| Good morning, Chicago. Temperatures at O’Hare International Airport hit 88 degrees yesterday afternoon, officially breaking the Chicago area’s record high for this date. It was on Oct. 12, 2008, that the city experienced the now-shattered record of 84-degree weather. Farther north in Rockford, temperatures yesterday broke an 18-year-old record by three degrees, also reaching 88, weather officials said. The normal high temperatures for this date in the Chicago and Rockford areas are 65 and 64 degrees, respectively, according to National Weather Service historical data. Read the full story from the Tribune’s Adriana Pérez. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including why Illinois Democrats are on the defense, what Bears coach Ben Johnson says about who will start at QB in Week 6 and can some Second City alums make Oklahoma City the new Hollywood? Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., takes questions during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Federal agents searched Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C. home yesterday, only three weeks before the frequent target of President Donald Trump’s criticism stands for reelection in her congressional district in Minnesota. Here’s what to know. People congregate outside the Illinois State Capitol building in Springfield on May 6, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) With the national political landscape tilting against Republicans ahead of next month’s midterm elections, the Illinois GOP is hoping recent scandals involving Democratic state lawmakers will breathe new life into the party’s efforts to gain more relevance in the General Assembly.
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Chicago school board incumbent Karen Zaccor District 4A, left, with challengers Ellen Sherratt, center, and Angel Alvarez respond to a questions during a forum in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, Oct. 5, 2026. (Nate Swanson/for the Chicago Tribune) Three candidates are running to represent school board District 4A, stretching over 15 schools on the North Side. The two best-funded contenders — Ellen Sherratt and incumbent Karen Zaccor — are going head-to-head in a race that has become a microcosm of a broader fight over who will shape Chicago’s first fully elected school board.
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A passenger walks past a CTA Green Line train after it arrived at the Clinton station in Chicago on March 20, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) Major construction work will snarl Green and Pink Line commutes downtown for nearly two weeks starting today, according to the CTA and the Chicago Department of Transportation. Francis Nuamah, left to right, Jessie Wilson and Chelsea Rochman collect samples of microplastics along the shoreline at the Experimental Lakes Area on Oct. 2, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Join Michael Hawthorne, a Pulitzer-finalist investigative reporter who focuses on the environment and public health for the Chicago Tribune, for a conversation about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. Dori Wilson has her hair styled by Leigh Jones at his salon in Chicago on June 5, 2002. (David Klobucar/Chicago Tribune) Prominent Chicago hairstylist Leigh Jones was responsible for producing the coiffures of numerous celebrities. Over more than six decades, Jones counted Oprah Winfrey, Lena Horne, Heather Bilandic, Natalie Cole, Marlo Thomas, Barbara Eden, Deborah Norville
and Essee Kupcinet among his clients. He also was a commercial hairstylist for hair products companies such as Johnson Products, Alberto-Culver, Helene Curtis, Revlon and Clairol. “He had impeccable taste, and he knew how to make people look better and feel better about themselves,” said Shell Reyes, a friend and longtime client. “His creativity was just boundless.” Bears quarterback Caleb Williams takes practice throws before a game against the Packers on Oct. 11, 2026, in Green Bay. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Bears coach Ben Johnson did not commit to a starting quarterback yesterday as the team prepares to play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.
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Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami strikes out in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 of their AL Division Series game on Oct. 7, 2026, at Rate Field in Chicago. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) The White Sox rebuild was well ahead of schedule with their run to the American League Division Series, writes Paul Sullivan. Some think the rebuild is done and the Sox are onto their next phase, only needing to add a few pieces to the puzzle to get back to the postseason, as they did after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with Lance Lynn, Liam Hendriks and, of course, manager Tony La Russa. But that’s not the way it works. Michelin award-winning chef Christian Hunter at Hooligan on Oct. 8 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) Michelin award-winning chef Christian Hunter just opened his highly anticipated new restaurant in Chicago. Hooligan debuted in the Logan Square neighborhood on Oct. 1. Hunter describes the cuisine as “third coast contemporary,” featuring Great Lakes
ingredients and classic French technique. “The concept of Hooligan is definitely my brainchild,” said the chef, who calls the Black-owned business a “neo-Midwestern bistro.” He was previously executive chef and business partner at Michelin-starred Atelier in Lincoln Square, which closed in May. “The meaning behind Hooligan touches on a few things.” Jeff Carlson in a scene from “Drive Through Fire,” a movie shot in Oklahoma City. (Will Turner) In the summer of 2021, Jim Carlson and his now wife, Kate Duffy, traveled to Oklahoma City to film a pilot for a potential series called “Faculty Lounging,” which Duffy had written and co-produced about two teachers secretly living inside their school. Carlson was cast in a small part, but the couple’s experience was so positive as to be life-altering, writes Rick Kogan. | 
