Good morning, Chicago.

A series of pivotal conversations were played for the jury yesterday in the “ComEd Four” trial, where four of Speaker Michael Madigan’s associates, including one of his most trusted confidants, are accused of conspiring to bribe the then-powerful speaker in order to win his influence over ComEd legislation in Springfield.

The videos, along with dozens of recorded telephone conversations and internal emails, have taken jurors to the heart of the conspiracy allegations, and have also painted a stark portrait of power politics as it was played under Madigan’s Democratic regime, with a stream of jobs and benefits flowing from ComEd to people connected to the speaker’s operation.

See video, listen to audio and follow along with the latest trial coverage from the Tribune’s Jason Meisner and Ray Long.

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Since Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson became the last candidates standing for Chicago mayor, the two have been on campaign fundraising overdrive, collecting nearly $17 million in less than a month.

Vallas, the former Chicago Public Schools CEO, has been the clear winner so far in the fundraising game, receiving just under $11 million to the $5.8 million that has gone to Johnson, the Cook County commissioner and organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union.

The Niles Library Board moved to reduce how frequently the library gets cleaned, questioned expenditures for notepads and implemented a 19-month hiring freeze that reduced staffing levels by 37%, according to previous and current reporting.

Meanwhile, they’ve allowed one line item to increase 417% in a single year, to a level that dwarfs neighboring libraries: legal fees.

“Seasons,” says Susan V. Booth, “need to reveal themselves.” Booth announced her first one Wednesday as the new artistic director of the Goodman Theatre, taking over the role from Robert Falls, who served for more than three decades.

The Goodman’s 98th year has many tantalizing highlights, including a new show created and performed by the actor Dana Delany, famed for her work on “Desperate Housewives,” which draws from her own experience as the victim of an online scam involving a correspondent who turned out to be very much other than who they claimed to be.

As Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles explored his options for the No. 1 draft pick the last two months, he emphasized keeping quarterback Justin Fields in the loop.

The Bears’ plan was for Fields to remain their starter. But with the top selection in April’s draft, Poles and his staff also committed to evaluating the crop of quarterback prospects to make sure the Bears wanted to pass on picking them. Poles told Fields as much.

Hollywood loves a corporate origin story, writes critic Nina Metz.

Next month comes “Air,” the mash note to Nike delivered as a Ben Affleck and Matt Damon movie. In May, we’ll see the release of “BlackBerry.” But first on deck is Apple TV+ with “Tetris.”