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Chicago Sun-Times •

Brighton Park businesses sign on to city's 'ICE-free zones' initiative

A red, blue and orange neon sign and an assortment of posters, photos and boxing memorabilia have greeted customers at 3 JMH Boxing in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood since the gym opened in 2022.On Friday, owner Miguel Hernandez added another sign to that collection.“Private areas. No trespassing,” the sign reads. “You do not have consent to enter for civil immigration enforcement purposes.”The sign is a part of an executive order Mayor Brandon Johnson signed this month. The order bars U.S...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Teen employees sue Addison ice cream shop owner, allege years of secret bathroom recordings

Eleven former female employees are suing an Addison ice cream store and its owner, alleging he secretly recorded them in the store’s bathroom, part of his exploitation of the employees since 2021.The unnamed girls, who were between 14 and 17 years old when they worked at Flavor Frenzy in the western suburb, filed a new civil lawsuit in the DuPage County Circuit Court against the shop and its owner, Steven Weisberg, the workers’ lawyers said Thursday.“This business owner hired young girls, for ma...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Judge declines to block Northwestern from disciplining students over antisemitism training

A federal judge on Monday declined to block Northwestern University from disciplining students who refused to complete an online anti-bias training that the graduate student plaintiffs say characterizes criticism of Israel as antisemitic. The judge refused to grant a temporary restraining order sought by the graduate students. Their class action lawsuit, filed last week, alleged that Northwestern discriminated against the students, including some who are school employees, based on their national...
Chicago Sun-Times •

What we know about Saturday ‘No Kings’ protests in Chicago, suburbs

Advocacy groups, including Indivisible Chicago and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, are planning a “Hands off Chicago” protest at noon Saturday at Grant Park following President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign that has sent federal agents to Chicago and across the suburbs. The rally is a part of a “nationwide day of defiance.” Major protests are slated for New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and San Francisco.“As ICE continues to occupy our streets and attack our neighbo...
Chicago Sun-Times •

What to know about PIT, the driving maneuver feds used in Southeast Side car chase

Border Patrol agents intentionally rammed their vehicle into an SUV they were pursuing on Chicago’s Southeast Side Tuesday, causing the car to spin and crash.The maneuver, known as a precision immobilization technique, or PIT, is a driving tactic used by some law enforcement agencies to end a vehicle pursuit.However, some law enforcement professionals and legal experts say the move is ineffective and dangerous. Many police departments across the country, including the Chicago Police Department,...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Hopleaf owner seeks new home for two 125-pound vintage cash registers

Michael Roper started working at bars in the 1970s, and for the first 40 years of his career, across 15 taverns, he rang up each drink on one of the same lines of mechanical registers.So when Roper, 71, opened Hopleaf in Andersonville in 1992, he purchased two of these machines — one from a Salvation Army store and the other from a moving and storage company — for $120 apiece, he said.These gear-and-motor-powered “bangers,” as they were called, now sit quietly in Hopleaf’s storage room. Built by...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Runners and their cheerleaders turn out for Chicago Marathon: ‘This is our Super Bowl'

Chicago Marathon runners and spectators reveled in the chance to show some Chicago pride on Sunday, despite several weeks of intense immigration enforcement, mass protests and negative national headlines about the city. The annual race also was a display of true grit for both elite runners and the casual joggers just looking for a challenge. “Chicago will always show out, and the marathon is the perfect example of that,” said Izzy Mealy, who was cheering on the final runners early in the afterno...
Chicago Sun-Times •

In 'Little Palestine,' crowd cautiously hopeful for ceasefire agreement between Israel, Hamas

Speaking to a crowd gathered Thursday in “Little Palestine,” Deanna Othman said she was cautiously welcoming the ceasefire agreement that could end the deadly two-year war in Gaza but remained skeptical that Israel will follow through with its promises. “President [Donald] Trump must honor his commitment to securing a permanent ceasefire and must not allow the Israeli government to manipulate him yet again,” said Othman, an organizer with the Chicago chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, re...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Protesters hit the streets as Texas National Guard expected to be deployed in Chicago area

Hundreds of protesters hit the streets around the Chicago area Wednesday evening as National Guard troops were anticipated to be deployed in the Chicago area.Earlier in the day, a military source told the Sun-Times that Texas National Guard troops were expected to head to the Broadview ICE facility in the west suburbs.Details were scant on how many troops would be arriving or when, and there were no signs of troops arriving there late Wednesday. But the deployment was expected to entail 200 sold...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Chicagoans flock to nation’s second store for viral Jellycat plushies

Some Chicagoans can’t get enough of the lovable “jellies” stuffed toys from Jellycat, the British toymaker that opened its second U.S. store last week on Michigan Avenue.The shop nestled in the Nordstrom on the Magnificent Mile was bustling Monday evening, with a line of customers stretching out of the store waiting for a chance to buy the cuddly stuffed toys.Some shoppers were children who came with their parents. But most were young adults who say they love the stuffed animals and the nostalgi...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Pritzker calls on state agencies to investigate feds’ treatment of children at South Shore raid

Gov. JB Pritzker is directing the state’s Department of Child and Family Services and the Department of Human Services to evaluate how children were treated during an aggressive immigration raid on a South Shore apartment building this week, he said in a Friday statement.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said federal agents with Border Patrol, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested at least 37 people in the raid, making it one of the largest operatio...
Chicago Sun-Times •

ChiArts board not renewing contract with CPS citing 'unsustainable' deficit, sparking questions about future

The board that oversees the Chicago High School for the Arts has decided not to renew its contract with Chicago Public Schools, casting doubt on the future of the city’s only arts-focused public high school.In a message to families, ChiArts Executive Director Tina Boyer Brown and principal Néstor Corona said “increasing financial challenges” led the board to its “very difficult” decision, adding that rising operating costs have led to an “unsustainable” deficit.“This means the board will not man...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Women slugged in attacks near transit stations say they think they were struck by same man

A picture that circulated on social media connected two women who were punched during unprovoked attacks near Union Station and a Metra station near Rate Field, they told the Chicago Sun-Times.Lynsy Howard, 36, of the Near West Side, was walking east on Jackson Boulevard the afternoon of Sept. 20 with a friend.On a crosswalk near Union Station, the two walked past a man who Howard said “did not come off as intimidating.”Then she felt a blow to her head. “Something just flew to my head,” Howard s...
Dallas News •

Collin County’s growing pains: Can one of the fastest-growing regions in the U.S. keep up?

There was just a stoplight at the intersection of Eldorado Parkway and U.S. Highway 75 when Halcyon Ramsey, pregnant with her first child, moved to McKinney about 15 years ago in search of a better school district for her now-teenage daughter.

Ramsey is among the 1 million Californians who have moved to Texas since 2010, settling in McKinney in 2011. Since then, she has watched that intersection become an unrecognizable jumble of more than a dozen lanes with a Trader Joe’s and a pickleball cour...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Sen. Durbin rejects award from Chicago Archdiocese following backlash, archbishop says

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin has turned down an award that was set to be given to him at an Archdiocese of Chicago reception in November, Cardinal Blase Cupich said in a statement Tuesday.The award was intended to recognize Durbin, who is Catholic, for his work on immigration reform and support for immigrants. But since the award’s announcement, the senator and the archdiocese have come under fire from Catholic and anti-abortion leaders and groups over Durbin’s support for legal abortion.“While I a...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Cubs fans pack Wrigley for Game 1 of wild-card series: 'Some more magic'

Joel and Stephanie Jerabek have been Cubs fans since elementary school.Growing up in Yorkville, Stephanie Jerabek, 68, recalls watching Cubs legends like Ron Santo and Glenn Beckert, hearing Jack Brickhouse’s play-by-play coverage and meeting Ernie Banks in person.The Jerabeks were among the tens of thousands of Cubs fans who descended upon the Friendly Confines on Tuesday for the team’s wild-card series opener against the Padres.This is the first time the Cubs have clinched a playoff spot in fr...
Chicago Sun-Times •

ICE made unlawful arrests during Operation Midway Blitz, new court filing says

Federal agents recently detained at least three U.S. citizens amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign in Chicago, according to lawyers mounting the most significant court challenge yet to the president’s “Operation Midway Blitz.”The arrests are detailed in a new federal court filing from the National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, arguing that ICE arrested 27 people without warrants or probable cause and in violation of an exist...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Antioch school staffer fired, other area education workers face backlash over post on Charlie Kirk’s murder

A Grass Lake school staffer in far north suburban Antioch was fired Friday after posting social media posts critical of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist gunned down in Utah.In a screenshot of the now-deleted post circulating online, Cristina Monroy, an administrative assistant to the principal, said she had “absolutely no empathy” for Kirk. In the post, she called the Turning Point USA founder a “white nationalist mouthpiece.”Grass Lake’s Principal Ryan Wollberg confirmed the termination,...
Chicago Sun-Times •

Hundreds plunge into Chicago River in city’s first open-water swim in nearly a century

About 300 swimmers plunged into the Chicago River on Sunday morning for the first organized open-water swim in almost a century as spectators lined the Dearborn and Clark Street bridges and the Riverwalk.“Reclaiming our river not only creates a recreational space for residents and visitors, but it also puts us on the map, along with other global destinations, where open-water swims have become part of city culture,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the 7 a.m. start.Participants who were swimming th...
Dallas News •

The nation’s fastest-growing city paused building. Is Princeton ready to reopen the gates?

Madelyn Awalt thought she had found the perfect home for her family in Princeton, a small city 10 miles east of McKinney.

But problems started the day the family moved into the new, $285,000, house nearly four years ago. — the dishwasher shutting off mid-cycle and appliances tripping a breaker. Awalt eventually replaced the electrical panel and wiring in the house.

Then came the mold, so severe she and her family spent this summer living in an extended-stay hotel, waiting three months for thei...
Dallas News •

What happened to Dallas’ public transit network of the 1930s? Curious Texas investigates

At around 7 a.m. on a recent morning, the Green Dragon emerged from McKinney Avenue Transit Authority’s trolley barn in Uptown.

Throughout the day, the vintage trolley will travel on the same tracks that were once part of Dallas’ vast streetcar network. The car will ferry locals and visitors alike between landmarks like West Village, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Winspear Opera House.

Today, Dallas’ public transit system looks very different from a century ago. MATA offers a nostalgic glimp...
Dallas News •

Allen’s $349M spending plan trims tax rate, boosts public safety, parks

As the city plans for new developments and bolstering its infrastructure to keep up with population growth, Allen leaders are set to vote next month on a new tax rate and budget that includes about $349 million in expenditures.

The proposed budget includes a property tax rate of 41.54 cents per $100 in valuation, slightly down from the current rate of 41.75 cents. This marks the fourth year the rate has hovered around this level since the city dropped it from 47 to 42.12 cents in 2022.

City of...
Dallas News •

Visa: Texas, Southern U.S. pulling ahead as national economic growth slows

Job growth, strong consumer spending, housing affordability and surging business investment are making the South the fastest-growing regional economy in the U.S., according to a new report from Visa.

Economic growth slowed in all four U.S. regions in the first quarter of 2025 as tariff implementation and uncertainty weighed on businesses and consumers.

Still, the South led the nation in economic expansion and job creation, according to data from the credit card giant.

Service sector hiring ac...
Dallas News •

New McKinney biotech firm aims to integrate, simplify PCR testing

A new biotechnology company in McKinney has ambitions to become the world’s first fully integrated platform for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing — the same technology behind a common COVID-19 test.

Three Texas health care and biotechnology companies — McKinney-based Community Direct DX and Tyler-based Scienetix and Advanta Genetics R&D — announced Tuesday they have merged to form OSPRI, a name chosen as a play on the fish-eating raptor.

The new enterprise — which aims to streamline the...
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