Hey there! It’s Friday, and I hope everyone is hanging in there. It’s been a tough week — actually a tough two years — but I really look forward to opening my inbox in the morning and hearing from y’all. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin’s firms have $86 million in companies making guns and ammunition — some of which were recovered in local homicides

WBEZ’s Dave McKinney has an eye-opening report today about billionaire investment tycoon Kenneth Griffin, who has criticized Gov. JB Pritzker’s handling of surging crime.

As McKinney reports: “Griffin’s $46 billion hedge fund — Citadel — and its corporate cousin had investments and holdings in gun and ammunition manufacturing companies, federal securities records show.

“In fact, Chicago police data analyzed by WBEZ show that nearly one out of every four guns recovered from city homicides in the past five years came off the assembly lines of companies in which Citadel held shares — weapons that have played a role in the same, worsening crime wave that Griffin blames on the governor.”

A company spokesperson told WBEZ that Griffin doesn’t have a role in stock choices or the stocks the company avoids, and there is no correlation between Chicago’s wave of violent crime and the company’s investments and holdings.

But critics say Griffin is “hypocritical.”

“You absolutely cannot be a voice about crime and murder or shootings on our streets when your company is a major investor in gun manufacturers. It’s absolutely hypocritical,” said the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of Faith Community of St. Sabina Church and an ardent gun-control advocate. [WBEZ]

2. The U.S. will sanction Putin as Russian forces advance toward Ukraine’s capital

The U.S. will sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovas, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. The European Union and the U.K. earlier today took a similar step.

The moves come as Ukraine’s defense minister today called on residents to “prepare Molotov cocktails” as Russian troops moved closer to the capital of Kyiv.

As NPR reports, Ukraine’s military says thousands of people have enlisted in response to Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian border agents are also stopping male citizens between 18 and 60 from leaving the country. And officials are urging Europeans to come fight for them.

In a late-night national address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia’s military is set on entering Kyiv and that he and his family are the top targets.

Putin gave mixed signals over his openness to diplomatic talks. In a telephone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Putin said he would be willing to hold high-level talks with Ukraine.

But Putin also called on Ukraine’s military to topple the government in Kyiv. [NPR]

Meanwhile, Ukrainian border guards who died defending Snake Island, an outpost in the Black Sea, will be posthumously awarded the title of “Hero of Ukraine.”

In a viral audio clip, the guards, when asked to lay down their weapons, told a Russian warship to “go f*** yourself.” [Washington Post]

3. Biden picks Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Supreme Court

President Joe Biden today announced he is nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. If confirmed by the Senate, Jackson will be the first Black woman to serve as a justice.

As NPR reports, Jackson is an experienced judge. For eight years, she served as federal trial court judge and last June was confirmed for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

She also worked as a public defender and, if confirmed, would be the first Supreme Court justice since Thurgood Marshall to have represented indigent criminal defendants. [NPR]

4. Plowed “snow ramps” send drivers flying off expressways

So-called snow ramps — large piles of plowed snow pushed against the side of expressways — have caused some drivers to fly off and crash in Chicago and elsewhere, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

The newspaper documented 51 such “snow-ramp” accidents since 1994, including one last year in Portland, Ore., in which a 57-year-old man was sent flying off a bridge during a snowstorm and plunged to his death in the Columbia River.

In Illinois, Kevin Ramos told the Sun-Times he went flying off an overpass last winter on the Illinois Veterans Memorial Tollway. He said he was worried that his Jeep Grand Cherokee would kill someone when it hit the ground far below on a busy street in DuPage County.

“I remember my face and my hands on the steering wheel, kind of like hoping there was nobody there,” Ramos said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. Justice for Hank the Tank

Here’s a plot twist I didn’t see coming: DNA tests show that Hank the Tank, a 500-pound black bear, isn’t solely responsible for breaking into dozens of homes around South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Authorities say the tests showed at least two other bears were involved in the crime spree.

And because of this new information, officials say Hank won’t be killed or moved to a sanctuary, reports NPR.

“Hank no longer has a death sentence hanging over him and he is no longer going to have his freedom taken away from him by sending him to a sanctuary,” wrote the Bear League, a local nonprofit aimed at protecting bears.

Hank’s fate had become a hot topic, with the South Lake Tahoe police urging residents to stop calling them with their opinions on the matter. [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention significantly eased its mask guidance today. [AP]
• Four of the largest U.S. corporations have agreed to pay about $26 billion to settle claims they fueled the opioid crisis. [NPR]
• Veteran political strategist David Axelrod says Mayor Lori Lightfoot may want to reconsider running for reelection. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Paczki Day is approaching. Here’s a look at local bakeries that are experimenting with “unconventional and boozy flavors.” [Block Club Chicago]

Oh, and one more thing …

Looking for something to listen to this weekend?

Curious City has a fascinating episode out this week about how Joy Morton, the man behind Morton Salt, helped shape Chicago.

Morton “isn’t just responsible for making our food tastier and the roads less slick,” reports Curious City. “He was a tough businessman whose company would dominate the salt industry in the late 1800s and early 1900s and a visionary whose civic work would help shape what Chicago looks like today.” [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Art of Power interviews Taiwan Digital Minister Audrey Tang, who helped design Taiwan’s “COVID-19 miracle.” Tang is also the world’s first nonbinary cabinet member. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What are you looking forward to the most during spring?

Elise writes:

“Oh my goodness, I’m looking forward to backyard parties with little kids eating too many crackers and adults cracking open cans of beer and green sprouts shooting up from our raised beds. I can’t wait.”

And David writes:

“I live in Rogers Park, a.k.a. the best neighborhood in the city. The thing I look most forward to in the spring is the sense of community that occurs along the lakefront as my neighbors come out of the long hibernation and begin to share life together once again. It’s truly a magical time.”

Thanks for all the responses this week. I’m sorry I couldn’t share them all, but it was nice hearing from y’all.