Author: chicagoinquirer

by John O’Connor SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  — Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed a law providing full disability benefits to Chicago police officers and firefighters struck by COVID-19 before vaccines were available, presiding over an emotional statehouse ceremony which marked the end of a financial struggle for responders including the brother of Comptroller Susana Mendoza. The Act-of-Duty law, HB3162, ensures disability benefits of 75% of salary plus health insurance for anyone unable to work after contracting the coronavirus from March 9, 2020, when the flare-up intensified in Illinois, until June 30, 2021. The law grants them the presumption that they picked up…

4 teens charged with murder in slaying of Chicago police officer who was returning home from work by Agency reports CHICAGO  — Four teenagers have been charged in the fatal shooting of a Chicago police officer who was slain last weekend as she was heading home from work, authorities said Wednesday. Nineteen-year-olds Joseph Brooks and Trevell Breeland, Jakwon Buchanan, 18, and a 16-year-old boy face charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery in Saturday’s killing of Officer Aréanah Preston, 24. The Chicago Police Department said Preston was fatally shot about 1:40 a.m. Saturday during a robbery spree. All four were also charged…

by Agency reports CHICAGO  — Former defender Oguchi Onyewu was hired Wednesday by the U.S. Soccer Federation as vice president of sporting, a newly created role the governing body said is not a replacement for departed men’s general manager Brian McBride. The USSF said Onyewu will report to Matt Crocker, who starts as sporting director on Aug. 2, and will assist in the hiring of a men’s national team coach. Onyewu will work with men’s and women’s national teams at all levels and will help manage relationships with clubs and leagues. Gregg Berhalter, whose contract expired Dec. 31, remains a candidate…

by Gene Chamberlain LAKE FOREST, Ill.  — The Chicago Bears entered the NFL draft looking to help quarterback Justin Fields while bolstering one of the league’s worst defenses. GM Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus felt they accomplished both to varying degrees with their 10 total picks. And they started Saturday’s final rounds by giving their third-year quarterback more explosive assets. The initial help for Fields came on Thursday night with first-round tackle Darnell Wright, but continued on the final day Saturday when the Bears picked Texas running back Roschon Johnson and Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Scott in the fourth…

by Larry Neumeister, Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak NEW YORK — A jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House. The verdict was split: Jurors rejected Carroll’s claim that she was raped, finding Trump responsible for a lesser degree of sexual abuse. The judgment adds to Trump’s legal woes and offers vindication to Carroll, whose allegations had been mocked and dismissed by Trump for years. She nodded as the verdict…

by Zeke Miller, Seung Min Kim, Josh Bak and Lisa Mascaro WASHINGTON  — President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming risk of an unprecedented government default. Speaking at the White House, Biden described the talks as “productive” even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after the high-stakes Oval Office meeting that he “didn’t see any new movement” toward resolving the stalemate. Lawmakers and their staffs were to continue discussions as soon as Tuesday…

by Terry Spencer A $30-million legal battle between Tiger Woods and his ex-girlfriend has escalated, with Erica Herman accusing the golf superstar of beginning their sexual relationship when she was his employee and threatening to fire her if she didn’t sign a nondisclosure agreement she now wants voided. Herman, in court documents filed late Friday, also accused Woods of having his lawyer break up with her at an airport in October after falsely telling her they were going on a weekend trip. The lawyer then evicted her from Woods’ $54 million mansion north of Palm Beach. The documents were filed…

by Lisa Mascaro WASHINGTON — The White House and Congress could strike a deal to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for budget cuts. Or they could agree to a stopgap measure to keep paying the nation’s bills while negotiations continue. They also could let the negotiations unravel, sending the economy into chaos. As President Joe Biden meets Tuesday with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders for the first time over the debt ceiling crisis, the options for easing out of the standoff are many. But the political incentive for compromise is harder to come by. There’s no…

CHICAGO — The struggling Chicago Fire fired coach Ezra Hendrickson and replaced him with Frank Klopas for the remainder of the season. The team also fired assistant coach Junior González on Monday. The Fire (2-3-5) are 14th of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference with 11 points. Only the New York Red Bulls (nine points, 1-4-6) trail Chicago, and New York parted with coach Gerhard Struber on Monday in what the team said was a mutual agreement. Hendrickson led Chicago to a 12-18-14 mark over two seasons. He spent 13 years coaching at the domestic and international levels before the…

by Seung Min Kim WASHINGTON  — Joe Biden served in the Senate for 270 years. He used to be three years older than his sister Valerie, but now has 20 years on her. And the fourth U.S. president — whom Biden affectionally calls “Jimmy” Madison — is a good friend. All kidding aside, the 80-year-old Biden will tell you, he is at the end of his career, not the beginning. He’s been doing this for a long time. And he’s gotten a “hell of a lot of wisdom” over those years, making him deserving of a second term. As Biden,…