Good morning, Chicago.
A City Hall fight set to redefine the tenant-landlord relationship is ramping up after a group of aldermen this week pitched a counterproposal to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to vastly expand the rights of Chicago renters.
The Johnson-opposed group argued their new ordinance, introduced to the City Council Wednesday, will give renters needed protections without driving up rent costs. Johnson’s version is too harsh on landlords, but theirs is a compromise, they argued.
Ald. Gilbert Villegas blasted the Protecting Renters Ordinance reported by the Tribune in late May as “a rent increase” while speaking with reporters Wednesday about the alternate version he is steering.
“This is our opportunity to put forward something that’s going to force compromise, because we see that we need to grow the economy,” Villegas said, adding the goal is “to protect renters, truly protect renters, and not stick them with a rent increase.”0
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jake Sheridan.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including Cook County shattering the air quality record, this week’s Chicago baseball report and a new book from a Chicago trauma surgeon calling gun violence solutions.
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President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, July 16, 2026, in Washington. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump doubles down on US election attacks in his primetime speech
President Donald Trump used a primetime address to the nation yesterday to elevate his yearslong push to raise doubts about the legitimacy of U.S. elections and dispute his 2020 loss in an appeal for more restrictive voting laws ahead of the midterms.
State Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, center, sits in the House chamber as lawmakers discuss bills at the Illinois State Capitol on April 8, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois House Speaker Welch’s office knew of harassment claims against disgraced state Rep. Benton years ago
When he detailed the steps his office took that led state Rep. Harry Benton to resign his seat amid allegations of sexual harassment, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch praised those who “trusted our office to listen, support them and ensure their concerns were handled appropriately.”
But Welch’s account of his office’s swift response stands in sharp contrast to what happened three years ago. That’s when a young female Benton staffer — one of his first hires whose interactions with the lawmaker were part of the investigation — outlined a lengthy series of harassment allegations, many of a sexual nature, to Welch’s office.
Back then, the speaker’s office slow-walked the case after the woman reported the harassment allegations to the speaker’s then-chief of staff in April 2023, the Tribune found.
People cross North Michigan Avenue at East Randolph Street on July 16, 2026, in Chicago. The city was shrouded in wildfire smoke from Minnesota and Canada. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Cook County shatters air quality record, EPA data shows, as dangerous wildfire smoke envelops region
As wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota settled over northern Illinois yesterday, the presence of a major pollutant quadrupled the previous record set for air quality in Cook County, according to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Republican nominee for governor Darren Bailey speaks during the public comment portion of a Chicago City Council meeting on May 20, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Republican Darren Bailey treads water in governor’s race as GOP candidates struggle to raise campaign cash
Republican nominee for governor Darren Bailey treaded water in the opening stretch of his rematch against Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker in the Nov. 3 general election, raising about $1.33 million for his campaign fund while spending more than $1.28 million in the three full months since winning the March 17 GOP primary, state campaign finance records show.
Still, Bailey’s fundraising haul was orders of magnitude larger than other Republican statewide candidates in the most recent quarter.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Budget Director Annette Guzman answer questions from the audience during a town hall, Feb. 3, 2026, at the South Shore Cultural Center. (Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune)
Layoffs on table due to budget shortfall, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson administration officials say
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget team put city employee layoffs on the table yesterday to help close a budget deficit they said could reach $90 million through the end of this year.
State Rep. Carol Ammons speaks with the media outside the Urbana federal courthouse on July 16, 2026. She and her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, right, pleaded not guilty to federal charges. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois state Rep. Carol Ammons and husband, Champaign Clerk Aaron Ammons, plead not guilty to federal charges
Six-term Democratic state Rep. Carol Ammons and her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, each pleaded not guilty yesterday to federal charges handed up earlier this month by a grand jury.
Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill looks on from behind the bench in the second period of a game against the San Jose Sharks at the United Center in Chicago on April 15, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
2026-27 NHL schedule: 8 Chicago Blackhawks games to watch, including a 9th straight opener on the road
The NHL released the 2026-27 schedule yesterday, moving to an 84-game regular season for the first time. It will be jam-packed with events — the Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets and the Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche, among other highlights.
Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong singles to center during the eighth inning of the MLB All-Star Game on July 14, 2026, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Chicago baseball report: Season resumes with Cubs chasing Brewers — and White Sox exceeding expectations
Following a six-game homestand that begins tonight against the Minnesota Twins, the Cubs begin a tough two-week stretch in which they face division opponents Pittsburgh and St. Louis on the road before the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers come to town.
The White Sox are tied with the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central as they resume play following the All-Star break today with a trip to Toronto.
Magnolia Bakery, shown July 16, 2026, was shut down this week for failing its health inspection due to cockroaches and flies. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/)
Magnolia Bakery, Stella’s Diner among Chicago restaurants closed down after inspections find cockroaches, flies
After health inspectors discovered cockroaches, a swath of flies and multiple other food safety violations at Magnolia Bakery, it became one of several Chicago restaurants forced to temporarily close in recent weeks.
University of Chicago Medicine Trauma Center Director Dr. Selwyn Rogers Jr. in the trauma center on July 16, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
UChicago trauma surgeon has seen gun violence up close. His book calls for solutions.
As head of one of Chicago’s busiest trauma centers, Dr. Selwyn Rogers Jr. has played a critical role in responding to Chicago’s gun violence epidemic. Now, he is calling for research and investment to aggressively combat gun violence as a public health problem.