Good morning, Chicago.
Michael Mihalik had a secret. As he celebrated Christmas with his four children, he thought it was probably his last. So in between the food and presents, he told them elaborate goodbyes in his head.
He was suffering from asbestosis, an occupational lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. The condition leads to lung tissue scarring and shortness of breath, which Mihalik knew all too well. By December 2023, he needed 10 liters of supplemental oxygen just to sit — 15 liters for any kind of movement, he said.
“I just gave up on everything. I figured this was my destiny,” said Mihalik, 66, of Kewanna, Indiana. “It’s my time to go home. The Lord wants me. I’ll just go home.”
But then, by chance during that Christmas trip, he saw an article in a newspaper about a successful lung transplant for an asbestosis patient. He said he bought at least five copies of the newspaper. The information in it led him to doctors at Loyola University Medical Center, where, six months ago, he received a double lung transplant.
Now Mihalik wants to share what’s possible for the thousands of others diagnosed with the disease, which he came to view as a “slow death,” especially as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reconsiders the Biden administration’s ban on the last type of asbestos used in the United States — chrysotile asbestos, known as “white” asbestos — to determine whether it went “beyond what is necessary.”
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rebecca Johnson.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including what to know about Gov. JB Pritzker’s new running mate, a preview of the NASCAR Street Race before its third and possibly final run and why Illinois loves its roadside monsters.
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House Republicans race toward a final vote on Trump’s tax bill, daring critics to oppose
Republican leaders in the House are sprinting toward a vote today on President Donald Trump’s tax and spending cuts package, determined to seize momentum from a hard-fought vote in the Senate while essentially daring members to defy their party’s leader and vote against it.
Trump says Israel has agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urges Hamas to accept deal
President Donald Trump said yesterday that Israel has agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and warned Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen.
Gov. JB Pritzker taps running mate with experience in government and a life story different from his own
Elevating a former top aide with legislative and executive experience — and a life story different from his own — Gov. JB Pritzker yesterday announced Christian Mitchell would be his third term running mate.
“He’s a guy who knows how to get big things done, and I’ve worked with him to get it done, and I’m excited for the people of Illinois to get to know him,” Pritzker said in Peoria.
Skeptical aldermen urge Chicago police to not work with ICE on Trump deportations
Aldermen tried to send a clear message to Chicago police: Do not cooperate with President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts.
And several members of the City Council’s Immigration Committee left the marathon meeting frustrated, unable to get clear answers about the role of responding officers during a June 4 deportation raid where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents clashed with protesters and several aldermen.
Alleged co-conspirator linked to Loretto Hospital scandal pleads not guilty
The owner of two allegedly fraudulent COVID-19 testing labs linked to a disgraced former executive of Loretto Hospital pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges he was part of a sprawling fraud scheme that siphoned more than $290 million in federal funds for testing that never occurred.
Former CPS dean stands trial accused of sexually abusing a student
While serving as a dean of discipline in the Chicago Public Schools system, Brian Crowder approached a 15-year-old student in the lunchroom at a Little Village school and asked her for her SnapChat username, the woman, now an adult, testified yesterday.
Slightly confused, the woman said she gave him the information for her social media account. That led him to start messaging her, she said, before entering into a relationship with her.
Column: Chicago Blackhawks come up mostly empty on ‘pretty stagnant’ Day 1 of free agency
Flush with salary-cap room, the Chicago Blackhawks looked to land a big fish — or at least a medium-sized one — on the first day of NHL free agency yesterday.
What they reeled in was forward Sam Lafferty — again — and former Winnipeg Jets forward Dominic Toninato, 31, who signed a two-year, two-way contract for $850,000. That’s it, writes Phil Thompson.
NASCAR Chicago Street Race puts city back on national TV stage
The annual NASCAR Chicago Street Race is upon us, and the forecast calls for a 50% chance of thunderstorms and 100% chance of flooding the airwaves with shots of The Bean, the beach, skyscrapers and deep-dish pizza.
But as the street race enters its third and possibly final run through Grant Park this July Fourth weekend, it may be time to take stock of a hard to quantify but potentially invaluable benefit: a seemingly endless loop through the Loop on national TV.
Review: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ is tense but a downer, with dinosaur fatigue part of the story
“Jurassic World Rebirth” is a genuinely peculiar seesaw, with “Godzilla” and “Rogue One” director Gareth Edwards managing some occasionally striking jolts amid a lot of tonal uncertainty, writes Tribune film critic Michael Phillips. Rarely an exuberant spirit as a filmmaker, Edwards here directs a rather mournful script by veteran pro David Koepp, the primary adapting writer on the ‘93 franchise-starter.
Go big and stay home! Why Illinois loves its roadside monsters
“Illinois is like a wonderland of large things,” said Rolando Pujol, whose dizzying new book, “The Great American Retro Road Trip: A Celebration of Roadside Americana,” is an obsessive taxonomy of the vintage fiberglass megafauna (and more) amongst us. “My Illinois to-see list numbers in the hundreds. But incongruous, anomalous, larger-than-life objects are American DNA, part of our collective self-identity. We develop attachment to large things. They become signposts in our lives.”
Guide: Map and searchable list of Chicago farmers markets for 2025
Midwestern farms provide a bounty of produce in summer and fall, harvesting seasonal fruits and vegetables ranging from asparagus to zucchini.
Whatever you’re shopping for, here’s our map and searchable list of farmers markets in Chicago and the suburbs.
Shedd Aquarium names newest otter rescue after her California roots
No, she isn’t green. Well, not her coat anyways.
The newest addition to Shedd Aquarium’s rescued sea otters officially has a name: Jade. The aquarium revealed the name in a news release after a public vote. Winning over three other handpicked options, “Jade” pays homage to Jade Cove south of Monterey, California, near where the otter was rescued.