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Afternoon Briefing

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Good afternoon, Chicago.

A special City Council meeting called following the death of Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark ended without an acting mayor being appointed after no alderperson was able to secure support from a majority of the council.

Both 1st Ward Ald. Shirley Drewenski and 5th Ward Ald. Dominique Randle-El were nominated for acting mayor, but the City Council split down the middle.

Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.

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news
Workers continue their construction of Northwestern University’s Ryan Field in Evanston on Nov. 21, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

Northwestern will open the new Ryan Field on Oct. 2 vs. Penn State

The Friday night game will be played 100 years to the day of the first football game at the original stadium, then known as Northwestern Stadium.

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business
Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of the multinational hedge fund Citadel, is shown on Nov. 5, 2014, in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Ken Griffin got rich in Chicago. He thinks Florida is the future.

Billionaires Ken Griffin and Stephen M. Ross planned to announce a campaign pitching the so-called Gold Coast region of Florida as one of the best areas in the U.S. to build a company.

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sports
Sharks center MacKlin Celebrini (71) pushes Blackhawks center Connor Bedard onto the ice during the first period, Feb. 2, 2026, at the United Center. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Blackhawks cruise to 6-3 win to snap a 5-game skid in final home game before NHL’s Olympic freeze

The Hawks (22-25-9) defeated the Sharks 6-3 in the final home game before the NHL Olympic freeze. It was an urgent win for the home team, which snapped a five-game losing streak.

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eat. watch. do.
Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken co-founder Gus Rickette, 99, at his home in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago on Jan. 29, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Food icon: Gus Rickette of Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken turns 100 this year in Chicago

The legend behind the Uncle Remus restaurants turns 100 years old this year. He and his late wife, Mary Rickette, co-founded the Black-owned house of fried chicken and mild sauce in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side, where he still lives.

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nation & world
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., gestures as he meets with reporters ahead of a key procedural vote to end the partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House passes bill to end the partial government shutdown, sending the measure to Trump

Speaker Mike Johnson needed near-unanimous support from his Republican conference to proceed to a final vote. He narrowly got it during a procedural vote that was held open for nearly an hour as leaders worked to gain support from a handful of GOP lawmakers who were trying to advance other priorities unrelated to the funding measure.

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