Good morning, Chicago. A series of layoffs targeting City Hall custodians have sparked the latest budget back-and-forth between Mayor Brandon Johnson and aldermen. Johnson’s administration has pinned the recent firings of nine custodians on the 2026 budget aldermen passed against his will. The mayor’s City Council opponents have insisted the onus is on him. But details of the city’s budget process show all sides had a hand in making the decisions that led to the custodians getting laid off. Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jake Sheridan. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including which suburban mall is making the best parking spots metered, the Chicago conductor that Bad Bunny requested to perform at the Super Bowl with him and our Fat Tuesday guide. Today’s eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles Games | Today in History Demetrius Johnson walks with attorney Josh Tepfer, right, following a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court building in Chicago on Sept. 18, 2019. (José M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune) Aldermen to vote on $29.2 million to settle four Detective Reynaldo Guevara lawsuits City attorneys are recommending aldermen spend $29.2 million to settle four wrongful conviction lawsuits tied to disgraced former Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara. That hefty sum puts Chicago once again on track to far outspend its budget for police-related lawsuits this year. Aldermen earmarked $82.6 million for such cases in 2026, even after spending over three times that amount in 2025. Four-year-old Josiah, with his grandmother Mariely Rivera, and great-grandfather, Carlos Rivera, visit the grave of his mother, Stephanie Gutiérrez, who was killed in 2022, at Fairview Memorial Park in Northlake, Jan. 15, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) ‘I feel like there’s no help’: Mother, family members question lack of charges in woman’s 2022 shooting death The last time Mariely Rivera’s daughter was in her house, she got in her mother’s bed, laid down next to her and hugged her. “Mom, I have made my decision,” her daughter said. “I’m going to go back with him.” Stephanie Gutiérrez was 20 — an adult — and all her mother could do was ask her to think about what she was doing. Gutiérrez shared a 1-year-old son with a partner who, according to Rivera, abused her. Soon after, she was back with her boyfriend and texted a friend: “I’m so sad I swear I should’ve never (came) back sis.” Two days later, Gutiérrez was dead. Gov. JB Pritzker answers questions from reporters on Jan. 20, 2026. Pritzker's January calendar shows he had two scheduled conversations with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell while Goodell was in Chicago for the Bears-Packers playoff game. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) Gov. JB Pritzker talked Bears with NFL commissioner, says progress is being made to keep team in Illinois While Indiana officials play up their efforts to lure the Chicago Bears across the border for a new stadium, Gov. JB Pritzker said yesterday that he and his staff have made “progress” to incentivize the football team to stay in Illinois. The governor’s comments come as Pritzker’s January calendar shows he had two scheduled conversations with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell while Goodell was in Chicago for the Bears-Packers playoff game on Jan. 10. Workers stand in a parking lot and assess damage on Aug. 19, 2025, after a weekend storm tore the roof off of a Mount Prospect condominium building. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Trump administration denies Illinois appeal for disaster relief; Pritzker calls decision ‘politically motivated’ The Trump administration has denied the state of Illinois’ appeal for a disaster declaration that would have unlocked federal assistance to thousands of residents affected by heavy rains and flooding last summer, a decision that Gov. JB Pritzker denounced as politically driven. State Rep. Margaret Croke, a Democratic candidate for comptroller, participates in a forum at Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood on Nov. 18, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) Gov. JB Pritzker endorses Margaret Croke in Democratic primary for Illinois comptroller With just over a month until the March 17 primary, Gov. JB Pritzker endorsed state Rep. Margaret Croke for the Democratic nomination for Illinois comptroller, bolstering the Chicago lawmaker’s bid against three challengers. Parking spaces at Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook are filled with vehicles during holiday shopping season in 2015. (Chuck Fieldman/Pioneer Press) Oakbrook Center adds paid parking option for close-in spots People who want closeup parking at Oakbrook Center shopping mall in Oak Brook can now purchase the convenience now that the mall operators have added a third option to go along with its general and valet parking. Hunter Hess, of the United States, executes a trick in the halfpipe finals during the World Cup U.S. Grand Prix freestyle skiing event in Copper Mountain, Colo., Dec. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Hugh Carey) Column: Olympic halfpipe skier Hunter Hess is easy to root for if you value freedom of speech in America Olympic halfpipe skier Hunter Hess, a 27-year-old halfpipe skier from Bend, Ore., was asked at a news conference Friday what it means to him “to wear Team USA gear and the American flag.” Instead of saying he was proud of America, Hess told the truth, writes Paul Sullivan. US and Canada will renew their fierce women’s hockey rivalry in today’s Olympic matchup Photos: Eyes on Italy’s 2026 Winter Olympics In an image taken from video, Giancarlo Guerrero, left, the chief baton of Chicago's own Grant Park Music Festival, leads a group of string players during Bad Bunny's performance of the halftime show at the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California. (NFL) Yes, that was Chicago conductor Giancarlo Guerrero performing with Bad Bunny Four minutes into Bad Bunny’s halftime show during the Super Bowl, the camera panned over two rows of grinning string players. Leading them with graceful, sweeping beats and a sparkling hibiscus flower on his lapel? Giancarlo Guerrero, the chief conductor of Chicago’s own Grant Park Music Festival, the free orchestra series that plays at Pritzker Pavilion every summer. Column: Seattle Seahawks’ emphatic Super Bowl victory highlights some offseason priorities for Chicago Bears Super Bowl halftime show: Bad Bunny nets 135M viewers to Kid Rock’s 6M Catherine O’Hara, a cast member in the Apple+ series “The Studio,” poses for a portrait on March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Catherine O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism. Cancer was the underlying cause. Catherine O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism, with cancer as the underlying cause. A Los Angeles County death certificate lists the pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery in the lungs, as the immediate cause of the actor’s Jan. 30 death at age 71. Rectal cancer was the long-term cause. Shaw’s Crab House Mardi Gras specials include a shrimp po'boy. (Lettuce Entertain You) Fat Tuesday 2026 guide: Where to go for Mardi Gras and Carnival restaurant and bar specials Whether called Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday is celebrated around the world as a last chance to enjoy decadent food and party before the Lenten fast begins. Chicago doesn’t go all out for the occasion like New Orleans or Rio de Janeiro, but you can get a taste of those traditions at area bars and restaurants offering entertainment from brass bands to burlesque shows, along with special menus featuring gumbo, king cake, sazaracs and hurricanes. ...read more read less