Looking for your next dining spot in Chicago? You might want to check out the recommendations from acclaimed James Beard Award winners and nominees. The group of acclaimed food industry experts were asked by Bon Appetit at the recent awards ceremony where they had their best meal in Chicago — and the responses ranged from expected to rather unexpected. ...

A California man’s morning surf was cut short after a frightening run-in with a shark off the coast of Santa Cruz. Drone video captured near Seascape Beach in Aptos shows the surfer sitting on his board as a murky shape emerges in the distance. The shark can then be seen closing in on him and begins circling the surfer, who appears oblivious to the ...

A Chicago suburb was just named among America’s wealthiest, with two other affluent ones also making the list. The list, from finance website MoneyLion, was released June 1. Eligible suburbs were required to have at least 5,000 households and be part of a metropolitan area, editors wrote. From there, editors “isolated 50 suburbs with the highest ...

Chicago Blackhawks legend Jonathan Toews, who won three Stanley Cup titles with the team, has announced his retirement from the NHL. Toews, who played the 2025-26 season with the Winnipeg Jets, made the announcement in his hometown on Friday, walking away from the game of hockey after 16 seasons in the league. Drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in ...

One person was killed after a major two-car crash in suburban Forest View overnight, police said, with the victim found lying on the ground near the crash site and authorities working to investigate. The crash unfolded about 1:10 a.m. near 47th and Central Avenue, the Forest View Police Department said, with officers responding to the scene and reports ...

Lou Malnati’s iconic flagship restaurant on Chicago’s Gold Coast is closing. The restaurant announced the closing, slated for Tuesday, June 30, in a release issued Friday. According to the pizzeria, the sudden closure is due to the new building owner’s decision to not renew the restaurant’s lease as it plans to redevelop the site. “We ...

Are DMVs open in Illinois Friday? With June 19 marking the Juneteenth holiday, many businesses will be closed for the federal holiday. That includes Illinois DMV’s, according to Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. “In observance of Juneteenth, our offices and DMV facilities will be closed on Friday, June 19, 2026,” Giannoulias wrote on X. ...

Summer in Chicago will soon get more exciting, especially for swimmers. The Chicago Park District announced outdoor pools will open on Friday – two days earlier from last year – and will remain open through Labor Day. In a press release, the park district said it’s expanding access to swimming, recreation and heat relief for residents across ...

Americans will celebrate Juneteenth on Wednesday, marking the day when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free. For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts. The U.S. government ...

Major delays were expected on suburban Metra trains in and out of Ogilvie Transportation Center Friday morning after a pedestrian was struck by a train. Metra service alerts at 5:42 a.m. said UPNW inbound and outbound trains remain halted near Palatine due to a “pedestrian incident.” According to the alert, a pedestrian was struck by train #602. ...

Israels military said Friday its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area, threatening the nascent agreement between Iran and the United States to end their war. Talks planned for Friday in Switzerland between Iran and the United States, which Vice President JD Vance had been scheduled ...

The National Weather Service has released a preliminary report of a brief tornado that touched down near suburban Grayslake on Wednesday night. According to an alert published by NWS, the touchdown occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. in the Saddlebrook Farms subdivision in the community. The tornado was classified as an EF-0, with estimated peak wind ...

Christian Pulisic trained apart from his U.S. teammates on Thursday for the fourth straight day because of his left calf injury, and it is unclear whether he will be available to face Australia on Friday in Seattle in the Americans second World Cup game. U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said Pulisic is in a much better spot than he was last Friday, ...

Grammy-nominated record producer Tay Keith was found dead in his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday, police said. Police performing a welfare check found the prolific hitmaker, whose real name is Brytavious Chambers, unresponsive in his Martin Street apartment in Nashville on Thursday afternoon, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said. ...

Foul play is not suspected in the death of a missing 7-year-old boy pulled from a retention pond Wednesday evening, police in northwest Lake in the Hills said. Officers responded shortly before 6 p.m. to a report of a missing child in the 300 block of Steeplechase Way, according to the Village of Lake in the Hills Police Department. Family members told ...

No need to re-litigate the quality of airport food. It once was bad, now it’s improving. Last week, we explored the restaurant options at Midway. Now we look at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. By virtue of O’Hare serving roughly five times the passengers every day as Midway, there should be better ...

A teenager from Oak Park is facing a murder charge in connection with the deadly shooting of man who was riding a bike in Chicago’s Grant Park earlier this week, police announced on Thursday. Eliel Argudo-Tenorio is facing one count of first-degree murder after he was arrested at his home in Oak Park on Tuesday evening, Chicago police said. Police ...

A man charged with lighting a cross on fire in Chicagos Grant Park will not be detained pretrial, a judge ruled during a court hearing Thursday. 21-year-old Merlin Lu turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, and is facing multiple charges in connection with the June 9 incident in which a cross was assembled and set ablaze in downtown Chicago. ...

Simon Cowells fiance, Lauren Cowell, is opening up about becoming pregnant with their son while she was still married to her now ex-husband and the intense media attention that followed. Lauren Cowell, who has been engaged to Simon Cowell for five years, legally changed her last name to his in 2024, a decade after the birth of their son, Eric. ...

Waymo is recalling nearly 3,900 robotaxis to fix a software issue that caused some vehicles to enter active freeway construction zones and continue driving at speed, according to recall notices filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall affects Waymos 5th-generation automated driving system (ADS), and NHTSA said all ...

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has been added to a multi-million-dollar lawsuit filed by a woman who claims to have been sexually abused while in its care. Nationally known civil rights attorney Ben Crump said that DCFS is now being sued along with Aunt Marthas Health and Wellness, who ran a foster care facility at 5001 S. ...

Several apartment buildings in northwest Indiana have been condemned following the Merrillville tornado, forcing residents to find new housing. Some residents returned to their units Thursday trying to salvage what they can and are now looking for a new place to rebuild their lives. Yolanda Stokes loaded up her U-Haul truck and moved out of her ...

As Juneteenth weekend quickly gets underway and summer officially begins, many museums around Chicago will be open and free to the public. Here is a list of museums you can visit with family and friends on June 19 and throughout the weekend. Free for Friday, June 19 Chicago History Museum Admission is free for Illinois residents and children 18 ...

Illinois Tollway officials are proposing toll increases for the first time in more than a decade for passenger vehicles as part of their new capital improvement program. The proposed 15-year, $26.5 billion capital program will aim to improve roads under the Illinois Tollways purview, with public comment opening on the plan next month according to a ...

Minor league baseballs York Revolution declined to play its Pride Night game on Thursday after players refused to wear uniforms that featured a rainbow design, team officials said. The Revolutions game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs was going to mark the Pennsylvania teams 11th Annual Pride Night, but players refused to don special jerseys that ...