Author: chicagoinquirer

by Mstyslav Chernov KHROMOVE, Ukraine  — Pressure mounted Saturday on Ukrainian troops and civilians hunkering down in Bakhmut, as Kyiv’s forces tried to help residents flee the beleaguered eastern city amid what Western analysts say may be preparations for a Ukrainian withdrawal. A woman was killed and two men were badly wounded by shelling while trying to cross a makeshift bridge out of Bakhmut on Saturday, according to Ukrainian troops who were assisting them. A Ukrainian army representative who asked not to be named for operational reasons told The Associated Press that it was now too dangerous for civilians to…

by Andrew Seligman CHICAGO  — Kevin Durant sees a loaded roster and all the possibilities that come with it for the Phoenix Suns. It’s up to them to make it happen. And they’re off to a good start with their shiny new star. Devin Booker scored 35 points and matched his career high with six 3s, Durant added 20 points in his second game with Phoenix and the Suns beat the Chicago Bulls 125-104 on Friday night. Josh Okogie scored 25 points and made five 3-pointers, and the Suns improved to 2-0 with Durant in the lineup. “We’ve got a…

CHICAGO  — A judge ordered a teenager held without bond Friday in the fatal shooting of a Chicago police officer. Steven Montano, 18, of Chicago, is charged with first-degree murder, two felony firearms charges and misdemeanor counts of assault and interfering with reporting domestic violence. The officer was shot several times Wednesday afternoon on the city’s Southwest Side, Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown has said. He was identified Thursday as Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso, 32, by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. The bail hearing was held a short time after the body of Vasquez-Lasso was taken with a police…

by Colleen Long, Mary Clare Jalonick and Seung Min Kim WASHINGTON  — President Joe Biden said Thursday he is willing to sign a Republican-sponsored resolution blocking new District of Columbia laws that would overhaul how the nation’s capital prosecutes and punishes crime. In doing so, the president would be allowing Congress to nullify the city’s laws for the first time in more than three decades. Biden’s willingness to do so, despite earlier opposition from his White House, is linked to growing concern over rising crime both in the nation’s capital and across the U.S. and comes amid relentless criticism from…

CHICAGO  — The Chicago Police Department’s superintendent announced Wednesday he will step down in two weeks, seven months before he turns 63, the mandatory retirement age for Chicago police officers. Superintendent David Brown made the announcement the day after Chicago’s mayoral primary election in which crime in the nation’s third largest city was a central issue. “I’ve accepted a job opportunity to be the Chief Operating Officer of Loncar Lyon Jenkins, a personal injury law firm with seven offices in Texas,” Brown’s announcement said. “I will be stepping down as Chicago Police Superintendent effective March 16, 2023 so the incoming…

by Michael Phillis and Mathew Daly WASHINGTON  — Federal officials sued a Louisiana chemical maker on Tuesday, alleging that it presents an unacceptable cancer risk to the nearby majority-Black community and demanding cuts in toxic emissions. Denka Performance Elastomer LLC makes synthetic rubber, emitting the carcinogen chloroprene and other chemicals in such high concentrations that it poses an unacceptable cancer risk, according to the federal complaint. Children are particularly vulnerable. There is an elementary school a half-mile from the plant. The former DuPont plant has reduced its emissions over time, but the Justice Department, suing on behalf of the Environmental…

by Susie Blann KYIV, Ukraine  — Drones that the Kremlin said were launched by Ukraine flew deep inside Russian territory, including one that got within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of Moscow, signaling breaches in Russian defenses as President Vladimir Putin ordered stepped-up protection at the border. Officials said the drones caused no injuries and did not inflict any significant damage, but the attacks on Monday night and Tuesday morning raised questions about Russian defense capabilities more than a year after the country’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. Ukrainian officials did not immediately take responsibility, but they similarly have avoided directly…

by Chinedu Asadu ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu was declared winner of Nigeria’s presidential election early Wednesday, with the two leading opposition candidates already demanding a revote in Africa’s most populous nation. Election officials’ overnight announcement was likely to lead to a court challenge by his main opponents Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. Abubakar also finished second in the last vote in 2019, then appealed those results before his lawsuit ultimately was dismissed. On Tuesday, the two leading opposition parties had demanded a revote, saying that delays in uploading election results had made room for irregularities.…

by Chinedu Asadu ABUJA, Nigeria — Election officials declared ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu the winner of Nigeria’s presidential election early Wednesday, with the two leading opposition candidates already demanding a revote in Africa’s most populous nation. The overnight announcement was likely to lead to a court challenge by his main opponents Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. Abubakar also finished second in the last vote in 2019, then appealed those results before his lawsuit ultimately was dismissed. On Tuesday, the two leading opposition parties had demanded a revote, saying that delays in uploading election results had made room for irregularities.…

by Sara Burnett CHICAGO  — Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson will meet in a runoff to be the next mayor of Chicago after voters on Tuesday denied incumbent Lori Lightfoot a second term, issuing a rebuke to a leader who made history as head of the nation’s third-largest city. Vallas, a former schools CEO backed by the police union, and Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, advanced to the April 4 runoff after none of the nine candidates was able to secure over 50% of the vote to win outright. Lightfoot, the first Black woman…