| Good afternoon, Chicago. Pope Leo XIV will personally carry the wooden cross through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on his first Good Friday as pontiff, marking the first time in decades that a pope carries the cross to every station. “I think it will be an important sign because of what the pope represents, a spiritual leader in the world today, and for this voice, that everyone wants to hear, that says Christ still suffers,” Leo told reporters this week outside of the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo. “I carry all of this suffering in my prayer.” 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. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History news Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling appears in front of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) at Kelly College Preparatory High School in Chicago to talk about CPD’s response to Operation Midway Blitz, April 2, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling yesterday sought to clarify CPD’s response to Operation Midway Blitz during an often contentious meeting of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. More top news stories: business Lisa Fleischmann measures a Trump sign to install on the wall in her store, the Trump Truth Store and Hangout, on Jan. 13, 2026, in Crystal Lake. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Just a few months after opening, the controversial Trump Truth Store in Crystal Lake has temporarily shut down, citing a drop in sales amid the ongoing Iran war. More top business stories: sports Illinois guard AJ Redd speaks with members of the press after practice before their Final Four game against UConn at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 2, 2026, in Indianapolis. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) In the final
months of his senior year at St. Ignatius on Chicago’s Near West Side, AJ Redd never could’ve envisioned the kind of moments he experienced yesterday. Two days before the start of the Final Four, he and his Illinois teammates were living a dream turned reality, and just about everything underscored the gravity of it all. More top sports stories: eat. watch. do. Conductor Paavo Järvi leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and soloist Ksenija Sidorova in an accordion concerto at Symphony Center in Chicago on April 2, 2026. (Todd Rosenberg) Houston, the accordion concertos have landed. Look at the pedigree of serious orchestra works written for the instrument, and you’ll notice most have been performed more frequently in Europe — long more hospitable to the squeezebox as a solo instrument. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: nation & world Attorney General Pam Bondi listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) After Pam Bondi became U.S. attorney general last year, conservative influencers, online sleuths and others who wanted the government to disclose all it knew about Jeffrey Epstein thought they might have a champion in the Department of Justice. More top stories from around the world: | 
