| Good afternoon, Chicago. The Chicago Board of Education voted today to install interim CEO Macquline King as the district’s next permanent leader, tapping a former teacher and principal with deep local roots to helm the nation’s fourth-largest school district. In an 18-1 vote, board members approved a three-year contract for King with a $380,000 starting salary. King has led Chicago Public Schools in the interim since June, following the December 2024 firing
without cause of former CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. She last served as the senior director of education policy in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office. 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. Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History news Sendy Soto, Chicago’s chief homelessness officer, speaks alongside Mayor Brandon Johnson during a press conference about changes to the shelter system, Oct. 21, 2024, at City Hall. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first chief homelessness officer appears to be his last, with his inaugural appointee departing the position that the mayor’s team said was always meant to be a temporary one. More top news stories: business Jack Smith, a creative director with Leo Burnett Company. (Tribune archive) For 23 years, John Joseph “Jack” Smith was a talented adman and executive at Chicago-based Leo Burnett who was known for writing catchy music — as well as lyrics — for blue-chip clients of his firm, including McDonald’s and United Airlines. More top business stories: sports Illinois’ Zvonimir Ivisic cuts part of the net after an Elite Eight game against Iowa in the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) All that talent at Arizona and Michigan. All that momentum and good vibes at UConn. And somebody has to play the part of the unheralded “little guy.” At the Final Four next weekend, that role belongs, improbably, to Illinois. More top sports stories: eat. watch. do. Cheap Trick lead singer Robin Zander performs at Metro in Chicago on July 16, 2023. (Lou Foglia/for the Chicago Tribune) Aurora’s RiverEdge Park has announced the return of its music series this summer, with artists including The Beach Boys, Cheap Trick and UB40. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: nation & world Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) U.S. President Donald Trump threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and other vital infrastructure if a deal to end the war with Tehran is not reached soon. More top stories from around the world: | 
