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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
St. Charles to recommend Daniel Likens as Police Chief in September
St. Charles has announced its likely pick for police chief, according to a news release from the city on Friday. Daniel J. Likens is set to take over the post beginning in September, the city said. Likens comes from the Illinois State Police, where he served as a lieutenant colonel and the assistant deputy director for the Division of Criminal Investigations Statewide Investigative Command, according to the ISP's website. Per the release from St. Charles, he was also on the planning committee for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, leading operations for the event, and worked as the project lead for an initiative managing the installation of more than 500 license plate readers across the state. Former St. Charles Police Chief James Keegan — who had been on a personal leave of absence since November, the city has said — stepped down in March, according to past reporting. Deputy Police Chief Eric Majewski has been serving as interim chief while the department searched for a replacement. Since then, the city said it has been conducting a national search, which Mayor Clint Hull, members of the City Council and some city staff members participated in. In June, the city said they made an offer to a candidate, but the individual accepted a police chief job elsewhere, according to past reporting. Likens is set to be formally recommended for the role by City Administrator Heather McGuire at the Sept. 2 City Council meeting, the release said. He will assume the role on Sept. 15.
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Wingfoot Air Express dirigible catches fire and crashes in the Loop, killing 13 people
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on July 21, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1919: For most of the day, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.'s Wingfoot Air Express airship cruised above the city. The powerful hum of its engines and a serene shadow were the only indicators of its passage as it flew from the South Side to Grant Park and as far north as Diversey Parkway. At about 5 p.m., the blimp hurtled through a lobby skylight of the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank at 231 S. LaSalle St., killing 13 people and injuring 27. It was America's first recorded commercial aviation disaster. 1924 Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb's attorney Clarence Darrow entered a plea of guilty on his clients' behalf. By entering guilty pleas, Darrow didn't have to persuade 12 jurors to spare his clients the hangman's noose. In a trial's sentencing phase, the judge has the ultimate say. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Leopold and LoebAfter the evidence had been presented, Darrow addressed the judge, speaking for 12 hours over two days. Darrow's eloquent plea had the desired effect. Leopold and Loeb were sentenced to life in prison. 1952: The Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago at the International Amphitheatre. Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson was chosen as the party's nominee. Stevenson, who did not seek the presidential nomination, was drafted on the third ballot. Although he was a reluctant candidate, he pledged a hard-fighting campaign. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Tradition of acceptance speeches at political conventions began in Chicago'I have no feeling of exultation, nor sense of triumph,' Stevenson said outside the home of William McCormick Blair at 1416 Astor St. 'I shall ask my God to give me courage in this great undertaking.' Eisenhower won the 1952 election on Nov. 4, 1952, bringing the Republican Party its first White House victory in 24 years. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Soldier Field's century of concerts, car races, circuses and contests1956: The Grand National 100-mile race, considered the first NASCAR cup series race held in Chicago, was witnessed by 14,402 fans who saw Fireball Roberts win by a car length over Jim Pascal, who was ahead until Roberts passed him on the 194th of 200 laps. 1980: Twelve-year-old Walter Polovchak, who said he did not want to go back home to Ukraine when his family returned to the then-Soviet Union, was granted political asylum in Chicago. Polovchak was dubbed the 'the littlest defector' by the media during a yearslong court battle between his parents and the U.S. government that raised complex questions about personal freedoms, parental rights and government overreach. 2002: Pyewacket, owned by Walt Disney's grandnephew Roy P. Disney, set a record finish time of 23 hours, 30 minutes, 24 seconds in the Race to Mackinac. It bested the 1987 record of 25:50:44 by Dick Jennings' Santa Cruz 70, Pied Piper. Pyewacket, named after the cat in the film 'Bell, Book and Candle,' retained the record in the race until 2024. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
GOP blasts ‘fearmongering' Ocasio-Cortez for mocking Stefanik at North Country stop: ‘AOC is beyond parody'
PLATTSBURGH, NY – Republicans are accusing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of 'fearmongering' during a stop in Rep. Elise Stefanik's upstate district — where she said the congresswoman is 'not welcome here anymore.' The lefty Big Apple pol quickly jumped into politics at a Plattsburgh town-hall event advertised as a response to President Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' mocking Stefanik for taking a farewell tour of the district when she thought she was about to become the US ambassador to the United Nations. 4 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago at the United Center on August 19, 2024. Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post Advertisement 'Elise did her farewell tour, and I think it's time to finish the job,' AOC yelled to a cheering crowd at the historic Strand Theater. 'Let's show her the door. She's not welcome here anymore,' AOC said on the stage nearly 300 miles away from her own district in The Bronx and Queens. Stefanik — whose ambassador nomination was yanked by President Trump because he was worried a Dem could fill her House seat — is now running for governor. Advertisement 4 Rep. Elise Stefanik leaving a House Republican Conference meeting with President Donald Trump on the budget reconciliation bill. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images 'AOC and [Dem North Country Rep.] Paul Tonko may love trying to tax and spend their own constituents to death, but that doesn't mean they should come to the North Country and peddle the same, tired failing Democrat agenda,' Plattsburgh state Sen. Dan Stec (R-Warren) told The Post. 'Rather than continuing to spread disinformation and fearmongering over President Trump's historically significant legislative achievement, they should be telling Kathy Hochul and legislative Democrats to rein in Albany's bloated state budget,' he said. Other top GOPers laughed off Ocasio-Cortez's visit. Advertisement 4 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a House Committee meeting on Capitol Hill on May 13, 2025. Getty Images 'As usual, AOC is beyond parody. Unlike AOC, a suburbanite cosplaying as a girl from The Bronx, Elise Stefanik is actually from her district,' a rep for the New York Republican Committee told The Post — taking a jab at Ocasio-Cortez for famously claiming to be a 'Bronx girl' in a recent spat with Trump even though she grew up in Westchester County. 'The North County is Elise Country, and it's Trump Country – and it'll stay that way,' the GOP representative said. AOC, dressed in a white button down shirt and black cuffed pants for the event, professed to love the Adirondacks and claimed she was an avid backpacker. Advertisement 4 Rep. Elise Stefanik speaking at a House Committee hearing at Capitol Hill on July 15, 2025. AP 'The Republican Party will never recover from this,' Erie County GOP Chair Michael Kracker quipped on X. A rep for Stefanik, asked by The Post if she had any response to AOC saying she's not welcome in her own district, said in a statement, 'Thank you for the political gift of a radical Far Left Socialist's visit to the North Country. 'It's like pouring jet fuel on Elise Stefanik's strong support in Upstate New York,' the statement read. The event was co-hosted by Tonko, who hailed his colleague 'Alex' as a figurehead of the Democratic party. 'They say, 'Well, she's the future of the party.' I say, 'She's the today of the party,' ' Tonko said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan has been a pipeline for women in power. Will that continue in 2026?
Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, delivers a speech about Project 2025 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) This story was originally reported by Grace Panetta of The 19th. Meet Grace and read more of her reporting on gender, politics and policy. A competitive U.S. Senate race is shaping up in Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters' retirement has opened up a seat in a key swing state. The top contenders for the Democratic nomination are Rep. Haley Stevens, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 2018, and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. McMorrow is seen as a rising star in the party who went viral and gained national attention in 2022 for a rousing, impassioned floor speech she gave rebuking a Republican lawmaker who, in a fundraising email, baselessly accused her of wanting to 'groom' kindergarteners and 'teach that 8-year-olds are responsible for slavery.' Also running in the Democratic primary are state Rep. Joe Tate, former speaker of the Michigan House, and Abdul El-Sayed, the former Wayne County health director and 2018 candidate for governor. On the Republican side, former Rep. Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost the 2024 Senate race to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin, is running again. GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga is also expected to jump in the race. Michigan is a perennial presidential battleground state: President Donald Trump won it in 2016, former Democratic President Joe Biden put the state back in the Democratic column in 2020 and Trump flipped it back in 2024. But over the last 30 years, the state has consistently elected Democrats to the Senate — the last time the state sent a Republican senator to Washington was 1994. The state has long been a pipeline for women Democratic leaders, from former Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Debbie Dingell to Slotkin; Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a potential 2028 presidential candidate; Attorney General Dana Nessel; Rep. Hillary Scholten; and prominent progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Rep. Lisa McClain, the Republican Conference chair in the House, also hails from Michigan. If either Stevens or McMorrow wins the primary and the general, Michigan would add to the number of states represented in the Senate by two women simultaneously. There are currently four such states — Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada and Washington. Republicans currently control the Senate by a three-seat majority, 53 to 47, and Senators serve six-year terms, meaning a third of the Senate is up every election cycle. For Democrats to win back the chamber in 2026, they'd need to hold competitive seats in states like Georgia and Michigan while flipping four GOP-held seats in Maine, North Carolina and even more Republican-leaning states like Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arizona Democratic Party ousts chairperson after short but tumultuous tenure
The Brief Arizona Democrats have removed state party chair Robert Branscomb from the post. The removal took place on July 16. A leadership election will reportedly take place in September. PHOENIX - Members of the Arizona Democratic Party have ousted their chairperson, just six months after he started in the position. What we know Per reports from the Associated Press, Robert Branscomb was removed from his now-former post as party chair on July 16, and the removal was supported by two-thirds of the Democratic Party activists who make up the state committee. The backstory Per a statement issued by the Arizona Democrats on January 21, Branscomb was elected on Jan. 18 as the 2025-2026 party chair. At the time, party officials said Branscomb, who served as a vice chair for the party during the 2023-2024 cycle and was a state party delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, "brings over three decades of experience in corporate management, small business ownership, and public service." Party officials also said at the time that Branscomb was the first African American to hold the post of state party chair in Arizona. Per AP's story on Branscomb's removal, Branscomb's election as party chair was considered an upset, and following his election, most of the senior staff was fired by Branscomb. The AP also reported that in April, Branscomb sent a letter to members of the state committee that criticized Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. The letter, according to Utah-based news outlet Deseret News, alleged that the two senators "interfered with and intimidated the chairman over staffing decisions." Per the AP, both Kelly and Gallego, along with Gov. Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes, responded with a letter that states they have lost trust in Branscomb. The other side Branscomb has reportedly suggested that racism played a role in his removal. What's next Per the AP, Kim Khoury will take over as party leader until a new chair is elected. In a post made to social media about Khoury's selection as interim leader, Maricopa County Democratic Party officials state that the leadership election will take place in September.
