Local search for Chicagoans

8+ min ago (912+ words) Lockport's Claudia Heeney (Left) circles the mat during a 135 pound championship bout against East Aurora's Brenda Escobedo in the Aaron Dudley Memorial Girls Wrestling Invite at Oswego East High School on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (Sean King / for The Daily Southtown) State runner-up Lockport returns bunch of talent, including two-time state champ Claudia Heeney. The Porters were state runners-up in 2023-24 and placed fifth last season. They should be near the top again with senior Claudia Heeney (135 pounds), a two-time defending state champion, leading the way. Senior Sophie Kelner (190) and juniors Rebekah Ramirez (235) and Veronica Skibicki (110) are returning state qualifiers, with Skibicki coming one win shy of placing. Freshman Alaina Churnovic (105) could make an immediate impact for new coach Amier Khamis. Watch for senior Mayra Vicencio-Ramos (170) and junior Bella Romando (120). Lincoln-Way's depth made it a dominant dual team last season as it went…...

20+ min ago (186+ words) Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams warms up for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Nov. 28, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) [Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon warms up to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)]Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon warms up to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) [Bears quarterback Caleb Williams arrives to face the Eagles on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)]Bears quarterback Caleb Williams arrives to face the Eagles on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) [Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey talks with fans as he arrives Nov. 28, 2025, at Philadelphia International Airport before their game against the Philadelphia…...

42+ min ago (375+ words) Nine newspapers owned or managed by MediaNews Group filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday, Nov. 26 against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing the tech giants of violating copyright law by stealing the news publishers" content to build and operate the large language models that power their artificial intelligence applications. The newspapers are the Los Angeles Daily News, The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Bernardino Sun, Boston Herald, Hartford Courant, The Morning Call, the Boulder Daily Camera, the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot. The plaintiffs in the 119-page complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said they are seeking "in excess of $10 billion" in damages. Spokespersons with OpenAi and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lieberman also represents eight other publications owned or managed by Tribune and MNG that filed a similar lawsuit in April 2024 against…...

50+ min ago (843+ words) Pushing aside folding chair poles and fuzzy blankets inside the trunk of her small SUV, Patricia Cortez placed her Target bags inside. Rosa Cossyleon, Cortez's sister, said they, plus their brother and sister-in-law, got to the Target at Highland Grove Shopping Center at 3 a.m. on Black Friday. They used the folding chairs and blankets to camp outside the store, until it opened at 6 a.m., she said. Cortez, 38, of Schererville, said the hardest part was the temperature seemed to get colder the closer it got to sunrise. By 6 a.m., there were more than 100 people waiting outside the store, Cossyleon said. Their goal, Cossyleon said, was to get the store's Black Friday goody bag promised for the first 100 shoppers. An added bonus, she said, was that 10 of the bags had an extra item, valued at about $100 or more. "I was so excited. They wanted to…...

50+ min ago (546+ words) El octogenario enfrenta cargos de cr'menes de lesa humanidad por su presunta participaci'n en decenas de asesinatos como parte de su llamada guerra contra las drogas durante su mandato, primero como alcalde de una ciudad del sur y posteriormente como presidente. Los abogados de Duterte no lograron demostrar que una decisi'n de octubre de la c'mara inferior fuera irrazonable, dijo la jueza Luz del Carmen Ib'ez Carranza, dirigi'ndose al pleno de la sala en La Haya. El expresidente no estuvo presente en la corte el viernes. La defensa planea "reintroducir su solicitud de liberaci'n" de Duterte tras los resultados de un examen m'dico que se esperan para el pr'ximo mes, dijo el abogado Nick Kaufman en un comunicado. Los abogados de Duterte afirman que 'l est' "enfermo y d'bil" y que es cruel mantenerlo tras las rejas durante el juicio....

54+ min ago (706+ words) One would have to rise pretty early in the morning to witness the work Naperville North senior defensive lineman Gabriel Hill does in order to shine under the lights on Friday nights. On a typical school day, the 6-foot-2, 290-pound Indiana recruit is up before dawn to begin a routine that has helped him become one of the best players in the state. "I work out until about 6 to 6:20, then shower and eat and go to school, go to practice," Hill said. "Then I come home and study and then go back for strength training." Hill used to do most of his training after school, but his uncle Eric, a former high school basketball player, encouraged him to switch it up. "He works out early in the morning," Hill said. "He said, "You should try working out early in the…...

57+ min ago (426+ words) Time was when Black Friday signaled the official start of the holiday shopping season, but Jeanette Ludington of Aurora knows those days are long gone. Despite the early start many have gotten on Christmas shopping and the chilly weather Friday morning,thousands still came out to the malls in Aurora for Black Friday deals. Darkness greeted shoppers at Chicago Premium Outlets when it opened at 6 a.m. Friday. Many said their holiday shopping was already well underway but that there is still something alluring about Black Friday. Mandy Zambrano of Mokena said when it comes to Black Friday shopping, "I do it every year." Zambrano's sister Michelle Smith of Peotone said her mission was just "to hang with my sister," adding that when it comes to Christmas shopping, "I started last month." "I'm almost done as well," she said. "As far as…...

57+ min ago (566+ words) A structure believed to be Naperville's only remaining historic summer kitchen may have a path to preservation. The homeowner of the house and detached summer kitchen at 337 N. Sleight St. wants to raise the 16-foot-tall outbuilding about six feet to build a garage below it. The request came to the city's Planning and Zoning Commission at its most recent meeting because if built, the new garage and summer kitchen combo would be 22 feet tall. That's four feet above the 18-foot height limit for accessory structures in the R2 residential zoning district. Anna Franco, of the city's planning services team, said city staff members support the height variance request, calling the proposal "a creative solution" to preserve the historic summer kitchen while also modernizing the property with a garage. Commissioners agreed, unanimously endorsing the request and sending it to the Naperville City Council…...

59+ min ago (200+ words) It's trophy time in Illinois high school football, with eight champions set to be crowned on Thanksgiving weekend. The top two teams in the state according to the MaxPreps rankings, Mt. Carmel and Brother Rice, will play for titles. Beyond them, unpredictability has been the rule throughout the playoffs; Montini in 4A is the only No. 1 seed besides Mt. Carmel to reach the title game. Speaking of Montini, the Broncos have perhaps the top player remaining in quarterback Israel Abrams, rated the No. 2 QB in the 2027 recruiting class by 247 Sports. There will be plenty of talent to watch all over the field over two full days of football, though. The best news: All eight title games are available to watch live for viewers in Illinois and around the country. Here's how to tune in: The Illinois high school football championship games…...

1+ hour ago (297+ words) A winter storm watch will be in effect for much of northern and central Illinois and parts of northwest Indiana from 3 p.m. this afternoon until 6 a.m. Sunday, with possible snow accumulations of over 6 inches. Snow will develop late today through tomorrow night, and will fall heavily at times " up to an inch per hour, especially during the day tomorrow. Daytime temperatures both days will remain in the lower to mid-30s, dropping to the 20s at night. Travel will be most affected on Saturday, as snow-covered roads and reduced visibility will lead to hazardous conditions.Wind gusts from the southeast will reach up to 25 miles per hour. The Rev. Gary Graf set out walking Oct. 6, from Pope Leo XIV's childhood home in Dolton. On Dec. 2, he expects to mark his successful arrival at the Statue of Liberty in New York City. Read more here. Buried…...