Daywatch: Rape trial begins for Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr.

Good morning, Chicago.

One of the basement bar areas at Lawrence, Kansas’ 105-year-old Jayhawk Cafe is called the “Martini Room.” And it was in that room, steps from the University of Kansas campus, where the 18-year-old would later tell police she first saw the attractive guy wave her over as she and her friend were heading for the door.

At her friend’s encouragement, she said, she ventured back in his direction, slowly weaving through the hot and sweaty crowd, its numbers swelled that September night by a KU football victory hours earlier at home against the University of Illinois.

What happened in the seconds that followed is soon to be a question for a jury to answer when the rape trial of Illinois men’s basketball standout and Chicago native Terrence Shannon Jr. begins today in a Douglas County, Kansas, courtroom.

Shannon, 23, faces one count of rape or an alternative count of aggravated sexual battery, also a felony, in a case that stems from a trip he and two others took to watch that September Illini-KU football game.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jonathan Bullington.

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‘This will not be 1968.’ Chicago police prepare for DNC as whole world watches once again.

It’s not 1968. But after anti-war, pro-Palestinian demonstrations roiled college campuses this spring and led to clashes between protesters and police, the specter of the chaos surrounding that summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago looms as the party returns in August to mark the renomination of President Joe Biden.

To be sure, the landscape is vastly different than it was in the late 1960s, even amid resurgent political violence driven predominantly by the far right. Nevertheless, the influx of potentially tens of thousands of protesters into Chicago during the Aug. 19-22 convention, some of whom have vowed to take to the streets without city permits, raises questions about how prepared Chicago police are for any ensuing unrest.

Black Chicago drivers more likely to be stopped by police than to get traffic camera tickets, study finds

Researchers found that on a street where half of drivers were white, the probability of a white driver getting a traffic camera ticket was just under 50%, while white drivers made up, on average, fewer than 20% of police stops.

On a street where half of drivers were Black, the probability of a Black driver getting a camera ticket was 54%. But Black drivers made up about 70% of police stops.

Migrant woman searches for husband who has vanished, a common occurrence as men struggle to find jobs

As more than 43,000 migrants have passed through Chicago, sent on buses and planes from the southern border since August 2022, hundreds of single mothers with children can be found staying in the 17 shelters run by the city and state. It’s unclear how many had arrived with partners.

Licensed therapists and those working closely with migrants say the frustration and shame felt by men of not being able to provide for their families may be a factor in their choice to just walk away.

Wind farms, key to clean-energy efforts, threaten birds and bats. Developers urged to plan for wildlife.

Illinois is the fifth-largest state for wind energy, and produces about 7% of the United States’ wind energy, according to the American Clean Power Association, a renewable energy industry group.

But, hundreds of thousands of birds and nearly 1 million bats die every year in collisions with wind turbines throughout the United States and Canada. As scientists look for ways to mitigate the effects of climate change, clean energy producers need to keep wildlife populations and their habitats in mind, experts say.

Pro-Palestinian protesters walk out of Northwestern commencement

Claiming their degrees are “stained with blood,” several dozen pro-Palestinian protesters walked out of Northwestern University’s commencement ceremony on Sunday at the United Center, despite repeated warnings by the elite Big 10 school’s administration against graduation disruptions.

Country’s first documented gay rights organization started 100 years ago in Old Town

A century ago, Henry Gerber founded America’s first documented gay rights organization in a boardinghouse at 1710 N. Crilly Court in Chicago.

10 questions for the Chicago Bears as they head into their summer break with plenty of optimism before training camp

Veteran players were free to begin their summer break Thursday afternoon after the Chicago Bears wrapped up minicamp at Halas Hall, setting them loose until they have to report for training camp July 19.

Here are 10 to ponder as the Bears hit their break — the rookies will be free after three more OTAs Monday through Wednesday.

Column: Home team may have lost, but record-setting Chicago Red Stars game at Wrigley Field was a win for women’s sports

Neither rain nor wind nor rapidly dropping temperatures could keep fans away from Wrigley Field on Saturday evening to see the Chicago Red Stars play Bay FC in a National Women’s Soccer League game. The 35,038 fans in attendance broke the league record of 34,130 set last October at Seattle’s Lumen Field for Megan Rapinoe’s final regular-season match.

The momentum of women’s sports is growing across leagues as college and professional sports see tremendous growth in viewership, attendance and interest, writes Shakeia Taylor.

John Cleese is in town for ‘Last Chance To See Me Before I Die’

Actor, comedian and writer John Cleese, now 84 and long famed for his seminal comedic work on “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” “Fawlty Towers,” “Life of Brian,” “A Fish Called Wanda” and many other titles, is appearing soon at Chicago’s Vic Theatre as part of his tour, titled “Last Chance to See Me Before I Die.” He recently spoke with the Tribune in a phone interview.