| Good afternoon, Chicago. Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed a new chief financial officer yesterday, filling one of two vacancies on his fiscal team heading into his fourth budget cycle this fall. Ashlee Gabrysch, most recently a senior director at Fitch Ratings, was named to the post after former CFO Jill Jaworski stepped down at the beginning of the year. Gabrysch takes over from acting CFO Steve Mahr, who left last month after holding the position on an interim basis for several months. That leaves only one spot on the finance leadership team vacant — budget director — after Annette Guzman resigned last week. 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 Emily Kowalski, associate director at Environment Illinois, looks over a glass container of industrial plastic pellets known as nurdles found along the Wild Mile in the North Branch of the Chicago River on Aug. 10, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune) Illinois is requiring polluters to begin reporting spills of industrial plastic pellets known as nurdles, a growing source of contamination in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds. More top news stories: business Former President Barack Obama plays air guitar along to Stevie Wonder's performance at the Obama Presidential Center dedication ceremony on June 18, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune) The podcast, titled “A Great Book With Barack Obama,” was announced yesterday by Audible and Higher Ground, the media company of the former president and former first lady Michelle Obama. More top business stories: sports Blackhawks center Frank Nazar celebrates after scoring a goal against the Jets on April 12, 2025, at the United Center. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) It’s between Frank Nazar and Anton Frondell for the top-line center spot while Connor Bedard is out. More top sports stories: eat. watch. do. A Teatro ZinZanni performance in the Spiegeltent theater at the Cambria Hotel in downtown Chicago on July 17, 2019. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) The former Chicago home of Teatro ZinZanni on Randolph Street (the spiegeltent inside the Cambria Hotel at 32 W. Randolph St.) is to be replaced on an unspecified date by something called Kermess, the Tribune has learned. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: nation & world Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong poses for a photo, July 24, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) The latest battle over the Democratic ideological divide this year shifts to the upper Midwest today as nominating contests for governor in Wisconsin and U.S. senator in Minnesota pit left-wing candidates against more traditional ones. More top stories from around the world: | 
