Daywatch: A former prosecutor’s ‘crown jewel’ case

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Dec 5, 2024 - 13:05
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Daywatch: A former prosecutor’s ‘crown jewel’ case

Good morning, Chicago.

Former Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Nicholas Trutenko called the prosecution that he won in 1989 against Jackie Wilson the “crown jewel of his career,” according to prosecutors.

But the conviction didn’t stick, and Wilson, whose high-profile case was integral to unveiling systemic practices of torture at the Chicago Police Department, was tried again, this time by special prosecutors because of conflicts with the state’s attorney’s office.

Thus, three decades later, the matter came back to haunt Trutenko, prosecutors alleged, and he sought to conceal a longtime friendship with a key witness in the case.

After about eight days of trial that spanned more than a year, attorneys on Wednesday delivered closing arguments in the case against Trutenko and a second former Cook County assistant state’s attorney accused of wrongdoing, capping off a long and sometimes contentious trial.

Closely watched by Chicago’s legal community, the case is unusual for its accusations against former assistant state’s attorneys in connection with a wrongful conviction case and shed a light on a tumultuous period for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Madeline Buckley.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

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The Department of Defense logo is seen on the wall in the Press Briefing room at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
The Department of Defense logo is seen on the wall in the Press Briefing room at the Pentagon on Oct. 29, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Ex-soldier, Iraq War veteran is Trump’s pick to serve as Army secretary

President-elect Donald Trump said yesterday that he has selected a former soldier and Iraq War veteran to serve as his secretary of the Army.

Daniel P. Driscoll, who is from North Carolina, had been serving as a senior advisor to Vice President-elect JD Vance, whom he met when both were attending Yale Law School. He ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for a North Carolina congressional seat in 2020, getting about 8% of the vote in a crowded field of candidates.

Angel Torres puts on some extra layers of clothing while living in a scattered homeless encampment in Chicago's Humboldt Park on Dec. 4, 2024. He doesn't know how his belongings got in disarray, but suspects police might be responsible. Torres grew up in the neighborhood and has been homeless for 2 years. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Angel Torres puts on some extra layers of clothing while living in a scattered homeless encampment in Chicago’s Humboldt Park on Dec. 4, 2024. He doesn’t know how his belongings got in disarray, but suspects police might be responsible. Torres grew up in the neighborhood and has been homeless for 2 years. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago homeless advocates ask city to rethink closure of Humboldt Park tent city

As municipalities across Illinois and the country continue to tighten restrictions on where the homeless can sleep, local advocates and service providers asked Chicago officials to reconsider the planned closure of one of the city’s largest homeless encampments and not bar people from sleeping in the park in the future.

Electric school buses receive finishing touches before being delivered to customers at the Lion Electric plant in Joliet on July 23, 2024. Quebec-based announced that it is suspending operations at its Illinois plant and temporarily laying off approximately 400 workers, in both Canada and the U.S. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Electric school buses receive finishing touches before being delivered to customers at the Lion Electric plant in Joliet on July 23, 2024. Quebec-based announced that it is suspending operations at its Illinois plant and temporarily laying off approximately 400 workers, in both Canada and the U.S. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Electric school bus maker Lion Electric suspends operations at Illinois plant

When electric school bus manufacturer Lion Electric opened its sprawling 900,000 square-foot factory in Joliet last year, Gov. JB Pritzker and both Illinois senators attended the ceremony. The facility — the first new vehicle assembly plant to open in metropolitan Chicago since 1965 — was hailed as a source of good jobs and a step forward into a carbon-free future.

But now Quebec-based Lion, which has struggled in recent months, says it is suspending operations at its Illinois plant and temporarily laying off approximately 400 workers, in both Canada and the U.S.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez listens in during public participation as the Chicago Board of Education holds a special meeting at Colman School on Nov. 14, 2024. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez listens in during public participation as the Chicago Board of Education holds a special meeting at Colman School on Nov. 14, 2024. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

High-stakes school board meeting overshadowed by power struggle with CPS CEO Pedro Martinez

With pressure on CPS CEO Pedro Martinez ratcheting up, the current six-member school board met Wednesday at CPS’ administrative office in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood to decide key issues that will be addressed at the board’s monthly meeting next week. Tension over the CEO’s fate could be felt in the auditorium where the meeting was held, overshadowing conversations with board members.

McCormick Place on April 26, 2023. Dominick Gironda, 54, of Bloomingdale, a manager at McCormick Place, and his associate James Sansone, 38, of Batavia, were arrested on federal fraud charges alleging they collected kickbacks from inflated bills for snow removal projects at the Chicago convention center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
McCormick Place on April 26, 2023. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

McCormick Place manager accused of taking kickbacks from inflated snow removal invoices

A manager at McCormick Place and an associate were arrested yesterday on federal fraud charges alleging they collected kickbacks they referred to in coded communications as “bottles of wine” from inflated bills for snow removal projects at the Chicago convention center.

This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)
This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson.  (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)

UnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York

Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of the people his decisions affected.

Then Wednesday’s fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO in a targeted killing on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight.

Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards stretches during practice at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards stretches during practice at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Dec. 4, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Bears players saw change coming amid 6-game skid — and hope to find a spark under Thomas Brown

Chicago Bears defensive end DeMarcus Walker could tell Thursday night after the players left the visiting locker room at Ford Field that change was coming.

The next day, the Bears fired coach Matt Eberflus with five games remaining in the 2024 season and promoted Thomas Brown to interim head coach. Eberflus finished his 2½ seasons with the Bears with a 14-32 record, including 4-8 this season.

White Sox shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery throws to first base during the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field on July 13, 2024, in Arlington, Texas.  (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
White Sox shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery throws to first base during the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field on July 13, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

When will Colson Montgomery get his first taste of the big leagues? 3 questions for the Chicago White Sox infield.

White Sox prospect Colson Montgomery spent 2024 one step away from the big leagues.

While his season at Triple-A Charlotte wasn’t as productive as he would have liked, slashing .214/.329/.381 with 18 home runs and 63 RBIs in 130 games, the shortstop took plenty away from the experience.

Andre Russell as Dreezy Claus greets Valerie, 3, and Olena Tsilora on Nov. 24, 2024, during the Millennium Park Holiday Market. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Andre Russell as Dreezy Claus greets Valerie, 3, and Olena Tsilora on Nov. 24, 2024, during the Millennium Park Holiday Market. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

‘I can smell a sale’: How notable Chicagoans shop for the holidays

In the next few weeks, Americans will attempt to capture the magic of the season with the purchase of the perfect gift. We are, according to the National Retail Federation, expected to spend an average of nearly $650 each on gifts this holiday season. About 197 million Americans shopped over the long Black Friday weekend, the federation said Tuesday.

That’s despite some concern that shoppers, weary of high prices, are looking to tighten their belts. “The consumer has just kept chugging along,” said Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, who spoke to the Tribune about his holiday shopping habits. “They’ve been predicting the demise of the American consumer for multiple years.”

The Tribune asked Goolsbee and other notable Chicagoans how they shop for the holidays and what gifts they have treasured receiving. Here’s what they said.

Jude Law and Jurnee Smollett in "The Order." (Michelle Faye/Vertical Entertainment)
Jude Law and Jurnee Smollett in “The Order.” (Michelle Faye/Vertical Entertainment)

‘The Order’ review: FBI agent Jude Law takes on white supremacists in a tense movie based on a true story

“The Order”  is a good, solid, fact-based thriller that arrives in wide release this week without much hype or self-conscious isn’t-this-topical strain. That, we don’t need. On the other hand, it is topical, though it’s set in 1983-84, writes Tribune film critic Michael Phillips. History, perpetually, is our object in the rear-view mirror that’s closer than it appears.

Actors Jeremy Brett (L) and David Burke as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," circa 1984. (TV Times via Getty Images)
Actors Jeremy Brett (L) and David Burke as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson in “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” circa 1984. (TV Times via Getty Images)

Column: 40 years after it premiered, ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ remains one of the best Doyle adaptations

It’s rare that YouTube’s algorithm surfaces much of interest. But for whatever reason, it recently offered Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz a clip from “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” the British series from Granada Television that ran from 1984 to 1994 (airing on PBS in the U.S.), adapting Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories with as much fidelity to their Victorian setting as possible.

That was enough to send her hunting for the full series. Turns out, episodes can be streamed free on several platforms (she watched on Tubi) and it’s striking to see how our ideas about Sherlock’s on-screen incarnation have changed over the years.

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