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| Good afternoon, Chicago. Former President Barack Obama said he did not see evidence that aliens “have made contact with us,” after sending social media abuzz by saying aliens were real on a podcast over the weekend. During a lightning round of questions with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked, “Are aliens real?” “They’re real,” he answered, continuing: “But I haven’t seen them. And, they’re not being kept in Area 51.” The former president released a statement on Instagram yesterday, appearing to clarify what he meant by his comments that have since gone viral. 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  The farmhouse on the Joseph P. Bartlett Farm in Campton Township in Kane County on Feb. 1, 2026. The home is the
first site in Kane County to be verified as a designated safehouse through a National Park Service initiative, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) Kane County farmhouse verified as former Underground Railroad safe house in National Park Service initiativeThe home is the first site in Kane County to be verified as a designated safe house through a National Park Service initiative, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, a program created in 1998 to show the history of resistance to enslavement.
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business  Portage Mayor Austin Bonta speaks to financier Lou Weisbach during a news conference
concerning the proposed Chicago Bears stadium and development in the city on Feb. 11, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune) Win or lose, baiting the Chicago Bears could pay off for Portage. Here’s why.Even if the Bears hibernate at another location, Portage’s pitch for a stadium could end up benefiting the city. Lou Weisbach, the man behind the financing for the proposed stadium, is connected with a capital C.
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sports  Chicago Tribune reporter and sports columnist Ring Lardner, circa 1926. (Chicago Herald and Examiner) Column: Ring Lardner’s ‘In the Wake of the News’ columns remain timeless more than a century laterRing Lardner was one of the original occupants of the “In the Wake of the News” column, which dates to 1907 and remains the longest-running sports column in America.
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eat. watch. do.  A red carpet is unfurled outside Symphony Center on Michigan Avenue during the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s fall
opening weekend on Sept. 20, 2025. The CSO was the busiest orchestra in the world last year, according to Bachtrack. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) The Chicago Symphony is the world’s busiest orchestra — how that’s counted and what that meansA British publication recently affirmed what Chicago Symphony Orchestra audiences already know: the City of the Big Shoulders is home to a just-as-hardworking orchestra.
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nation & world  Bacon’s Castle in Surry is North America’s oldest brick dwelling. The home built was in 1665. (Bill Tiernan/The Virginian-Pilot) The oldest building in Virginia is set to undergo a restorationThe historic Bacon’s Castle, the oldest building in Virginia and the oldest brick dwelling on the continent, is set to undergo a rare series of repairs to help preserve it.
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