🌱 CTA Station Murder Suspect Charged + CFD Member's Family Has Died

Hi all. I'm back in your inbox this morning with your fresh edition of the Chicago Patch newsletter. Here's everything you need to know about what's happening these days in town.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and cold. High: 35 Low: 25.

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Here are the top three stories today in Chicago:

1. Alejandro Arellano, 31, has been charged with the weekend murder of Samantha Maldonado. Maldonado, 26, named Arellano as her killer before she died, and detectives were able to track him down in less than 15 hours using surveillance video footage from the CTA station in the loop where the stabbing took place. Arellano had been in a relationship with Maldonado for six months, but they had just broken up a week ago. (CBS Chicago)
2. The fire that broke out at the house last week of an on-duty Chicago Fire Department member has claimed the lives of all of his family members. The Mar. 7 fire on North Rutherford Avenue, which was ruled accidental, has left Walter Stewart without his wife and 7-year-old son who died last week. Over the weekend, fire officials announced Stewart's other two children had also died of their injuries from the fire. The family pet was found deceased inside the home a day after the fire as well. (Chicago Patch)
3. Governor JB Pritzker signed a new paid leave legislation into law on Monday, making Illinois the first state in the Midwest and the third in the country to mandate paid time off for any reason. The new law provides up to 40 hours of paid leave for employees during a 12-month period, which will benefit around 1.5 million workers starting in 2024. Currently, four million people in Illinois have no access to sick leave, while most low-wage workers in Chicago do not have vacation days. (WLS-TV)

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Today in Chicago:

• St. Patrick’s Day Celebration At Chicago Public Library – Gage Park Branch (5:00 PM)
• Live Blues At House Of Blues Chicago (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Taste Of Chicago food festival will be held this year at Grant Park Sep. 8-10. (Chicago Patch)
• An Illinois man is suing Buffalo Wild Wings because he claims their "boneless wings" are more like "nuggets." (NBC Chicago)
• Metra Police Department is hiring a police officer in Chicago. More information about the job is available at the link. (Police News)

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• Improovy Painters Chicago — (Visit website)
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Featured events:

• Irish Singing Duo Byrne & Kelly in Pre-St. Patrick's Day Concert (March 16)
• "Kincaid Mounds: A Major Mississippian Center on the Lower Ohio River" (March 16)
• STEM Adventures at Kiddie Academy of Lincoln Square-Ravenswood (March 18)
• God Plans - Man Laughs with Comedian Eli Lebowicz (March 19)
• Free Learn for Life Webinar: Emotional Intelligence (March 22)
• Carnegie Hall Debut Preview Recital (March 25)
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• 2012 Chevrolet Equinox LS (Details)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Tuesday. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— Kaytlyn Mroz

About me: Kaytlyn Mroz is a copywriter at Lightning Media Partners – a content creation agency. She is a Rowan University graduate where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in writing. Outside of work, Kaytlyn is a dog mom to a boglen terrier named Finn and a golden retriever named Willow.