Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: A judge has made public transcripts that show tension and improprieties in the tainted “Broadview Six” case. We take a look.
🗞️ Plus: CPS CEO Macquline King prepares to testify in a Washington hearing, a critically panned restaurant cooks up a comeback and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Cubs lost to the Rockies, 7-3; the White Sox beat the Braves, 6-5; the Sky fell to the Dream, 82-75.
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⏱️: A 7-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER 🌤️
Mostly sunny with afternoon thunderstorms possible, a high near 91 and heat index values as high as 98. The city is opening 12 cooling centers.
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Grand juror called case against ‘Broadview 6′ a ‘crock of s—‘
By Jon Seidel
The transcripts: An extraordinary release of transcripts from normally secret grand jury proceedings revealed examples of alleged prosecutorial misconduct that led to the tainted “Broadview Six” conspiracy indictment. U.S. District Judge April Perry, who discovered the improprieties last month, authorized the transcripts’ release Tuesday.
The revelations: Nine minutes into her second attempt to secure an indictment against the group of protesters, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Mecklenburg excused a grand juror who called the case a “crock of sh–.” And on the very first day, when she told the panel she had a “very interesting case,” she urged the grand jurors to “trust” her. “I would never ask you to charge somebody if I didn’t think there was probable cause,” she said.
Bottom line: The transcripts show grand jurors pushed back against the feds’ case, questioning whether an immigration agent at the center of it should have driven his SUV into a crowd of protesters. One juror even asked, “If he is afraid of running over people, isn’t the right thing to do to stop?”
Key context: The case revolved around a Sept. 26 protest outside the immigration facility in Broadview, where a crowd surrounded, pushed, scratched and otherwise damaged a federal agent’s SUV. From that crowd, prosecutors charged only six people, all largely involved in local Democratic politics, raising questions about selective prosecution and freedom of expression. The case collapsed by spring.
EDUCATION 🍎
CPS superintendent prepares to testify before Congress under subpoena
By WBEZ Staff
DC subpoena: Chicago Public Schools Superintendent/CEO Macquline King is expected to face a grilling in Washington from Republican lawmakers Wednesday during her testimony under subpoena at a U.S. House education committee hearing. The subject of the hearing — titled “Breaking Trust: Attacks on Parental Rights, Inappropriate Content, and Legal Abuses in America’s Schools” — is broad, so King could face a litany of pointed questions.
Talking points: GOP committee members are likely to press her about Chicago’s policies for transgender students and the district’s Black Student Success initiative, which aims to improve the experiences and academic outcomes of Black students. Both are under investigation by the Trump administration.
How to watch: The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m. Central time and will be livestreamed. King is slated to appear alongside school leaders from San Francisco and Loudoun County, Virginia. A representative from the National Center for Youth Law, a nonprofit that has defended school districts with policies like CPS’, is also listed as a witness.
WATCH: CPS CEO IN DC ▶️
FOOD SCENE 🍽️
How Feld chef Jake Potashnick cooked up culinary comeback
By Maggie Hennessy
Sweet success: Chicago native Jake Potashnick, the executive chef and owner of Feld, has been racking up recognitions since opening his restaurant’s West Town doors in 2024. Among the accolades: A Michelin star and a green star for sustainability, best new restaurant nods from the Jean Banchet Awards and Bon Appetit, and a James Beard Awards Foundation nomination for best chef Great Lakes. But the journey hasn’t been smooth.
Rocky start: Feld’s highly anticipated opening was a critically rocky one. The investor-backed restaurant debuted June 28, 2024, with a packed house and full bookings calendar. When a couple of online critics pounced early with negative reviews, the internet piled on as it’s wont to do. Some criticism was valid, Potashnick later said — that certain dishes needed seasoning, that courses were too small. For a time it seemed the naysayers might win. By mid-August, the restaurant sat nearly empty most nights.
Turnaround: Potashnick tried to stay positive. He worried his cooks would start jumping ship. None did. After a staff trip to Maine to decompress, they streamlined and upped portion sizes and seasoning. By fall 2024, Feld was filling up. A year later, it earned those Michelin and green stars.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Queue for cheap gas: Hundreds of drivers lined up outside a Hermosa Shell station Tuesday to fill up their tanks with $1.99-a-gallon gas, part of an event sponsored by T-Mobile. Gas there had been selling for $5.09 a gallon.
- Man charged in fatal shooting: Quentin Williams remains behind bars after being accused of fatally shooting his co-worker, Travion Taylor, in the parking garage of the Amazon facility in Melrose Park where they worked.
- Ex-CHA official indicted: Ryan Ross, a former Chicago Housing Authority director, is accused of taking $421,000 in kickbacks from Vanessa Rhodes, president of a local construction company, officials said.
- Brother of ex-Harvey mayor sentenced: Former Harvey Mayor Eric Kellogg was never charged in a sprawling federal corruption investigation, but members of his family keep paying the price. His brother, Derrick Muhammad, was sentenced Tuesday to six months in federal prison for shaking down towing companies while serving as a Harvey police officer.
- Cannabis crackdown gets OK: A City Council committee moved Tuesday to penalize selling weed in broad daylight near public schools and parks.
- Public subsidy: A city agency endorsed a $201.6 million public subsidy for the Foundry Park development that would cover 31 vacant acres on the North Side along the Chicago River.
- Property taxes: Property tax bills usually sent out in July will once again be delayed, according to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
FROM THE PRESS BOX ⚽🏈🏀⚾
- Advocates slam World Cup entry treatment: Immigrant rights groups in Chicago are slamming the Trump administration’s treatment of FIFA World Cup officials and players as they enter the U.S. this week for the soccer tournament.
- Pritzker on Bears stadium: Gov. JB Pritzker said he’s not feeling pressure as Indiana rushes to sack the Bears’ future in Illinois, but he’s “happy to call a special session” if the General Assembly can reach a stadium deal before lawmakers are scheduled to return to Springfield this fall.
- Stacey King tributes pour in: From Michael Jordan to Derrick Rose, news of the broadcaster and three-time NBA champion dying Sunday has brought a wave of kind words and tributes, including a statement from his family Tuesday.
- Coaching or bad luck?: Sky coach Tyler Marsh has taken blame for the team’s offense, but it’s actually complicated, writes Alissa Hirsh.
- MLB history: The White Sox’ No. 2 prospect Braden Montgomery became the fifth player in major-league history to hit a walk-off homer in his debut.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- 1901 Project: Blackhawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz talks about the massive redevelopment project surrounding the United Center.
- West Side reacts: Ayesha Jaco of West Side United, Brian Keith Ellison of the Garfield Park Community Council and Marie Henderson of Out of The Past Records discuss the 1901 Project and their neighborhoods’ future.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- Air travel: Josh Earnest of United Airlines chats about all things air travel. Callers weigh in on what they love, hate or would change about flying.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 1D: Rogers Park CTA stop first built in 1908
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
New sculptures among Puerto Rican Fest highlights
By Ambar Colón
Something unique is joining the floats during this weekend’s Puerto Rican People’s Day Parade: Eight massive sculptures, made up of seven-foot-tall letters, will spell out the Spanish word for “dignity” on the back of a flatbed trailer. The name of the piece is “DIGNIDAD.”
As the truck rolls down West Division Street alongside musicians and dancers on Saturday in Humboldt Park, artist Iván Argote and curator Carla Acevedo-Yates hope the simple message will resonate.
Each June, the annual Puerto Rican People’s Day Parade anchors a weekendlong festival with music, food and entertainment. The debut of the moving letters is part of the latest public art project commissioned by the Floating Museum, an arts collective making its name with moveable sculptures that invite curiosity and conversation.
“DIGNIDAD” is the fourth installment of the museum’s Floating Monuments series, which previously comprised inflatable art pieces.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What’s your favorite piece of public art in Chicago? Tell us why.
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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