Daywatch: The heist ripped from the pages of a cyber-security pulp thriller

Good morning, Chicago.

By the time the FBI raided Robert Powell’s luxurious Highland Park home three years ago, what agents saw as the red flags of fraud were everywhere.

The 23-year-old Powell was living alone on the North Shore despite having no legitimate income, according to federal court records obtained by the Tribune. He had a $150,000 BMW in the garage but rarely went out. One day, a letter carrier found six grand in cash in Powell’s mailbox.

He was also believed to be involved with a violent Indiana-based gang known as the “ChoppaBoyz,” whose founding members were under indictment in a drug-related home invasion in South Bend and also were accused of robbing two of Powell’s associates in Utah as they carried a quarter of a million dollars in fraud proceeds back to Indiana, the affidavit stated.

But the only charge that ever surfaced against Powell was a misdemeanor gun count filed in Lake County. Until now.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jason Meisner.

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Chicago Bears would get break on property tax valuation for former Arlington Park, but won’t get cut on tax rate, under proposed ruling

The tax appeal board valued the racecourse property at $138 million, down from the $192 million market valuation by the Cook County assessor.

But the board also ruled that the land should not be classified as vacant for 2023, because its grandstand was not completely demolished until December. That means the property would be assessed as a commercial property at 25% of market value, rather than the 10% for vacant land that the Bears wanted.

Dollar store restrictions to get Chicago council vote

Chicago dollar stores could face restrictions on where new locations can open and added pressure to show they are trying to keep their premises clean as the City Council considers an ordinance targeting them today.

Trump backs U.S. Rep. Mike Bost in blow to Darren Bailey in downstate GOP battle for Congress

Former President Donald Trump endorsed downstate U.S. Rep. Mike Bost for reelection yesterday, dealing a major blow to Darren Bailey’s insurgent challenge in one of the nation’s most closely watched Republican primary races.

Gary pub owner killed in Indianapolis Waffle House shooting

Crystal Kennebrew drove down to Indianapolis Sunday to tend bar for a fellow club owner expecting a big crowd for the NBA All-Star game weekend. She never made it back home.

Indianapolis police said Kennebrew, 35, died early Monday after an argument escalated at an Indianapolis Waffle House restaurant on the city’s southwest side.

Another gun-related arrest made at Naperville TopGolf, sixth since September

Last weekend’s arrest is the latest incident in what has become a recurring situation at Naperville TopGolf.

Bears Q&A: What to make of Kevin Warren’s comments on Justin Fields? Will Ryan Poles be in the market for a veteran QB?

We’re only a week away from the NFL combine in Indianapolis, where Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles, coach Matt Eberflus and their staffs will get a look at the top draft prospects.

Poles also will field questions from the media, most prominently about the team’s impending decision at quarterback while holding the Nos. 1 and 9 picks. Brad Biggs’ weekly Bears mailbag once again kicks off there.

Column: With players like Sabrina Ionescu, the popularity and talent of women’s basketball can no longer be denied

The WNBA is comprised of athletes who are at the top of their game. They are some of the best basketball players not just in the United States, but the world. Sure, they do not make as much money as men — and there is room to discuss that elsewhere — but almost no one who diminishes the players could beat them at what they do. If you don’t want to watch and don’t enjoy watching, you’re entitled to that. But to act as if there is some kind of amateurism to their game is to ignore what’s in front of you. It is willful ignorance. It’s misogyny, writes Shakeia Taylor.

Turner Häus turning the tide for Chicago’s Black brewers

Turner Häus joins a trio of Black-owned Chicago-based brewers that opened in the past few years, including Funkytown and Moor’s Brewing. Chicago went over four years without a Black-owned taproom, when South Loop’s Vice District Brewery closed in 2019.

World travelers crave more connections to Indigenous cultures

“Put simply, travelers want more out of their vacations,” said Jamie Sweeting, vice president of sustainability for the tour company G Adventures, whose itineraries include overnight accommodations ranging from an Indigenous-owned eco-lodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon to a community homestay with Indonesia’s Tengger tribe. Especially since the pandemic, Sweeting said, people are looking for “experiences that help them change the way they see the world.” Indigenous-owned and -led tourism experiences — a sector of the global tourism market valued at $40 billion in 2022 and forecast to grow to $65 billion by 2032 — are increasingly the answer.

‘Patrick and the Whale’ review: Moby flick, courtesy of PBS’s ‘Nature’

“Patrick and the Whale” has an appealing, low-key sensibility that’s missing from similar but more frantic programming from NatGeo, which is too often filled with hokey, intrusive music and hyperbolic hosts. Director Mark Fletcher avoids those faux theatrics and the episode’s meditative qualities are reflective of the team’s quiet deference to the sperm whales they encounter, writes critic Nina Metz.