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Afternoon Briefing

Friday, December 20, 2024

Good afternoon, Chicago.

An Indiana man convicted in the 2017 killing of two teenage girls who vanished during a winter hike was sentenced to a maximum of 130 years in prison today in the case that’s long cast a shadow over the teens’ small hometown of Delphi.

A special judge sentenced Richard Allen during a hearing that began at 9 a.m. Allen, 52, was convicted Nov. 11 in the killings of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, known as Abby and Libby. A jury found him guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping.

Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.

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news
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez attends an event celebrating the Special Olympics on Dec. 19, 2024, at Luther Burbank Elementary School. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Attorney for CPS CEO Pedro Martinez threatens to sue school board if they move forward with firing

Any action against Martinez taken Friday would be a breach of their fiduciary duty, wrote Maritnez’s lawyer William J. Quinlan of the Quinlan Law Firm LLC, and raised a host of other concerns, including whether the new board members had the authority to fire him or appoint a co-CEO to work alongside him.

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business
Starbucks Workers United strike at the North Ridge Ave location in the Edgewater neighborhood, Dec. 20, 2024. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Starbucks baristas go on strike in several Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles stores

The workers’ union warns the walkouts could spread to hundreds of cafes by Christmas Eve if Starbucks does not meet demands at the bargaining table.

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sports
Blackhawks right wing Ilya Mikheyev (95) celebrates his second goal of the night against the Kraken on Dec. 19, 2024, at the United Center. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

4 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks’ 3rd straight win — their 1st such streak since February 2023

Is this the version of Ilya Mikheyev the Blackhawks have been waiting for all along? The right wing flirted with a hat trick, scoring the Hawks’ first two goals in a 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken at the United Center.

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eat. watch. do.
Keith Kupferer at home in Evanston on Dec. 9, 2024. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Chicagoan of the Year in Film: Keith Kupferer, headliner at last, thanks to ‘Ghostlight’

After decades of smaller meat-and-potatoes screen roles, Chicago stage veteran Keith Kupferer took the lead in a fine 2024 film. Award nominations soon followed.

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nation & world
Dan Beazley stands with the homemade cross he brought from Michigan for victims of a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Official says Wisconsin shooter was new student at Christian school where her victims had deep ties

The Wisconsin 15-year-old who shot and killed a teacher and a fellow student Monday was only in her first semester at the school but seemed to be settling in, a school official said as families of the victims remembered them as people of faith who had deep connections within the Christian school.

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