The Rundown | Chicago News

In a town full of foodies, Chicago pizzamaker Jonathan Goldsmith’s pies rise to the top at his restaurant, Spacca Napoli, located in Ravenswood on Chicago’s North Side. The eatery spent several years on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list and an Italian-based website ranked it among the best pizza in the world in 2023. 
 
 At the beginning of 2025, the restaurant was named the best pizza in town at the local Banchet Awards. Days later, Goldsmith underwent surgery for stomach cancer. As the year wraps up, we checked back in with Goldsmith to see how his recovery is going and took a look back at the restaurant’s journey.

This holiday season, the Evanston Symphony Orchestra hosted a new kind of concert. The so-called “barrier-free” performance was designed for people with disabilities and their loved ones. That includes accessible parking, an ASL interpreter and a sensory-free room where people could retreat if they got overwhelmed. About a hundred attendees of all ages poured into the performance at the Evanston Township High School Auditorium, where volunteers encouraged the audience to participate in a singalong performance and shake jingle bells.

Faith leaders were denied access to pray with detainees at the Broadview ICE facility today. Illinois is part of a multi-state coalition suing the Trump administration for targeting gender affirming care. A holiday-themed pop-up in Humboldt Park takes inspiration from a Puerto Rican Christmas tradition. And Jake Connelly, a 13-year-old from Arlington Heights, is the newest star of the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things." Plus, one Curious City listener wanted to know: What customs associated with Christmas are distinctly Chicago traditions? Well, Curious City goes behind the scenes of one long-time local tradition: "A Christmas Carol" at the Goodman Theatre.

Who is Gregory Bovino? 
 
 For months, the Border Patrol Commander-at-Large led agents through Chicago on an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign, while making sure his noticeably uncovered face was in front of as many cameras as possible.
 
 But there’s very little information online about Bovino’s background, his experience, or his rise to overnight prominence.
 
 So our team went digging – to his hometown in North Carolina, and to California where his Border Patrol career got started.
 
 In “Becoming Bovino,” Sun-Times investigative reporter Lauren FitzPatrick and WBEZ investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos sit down with WBEZ’s Patrick Smith to share what they found about Gregory Bovino – from his upbringing, to his efforts to keep himself in the limelight.

The Chicago Bears are the toast of the town after an overtime win Saturday against the Green Bay Packers. The Cook County Clerk’s office has selected the couple who will receive the county’s first marriage license of 2026. Operation North Pole is an annual holiday charity event for children with life-threatening illnesses. It returned for the first time since COVID.
 
 Plus, the biggest life expectancy gap between Chicago neighborhoods is 20 years, from West Garfield Park to the Loop. One of the solutions to closing this gap is playing out in Garfield Park.

The Chicago City Council has approved the revenue portion of a rival, aldermanic-led spending plan that does not include a corporate head tax as Mayor Brandon Johnson wanted. It still requires a second official vote to be fully adopted. The Trump administration said the Chicago Transit Authority’s new security plan “fails to meet the need for immediate, measurable corrective action” and threatened to withhold up to 50 million dollars from the agency. Chicago six-piece soul band Hollyy will play its fifth-annual holiday show at Thalia Hall. 
 
 Plus, a state panel documenting alleged abuses by federal immigration agents held its first meeting. The Illinois Accountability Commission plans to interview witnesses and review bystander videos on social media.

A state commission examining wrongdoing by federal agencies during the so-called “Operation Midway Blitz” is now taking testimony. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says he will do "whatever it takes" to avoid a government shutdown. A coalition of alders advanced a rival budget proposal, and the plan still needs a full council vote. The Chicago Bears will host arch-rivals the Green Bay Packers Saturday night. 
 
 Plus, fans of the novelist Jane Austen celebrated her 250th birthday through a Regency ball – complete with a string quartet, historical snacks, and dancers in gowns stitched from YouTube tutorials.

Chicago's Jewish community continues to mourn the victims of the mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. An Illinois state task force is investigating why violence against women and girls in Chicago is disproportionately high. Chicago officials are urging people to get their vaccines before gathering with friends and family for the holidays. 
 
 Plus, a school on Chicago’s southwest side has long had a club to support students without legal status and to raise money to help them go to college. But this year with immigration enforcement tearing families apart, the club has changed course.

U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino has returned to the Chicago area. Illinois might not be able to generate all the power it needs to meet future demand because coal-fired plants are shutting down and newer, cleaner sources aren’t coming online fast enough. The Chicago Blackhawks are playing in Toronto without star center Conor Bedard due to an upper-body injury.
 
 Plus, a Chicago theater company created its own holiday-inspired version of the “Real Housewives” reality television series: The Real Housewives of the North Pole.

Jewish leaders in Chicago are mourning the lives lost in Australia this weekend, but say they won’t live in fear as Hanukkah celebrations continue this week. Actor and film director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were killed in their Los Angeles home yesterday. Some anti-violence advocates want the Chicago Transit Authority to allow violence interruptors to patrol the transit system. Plus, the move-out deadline has passed for the last residents of a Chicago apartment building raided in the fall by federal immigration agents. A judge ordered the troubled South Shore building vacated by last Friday and appointed a manager to secure the property and help residents relocate. Tenants say that “help” was merely a check and a list of phone numbers to call. WBEZ's Esther Yoon-Ji Kang spent some time with one resident as he scrambled to figure out where he goes from here.

Patients in Illinois who are terminally ill will be able to request life-ending medication with a doctor’s prescription starting later next year. A proposed city-wide ban on the sale of hemp products now includes an exception for THC-infused beverages. The National Weather Service says snow is likely Saturday afternoon with evening wind chills near 20 below zero.
 
 Plus, We recently asked people in Illinois prisons this question: “If you could spend one afternoon on the outside with a family member or friend, where would you go and what would you do?" A man named Robert Jernigan wrote us saying he’d take his mother to her church, so he could play music and sing for her. For WBEZ’s statewide journalism project called Prisoncast!, producer and editor Robert Wildeboer packed up a keyboard and drove to Pinckneyville prison in Southern Illinois.

The city of Chicago says warming centers will be available this weekend as bitterly cold temperatures move in. A commission formed in honor of an unarmed Black woman murdered in her Springfield-area home last year has unveiled their 26 “calls to action.” Red Kettle donations for the Salvation Army are down in the Chicago area. 
 
 Plus, the new company that provides health care to nearly 30,000 people in Illinois state prisons has a disturbing track record. Centurion Health took over health care for the Illinois Department of Corrections this summer, after a multi-year deal with a different company fell through. Centurion already serves close to a dozen other state correctional systems – where it’s been accused of ignoring and misdiagnosing patients, leading to serious illness or death. Chicago Sun-Times reporter Kaitlin Washburn has been digging into lawsuits filed by incarcerated people. She sat down with Erin Allen - host of our Prisoncast program – to share what she found.

WBEZ lost power at our studios at Navy Pier today and will return to its usual programming schedule as soon as we can. A group of alderpersons who oppose Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget have introduced their own revenue package. Chicagoans can expect more snow going into the weekend.
 
 Plus, the widest “death gap” across neighborhoods of any big city in America is between the Loop and West Garfield Park on Chicago’s West Side. Between these seven stops on the Green Line, how long someone is expected to live plummets by 20 years. WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch takes us to West Garfield Park where a mom and her son talk about what it’s like to live in the death gap and what they’re trying to do about it.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is revising his proposed and controversial corporate head tax in hopes of shaking a budget stalemate loose. Illinois Gov.JB Pritzker signed into law protections from what he called “unjust actions” taken by federal immigration agents. Top executives at the parent company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois got hefty raises and multimillion bonuses last year despite a 54 percent drop in net income, according to Crain’s.
 
 Plus, the Chicago-rooted duo The Cool Kids built an impressive hip-hop career with seven albums across two decades and many collaborations. For the first time in three years, the Cool Kids have a new album. Chuck Inglish and Sir Michael Rocks sat down with WBEZ's sister station Vocalo and host Nudia Hernandez to talk about “Hi Top Fade.”

The prospect of a government shutdown over the city’s budget is growing bigger in the city of Chicago. Chicago voters will elect all 21 members of the school board next November but a new poll finds few realize this is happening. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich celebrated Mass on Sunday in the chapel of Cook County Jail’s maximum-security division.
 
 Plus, December is Nutcracker season. Some local groups are presenting the classic holiday ballet with a twist.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget team said that an alternative budget proposal from 26 alders who oppose the mayor’s spending plan is based on faulty projections and regressive fines. Indiana state House lawmakers have passed a new congressional map that now advances to the state Senate, where it is unclear if enough lawmakers will support its final passage. Granite City Works will make steel again next year.
 
 Plus, from the 67-foot-tall Norway spruce in Millennium Park to a dizzying number of “Christmas Carol” variations, Chicago’s most festive season has arrived. WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers rounded up the best Chicago festivities you can enjoy this holiday season and she joined WBEZ’s Clare Lane to talk about it.

The city of Chicago’s running tab for police misconduct settlements tied to disgraced former police commander Jon Burge grew by $15 million today. As Chicago plunges into extreme cold weather territory, medical professionals urge the public to pay attention to the signs of frostbite. Illinois Congressman Eric Sorensen is calling on Congress to vote soon to extend Obamacare subsidies to keep health care premiums from skyrocketing.
 
 Plus, with federal immigration enforcement bearing down on Chicago, many feared student attendance would plummet, especially in schools serving mostly Latino children. Yesterday we brought you the story of community members stepping up to help out parents who were too afraid to take their kids to school during that time. Today, WBEZ’s Amy Qin and Sarah Karp explain what this year’s attendance numbers really mean.

A majority of Chicago alderpersons are backing an alternate budget plan that would double residents’ garbage collection fee to avoid a new corporate head tax. The Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party will hold a candlelight vigil and dedication ceremony Wednesday. The Illinois Secretary of State has issued warnings to national rental car companies about federal immigration agents.
 
 Plus, many people feared student attendance at Chicago Public Schools would plummet as federal immigration enforcement escalated this fall. A new analysis by WBEZ shows overall attendance this fall is similar to last year. Chicago Public Schools has turned to the community to help it with the difficult task of getting children to school, when so many parents feel vulnerable outside their homes. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp has the story of one immigrant mother and how that help has made all the difference.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed a measure allowing the state to develop its own vaccine guidelines, independent of the federal government. Thousands of Illinoisans could face homelessness once new federal requirements kick in. Capacity has been increased at Christkindlmarket in the Loop.
 
 Plus, we’ll hear from a Chicago protester who says their dismissed charges show Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino is dishonest.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory until midnight for the Chicago area and until 3 a.m. for northwest Indiana. Healthcare providers are concerned that federal funding cuts could undo some of the gains made against HIV and AIDS. Actor and director Robert Townsend returns to his native Chicago this weekend with a pop-up film and comedy festival. Plus, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and his wife MK recently paid Pope Leo the 14th a visit in Rome, presenting the Chicago-born pontiff with a few Illinois-themed gifts, including a drawing made by a woman incarcerated in a downstate prison. WBEZ’s Mawa Iqbal spoke with the woman on her piece, and how arts and crafts have impacted her life behind bars.

An early winter storm is moving through the Great Lakes region and bringing a chill to Chicago for Thanksgiving. A federal judge called out an immigration enforcement agent for using artificial intelligence to write the narrative of a use-of-force report. The Village of Oak Lawn has agreed to pay more than $800,000 to a man punched by a village police officer during a 2022 traffic stop.
 
 Plus, foot traffic is down in Chicago’s predominantly Latino shopping areas with many would-be customers scared off by Operation Midway Blitz. Although Immigration Customs and Enforcement has ramped down its presence in the area it’s unclear when the crowds will come back. WBEZ’s Michael Puente brings us a report on the state of Chicago’s Latino businesses.

O’Hare Airport is expected to have its busiest Thanksgiving travel season on record. Several state agencies say President Trump’s tariff policies are costing Illinoisans thousands of dollars more this year. HBO is premiering a new documentary tonight that looks at the making of the Super Bowl Shuffle.
 
 Plus, one way the federal government provides affordable housing is by subsidizing rent in buildings owned by private developers. That’s the case at one building complex on Chicago’s South Side, where wealthy out-of-state investors — one of them quite high profile — have collected millions of dollars in rent from the government. But some tenants say conditions there have become deplorable. WBEZ’s Amy Qin brings us that story.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest in the shooting death of 14-year-old Armani Floyd Friday night in the loop. The Federal Aviation Administration expects this week’s Thanksgiving holiday travel period to be the busiest in 15 years. This holiday season a consumer watchdog group is warning parents about the rise of children's toys equipped with A-I chatbots.
 
 Plus, one year ago Vanessa Lopez found out her father was being sent back to Mexico after living most of his life in America. His forced departure left her feeling helpless and significantly changed her relationship with her dad. Vanessa wrote about her experience for the Chicago Sun-Times and brings us an audio essay.

A new report in the Sun-Times determines there's not enough affordable housing in many Chicago suburbs. A stretch of milder weather that starts this weekend will taper off after the Thanksgiving holiday. Chicago’s annual tree lighting ceremony is Friday night in Millennium Park.
 
 Plus, The Smashing Pumpkins released “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” 30 years ago. Now, frontman Billy Corgan is celebrating the double album with a symphonic version at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The final sound has been under close wraps. Courtney Kueppers has more on what audiences can expect.

The federal appeals court in Chicago is putting a short-term hold on a judge’s order that tried to release as many as 615 people detained by immigration authorities this year. Chicago’s transgender community and their allies are using this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance to say “we’re not going anywhere.” Chicago State University just enrolled its largest freshman class in a decade.
 
 Plus, Chicago-area food pantries continue to experience higher need than normal. They’re grappling with issues like state and federal funding cuts, rising grocery prices and the upcoming holiday season. Sun-Times reporter Mariah Rush joined WBEZ’s Lisa Labuz to tell us how food pantries are managing.

Federal terrorism charges have been filed against a suspect who allegedly lit a woman on fire on a Blue Line train Monday night. Some local government leaders say the so-called ICE Free Zones they created during the feds’ immigration enforcement campaign are good tools to have. Governor JB Pritzker paid Pope Leo the 14th a visit in Rome Wednesday.
 
 Plus, Thanksgiving is the ultimate food holiday but some people don’t want to cook. Chicago chefs this year are leaning into options for dining in or picking up to go. Food contributor Ximena Beltran Quan Kiu wrote a story for the Chicago Sun-Times that looks at some more creative options. She joined host Lisa Labuz to talk about her reporting.

Just four people are currently being held in the controversial U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in west suburban Broadview, down from nearly 150 two weeks ago. The U.S. House has voted to admonish Democratic Illinois U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia for the way he announced his retirement. A new program allowing Illinois residents to store their driver’s license or state ID in their iPhone Wallet begins Wednesday.
 
 Plus, 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents who rattled Chicago for two months have moved on to North Carolina, but the Trump administration said its deportation blitz here is continuing. The Sun-Times reports a bigger Border Control group could be here by March. Some law enforcement experts say what they’ve seen so far — from tear gas to car chases — has been out of control. WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell brings us a report.

Suburban Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson has declared a civil emergency in the village. Starved Rock State Park will undergo an $18 million improvement project over the next year. The CTA holiday train starts running Black Friday.
 
 Plus, a key city council panel rejected Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget proposal today in a rare move, far ahead of the December 31st deadline to pass a plan. Critics say that sends a clear message to the mayor to go back to the drawing board. WBEZ City Hall reporter Mariah Woelfel explains the sticking points, including a controversial tax idea to charge large companies $21 per employee.

21 protesters have been arrested today outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in suburban Broadview. Advocates against domestic violence are applauding a move by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to restore funding for services. 
 
 Plus, a conversation with Chicago theater director Robert Falls about his staging of “Amadeus” at Steppenwolf Theater.

Republicans and Democrats continue to battle over whether to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is not giving up hope on legislation to crack down on homeowners insurance price hikes. The Reverend Jesse Jackson is in the hospital with a rare neurological disorder.
 
 Plus, we remember the life of Miguel Perez Jr. – a U.S. Army veteran who drew national headlines after he was deported in 2018.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ordered the release of as many as 615 people who have been held in mandatory detention by federal immigration authorities. A U.S. Representative from Illinois is on the House committee that released emails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Chicago Transit Authority has closed the door on fare increases in 2026.
 
 Plus, while violent crime in Chicago has declined, domestic violence continues to persistently rise. 
 It skyrocketed during pandemic-era stay-at-home orders and continues to plague the city. Yet, as federal COVID-19 relief grants dry up, organizations that support survivors are bracing for drastic cuts to city-funded programming that they say has changed lives. My colleague Mariah Woelfel has more on what’s next.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is urging people to stay vigilant even as Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino could be on his way out of town. Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned a long-lost Purple Heart Medal to the family of a World War II veteran. Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is going to continue his bid for Illinois governor.
 
 Plus, after police killed George Floyd in 2020, there was talk of a racial reckoning. In the theater community, that reckoning took the form of a letter titled “We See You, White American Theater.” The letter demanded that theaters stop tokenizing artists of color and start implementing company-wide anti-racist training. It would ultimately be signed by one-hundred-thousand artists, including many in Chicago. Five years later, my colleague Mike Davis set out to learn what changed.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is under fire for voting to advance a Republican-led House measure that would help end the government shutdown. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says he’s confident police did not violate the welcoming city ordinance when responding to protests this weekend. The National Weather Service said a La Nina pattern will be active through February, which could mean a colder and snowier winter.
 
 Plus, five years after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, the Sun-Times and WBEZ surveyed 21 arts, culture and humanities nonprofits to see what progress they made toward meeting their public promises of better reflecting the city they serve. Sun-Times reporter Erica Thompson talks about the survey and what she learned.

WBEZ’s Prisoncast! and the Mud Theatre Project present a new radio drama — written and performed almost exclusively by currently or formerly incarcerated thespians. “The Story of Violence," based on an award-winning script by playwrights at Dixon Correctional Center in Illinois, examines Chicago’s gun violence problem through five characters’ perspectives as their lives intersect at a downtown hotel room.

O'Hare International Airport today is second in the nation in flight cancellations. The federal government says it's largely complying with an order to improve conditions at the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement processing facility in suburban Broadview. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants members of the United Nations to come to the city – and see ongoing human rights violations for themselves.
 
 Plus, President Donald Trump has been outspoken in blaming crime on ‘sanctuary’ policies in Democratic states, but the numbers don’t tell the same story. Sun-Times reporter Sophie Sherry breaks down the facts for us.

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction governing the use of force by federal immigration officers in Chicago. In a separate case, a judge ruled yesterday that the Department of Homeland Security has to improve conditions for detainees at the immigration processing center in suburban Broadview. Chicago-area commuters may soon see the impacts of a massive transit-deal that is awaiting Governor JB Pritzker’s signature. Plus, WBEZ reporter Chip Mitchell brings us tape of U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino's sworn testimony in the case of federal immigration officers' use of force in Chicago.

A high-stakes hearing is underway over the treatment of protesters and journalists covering the Trump Administration’s Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. Chicago’s acting cultural commissioner says the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is entering a new era. A D.C.-based conservative activist group is suing Illinois for records on the state’s role in offering refuge to Texas Democrats this summer.
 Plus, Sun-Times reporter Lauren FitzPatrick teamed up with the paper’s photojournalists to document ICE agents as they fan out across area streets in large numbers making arrests. She found that not all federal immigration officers are wearing ID badges on their uniforms more than three weeks after an order from a federal judge.

Immigrants who have recently been detained at the immigration processing facility in suburban Broadview testified in federal court about the conditions there. The Regional Transportation Authority is walking back its 10 percent fare increases for the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace next year. In a surprising move, Chicago Cubs’ starting pitcher Shota Imanaga is set to become a free agent.
 
 Plus, there have been daily demonstrations outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in west suburban Broadview. One form of protest on Monday was music. WBEZ’s Michael Puente takes us there.

Illinois and 20 other states are suing the Trump administration to block a rule that could make some government and nonprofit employees no longer eligible for student loan forgiveness. Students and staff are celebrating the opening of a new facility at the Philip J. Rock Center and School in west suburban Glen Ellyn. It’s a major-league-high three Gold Glove winners this year for the Cubs.
 
 Margaret Burroughs is well known as the founder of the DuSable Museum. But perhaps lesser known is her decades long work in prison education. In honor of what would have been her 110th birthday on Nov. 1, Curious City brings us that story.

A measure that would allow citizens to sue Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents now awaits the governor’s signature. A bill to let people who are terminally ill end their own lives medically has cleared the Illinois legislature. Illinois lawmakers passed an energy bill last night that will strengthen the reliability of the electrical grid.
 
 Plus, horror writers gathered at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School recently to discuss the ways they approach the genre. It was part of the American Writers Museum’s upcoming exhibition called American Prophets: Writers, Religion and Culture that opens in November, exploring the ways writers tap into religion and spirituality. WBEZ contributor Adora Namigadde spoke with writers Tananarive Due, Matt Ruff and Juan Martinez.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker made a plea to federal immigration agents to leave children alone over Halloween. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was in Gary, Indiana today and denied any American citizens are getting caught up in immigration enforcement operations despite numerous confirmed reports of such incidents. Graduation rates in Illinois have reached a 15-year high while other measures for high school students are lagging behind.
 
 Plus, federal immigration agents were out in force during the most recent Chicago school board meeting. Members were distracted as their phones lit up with messages about what had been going on outside. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp tells us what happened as the news from the street filtered into the board chambers.

Former sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson has been found guilty of one count of second degree murder in the killing of Sonya Massey. Gov. JB Pritzker has declared what he’s calling an “agricultural trade crisis” in Illinois – and he’s signed an executive order he says will mitigate it. Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard got the first hat trick of his NHL career on Tuesday. Plus, we hear from WBEZ reporter Mawa Iqbal outside the courthouse in downstate Peoria, where she’s been following the trial of Sean Grayson. She reports on reaction to the verdict from the community and from Sonya Massey’s family.

A federal judge is ordering Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, a leader of the Trump administration’s Chicago deportation blitz, to appear in her courtroom every evening over the next week. The murder case of a white former sheriff’s deputy accused of killing Springfield-area resident Sonya Massey is now before a jury. Chicago has been dethroned as the rattiest city in the country.
 
 The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago is currently overflowing with Yoko Ono artwork. It’s all part of a major retrospective that highlights her decades-long career of art and activism. WBEZ’s Courtney Kueppers takes us there.

A former downstate sheriff’s deputy charged with murdering Springfield-area resident Sonya Massey last year took the witness stand. Hundreds of Illinois political candidates lined up early this morning to get their names on next year’s primary ballot. Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams says the team is having trouble capitalizing on key moments.
 
 Plus, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in west suburban Broadview has become a place where religious leaders say immigrants lack access to spiritual care, and where clergy have been attacked while speaking out against the Trump administration. Religious leaders say such practices violate religious liberties and contradict the administration’s claim to the U.S. as a Christian nation. WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang brings us the story.

Federal immigration enforcement disrupted schools across Chicago’s North and near Northwest Side today with at least eight schools cancelling activities or keeping students inside after reports of agents in the area. A new investigation from the Sun-Times shows more than a dozen Chicago city council members got campaign contributions from a political action committee whose leaders include landlord Corey Oliver. Lollapalooza is telling Chicago City Council members that it generated more impact for the city this past summer than in any year prior.
 
 Plus, Illinois may have turned a corner in the fight against an aquatic menace: carp from Asia. WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco brings us the story from the Illinois River.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order he says will demand justice as deportation efforts continue in the Chicago area. Federal immigration agents faced off with protesters outside a discount mall in Little Village. Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is mourning the death of one of his sons and multiple family members in a helicopter crash in Montana.
 
 Plus, how do you keep alive the memory of Chicagoans whose lives have been cut short by gun violence? A program called Notes for Peace thinks music is part of the answer. We follow the process of one song from start to finish.

Opening statements began today in the murder trial of a former sheriff’s deputy charged with killing Springfield-resident Sonya Massey last year. Lawyers for Gangster Disciple co-founder Larry Hoover are seeking clemency from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The Chicago Fire are back in the Major League Soccer playoffs tonight for the first time in eight years.
 
 Plus, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sat down with WBEZ city hall reporter Mariah Woelfel to discuss the new taxes that prop up his $16.6 billion budget, his response to President Trump’s threats to federal funding and militarized-style immigration enforcement in Chicago.

Workers from the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional office in Chicago have started receiving furlough notices amid the government shutdown. Chicago budget hearings are underway and part of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposal to close the deficit includes taxing large corporations with a $21 fee per employee each month.
 
 Plus, a former top U.S. Homeland Security official is keeping an eye on President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago and he doesn’t like what he’s seeing.

The City of Chicago and eight other local governments are suing the Trump Administration over restrictions placed on federal emergency grants. Places of worship continue to be on high alert as federal immigration enforcement escalates in the Chicago area. Jury selection has begun in the first-degree murder trial of a former Illinois sheriff's deputy in the death of Sonya Massey.
 
 Plus, we learned last week that the Chicago Housing Authority paid approximately $22 million to three companies with close ties to a CHA board commissioner. Since then, we’ve learned two of those three insiders have faced accusations from the CHA’s inspector general. WBEZ investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos joins host Clare Lane to talk about what he found.

Illinois State Police say 11 people were arrested this morning outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in suburban Broadview. Members of the NAACP rallied in Chicago against the Trump administration’s deployment of federal troops in Black communities. Some Illinois universities are seeing drops in international student enrollment.
 
 Plus, as federal immigration agents aggressively detain people all over the city, some Chicagoans are fighting back by forming neighborhood patrols and gathering outside of schools and churches. To help sound the alarm, many of them are arming themselves with whistles. WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko brings us that story.