Our yearlong grocery price investigation
Good morning, Chicago. ✶
???? Below: The Sun-Times has been checking the prices of 35 common grocery items at four Chicago stores for the past year. Here's what we found.
????️ Plus: A CHA whistleblower flags civil rights violations, DePaul and Loyola's alleged predatory student loan practices and more news you need to know.
???? Subscribe: Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.
⏱️: A 9-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER ☀️
Sunny with a high near 50.
TODAY’S TOP STORY ????
Grocery prices in Chicago have climbed double digits over the last year
By Stephanie Zimmermann
Tracking trends: It has been more than a year since the Sun-Times started tracking the monthly price of 35 common grocery items at Jewel-Osco, Mariano’s, Target and Walmart. The verdict? What went up mostly didn’t come down.
Our cart: At Chicago’s largest grocery chain Jewel-Osco, 18 items went up in price, 15 stayed the same and two dropped over the past 13 months. At Walmart, many of the 35 items on our list dropped in price more often than they rose, compared to one year ago. The prices of our items at Mariano’s and Target mostly increased or stayed flat.
Key context: President Donald Trump famously said during his 2024 campaign he’d get prices down "starting on Day 1" of his presidency. And high grocery prices played an outsized role in the presidential election, with many voters reportedly saying they were "very concerned" about food costs.
Take our quiz: See if you can guess the shelf price of items in our cart during a recent trip to Jewel. Take our interactive quiz, and read our full report on climbing grocery prices here.
LET’S HEAR FROM YOU ????️
How do you save money while grocery shopping? Do you have any tips?
Respond to this newsletter (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
HOUSING ????
CHA has violated disability, civil rights laws for years, whistleblower and HUD say
By Lizzie Kane
Alleged violations: Records show the Chicago Housing Authority violated federal disability laws and the civil rights of residents for at least eight years — leading to negotiations for a voluntary compliance agreement between the CHA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Amanda Motyka, a senior manager of compliance at the housing authority, is now sounding the alarm, again.
The complaint: The filing, viewed by the Sun-Times, was sent last week to the agency’s operating chairman, board and members of senior leadership. It was also submitted to the CHA’s inspector general and HUD. Motyka wrote that she made the complaint to "shine a light on the dysfunction of CHA’s handling of public housing’s reasonable accommodations," and three senior leaders were "complicit in the denial and violation of hundreds of CHA residents’ civil rights."
EDUCATION ????
DePaul and Loyola accused of pushing low-income families toward hefty loans
By Mary Norkol
College costs: Loyola University Chicago and DePaul University are among a few dozen colleges across the country that appear to favor wealthier families when offering financial aid packages, a new report finds.
The report: The two Chicago universities were named in a report released Thursday by the progressive think tank New America, alleging they are among 41 colleges nationwide that push a large share of lower-income families to take out hefty loans to cover college costs while offering attractive scholarships to wealthier families with high-achieving students.
PUBLIC SAFETY ✶
- Educators charged with sex abuse: Two Evanston/Skokie School District 65 employees have been charged with sexually abusing minors, according to court documents and district officials.
- Murders allegedly linked: Two assailants who allegedly left a 22-year-old man dead in a Lake View street after shooting him and fleeing in his car Wednesday apparently gunned down another man an hour later and 12 miles away in Bronzeville, according to police reports.
- Police staffing study: A much-anticipated study on Chicago police staffing urges more hiring to better respond to community needs and offers a new model for how to best deploy officers with the resources available. City Council commissioned the study in February 2024 to find ways to close gaps between police response times in different neighborhoods.
IMMIGRATION ✶
Preckwinkle calls on top Cook County prosecutor to investigate ICE, feds involved in shootings
By Violet Miller
Call to action: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, along with more than half of the county’s commissioners, called on Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke to file charges against federal immigration agents involved in shootings that took place last year in the Chicago area. Burke says her office has no jurisdiction to file such charges.
Key context: The county commissioners' statement points to the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González, who was shot by federal immigration agents last September in suburban Franklin Park. It also points to the shooting that wounded Marimar Martinez, who survived after being shot multiple times by a federal agent last year.
In other news: A Cicero small business owner is suing Trump officials after Facebook shut down a popular page tracking immigration activity in the Chicago area.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED ????️
- Trump cuts blocked: A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from cutting more than $600 million in public health grants for Illinois and three other Democratic-led states, a day after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of states in a federal lawsuit to challenge the cuts.
- Dolton vs. bank: The Village of Dolton claims Fifth Third Bank enabled the village’s disgraced former Mayor Tiffany Henyard to "steal" $1.9 million in public funds over at least one year.
- Calls for fare hike: Chicago needs to raise taxicab fares for the first time since 2016 to save a once-thriving industry decimated by ridesharing and the pandemic, top mayoral aide Ivan Capifali said Thursday.
- New affordable housing: The Hispanic Housing Development Corp. celebrated the opening of an affordable apartment project Wednesday in Humboldt Park, answering the community’s call for more family-sized units in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.
- Drone deliveries: South suburban residents living near Amazon’s fulfillment centers in Markham and Matteson are expected to have a new option for Amazon deliveries: drones.
ELECTIONS ☑️
River North developer holds big fundraising lead in fight to replace Danny Davis
By Chip Mitchell and Mitchell Armentrout
7th District drama: Developer Jason Friedman, a white Democrat running in a Chicago-area congressional district that’s had Black representation for a half century, has leapt far ahead of the competition in fundraising after reaping huge sums from finance, real estate and law interests. Friedman is vying for the 7th District seat held by U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis, who has represented the district since 1997.
Donor base: Friedman, of River North, has raised nearly three times more than his closest rival among 13 Democratic candidates in the March 17 primary, federal campaign disclosure records show. Friedman’s donor base is drawing criticism from candidates who say it will compromise his ability to represent parts of the district excluded from that sort of wealth.
More election news:
- Seven underdog candidates seeking retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s coveted seat tried capturing voters’ attention Thursday night during a debate at the University of Chicago.
- Voters looking to avoid long lines cast their ballots Thursday in the Loop as early voting opened for the Illinois primary election at 137 S. State St.
WEEKEND PLANS ????
???? Black Cypress Bayou
Friday through March 15
????Definition Theatre, 1160 W. 55th St.
Justice, legacy and survival collide in this dark comedy.
Admission: $15+
♥️ Cumbia Cathedral
5 p.m., Saturday
????Epiphany Center For The Arts, 201 S Ashland Ave.
Whether you're moving for fun or entering the $500 grand prize contest, dress to impress and dance the night away.
Admission: $20+
????️ Black Makers Market
Saturday, 12-6 p.m.
????Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.
Shop from local, Black-owned brands, artisans and creatives. Then stick around for fireworks at 9 p.m.
Admission: Free
???? 61st Street Farmers Market
Sunday, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
???? Experimental Station, 6100 S Blackstone Ave.
Knock out your grocery shopping for the week and support local food vendors.
Admission: Free
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD ????
Today's clue: 1A: Beloved piping plover who, along with 9-Across, was named after their Montrose Beach home.
FROM THE PRESS BOX ⚾????
- Imanaga looks forward: Cubs star pitcher Shota Imanaga said he's seeking a "better version of what I am now" after a rocky postseason showing.
- New talent: Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, two of the White Sox' top pitching prospects, are on track for 2026 debuts — just not Opening Day.
- MLB on TV: Three seasons after adding the pitch clock to TV broadcasts, baseball producers now are still figuring out how to handle the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System.
- All-Star goals: Bulls forward Matas Buzelis will be playing in his third NBA Rising Stars game, and while he’s excited about the honor, he also has his sights on playing in the All-Star Game.
- Boys basketball: Four Hyde Park seniors advanced to the city Elite Eight as the program earned a top seed in Class 3A.
BRIGHT ONE ????
Vintage photo booth studio opens for analog fans
By Mariah Rush
In 2001, Anthony Vizzari met his future wife, Andrea, at her Wicker Park apartment. He was an undergraduate student and she worked in advertising. The two bonded over collecting and digging through estate sales for fun.
Now, the duo has opened what they say is Chicago’s first vintage photo booth studio, just blocks away from where the couple met 25 years ago.
The Strip Club Photobooth Studio at 1702 N. Damen Ave. boasts eleven photo booths — six vintage-inspired digital and five vintage analog — in the 2,000-square-foot space, the former home of Bellows Film Lab. People and pets alike are welcome to come and pay $7 for a turn in a booth.
Since 2007, the Vizzaris have been designing and restoring photo booths under their company, A & A Studios, based in Lyons, Illinois. It operates more than 50 booths in businesses in Chicago, at bars and venues such as Replay, Hopsmith Tavern and Schuba’s Tavern.
With the Strip Club, the Vizzaris are aiming for Gen Z audiences. Photo booths there vary in age, with some dating back to the 1940s and 1950s.
WATCH: INSIDE STRIP CLUB PHOTOBOOTH STUDIO ▶️
Thanks for reading the Sun-Times Morning Edition!
Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.
Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Satchel Price
The Chicago Sun-Times is a nonprofit supported by readers like you. Become a member to make stories like these free and available to everyone. Learn more at suntimes.com/member.