It was another hot and humid week in Chicago. With dangerous heat engulfing the city, residents again turned to box fans and air conditioning units for relief from the soaring temps — that is, despite recent spikes in electric costs. The heat subsided only to welcome thunderstorms that knocked out power for 50,000 ComEd customers.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom this week. After years of construction, four North Side Red Line stations reopened Sunday, and in some good news for homeowners, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he won’t seek a property tax hike in his upcoming budget proposal.
Gov. JB Pritzker, along with 17 other Democratic governors, petitioned the Donald Trump administration to release nearly $7 billion in withheld federal education grants. On Friday, the Department of Education did just that. But local education leaders are still struggling with their own funding problems. At Thursday’s Chicago Board of Education meeting, Chief Budget Officer Michael Sitkowski reiterated that Chicago Public Schools has identified $165 million in spending reductions, including cuts to its administrative staff and vendor contracts, but the district is still searching for a solution to its $734 million budget deficit.
Two of the four defendants in the “ComEd Four” case were sentenced this week. Ex-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and the utility’s former lobbyist Michael McClain will spend two years in prison for their part in the elaborate scheme to bribe then-House Speaker Michael Madigan.
New Tribune reporting shows arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are up in Chicago since Trump took office, and local children recently received deportation letters from the Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, on Friday, a federal judge in Chicago blocked the Trump administration’s challenge over sanctuary policies in the state of Illinois.
In global news, the United States cut short ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas on Thursday, while hunger and malnutrition surge in Gaza. France also announced this week that the country will recognize Palestine as a state.
Three big names in the world of celebrity and entertainment passed away this week. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the 54-year-old actor best known for his role as teenage son Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” died in an accidental drowning Sunday in Costa Rica. Ozzy Osbourne, lead singer of Black Sabbath and godfather of heavy metal, died at the age of 76, just weeks after his farewell show. And professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan died Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 71.
Plus, the Chicago Cubs and White Sox play each other in this weekend’s City Series at Rate Field. It’s a matchup with stakes for both teams, as the Sox come off their best road trip since September 2022 and the Cubs just dropped from first place in their division.
That’s it for the headlines! Now here’s the Tribune’s Quotes of the Week quiz for July 20 to 26. Missed last week? You can find it here or check out our past editions of Quotes of the Week.
Originally Published: July 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT