Signals

<p>Mayor Brandon Johnson’s top adviser insisted Friday that there’s still a chance to keep the Bears in Chicago because there are major hurdles with stadium proposals in both Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana.</p><p>Senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee said even if the Illinois General Assembly approves the massive property tax break and the roughly $855 million in infrastructure money needed to ready Arlington Heights' former racetrack site for development, building a domed stadium there is no sure thing.</p><p> Question marks also surround Indiana’s more generous and tax-laden offer to help the Bears build a dome in Hammond on land that once served as an industrial dump site.</p><p>“I’m not saying there’s no world in which they work. I’m saying that both of them have challenges... And as long as that remains the case, then there’s always the realistic possibility that you have to make a pivot” back to Chicago, Lee told the Sun-Times.</p><p>With two weeks to go before the General Assembly adjourns its spring session, Chicago is nowhere in the stadium conversation — except at Johnson’s City Hall.</p><p>The Bears and NFL owners have their sights set on Arlington Heights and northwest Indiana, and Gov.

Three prominent Swedish business leaders—Antonia Ax:son Johnson, Stefan Persson, and Jacob Wallenberg—have written an opinion piece arguing that while security and defense are urgent priorities given regional conflict, government and private sector must work together to preserve cultural institutions as a foundation of open society. They call for policy changes to enable greater private investment in the arts.

<p>As Chicago prepares for the opening of the <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/things-to-do/2026/04/30/obama-presidential-center-museum-tickets-go-on-sale-may-6-heres-what-to-know" >Obama Presidential Center</a> on June 19, a mile south, artist <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/art/2025/09/19/theaster-gates-art-smart-museum-university-of-chicago-unto-thee-rebuild" >Theaster Gates</a> will launch two new hospitality concepts created with the entrepreneur Heiji Choy Black, his longtime friend.</p><p>Opening on June 5, Han Cha, a Korean-inspired high tea salon, and Yunomi, a companion cocktail bar and lounge, are the latest addition to Gates’ nearly two-decade ambition to build a cultural corridor on the city’s South Side.</p><p>Choy Black said she hopes the two new concepts will boost the South Side’s profile for dining, but also serve as “a welcoming gateway into the neighborhood.” The Obama Presidential Center will also have a fine-dining restaurant and cafes spearheaded by <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/food-drink/2026/01/21/chef-cliff-rome-obama-presidential-center" target="_blank" ><u>chef Cliff Rome.</u></a></p><p>Gates’ suite of South Side properties have been the site of many spaces and ideas over the years. What started with a handful of rehabilitated buildings on Dorchester Avenue in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood in 2009 has expanded into a constellation of properties. Nearby, the Arts Bank on 67th Street, which houses the Johnson Publishing library, has long hovered between a public and private site, operating with sporadic public hours and programming.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center> <div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop=""> <figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-480000" name="image-480000"></a> <picture data-crop="medium"> <source type="image/webp" width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6787a68/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3a03bc7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <source width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d9f489c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <img class="Image" alt="THEASTERGATES-0921250072.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d9f489c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c317bac/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275" data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d9f489c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" > </picture> <div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Artist Theaster Gates, pictured here preparing for a 2025 exhibition at the Smart Museum of Art, has long envisioned a cultural corridor on the South Side.

<p>One year after winning their first playoff game in 15 years, the <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears" target="_blank" >Bears</a> are big business.</p><p>The NFL made that clear Thursday night when they released a schedule that features the Bears hosting the Packers on Christmas Day, traveling to the Lions for <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/05/14/bears-schedule-2026-lions-thanksgiving-day-game-ford-field-ben-johnson-matt-eberflus-dan-campbell-nfl" target="_blank" >Thanksgiving</a> and tying a franchise record by playing five night games — including three in a row from Weeks 7-9. By contrast, last year’s team was assigned only three night games all season.</p><p>Everyone wanted in on the Bears. Each of the NFL’s broadcast partners — Fox, CBS, NBC, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix — will air at least one of their games.</p><div class="RelatedList Enhancement" data-module data-align-center> <div class="RelatedList-title">Related</div> <ul class="RelatedList-items"> <li class="RelatedList-items-item"> <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/halas-intrigue/2026/05/15/bears-schedule-podcast-halas-intrigue" >Halas Intrigue podcast: Talking 2026 schedule</a> </li> </ul> </div> <p>With expectations comes a first-place schedule for the reigning NFC North champions — the Bears’ opponents in 2026 had a league-high .550 winning percentage last year.

Donofrio dominates on mound and at plate in Johnson's shutout victory.

<p>The <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/05/08/bears-brian-urlacher-54-jersey-logan-jones-retire-out-circulation-george-mccaskey-nfl-rookie-minicamp" target="_blank" >Bears</a>’ rookie minicamp had a local-high-school feel Friday.</p><p>Barrington’s Scotty Miller, Lake Forest’s Mac Uihlein and Jai Williams and Loyola’s Josh Kreutz all tried out for the Bears as part of the two-day practice session, which ends Saturday.</p><p>Miller, who won a Super Bowl and played for Bears wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El as a member of the 2020 Buccaneers, is a rare veteran tryout player. He seemingly has an opportunity, given that the Bears’ receiving room isn’t deep. He caught nine passes for 62 yards in 13 games with the Steelers last season.</p><p>‘‘From afar, I’ve been able to see the speed, the quickness,’’ coach Ben Johnson said.

<p>In another life, Flea might have bypassed all the fame and glory of rock music. He might have stuck to playing the trumpet, which he first picked up as a kid, and become one of our modern jazz greats, jumping around the late-night club circuit in New York’s Greenwich Village or New Orleans, and working on retrospectives of John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.</p><p>On Thursday night at Thalia Hall, the Red Hot Chili Peppers founding member and bassist performed as if that was always his storyline.</p><p>Chicago was the kickoff of the musician’s anticipated “Honora” tour, in support of the total about-face album he released in March that presents a sweeping and defiant journey into the jazz ambitions that were always lurking in his bones.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center> <div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop=""> <figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-120000" name="image-120000"></a> <picture data-crop="medium"> <source type="image/webp" width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/86e46c4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3500x1964+0+124/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe2%2F48%2F6832d7df485fa5c66fe64d2ba0ff%2Fflea-260509-016.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c328d53/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3500x1964+0+124/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe2%2F48%2F6832d7df485fa5c66fe64d2ba0ff%2Fflea-260509-016.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <source width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2e4472d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3500x1964+0+124/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe2%2F48%2F6832d7df485fa5c66fe64d2ba0ff%2Fflea-260509-016.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <img class="Image" alt="Musicians Josh Johnson, Anna Butterss, Flea, Deantoni Parks and Jeff Parker of Flea and the Honora Band perform at Thalia Hall on 1807 S Allport St, Chicago, IL 60608 on Thursday, May 7, 2025. | Barry Brecheisen/For the Sun-Times" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2e4472d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3500x1964+0+124/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe2%2F48%2F6832d7df485fa5c66fe64d2ba0ff%2Fflea-260509-016.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0fd1ad3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3500x1964+0+124/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe2%2F48%2F6832d7df485fa5c66fe64d2ba0ff%2Fflea-260509-016.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275" data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2e4472d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3500x1964+0+124/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe2%2F48%2F6832d7df485fa5c66fe64d2ba0ff%2Fflea-260509-016.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" > </picture> <div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Musicians Josh Johnson, Anna Butterss, Flea, Deantoni Parks and Jeff Parker (of Chicago band Tortoise) of Flea and the Honora Band perform Thursday at Thalia Hall.</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Barry Brecheisen/For the Sun-Times</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>As the story goes, Flea’s stepdad was the jazz musician Walter Urban Jr., who filled the young talent’s mind with ideas as he watched Urban Jr.

[FrontPageAfrica] Monrovia -- President Joseph Boakai has pushed back against former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's criticism of sanitation conditions in Monrovia, insisting that although the capital still faces challenges, it is cleaner today than in previous years.

The day after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the federal Voting Rights Act, NAACP President Derrick Johnson addressed members and supporters, ranking the decision among the court's most notorious cases—including Dred Scott, which denied Black citizenship before the Civil War, and Plessy, which upheld segregation.

Kentucky's state supreme court has refused to replace Judge Angela Johnson in the divorce proceedings of former Governor Matt Bevin and his ex-wife Glenna. The case involves a dispute over support for the couple's estranged adopted son, Jonah, and the Bevins had sought the judge's removal.

The day after the U.S. Supreme Court decision curtailing the federal Voting Rights Act, NAACP President Derrick Johnson addressed members and supporters, ranking the ruling alongside landmark cases that excluded Black Americans from citizenship and upheld segregation. Johnson's comparison signals the organization's view of the decision as a fundamental threat to voting rights protections.

The day after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the federal Voting Rights Act, NAACP President Derrick Johnson told members and supporters that the ruling ranks among the Court's most infamous decisions in American history, comparing it to landmark cases like Dred Scott and Plessy that entrenched racial discrimination.

The day after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the federal Voting Rights Act, NAACP President Derrick Johnson addressed members and supporters and compared the ruling to the Court's most infamous decisions, including Dred Scott (which excluded Black Americans from citizenship before the Civil War) and Plessy v. Ferguson (which enshrined racial segregation).

The day after the U.S. Supreme Court significantly weakened the federal Voting Rights Act, NAACP President Derrick Johnson addressed a virtual gathering of members and supporters, ranking the landmark decision alongside the Court's most infamous cases, including Dred Scott v. Sandford (which denied Black people citizenship) and Plessy v. Ferguson (which established 'separate but equal').

The day after the U.S. Supreme Court decision crippling the federal Voting Rights Act, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson addressed the organization's members and supporters, ranking the ruling alongside the Supreme Court's most infamous cases—including Dred Scott (which excluded Black people from American citizenship) and Plessy v. Ferguson (which enshrined racial segregation).

Governor Asiama advocates right conditions to propel Africa’s financial services Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), has called on African nations to create the right conditions to make financial services grow responsibly and at scale.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, other leaders press lawmakers for more funding Johnson and other mayors said local governments need a greater share of the state income tax revenue

Buckner pushes back on Chicago mayor’s characterization of Bears bill Rep. Kam Buckner is pushing back on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s characterization of his megaprojects bill as a giveaway for large developers that would harm Chicago.

Kansas judge rebuts state attorneys’ conflict of interest suggestion in anti-abortion law case TOPEKA — A Kansas judge declined to pause his decision-making in a consequential abortion law case after state attorneys said his application to fill a vacancy on the Kansas Supreme Court causes a conflict of interest. Johnson County District Court Judge K. Christopher Jayaram said Monday in a memo the state’s request appeared “pretextual and […]

TN governor signs law requiring new citizenship vetting for voters if feds develop national database Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed into law a new citizenship vetting process for voter registration slated to take effect in 2028 should the federal government make a national database of non-citizens available to county elections officials across the nation. The legislation, brought by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson of Franklin and House Leader William […]

Extra Extra: There's a magician in the NY-12 congressional race Because it's Micah Lasher, he wrote a book about magic tricks, here are your afternoon links: Corey Johnson is a big political donor now, 76ers want Knicks fans out of their arena, a beaver bit a kid in New Jersey and more. [ more › ]

United States engaged in clashes in Johnson County [12 sources]

United States engaged in clashes in Johnson County [12 sources]

[FrontPageAfrica] Monrovia -- Former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has strongly criticized the recent expulsion of Montserrado County District #10 Representative Yekeh Y. Kolubah, describing the decision as a threat to freedom of speech and democratic governance.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf criticized Liberia in 8.5 [6 sources]

Reports of conflict in Johnson County [10 sources]

United States engaged in clashes in Johnson County [6 sources]

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf criticized Liberia in Sierra Leone [6 sources]

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson seeks modifications to a Senate-passed bill to end a Department of Homeland Security shutdown that began in mid-February. The delay risks interrupting paychecks for Transportation Security Administration workers and prolonging the funding stalemate.

House Speaker Mike Johnson seeks modifications to a Senate-passed bill to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown that began in mid-February. The delay threatens to interrupt paychecks for TSA workers and other DHS personnel, prolonging the funding stalemate.

Senator rejected American in Johnson County [10 sources]

Reports of tensions in Johnson County [3 sources]

Reports of tensions in Johnson County [3 sources]

Reports of conflict in Johnson City [6 sources]

Apathy is costing us our democracy, in Kansas and the U.S. Participation is the necessary antidote. Municipal officials from Overland Park, Leawood and Johnson County gathered on a cold Friday morning recently, dedicating new signage framing an ugly past.

House Democrats criticized President Trump's Iran rhetoric as excessive and called on Speaker Johnson to reconvene Congress to constrain presidential war powers. The effort, led by eight Democrats from Western and Mid-Atlantic states, represents a largely symbolic legislative challenge to executive foreign policy authority.

This week on Sinica, Pulitzer Prize–winning veteran journalist Ian Johnson, now a senior China fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Kaiser to discuss his new book, "Sparks: China's Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future."

Ian Johnson’s journalism gives voice to ordinary Chinese people from all walks of life — the outcasts, the faithful, and, in the case of his latest book, the public intellectuals and storytellers recording the history that Beijing’s official censors are trying to erase.