| Good afternoon, Chicago. A young woman could be heard screaming “I love you” at her boyfriend moments before the 18-year-old man stabbed her to death early Tuesday morning, prosecutors told a judge. At a detention hearing yesterday, Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara said Alfredo Tzoy had been dating the woman, identified in court records as Whitney Jackson, also 18, for about seven months when Tzoy’s parents were awakened to the sound of fighting around 1 a.m. Tuesday in their Englewood home. 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 Sheri Mecklenburg stands in a forensics storage room at the Chicago Police Department on Nov. 26, 2003. At the time, Mecklenburg worked for nonprofit Women’s DNA Initiative. (Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune) The now-retired prosecutor at the center of the “Broadview Six” scandal penned a fiery resignation letter to U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros this week saying he “personally directed” her to seek felony charges rather than misdemeanors and then “publicly vilified” her in court by blaming her for the way the case melted down. More top news stories: business Co-owners and married couple Miguel Salinas, left, and Tatiane Varjao stand in their Oak Park store Sea Love on Sept. 22, 2026. (Cam’ron Hardy/Pioneer Press) While reconnecting with her mother who was going through chemotherapy in the winter of 2024, Tati Varjao took her, and other family members who had traveled from Texas, to Sea Love, a candle-making shop in Naperville for a day of relaxation. After only spending an hour there, Varjao, 46, fell in love with the place and realized how beneficial it was for herself and how it could help others. More top business stories: sports Mike Vasil holds Kyle Teel as the White Sox celebrate clinching the a playoff berth at Kauffman Stadium on Sept. 24, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (Tanner Gatlin/Getty) It took a few days longer than the Cubs wanted, but they are heading to the playoffs again. Meanwhile, the White Sox locked up a playoff spot and are still competing for the American League Central title. More top sports stories: eat. watch. do. Eldon Warner-Soriano as Ricky, with Peyton Owen as Noel, Rylee Michelle as Constance, Amelia Tam
as Jane Doe, Alex Merkel as Ocean and Eric Amundson as Mischa in “Ride the Cyclone” at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights. (Jennifer Heim) Johanna McKenzie Miller, a longtime and highly successful Chicago actress turned artistic director, has big plans for the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights. Her theater’s new production of “Ride the Cyclone,” a musical that enjoys something of a cult following, especially among high school students, is a very lively start. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: nation & world Pope Leo XIV talks to journalists aboard the papal flight from Rome to Paris, Sept. 25, 2026, during his apostolic journey to France. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, Pool) Pope Leo XIV told reporters they were welcome to cover him, as he responded to the Trump administration’s attempt to bar U.S. media from the White House and affirmed the importance of journalists covering public figures. More top stories from around the world: | 
