Today in Chicago History: Hale Irwin makes putt for birdie in sudden death to win US Open at Medinah
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on June 18, according to the Tribune's archives.
Is an important event missing from this date? Email us.
Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago)
1908: Then U.S. Secretary of War William Howard Taft was nominated for president on the first ballot — receiving 702 out of a possible 980 votes — at the Republican convention in Chicago.
From Kamala Harris to Lewis Cass: Who Illinois voters have chosen for president since 1824Taft defeated William Jennings Bryan on Nov. 3, 1908, to become president.
1990: Hale Irwin, at 45, became the oldest man to win the U.S. Open when he beat Mike Donald in a 19-hole playoff at Medinah's famed No. 3 championship course. Irwin, who won Opens in 1974 and 1979, and Donald tied with 280 scores after 72 holes. Both pros shot 74s in the 18-hole playoff. Then they went to the No. 1 tee to begin a sudden-death showdown. Irwin birdied the first hole with a 3. Donald parred the hole.
5 things you might not know about Chicago native Ted Kaczynski — the 'Unabomber'1996: 'Unabomber' Ted Kaczynski — the Chicago-area native who became a mathematics professor then a recluse — was indicted in four attacks, including mail bombs that killed two men. These were the first charges connecting him with the 18-year-long chain of mail bombings that led to three deaths, 23 injuries and a brief shutdown of air traffic and mail service on the West Coast.
Kaczynski pleaded guilty in 1998 — almost 20 years after his first pipe bomb exploded — choosing to spend life in prison rather than be portrayed at trial as mentally ill.
2019: The Chicago White Sox announced plans to extend protective netting to the foul poles at Rate Field, the first major league team to do so, after two incidents involving foul balls hitting fans — on May 30 in Houston, and at Rate Field on June 10.
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42 minutes ago
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Rural Oklahoma strives to become American hub for critical minerals processing
By Ernest Scheyder LAWTON, Oklahoma (Reuters) -Nestled beneath Oklahoma's Wichita Mountains sits a two-story warehouse containing the only machine in the United States capable of refining nickel, a crucial energy transition metal now dominated by China. The facility, owned by startup Westwin Elements, aims to help Oklahoma become the epicenter for U.S. critical minerals processing, a sector the country largely abandoned decades ago. The state will have to overcome several obstacles to get there, including a lack of major critical mineral deposits, a weak education system and its location at the center of the United States - far from international shipping lanes. Yet Oklahoma's push into minerals processing marks an unexpected twist in the country's efforts to wean itself off Chinese rivals who have blocked exports. President Donald Trump has said he wants to boost U.S. production of minerals used across the economy. In Oklahoma, the country's only nickel refinery, its largest lithium refinery, two lithium-ion battery recycling plants, a rare earths magnet facility, and several electronic waste collection facilities are under construction or in operation - more than in any other state. They join a Umicore site that produces germanium crystals for solar panels. An aluminum smelter - the country's first since 1980 - is set to break ground next year at a site bordering an Arkansas River tributary. "I've strategically made a conscious effort to go after some of these new industries that I think are going to be critical," Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, told Reuters. "There's money flying into critical minerals from the investment side, so it might as well be located in Oklahoma." Investors and corporate executives say the state's location, lack of mineral deposits, and other detracting factors are outweighed by a string of positives: Oklahoma has railways and highways bisecting the state en route to the three U.S. coasts, a workforce with deep energy experience, state rebates and other financial incentives, a large inland port with access to the Mississippi River watershed, and accommodating regulators. Officials boast on social media that Oklahoma is a "one phone call state," a description meant to evoke what they see as a streamlined regulatory process. Australia-based MLB Industrial, a startup that supplies lithium-ion batteries to the locomotive industry, expanded its business to Oklahoma earlier this year for that very reason. "Other states were looking for a large, established company to invest, rather than a company with a growth profile," said Nathan Leech, MLB's CEO, who moved his family to Oklahoma. "We intend to grow in Oklahoma." A nickel refinery, in particular, has been sought by Washington for years but Chinese market dumping had scared away would-be entrants, said a source familiar with the Trump administration's minerals policy. KaLeigh Long founded Westwin and named it after her desire for the U.S. to shake off Chinese minerals dependence - as she puts it, "The West will win." The firm has built a demonstration facility 85 miles (137 km) south of the state capital that it says can refine 200 metric tons of nickel annually and will expand to produce 34,000 metric tons per year by 2030. If successful, the Westwin facility would refine 10% of America's annual nickel needs, demand projections from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence show, drawing on rock taken from Turkish and Indonesian mines, as well as recycled U.S. batteries. Even as Oklahoma promises state tax rebates and other incentives, Westwin is lobbying Washington not to eliminate a federal production tax credit heavily opposed by Republicans along with other green energy subsidies enacted by former President Joe Biden, as Reuters reported earlier this month. Westwin is in negotiations with the Pentagon for a nickel supply deal that would keep metal inside the United States to make batteries for military drones and other equipment, according to a source familiar with the deliberations. SUSTAINABLE POWER Roughly 220 miles (354 km) northeast, a lithium refinery under construction from Stardust Power aims to produce 50,000 metric tons of the battery metal per year, about a fifth of what the U.S. is expected to need by 2030. Japan's Sumitomo signed a preliminary agreement in February to buy up to half of the facility's output. Stardust aims for the plant to filter lithium from brines - something that has yet to happen at commercial scale - and will have roughly the same capacity as Tesla's refinery under construction in Texas. It will be powered in part by renewable energy; nearly half of the state's electricity is generated by wind turbines. "That was a huge draw," said Roshan Pujari, Stardust's CEO. The company is pushing forward even after rival Albemarle paused plans to build a large U.S. refinery, citing weak lithium prices. "During these down cycles is the best time to be developing, because why do we want prices to be high when we have nothing to sell?" Pujari said. USA Rare Earth, which went public earlier this year, chose Oklahoma over Texas for its rare earths magnet facility given what it felt was the personalized support from Stitt and other officials, said CEO Josh Ballard. Magnets made from rare earths turn electricity into motion for EVs; the U.S. stopped making them in the 1990s. Ballard says the facility is slated to open early next year and initially produce 1,200 metric tons annually, enough magnets to build more than 400,000 EVs. That supply is already highly sought after in the United States since China placed export restrictions on rare earths in April. Ballard said he has been fielding "a lot of phone calls" since April from prospective customers. The company on Tuesday signed a preliminary supply agreement with Moog for magnets used in AI data centers. "We can do this quickly. It's just a matter of how do we do it, and can the government help be a catalyst?" said Ballard. The company could get a boost from legislation introduced earlier this month by three U.S. senators - including Oklahoma's Markwayne Mullin - that would provide a tax credit for roughly 30% of the cost to manufacture a magnet made from rare earths. Elsewhere, two Oklahoma battery processing facilities - from Green Li-ion and Blue Whale Materials - will break down lithium-ion batteries into copper and other building blocks for new batteries. Natural Evolution, in Tulsa, is spearheading a push to expand electronic waste recycling. Green Li-ion, which has a recycling facility in Atoka - Country music star Reba McEntire's hometown - has held talks with Glencore as well as Westwin about buying a recycled version of battery scrap known as MHP, or mixed hydroxide precipitate, that can be used to make nickel products, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations. Glencore declined to comment. Most of the country's recycled batteries are exported now to China in the form of black mass, essentially shredded battery parts. Green Li-ion, which is headquartered in Singapore, moved its U.S. operations to Oklahoma given the state's history with oil and gas extraction, skills it sees as complementary to black mass processing. "This state has a lot of chemical engineers," said Kevin Hobbie, the company's senior vice president of operations. 'SWINGING FOR THE FENCES' Oklahoma's foray into the energy transition hasn't been all smooth sailing. Tesla supplier Panasonic in 2022 chose Kansas over Oklahoma for a battery plant after the Sunflower State wooed it with $1 billion in incentives. In January, EV startup Canoo filed for bankruptcy despite a $1 million state grant and Stitt's commitment for his administration to buy 1,000 of the company's vehicles. Canoo, which had several production facilities in Oklahoma, blamed uncertain demand for its cargo vans. State officials say they are trying to recoup the funds. Stitt said he is not bothered by the bankruptcy. "We're going to keep swinging for the fences," he said. The state's education system has also generated negative headlines, due in part to a battle over low standards that could make it difficult to convince high-tech talent and their families to relocate to Oklahoma. The state's pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade educational system, for instance, is ranked 48th out of the 50 U.S. states by U.S. News and World Report, and many schools have moved to a four-day week to save money. Alphabet's Google, which built an Oklahoma data center in 2011, donated funds to the local school district in part to attract faculty. Oklahoma's superintendent of schools is an elected position over which Stitt has no control. The governor successfully pushed for a school voucher system that he said should attract more families. "If I create competition, and now a public school has to compete for a student, it's going to make all boats rise and bring more talent to Oklahoma," Stitt said. The governor said he is focused on helping the minerals refiners in his state grow and is lobbying Trump to require federal contractors to increase the percentage of minerals they buy that are processed in the country. That's a key desire also for Long, the Westwin founder, who spent her youth herding cattle, an experience she said inspired her interest in refining and a reticence for mining. "After seeing the beef and meat industry, I learned that the packer is the one that seems to take the least amount of risk and yet makes the most amount of money," she said. "When I saw mining, I was like, 'The miner is the rancher and the refiner is the packer.' So I decided I want to be the packer."
42 minutes ago
Toy company challenges Trump's tariffs before the Supreme Court in long shot bid for quick decision
WASHINGTON -- An Illinois toy company challenged President Donald Trump's tariffs in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday in a long shot bid to press the justices to quickly decide whether they are legal. Learning Resources Inc. filed an appeal asking the Supreme Court to take up the case soon rather than let it continue to play out in lower courts. The company argues the Republican president illegally imposed tariffs under an emergency powers law rather than getting approval from Congress. While the company won an early victory in a lower court, the order is on hold as an appeals court considers a similar ruling putting a broader block on Trump's tariffs. The appeals court has allowed Trump to continue collecting tariffs under the emergency powers law ahead of arguments set for late July. The company argued in court documents the case can't wait that long, 'in light of the tariffs' massive impact on virtually every business and consumer across the Nation, and the unremitting whiplash caused by the unfettered tariffing power the President claims.' The Supreme Court is typically reluctant to take up cases before appeals courts have decided them, lowering the odds that the justices will agree to hear it as quickly as the company is asking. Still, Learning Resources CEO Rick Woldenberg said tariffs and uncertainty are taking a major toll now. He's looking ahead to the back-to-school and holiday seasons, when the company usually makes most of its sales for the year. 'All the people that are raising their prices are doing it with a sense of dread,' Woldenberg told The Associated Press. But, 'we do not have a choice. We absolutely do not have a choice.' Attorneys for Learning Resources and sister company hand2mind, suggested the court could consider whether to take up the case before the end of the term in June and hear arguments when their next term begins in the fall, a relatively quick timetable. The Trump administration has defended the tariffs by arguing that the emergency powers law gives the president the authority to regulate imports during national emergencies and that the country's longtime trade deficit qualifies as a national emergency. Trump has framed tariffs as a tool to lure factories back to America, raise money for the Treasury Department and strike more favorable trade agreements with other countries. 'The Trump administration is legally using the powers granted to the executive branch by the Constitution and Congress to address our country's national emergencies of persistent goods trade deficits and drug trafficking. If the Supreme Court decides to hear this unfounded legal challenge, we look forward to ultimately prevailing," said White House spokesperson Kush Desai. Woldenberg said he's putting 'enormous resources' into shifting his company's supply base but the process is time-consuming and uncertain. 'I think that our case raises uniquely important questions that this administration won't accept unless the Supreme Court rules on them,' he said. Based in Vernon Hills, Illinois, the family-owned company's products include the Pretend & Play Calculator Cash Register for $43.99 and Botley the Coding Robot for $57.99.
42 minutes ago
Padilla says in Senate 'it's time to wake up' after forced removal from Noem's event
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Alex Padilla on Tuesday encouraged Americans to peacefully protest against President Donald Trump's administration and said it's 'it's time to wake up' in his first extended remarks in the Senate since he was forcibly removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference in Los Angeles last week as he tried to speak up about immigration raids. In emotional remarks on Tuesday, Padilla, a California Democrat, recounted the altercation, in which security forced him out of the room and onto the ground after he tried to ask Noem a question. Padilla said that even though he was accompanied by a National Guardsman and an FBI agent, "I was pushed and pulled, struggled to maintain my balance' and ended up flat on his chest on the floor. 'I was handcuffed and marched down a hallway repeatedly asking, 'Why I am being detained?'' Padilla said as several of his colleagues from both major political parties sat in their chairs and listened. 'Not once did they tell me why.' He said he wondered in the moment if he was being arrested — he wasn't — and, if he was, what the city and his family would think. 'What will a city already on edge from being militarized think when they see their U.S. senator being handcuffed for just trying to ask a question?' Padilla said. In a statement afterward, the Department of Homeland Security said that Padilla 'chose disrespectful political theater' and that the Secret Service 'thought he was an attacker.' The statement claimed erroneously that Padilla did not identify himself — he did, as he was being pushed from the room. 'Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers' repeated commands,' the statement said, adding that officers acted appropriately. Padilla said he attended the press conference amid the immigration raids that have led to protests in California and around the country and as the Republican president sent military troops to his state. He said he spoke up after he heard Noem say that they wanted to 'liberate' Los Angeles from Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, both Democrats. 'Let that fundamentally un-American mission statement sink in,' Padilla said. Padilla and his angry Democratic colleagues have framed the episode as intimidation by the Trump administration, especially as it came days after Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted on federal charges alleging she assaulted and interfered with immigration officers outside a detention center in New Jersey while Newark's Democratic mayor, Ras Baraka, was being arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility. Padilla encouraged Americans to speak out. 'No one is coming to save us but us,' Padilla said. 'And we know that the cameras are not in every corner of the country. But if this administration is this afraid of just one senator with a question, colleagues, imagine what the voices of tens of millions of Americans peacefully protesting can do.'
