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Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Same-sex couples receive marriage licenses for the first time in Illinois
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on June 1, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Here are Chicago's hottest days — with temperatures of 100 degrees or higher — on recordWeather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1924: WDAP radio station was renamed WGN by the Tribune in honor of the paper's slogan — World's Greatest Newspaper. The station broadcast from The Drake. Among WGN's first broadcasts was the Memorial Day 500-mile classic in Indianapolis. 1984: The Delta Air Lines complex opened at O'Hare International Airport. Consisting of a 391-foot addition to Terminal 3 and a 740-foot Concourse L, it was the first new passenger area constructed since the airport opened 22 years earlier. The project was part of a $1 billion modernization program. 2011: For the first time in Illinois history, gay and lesbian couples obtained civil unions. Many of the same rights married counterparts received — including sharing a nursing home room, visiting a loved one in a hospital, preventing those in the union from testifying against each other in court, funeral and end-of-life decisions, inheritance of property and certain employment-related benefits such as insurance — now applied to same-sex couples who were united in civil unions. Illinois became the sixth state to recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. Another five states and the District of Columbia already allowed gay marriage. 2014: Marriage licenses were available for same-sex couples for the first time in the state as part of the Illinois Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. The new law changed the definition of marriage in Illinois from an act between a man and a woman to one between two people. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn put his signature on the historic measure in November 2013. The action made Illinois the 16th state to allow same-sex marriage, capping a 40-year push for gay rights that picked up major momentum during the previous decade. 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.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Editorial: A reminder of the state's ultimate power — Indiana executes again
Indiana's second execution in 15 years is a grim reminder of the dual tragedy at the heart of capital punishment — the horrific violence inflicted by killers, and the irrevocable power the state wields in taking a life in return. This board has long questioned whether any human system is equipped to administer such final justice, a stance shaped by decades of reflection and the Pulitzer-winning work of former Tribune Editorial Board member Cornelia Grumman, who challenged readers to confront the fallibility beneath the death penalty's finality. Before Illinois ended capital punishment in 2011, this board urged reforms such as videotaping interrogations and banning executions of people with intellectual disabilities. 'Now's the time to get it right. Get it right or get rid of it,' we wrote in 2002. Former Gov. Pat Quinn listened, and we applauded. Capital punishment can feel far removed in Illinois these days. Yet this execution, carried out Tuesday just across the state border in Michigan City, Indiana, makes it feel closer to home. Prisoner Benjamin Ritchie was 45 when he died at 12:46 a.m. Tuesday, punishment for killing a Beech Grove police officer in 2000. His was one of 12 executions scheduled across eight states this year, including others this week in Texas and Tennessee. Lost in the bigger conversation about capital punishment are the victims, a frustration that eats away at families grieving loved ones. Officer William Toney, a husband and father, was a day from his 32nd birthday when Ritchie shot and killed him. His daughters, just 18 months and 4 years old at the time, grew up without him — a burden no child should bear. We do not pass judgment on those whose loved ones have been taken by violence, and we recognize that for grieving families, life may feel easier when the person responsible is gone. But as a society, we do have to grapple with how our justice system handles punishment for those who commit the most grievous crimes. This board has long held grave concerns when it comes to the death penalty. Indiana is one of 27 other states that continue to practice the death penalty, and is one of just two states that bans reporters from being present at executions. Even in states where the death penalty remains on the books, legal, ethical and political hurdles have led to yearslong delays in carrying out executions. Indiana's 15-year pause in executions stemmed largely from difficulty obtaining lethal injection drugs. Many pharmaceutical companies, especially in Europe, refused to supply drugs for use in executions. Pharmaceutical companies are right to have qualms about manufacturing products used to end life, and they're not alone. Too many people have been sent to death row, only to be exonerated years later. Northwestern University research found that 20 people sentenced to death in Illinois between the 1970s and 1990s were later exonerated. Beyond the system's fallibility is the moral dimension of capital punishment. People have long used the Bible to justify both sides of this issue. The Old Testament is full of the type of justice that gives credence to pro-death penalty advocates, while the compassion of Christ provides evidence for those against the death penalty. We're not theologians, but Chicago's own Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — once shared his view on his now-deleted personal Twitter account. 'It's time to end the death penalty,' he posted a decade ago. That view is consistent with Catholic teaching from our recent popes, including Francis, who called capital punishment 'inadmissible,' and John Paul II, who viewed the death penalty as an option of last resort in the event that no other option to protect society existed, adding 'such cases are very rare if not practically nonexistent.' Human justice is never perfect. That's why the death penalty is so dangerous. When a punishment allows no room for error, the question remains: Why are we still willing to take that risk? Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
21-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: A reminder of the state's ultimate power — Indiana executes again
Indiana's second execution in 15 years is a grim reminder of the dual tragedy at the heart of capital punishment — the horrific violence inflicted by killers, and the irrevocable power the state wields in taking a life in return. This board has long questioned whether any human system is equipped to administer such final justice, a stance shaped by decades of reflection and the Pulitzer-winning work of former Tribune Editorial Board member Cornelia Grumman, who challenged readers to confront the fallibility beneath the death penalty's finality. Before Illinois ended capital punishment in 2011, this board urged reforms such as videotaping interrogations and banning executions of people with intellectual disabilities. 'Now's the time to get it right. Get it right or get rid of it,' we wrote in 2002. Former Gov. Pat Quinn listened, and we applauded. Capital punishment can feel far removed in Illinois these days. Yet this execution, carried out Tuesday just across the state border in Michigan City, Indiana, makes it feel closer to home. Prisoner Benjamin Ritchie was 45 when he died at 12:46 a.m. Tuesday, punishment for killing a Beech Grove police officer in 2000. His was one of 12 executions scheduled across eight states this year, including others this week in Texas and Tennessee. Lost in the bigger conversation about capital punishment are the victims, a frustration that eats away at families grieving loved ones. Officer William Toney, a husband and father, was a day from his 32nd birthday when Ritchie shot and killed him. His daughters, just 18 months and 4 years old at the time, grew up without him — a burden no child should bear. We do not pass judgment on those whose loved ones have been taken by violence, and we recognize that for grieving families, life may feel easier when the person responsible is gone. But as a society, we do have to grapple with how our justice system handles punishment for those who commit the most grievous crimes. This board has long held grave concerns when it comes to the death penalty. Indiana is one of 27 other states that continue to practice the death penalty, and is one of just two states that bans reporters from being present at executions. Even in states where the death penalty remains on the books, legal, ethical and political hurdles have led to yearslong delays in carrying out executions. Indiana's 15-year pause in executions stemmed largely from difficulty obtaining lethal injection drugs. Many pharmaceutical companies, especially in Europe, refused to supply drugs for use in executions. Pharmaceutical companies are right to have qualms about manufacturing products used to end life, and they're not alone. Too many people have been sent to death row, only to be exonerated years later. Northwestern University research found that 20 people sentenced to death in Illinois between the 1970s and 1990s were later exonerated. Beyond the system's fallibility is the moral dimension of capital punishment. People have long used the Bible to justify both sides of this issue. The Old Testament is full of the type of justice that gives credence to pro-death penalty advocates, while the compassion of Christ provides evidence for those against the death penalty. We're not theologians, but Chicago's own Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — once shared his view on his now-deleted personal Twitter account. 'It's time to end the death penalty,' he posted a decade ago. That view is consistent with Catholic teaching from our recent popes, including Francis, who called capital punishment 'inadmissible,' and John Paul II, who viewed the death penalty as an option of last resort in the event that no other option to protect society existed, adding 'such cases are very rare if not practically nonexistent.' Human justice is never perfect. That's why the death penalty is so dangerous. When a punishment allows no room for error, the question remains: Why are we still willing to take that risk?
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fresh start: Aurora's new mayor, city council take office
AURORA, Ill. - Aurora's new leaders say they're charting a new path. More than a thousand people were in attendance Tuesday night for the city's aldermanic and mayoral inaugurations, including former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and the Counsel General of India. The Paramount Theater was filled with business owners, students, seniors, city employees, and of course, long-time Aurora residents. Nearly every chair was filled to witness the swearing-in of city council members and the outgoing alderman—now mayor—John Laesch. Laesch succeeds two term Republican Mayor Richard Irvin, who's been criticized for running an alleged pay-to-play administration, specifically awarding millions of dollars in city subsidies to big campaign donors. Laesch, who is a military veteran, has lived in Aurora since 2008. On the campaign trail, his priorities included reducing city debt, investing in green energy and modernizing Illinois' second-largest city of 175,000 residents. Incoming Ald. Keith Larson made history at 29 years old as the youngest person ever elected to city council in the western suburb. Also historic, one-third of council members are now Latino.
Edmonton Journal
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
SIMMONS: Reason to believe as Maple Leafs head to Florida a winning team
Article content This is a rather stirring place the Maple Leafs find themselves in so suddenly — up 2-0 against the Florida Panthers, the team nobody of sound mind would want to play against. This is a rather stirring place, halfway through to the next round of the playoffs: There is a certain crazy excitement to all of this in a Toronto that has waited forever to be in this place. You don't want to get ahead of yourself. You can't, really. But truth is truth here: You are what your record says you are. The last time this Florida team was down 2-0 in a series, they lost a five-game Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights. The last time the Leafs led 2-0 in the second round after leading 2-0 in the first round was as recently as 1963, some 62 years ago, at a time when it took just two playoff rounds to win the Cup. What's absolutely stirring now is that the Leafs are within two wins of the Conference Final. A place no Leafs team has been near since the late Pat Quinn was coaching and the Hall of Famer Mats Sundin was the captain.
