How we built a database of Illinois jail records — and how you can use it to do your own digging

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Pedro Ramirez did his job.The 22-year-old rookie was thrust into everyday duty on the Cubs’ infield when shortstop Dansby Swanson went down with an oblique injury a month ago.Swanson is due back Friday, returning Ramirez to his reserve role with the Cubs fighting to secure a wild-card spot.But Ramirez, as inexperienced as he was coming into the season, doesn’t appear to have been “thrust” into anything.“Some people have a presence – I’ve called it ‘an old soul,’ at times – where you’re just…

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Fifteen years after ending “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in Chicago, the media mogul is returning to deliver more engaging conversations and “aha” moments in front of an audience outside of the Midwest.She will bring “Oprah Winfrey’s AHA” to Sphere in Las Vegas April 2-4, 2027. The venture is not a televised talk show but an “immersive” live experience, featuring music, storytelling and more, according to an announcement on Sphere’s website. The two-hour event promises a unique presentation of light…

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Early morning thunderstorms caused ground stops at O'Hare and Midway airports and one to three inches of rain fell throughout the Chicago area in "the most rain we've seen in a month," according to forecasters. Roughly three inches of rain fell in Aurora and two inches of rain was reported in Romeoville, according to the National Weather Service. About seven-tenths-of-an-inch fell at O'Hare and Midway saw 1.6 inches of rain. Ground stops were initially reported at both airports early Thursday…