* Sun-Times…

The Highland Park massacre suspect agreed Wednesday to postpone his trial, which had been set for late February, but a judge won’t set a trial date until later next month.

Robert Crimo III, accused of killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in 2022, had invoked his right to a speedy trial last month after dismissing his lawyers, and a jury trial was set for Feb. 26.

But that date was scrapped in court Wednesday, with Crimo consenting. A new date was not set because lawyers couldn’t agree on one.

Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti said she’ll set a new trial date on Feb. 21.

* Politico…

The Illinois Senate Democratic Fund, headed by Senate President Don Harmon, just plopped $500,000 into Natalie Toro’s primary race. That’s on top of nearly $200,000 from ISDF in December.

Toro is the recently appointed state senator — and Chicago Public Schools teacher — who’s trying to hold on to the 20th District seat on Chicago’s Northwest Side.

She faces Graciela Guzman, who lost out to Toro last year in getting appointed to the seat that opened up when Cristina Pacione-Zayas left to join Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration. Guzman worked on Pacione-Zayas’ Senate staff, but she was edged out by Toro’s supporters in the appointment process.

Must-watch race: Now the two women are facing each other again in one of the of the most consequential races in this year’s primary. It pits the moderate Democrat Toro against progressive Democrat Guzman, who has the support of the Chicago Teachers Union — which fueled Johnson’s progressive campaign. […]

Fundraising is playing a huge role: the ISDF’s latest gift puts Toro at about $1 million. Guzman is trailing with some $200,000 on hand. (We’re going by third-quarter filings and some math.)

Four candidates are in this primary race, but click here to watch Toro’s new ad.

* Chalkbeat…

About 1 in 5 of roughly 2,300 out-of-school, out-of-work youth contacted to participate in a new reengagement program in Chicago took part during the first year, according to a new policy brief from the University of Chicago Crime Lab.

In Chicago, roughly 45,000 teens and young adults are disconnected from school and work. With $18 million from the state, the city launched Back to Our Future in May 2022 to reach 1,000 young people ages 14 to 21 in 15 neighborhoods on the South and West sides. Data indicates fewer than 500 have participated so far.

The findings released today illustrate how difficult it is to reconnect with these young people — often referred to as “opportunity youth” — once they’ve disengaged.

“If it was easy, somebody would have already done it,” said Jadine Chou, chief safety and security officer at Chicago Public Schools. “We knew going into this that it was going to be really hard.”

* Here’s the rest…

* Sun-Times | Bears fire offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, QBs coach Andrew Janocko: The Bears rarely looked good offensively during Getsy’s two seasons. They ranked 23rd in the NFL at 19.4 points per game in 2022 and 18th at 21.4 this season. He never clicked philosophically with quarterback Justin Fields, either, though both described it as a good relationship. Over 2022 and ‘23, the Bears had the fewest passing yards in the NFL and fifth-lowest collective passer rating. They did, however, rank second in rushing over those seasons, though a big part of that was Fields running for 1,143 yards in ‘22 and 657 in ‘23.

* Crain’s | Homebuyer sues @properties over industry-wide ‘conspiracy’ on agents’ commissions: The conspiracy, the attorneys write, originates with the National Association of Realtors’ long-held standards that require the agent for a home’s seller to split the sales commission, usually 5% to 6%, with the agent for the buyer. The rule discourages competition by prohibiting a buyer’s agent for negotiating a lower commission, they argue.

* Daily Herald | DuPage County says it has no authority to enact bus restrictions: County board Chairwoman Deborah Conroy clarified Tuesday the county’s stance, noting it does not have home rule authority and could not adopt such resolutions. “We are not home rule, so that’s not up for discussion,” Conroy said, adding that the county has confirmed with the state’s attorney’s office that it does not have the authority to adopt such measures.

* Sun-Times | Kim Foxx touts accomplishing her ‘mission’ as Cook County state’s attorney: ‘No one drove me out of this job’: Foxx wouldn’t share her plans for after her term ends in 11 months. “I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do next,” she told a meeting of the Leaders Network at the Columbus Park Refectory. Foxx, 51, assured the crowd that “no one drove me out of this job.”

* WCIA | Tuscola Outlet Shops face uncertain future as two more stores announce closure: The outlet mall in Tuscola used to be a popular place to shop, even drawing people in from out of town. But more store closures have community members worried about its future. Two more store closures at the Tuscola Outlet Shops have left some people in the community shocked. The mall used to be home to 155 stores, but with the Old Navy and American Eagle now set to close, it will leave only eight operating businesses.

* Chicago Mag | The Ultimate Bioresearch Lab: This month, a team of top medical researchers, chemists, biologists, and bioengineers in Chicago will open the best bioresearch center money can buy. It’s part of a national network of such sites that, together, have a lofty goal: to cure, prevent, or manage all diseases by the end of this century. That’s the kind of ambition you can have when you are backed by billionaires.

* Chicago Reader | OURS enters the Illinois cannabis market as one of few Black-owned companies to make it that far: During the immediate green rush that followed the passing of the new state law, OURS applied for four state cannabis business licenses: dispensary, craft grower, infuser, and transporter. “Initially, we were going after the dispensary space,” says Ward. “That was the cherry of the industry.” But they were only awarded the latter two.

* CBS Chicago | Bollards to be set up to protect Chicago businesses from crash-and-grab burglaries: Brothers Robert and David Kim are the owners of SVRN – a streetwear located in in the Aberdeen East luxury apartment building at 171 N. Aberdeen St. in the West Loop. They had concrete barriers in front of their storefront – but it was no matched for an organized crew of crash-and-gran burglars next month. “We keep bolstering our defenses with every break-in, and at this point, I don’t know what more we can do,” said Robert Kim.

* NYT | U.S. Carbon Emissions Fell in 2023 as Coal Use Tumbled to New Lows: Still, the decline in emissions to date hasn’t been nearly steep enough to meet the nation’s goals for trying to slow global warming. President Biden wants to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions at least 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. To hit that goal, annual emissions would have to fall more than three times as fast for the rest of the decade as they did last year, the report found.

* AP | USDA estimates 21 million kids will get summer food benefits through new program in 2024: Nearly 21 million children in the U.S. and its territories are expected to receive food benefits this summer through a newly permanent federal program, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. Thirty-five states, all five U.S. territories and four tribes opted into the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, or Summer EBT, which the government says is meant to supplement existing programs during the summer that have had a more limited reach.

* Sun-Times | Phil Rosenthal of ‘Somebody Feed Phil’ comes to Rosemont: Show season around Chicago outdoors begins with the Chicago Boat Show, which runs Wednesday through Sunday at McCormick Place. The Chicago Travel & Adventure Show is this weekend at the Stephens Center in Rosemont. Rosenthal will be there with his Q&A at 12:15 p.m. Saturday. ‘‘Chicago is a world city, but even you can travel to other countries in your town, wonderful countries,’’ Rosenthal said. ‘‘If you stick to deep-dish pizza, you will not see the world.

* Tribune | Chicago could see another inch of snow overnight Wednesday: The track for Friday’s storm is still developing, and temperatures will likely be near or above freezing, limiting accumulation, the weather service said. Starting Sunday, the coldest air of the season is expected, the weather service said. Wind chills may fall below -20 degrees Fahrenheit early next week.

* Block Club | The ‘Chicago Rat Hole’ Is The City’s Hottest New Tourist Attraction: Local artist and comedian Winslow Dumaine was walking to Transistor, a shop in Roscoe Village that sells some of his work, when he stumbled upon what appeared to be an imprint of a rodent on the sidewalk. He snapped a photo of the creature’s cemented outline and uploaded it to the social media platform X, along with the caption: “Had to make a pilgrimage to the Chicago Rat Hole.