Good morning, Chicago. A West Side man was talking to his imprisoned cousin in 2013 when he allegedly floated the idea of adding him to a string of bogus sexual abuse allegations filed against defrocked Chicago Catholic priest Daniel McCormack, court records show. “I think I want to put you on the se cases now,” the man told his cousin, who at the time was serving a three-year term for a gun conviction. “Hell yeah,” the cousin, Ahmond Williams, allegedly responded. “I need some ass free money too. … As long as (McCormack) ain’t got to touch me for real, I don’t give a (expletive).” That conversation recorded on a prison line 12 years ago was included in an unusual new lawsuit filed by the Archdiocese of Chicago on Monday alleging a group of mostly West Side residents, including a convicted murderer and others associated with violent street gangs, conspired for years to bring false allegations of sexual abuse by McCormack — often ranked among the most notorious child sexual abusers ever employed by the church — in order to win millions of dollars in legal settlements. Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jason Meisner. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including which bill Gov. JB Pritzker vetoed and why, the escalating conflict between SEIU and CTU and spring training takeaways. Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History President Donald Trump’s portrait hangs in the Colorado Capitol after an unveiling ceremony, Aug. 1, 2019, in Denver. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert) Trump’s portrait to be taken down at Colorado Capitol after president claimed it was ‘distorted’ A portrait of President Donald Trump hanging at the Colorado state Capitol will be taken down after Trump claimed it was “purposefully distorted,” state officials said yesterday. The portrait was painted by artist Sarah Boardman during Trump’s first term and unveiled in 2019. Colorado Republicans raised more than $10,000 through a GoFundMe account to commission the oil painting. The Department of Government Efficiency initially planned to cancel the lease on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office at 231 S. LaSalle St. in Chicago. DOGE recently restored the lease. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune) Federal workers on edge as Trump plans to shrink government and cut services proceed The administration of President Donald Trump forged ahead this month with plans to shrink the federal government’s national real estate footprint, canceling hundreds of office leases across the country and proposing to sell off many properties. In the Chicago area, as of this week nearly 200,000 square feet of leased federal office space had been canceled. Gov. JB Pritzker delivers remarks during a press conference at the UI Health Mile Square Health Center, Feb. 28, 2025, discussing the impact of planned cuts to Medicaid health coverage. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) Gov. JB Pritzker cites legal, technical issues in veto of warehouse worker protection bill Gov. JB Pritzker vetoed a bill aimed at providing protections for workers at large warehouses, saying it was passed “hastily” and “without engagement with relevant state agencies or my office and presents both legal and operational issues that undermine its effect.” It’s rare for Pritzker to veto a bill sent to him after being approved by the legislature. But in a letter, the Democratic governor cited a number of potential legal and technical issues he had with the bill. Then a candidate, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson greets members of SEIU Local 73 as they announce their endorsement, Nov. 9, 2022, outside City Hall in Chicago, with SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune) Conflict between SEIU and CTU escalates with allegations of ‘bullying’ The leader of a local chapter of the Service Employees International Union yesterday issued a fiery internal message to members accusing Chicago Teachers Union leadership of “bullying and dishonesty,” the latest escalation of a conflict between two influential labor organizations that were once close allies. SEIU 73 President Dian Palmer disputed assertions CTU president Stacy Davis Gates made in social media posts over the weekend, delivering her strongest comments yet on the monthslong dispute between the two unions over jobs at Chicago Public Schools. Members of the Elgin Police Department and the nonprofit organization, Chaos Divers, use sonar to search for Karen Schepers and her vehicle in the Fox River on March 24, 2025, in Elgin. The Elgin woman has been missing since 1983. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Divers find car of Elgin woman missing since 1983 in the Fox River The 1980 Toyota Celica driven by Karen Schepers, a 23-year-old Elgin woman missing since 1983, was found at the bottom of the Fox River by divers using specialized sonar equipment. The license plate on the car, XP8919, matches that of the vehicle police have been searching for since Schepers disappeared in the early morning hours of April 16, 1983, after leaving a bar in Carpentersville. A shopper unloads her cart outside Tony’s Fresh Market in Schaumburg on March 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) 2,400 grocery workers to decide whether Tony’s Fresh Market will go union Over the next three days, 2,400 cashiers, deli clerks, meat cutters, bakery workers, pastry decorators, florists and other grocery store staffers will decide whether Tony’s Fresh Market, the grocery chain founded by Italian immigrants in Logan Square and sold to private equity three years ago, will become a union shop. United Airlines planes at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Dec. 3, 2024, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) United Airlines hikes airport lounge fees in bid to curb overcrowding United Airlines will begin charging customers more to access its airport lounges to help combat a rise in overcrowding since the pandemic. Illinois guard Genesis Bryant (1) is hugged by head coach Shauna Green during the final seconds of their loss to Texas in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Austin, Texas, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) No. 8 seed Illinois bounced from NCAA Tournament in 2nd round by No. 1 Texas Madison Booker scored 20 points and No. 1-seed Texas used a smothering defense to earn a 65-48 victory over No. 8 Illinois, sending the Longhorns to the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Chicago White Sox’s Luis Robert Jr. hits a two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning of a spring training baseball game Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Peoria, Ariz. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Spring training takeaways for the Chicago White Sox, including clarity behind the plate as camp wraps up Will Venable remembers being on the end of tough conversations as a player. He’s now having to deliver that information as the Chicago White Sox manager. “It is difficult because guys just work so hard, and being in the big leagues is where they want to be,” Venable said before yesterday’s Cactus League finale against the Athletics. Evelyn Ryan (at piano), Kevin Webb, Sonia Goldberg and Stephanie Stockstill in “Into the Woods” by Kokandy Productions. (Evan Hanover) At the Non-Equity Jeff Awards, Kokandy’s ‘Into the Woods’ is the big winner The winners have been announced for the 51st annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards, with Kokandy Productions taking home five awards for “Into the Woods.” Its production of the Sondheim musical in late 2024 won several big categories, including for best musical, ensemble, director and music direction, as well as for artistic specialization for orchestrations. An early 1980s image, photographed in Chicago’s South Side neighborhood of Beverly, seen in the music documentary “Move Ya Body: The Birth of House Music.” The faces from left include Jesse Saunders, Bernadette Rabaya, Demitrius Price, Vince Lawrence and (front) Fred Riley. (Vince Lawrence) This year’s Doc10 film festival opens with the house music documentary ‘Move Ya Body’ A Chicago tale beginning with the infamous Comiskey Park Disco Demolition night and ending with the global rise of house music as sweet revenge opens the 10th edition of the nonfiction film festival Doc10 on April 30. “Move Ya Body: The Birth of House Music” will be followed by 10 more documentaries, concluding on May 4, most screened at Lincoln Square’s Davis Theater with two at the Gene Siskel Film Center. ...read more read less