| Good afternoon, Chicago. Three people have been charged with threatening a judge, a witness and local officials connected to the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after a July Fourth boat trip with friends to an island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. One of the defendants, Edward James Porter of Berwyn, allegedly called an unnamed witness
on July 31 and threatened to kill them and their family, according to an affidavit. Porter also allegedly told another person in Mississippi in a phone call that he would cut them up and put them “into a suitcase.” 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 Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart outside the Cook County Jail complex, April 4, 2023. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Federal authorities sent Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart subpoenas for inmates wanted for civil immigration enforcement along with letters that threatened criminal charges if the office didn’t turn over the individuals, according to the sheriff’s office. More top news stories: business Chicago dogs are created at Portillo’s on Sept. 24, 2024, in Chicago’s River North. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) With food costs rising and same-store sales falling, Portillo’s executed a round of corporate layoffs last week, trimming 18% of its Oak Brook-based workforce. More top business stories: sports Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong hits a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field on Aug. 5, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) The dueling leadoff home runs between the top two National League MVP contenders were just the beginning of the fireworks in the Cubs’ 7-6 victory to sweep the Dodgers. More top sports stories: eat. watch. do. Alysha Deslorieux (Middle Allie) and Ken Wulf Clark (Middle Noah) in the North American tour of “The Notebook,” in Chicago at the Nederlander Theatre. (Roger Mastroianni) The first national tour of “The Notebook,” now at the James M. Nederlander Theatre for a couple of weeks, finally gets the casting right and, frankly, it is transformative. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: nation & world A formerly floating buoy now sits high and dry above Lake Powell at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, July 15, 2026, near Page, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher) Americans are increasingly feeling a personal impact from extreme heat, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. More top stories from around the world: | 
