The writer of an extortion letter turns out to be a man once accused of a grisly murder – Chicago Tribune

Good morning, Chicago.

The investigation into the Tylenol murders was struggling for leads when a letter arrived at a Johnson & Johnson office in Pennsylvania. If the maker of Tylenol wanted to “stop the killing,” the writer said, it would cost $1 million.

The writer of the letter was James Lewis, a Missouri native who had briefly lived in Chicago under an assumed name. But when authorities distributed his photo, Kansas City police recognized him immediately. Even before he inserted himself into the Tylenol case, Lewis had a disturbing history.

Read part 4 of our investigation into the Tylenol murders. Listen to the newest episode of the podcast here.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

COVID-19 tracker | Monkeypox tracker | Afternoon briefing | Compare gas prices | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy | Today’s eNewspaper edition

First-term Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and GOP nominee for governor Darren Bailey are facing off Thursday night in their first televised debate, a little more than one month before Election Day.

The debate is taking place at 7 p.m. at Illinois State University in Normal. Viewers across Illinois will be able to watch the debate, which will be broadcast statewide. In the Chicago area, it will air on WGN-Ch. 9 and on WGN’s website.

A little more than one month before Election Day, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners said Wednesday that most Chicago voters who head to the polls on Nov. 8 will be casting their ballots at a different polling place from where they were assigned to vote in the June primary and in previous years.

Afternoon Briefing

Daily

Chicago Tribune editors’ top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon.

The sweeping changes are likely to cause some confusion on Election Day as voters who have cast their ballots before at the same church, school gymnasium or park district may suddenly find their assigned polling location is different.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is set to unveil her $8.75 billion budget Thursday, free of any new taxes or fees. The announcement comes the same day that applications open for the county’s $42 million guaranteed income pilot — one of several federal COVID-19 relief-funded initiatives she’s announced over roughly the past year.

Preckwinkle, a Democrat, is running for a fourth term leading the county board against Republican nominee Bob Fioretti and Libertarian Thea Tsatsos.

Following social media outcry, the Art Institute of Chicago amended the descriptive label to one of the most eye-catching works in its modern and contemporary collection last week. How that contentious label text and its replacement came to be, however, is a case study in the behind-the-scenes considerations and pressure points in art curation.

In their final game of the season, the Chicago White Sox lost 10-1 to the Minnesota Twins Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

In his latest column, sports writer Paul Sullivan reflects on the team’s performance this season and looks ahead to 2023, writing: “This Sox team didn’t really break fans’ hearts as much as it crushed their spirit. Many tried to keep the faith, but it was apparent by the All-Star break the mojo of 2021 was gone.”

David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” is very plush in the looks department. Enjoying the costumes and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki’s lighting and some of Russell’s shot designs will get you through it. But only if you don’t have to listen to it, or track it, or believe in the people on screen.