Good morning, Chicago.

Tribune readers may recall the case of Zeron Moody, featured in the “Stalled Justice” investigation into the slow pace of the Cook County courts. He had been awaiting trial for nearly six years.

Recently the office of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx dropped the murder charges against Moody and his co-defendant, Terreon Gathings, allowing them to plead guilty to aggravated battery with a firearm in the shooting death of Fontaine Sanders, a young man who’d been playing basketball in a park. With time already served in jail, they will be released from prison in as little as six years.

To better understand why a case that had seemingly strong evidence ended with such an attractive deal for the teen’s killers, Tribune reporters obtained thousands of pages of court documents, hearing transcripts and interviews with key players. The back story begins with a terrified eyewitness and allegations that a veteran prosecutor threatened her before her grand jury testimony.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Stacy St. Clair and Christy Gutowski.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

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Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision to bring a NASCAR road race back downtown comes even though the event this past 4th of July weekend generated less economic impact than predicted and cost the city at least $3.5 million for police overtime and construction.

A Cook County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Winnetka resident alleging that a proposed land swap between the Winnetka Park District and billionaire Justin Ishbia violates the state’s park district code and its public trust doctrine.

The judge’s ruling, if it remains in force, would allow the long-sidetracked land trade to take place, although whether the swap ultimately happens remains in question.

Israel’s military scoured the country’s south for Hamas fighters, guarded breaches in its border fence and pounded the Gaza Strip from the air on Monday as it vowed to lay total siege to the impoverished, Hamas-ruled territory in the wake of an unprecedented weekend incursion.

More than two days after Hamas launched its surprise attack from Gaza, the military said the fighting had largely died down for now.

Chicago became the largest U.S. city to independently phase out the subminimum wage for tipped workers on Friday, a step celebrity chef Rick Bayless said the city needed to take “for the greater good.”

Bayless supported the legislation, which passed by vote of 36-10, but not without reservations.

When two south suburban school districts agreed to be among the thousands of plaintiffs that were named in a lawsuit against many power players in the electronic cigarette industry, they didn’t know if, when or how much money they would receive.

The case against tobacco companies and electronic cigarette sellers revolved around the accusation these companies falsely marketed their products and underplayed the damage the products have on people’s health, leading to people spending more than they would have otherwise had they known the reality of the products’ impact.

After a long-overdue and much-needed victory, the Chicago Bears have extra time to use their newfound confidence and momentum to create a streak of a new kind. So what’s next for Justin Fields, Matt Eberflus and Co.?

The Chicago Marathon has been the site of five marathon world records and may have added another to its books Sunday when runner Kelvin Kiptum won the 2023 Chicago Marathon with an unofficial world record race time of 2:00:35. Last year’s winner Benson Kipruto came in second with a time of 2:04:02.

In the women’s race, Sifan Hassan ran the second-fastest marathon in women’s history, coming in with an unofficial time of 2:13:44. The 30-year-old from the Netherlands also broke the Chicago course record.

The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.55 billion after no one matched the game’s six numbers Saturday and won the giant prize.