 100 relics connected to President Abraham Lincoln brought in $7.9 million, auctioneers said. The proceeds will help a presidential foundation repay a loan.A pair of leather gloves worn by President Abraham Lincoln to Ford’s Theater on the night of his assassination fetched $1.5 million at auction this week, part of a trove of relics from his life and death that a debt-saddled presidential foundation had put on the block.One of two handkerchiefs that Lincoln had with him on that fateful date in American history, April 14, 1865, sold for $826,000, according to Freeman’s | Hindman in Chicago, the auction house that handled Wednesday’s sale.Like the gloves, which a friend of the Lincolns had framed for display on his dining room wall, the handkerchief was described in an auction catalog as having been potentially stained with the president’s blood.And a cufflink-style gold and onyx button with the letter “L” on it, which a doctor removed to check for Lincoln’s pulse as he lay on his deathbed, went for $445,000.The auction of the items from the Lincoln Presidential Foundation, which was conducted in person, online and by phone, raised nearly $7.9 million, the auctioneers said.The total included a 28 percent buyer’s premium, which auction houses tack onto the hammer price to help cover expenses from sales.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 163 Shares166 Views

      in Elections

      What to Know About Suspect in D.C. Shooting That Killed Israeli Embassy Aides

      by

      The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, was charged with gunning down two Israeli Embassy workers outside a Jewish museum in Washington. Here is what we know about him.Elias Rodriguez, a Chicago resident, was charged on Thursday with first-degree murder and other crimes in the killings of two Israeli Embassy aides outside a Jewish museum in Washington.By some accounts, Mr. Rodriguez, 31, led a life typical of a college-educated young professional in Chicago, residing in an apartment in a middle-class North Side neighborhood, with friends and family nearby.But he was also increasingly active in left-wing politics, posting on social media and joining demonstrations in Chicago in opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza, large corporations and racism.When Mr. Rodriguez was taken into custody after the shooting on Wednesday night, he told police officers, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” according to an F.B.I. affidavit filed in federal court.Here’s what else we know about him.A school and work life that raised no concernsBorn and raised in Chicago, Mr. Rodriguez graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago, a school west of downtown that attracts many local residents.Sherri McGinnis Gonzalez, a university spokeswoman, said that Mr. Rodriguez attended from the fall of 2016 through the spring of 2018 and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 188 Shares146 Views

      in Elections

      Suspect in Shooting of Israeli Embassy Staff in Washington, D.C., Had Protested for Palestinian Rights

      by

      The man detained after the shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington is from Chicago, where he had marched in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.The man accused of killing two Israeli Embassy aides in Washington is a Chicago resident who has participated in pro-Palestinian activism and worked for a health care nonprofit, according to his online profile.Elias Rodriguez, 30, previously held jobs in production, research and writing. An online job biography said that he was born and raised in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with a degree in English.He posted video from a pro-Palestinian march in Chicago on the social media site X in 2023.Mr. Rodriguez’s parents, reached by telephone, declined to comment on Thursday morning.Mr. Rodriguez lived in Albany Park, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Chicago, on the city’s northwest side. It is known as a community that has long welcomed immigrants. A century ago, it was home to many Jewish families from Europe, but it is now a draw for Latino, white and Asian residents of Chicago.Windows in what appeared to be the suspect’s apartment were adorned with two signs about Palestinians, including one that referenced the 2023 killing of a Palestinian American boy in Illinois. More

    • 100 Shares119 Views

      in Elections

      Rare Chicago Dust Storm Turns Day Into Night

      by

      Day turned to night in northwest Indiana and north-central Illinois on Friday as a rare dust storm shrouded the skies.A large dust storm moved through Illinois on Friday, reducing visibility in the suburbs as well as in Chicago.Stephanie Alderson Heppe/UGC, via ReutersAn avalanche of fine particles rolled across northwest Indiana and north-central Illinois on Friday, turning day to night in an area of the country rarely hit by dust storms.A dark cloud suddenly brought near-zero visibility conditions on Friday afternoon to major highways, including Interstates 55 and 57 in Illinois, leading the National Weather Service to fire off a series of warnings about “dangerous, life-threatening” conditions on roads.As the wave of sifting dust blew into Chicago, it created a dramatic scene. Visibility dropped to a quarter-mile at Chicago Midway International Airport.“This is not common at all,” Zachary Wack, a meteorologist with the Weather Service office in Romeoville, 30 miles southwest of Chicago, said on Friday.Friday was the first time that the Weather Service office in Romeoville, which covers a large area that includes Chicago, had ever issued a dust storm warning for the city.Mr. Wack was working as the first warnings were being issued. Then the dust storm arrived at his office.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 138 Shares139 Views

      in Elections

      Pope Leo’s Classmates Drew Ire of Church With Protest for Women

      by

      As the 17 young men preparing to be ordained as Catholic priests entered the sanctuary at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Chicago, they each pinned a tiny light-blue ribbon to their white robes. The gesture was small but explosive: It signified their belief that women, too, should be allowed into the priesthood.It was April 1981, and the men were students at Catholic Theological Union, a divinity school founded in the 1960s and still on fire with the era’s radical spirit. Women’s ordination as Catholic priests was one of the most urgent topics for men and women on campus, the subject of constant discussion, organizing and, for many, optimism.One of their classmates was Robert Prevost, who was named pope last week. As Leo XIV, he now leads a global church that has firmly closed the door on the question of women as priests, but has left open the possibility that women could someday be ordained as deacons, the step before the priesthood. Robert Prevost as a student at Catholic Theological Union.Catholic Theological UnionThe men at St. Thomas in 1981 were there to be ordained as deacons. Many in the sanctuary that day recall it vividly decades later. First, the prelate presiding over the ceremony, Bishop Alfred Abramowicz of Chicago, refused to continue unless the men removed their ribbons. (At least one quietly refused, moving his ribbon to a less visible placement.)A woman in the choir joined the protesters halfway through the ceremony, her high heels clicking down the center aisle of the sanctuary. Then, as part of the proceedings, the bishop asked the men individually by name if they were “ready and willing” to serve.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More