Good morning, Chicago.
A trove of evidence was released yesterday in the controversial shooting of Marimar Martínez by an immigration agent at the height of Operation Midway Blitz, including body-worn camera footage showing the tense moments just before their vehicles collided and an email sent later that day by Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino praising the agent’s conduct.
The evidence, obtained by the Tribune through an open records request after a judge agreed to lift a protective order, also included an email to Exum from Bovino, the now-demoted public face of the Trump administration’s ongoing deportation push, praising the agent on the afternoon of the shooting.
See the footage and read the full story from the Tribune’s Jason Meisner, Caroline Kubzansky and Gregory Royal Pratt.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including what a billionaire is donating to Northwestern for heart care, Brad Biggs’ weekly Bears mailbag and a look at the city symbol few Chicagoans know about.
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Gov. JB Pritzker urges Democratic governors to confront Trump, seek accountability for immigration actions
Gov. JB Pritzker said yesterday he is asking fellow Democratic governors to convene and discuss ways to hold President Donald Trump and his administration accountable in the courts for their aggressive immigration enforcement actions — even if that accountability comes after the president is scheduled to leave office in 2029.
Federal judge keeps in place key parts of Illinois’ landmark law banning some credit card swipe fees
In a decision that banks and credit unions have already said they will appeal, a federal judge ruled key provisions of Illinois’ first-in-the-nation law banning certain credit card fees can go into effect.
Passed in 2024 and set to take effect this July, the law bans certain so-called swipe fees on the tax and tip portions of customers’ bills, with a goal of lowering the amount that credit card companies can charge retailers.
Mayor Brandon Johnson says he won’t have say in charging ICE agents after prosecutor pushback
Mayor Brandon Johnson said he will not refer alleged cases of misconduct by federal immigration agents to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, following criticism by the top prosecutor that his “ICE on notice” executive order would politicize investigations.
Billionaire Neil Bluhm donating another $50 million to Northwestern for heart care
Casino magnate Neil Bluhm and his family’s foundation are donating another $50 million to Northwestern Medicine to further expand and support cardiac care.
The money will go toward a Northwestern cardiovascular institute that already bears Bluhm’s name: the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute.
Conagra ordered to pay $25 million in lawsuit alleging Pam cooking spray caused lung disease
A jury awarded a Los Angeles man $25 million in a lawsuit against Chicago-based Conagra alleging its butter-flavored Pam cooking spray caused a rare chronic lung disease that will require a double lung transplant.
Portage proposes Chicago Bears stadium on city land
The city of Portage is throwing a hail Mary pass at a privately funded Bears stadium built on city-owned land, city officials said.
Portage Mayor Austin Bonta said the city has proposed to build a stadium on 300 acres of city-owned land on the north side of the city. City officials are calling the proposal “Halas Harbor,” a nod to the Bears’ Halas Hall headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Chicago Bears Q&A: Should Ryan Poles show urgency with Caleb Williams on his rookie contract?
The 2025 NFL season is now in the books after the Seattle Seahawks’ resounding Super Bowl victory. Up next: the scouting combine later this month in Indianapolis, followed closely by the start of free agency in March.
As the Bears look to build on a division championship season, how aggressive should they — or can they — be with their offseason moves? Brad Biggs’ weekly Bears mailbag begins there.
Evergreen Park’s Abbey Murphy has 3 assists as US hockey team dominates in a 5-0 win over Canada
Hannah Bilka scored twice, and the United States’ youth and speed overwhelmed a Canadian women’s hockey team missing its captain in a 5-0 win at the Milan Cortina Games.
The lopsided victory clinched first place for the U.S. in Group A entering the quarterfinals and continued confirming why the Americans entered the tournament as favorites. Team USA swept all four preliminary-round games by a combined score of 20-1, and brought back memories of how a Canadian team in its prime rolled to winning gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.
- Ilia Malinin leads in Olympic men’s figure skating after a near-perfect short program
- Meet the medalists from the United States
For immigrant-owned cafes and restaurants in Chicago, solidarity against ICE is not one-size-fits-all
Hundreds of businesses in Chicago, notably in immigrant neighborhoods, are still trying to recover from a downturn in sales after being hit from all sides by intense immigration enforcement activity that swept the city in recent months. As many brace for another such storm, the burden of balancing activism and survival has gotten heavier.
WTTW’s new season of ‘Firsthand’ hopes to show that democracy is ‘a participatory sport’
“Firsthand: Democracy” features five people filmed over the course of last summer and fall, including Isabel Aquilar, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Mexico who volunteers as a tutor for immigrants; Maryanne Colter, who teaches people how to tone down toxic partisanship; Julee Mortensen, a 72-year-old suburban grandmother who organizes and participates in protests; Miten Patel, an Evanston Township High School teacher and British-born Indian immigrant who encourages his students to engage with the political process; and Camille Williams, whose mother was murdered when she was 6 years old, and who works to ensure those impacted by the legal system know their rights, including the formerly incarcerated.
The Chicago Municipal Device is the city symbol few Chicagoans know about
For all its ills, social media can also be an entry point for anyone interested in Chicago history and the city’s varied eccentricities.
This became apparent when the writer and photographer Cristen Brown recently posted a pair of cufflinks featuring what most might assume is the letter “Y” in a circle.
But for Chicagoans with a deeper awareness, the symbol is recognizable as something else: The Chicago Municipal Device, a graphic design that can be found dotted around the city, from building facades to lampposts to the occasional manhole cover.
