Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: Mexico’s government filed criminal complaints seeking investigations into the deaths of Mexican nationals including Silverio Villegas González, who was fatally shot by feds in Franklin Park amid Operation Midway Blitz.
🗞️ Plus: Chicago’s $639.6 million migrant crisis, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s referendum row with City Council and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Cubs fell to the Tigers, 5-1; the White Sox beat the Rangers, 4-2; the Sky were bested by the Liberty, 95-94; the Fire lost to Inter Miami, 3-2.
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⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER 🌤️
Partly cloudy with a high near 79.
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Mexico seeks U.S. accountability in Chicago-area ICE death, 16 others
Reporting by Alma Campos
Accountability push: Mexico’s government has begun taking legal action to seek accountability for the deaths of 17 of its citizens during U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations — 14 of them in ICE custody and three during other “arrest operations.” Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has referred to these deaths as “homicides.”
Midway Blitz tie: Among those for whom Mexico is seeking accountability is Silverio Villegas González, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent during a traffic stop in suburban Franklin Park in September. Villegas González had lived in the United States since 2007and was the father of two young children.
Legal action: Mexico officials have filed criminal complaints with state prosecutors in Illinois and elsewhere and plan to submit a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice, seeking independent investigations into the deaths. The Mexican government also issued cease-and-desist letters directing U.S. detention centers to preserve records and called for a formal review by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
What will this do?: Legal experts and immigration advocates say it’s unclear whether U.S. authorities will cooperate with an investigation, but the process still could put political pressure on the United States to take action and potentially produce evidence that could be used in civil lawsuits. Mexico can’t compel the U.S. to investigate or collect evidence, experts say.
HEALTHCARE 🩺
Women suffer more severe neurologic symptoms from long COVID, researchers find
Reporting by Elvia Malagón
New study: New research from Northwestern Medicine shows for the first time that women suffer more severe neurologic symptoms due to long COVID, such as brain fog and numbness, than men. The research, published Tuesday in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, also found women with long COVID experienced worse effects on their quality of life and cognitive functioning than men.
Common symptoms: The research is based on evaluations of 2,329 patients who sought care at Northwestern’s COVID clinic from May 2020 through August 2025. Women reported experiencing neurologic symptoms for about 16 months on average, according to the journal article. Some of the most common neurologic symptoms are brain fog, numbness, dizziness, tinnitus, blurred vision and muscle pain.
CHICAGO’S BALTIC BOND 🇱🇹
Inside Lithuania’s defense strategy against Russia
Reporting by Stephanie Zimmermann
Bracing for the worst: As Russia’s war against Ukraine grinds on, Lithuania and its neighbors are strengthening their defenses. All eyes are on a 65-mile strip of land in southern Lithuania called the Suwalki Gap, often described as the Achilles’ heel of NATO. In part two of our Lithuania-based series, we hear from ordinary Lithuanians and the people in leadership planning for the worst.
About this series: Sun-Times investigative reporter Stephanie Zimmermann and photo desk editor Ashlee Rezin traveled to Lithuania for two weeks in April as the Pulitzer Center’s 2026 Richard C. Longworth Media fellows. Their aim was to shed light on a region with strong Chicago ties and an increasingly important role on the world stage.
Coming Friday: The third installment in our series will focus on how Chicago helped Lithuania become a producer of NBA stars.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Man charged with shootings: Daniel Aguirre was ordered detained after he was charged with shooting his child’s grandmother and a police officer when he took his partner and their teen daughter hostage this week in Albany Park.
- 3 convicted in robbery spree: Ardaries Harris, Jordan Fox and Xavier Harris face significant prison sentences after a federal jury convicted them for their roles in a series of violent armed robberies of convenience stores, liquor stores and bars that netted them nearly $300,000.
- ‘El Mayo’ sentenced: Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was sentenced in a U.S. court Monday to life in prison, and he took the occasion to call for an end to the type of brutal violence he used to build up the Sinaloa cartel. Nearly two decades of Chicago-based drug investigations were key to Zambada’s downfall.
- Art Institute cuts: The Art Institute of Chicago announced it will no longer employ 23 custodial workers and instead will outsource work to a private contractor. Union members demand that the museum reverse the decision.
- Equity Jeff nominations: The Goodman Theatre topped the nominations list for the annual award show that celebrates excellence in Chicago theater, with its equity awards focusing on the largest playhouses.
- Froyo startup pauses popup: Just one week after its residency debut inside a Pilsen yoga studio’s kitchen, Greek frozen yogurt startup Mikono is pausing to shore up operations to manage demand, its founders say.
CITY HALL 🏛️
Referendum battle highlights tension between mayor and City Council
Reporting by Fran Spielman
Referendum row: A meeting Wednesday to determine what advisory referendums get on the November and February ballots turned into a legislative spitball fight that showcased mounting tension between Mayor Johnson and an emboldened City Council.
In November, voters will be asked:
- If Chicago should pursue all lawful means to recover financial compensation from the federal government for costs and economic harm caused by federal immigration raids linked to Operation Midway Blitz
- Should Chicago restart the use of gunshot detection technology that informs first responders
- If Chicago should develop a permanent festival and outdoor event space for large-scale gatherings
In February, voters will be asked:
- Whether City Council should have its own legal counsel
- Should the city withhold funding for sister agencies that don’t enforce debt repayment plans for debt owed to the city
- If Chicago should create a permanent monument to its global contributions to music and arts
More from City Hall:
- Budget Committee Chair Jason Ervin (28th) on Wednesday forged ahead with an eleventh-hour plan to create a public infrastructure trust to take back the city’s parking meters. Ervin introduced a long-shot ordinance that would create a nine-member public trust to pool pension and city funds and match the $2.5 billion winning bid submitted by a New York investment firm for the city’s meters.
- Inspector General David Glockner said Chicago spent $639.6 million to house 46,282 people during the migrant crisis that dominated the first 18 months of Johnson’s administration — and followed the rules in its spending.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- Rental ordinance fight: Just weeks after Mayor Johnson introduced legislation to protect renters in Chicago, some City Council members proposed their own ordinance. A panel of experts discusses the differences and impacts on both renters and landlords.
- Ode to public housing: Filmmaker Floyd Webb, poet Toni Asante Lightfoot, author Toya Wolfe and Tiff Beatty of the National Public Housing Museum reflect on how living in public housing developments shaped their work.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- Dish dish: Does your family have that one dish that everyone loves, and the cook who won’t share the recipe? Say More listeners dish about family food drama — and the recipe that caused a ruckus in a friend group. Callers weigh in.
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏀⚾
- Stars and gripes: The WNBA All-Star Game returns to Chicago with a distinctive lack of any Sky presence — a stark contrast to the 2022 event, writes Steve Greenberg.
- Ready to buy?: With the Brewers in control in the NL Central, it’s unclear how aggressive Cubs president Jed Hoyer will be.
- Thorpe aiming to return: Two years since last flashing his massive potential, right-hander Drew Thorpe hopes to rejoin the White Sox for a playoff push.
- Hawks reunite with Kane: Blackhawks franchise legend Patrick Kane signed a two-year contract that carries an $8 million salary-cap hit after three weeks of free agency.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: Big ___ Park (city recreation area with wetlands *and* BMX racing)
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
Food brings this family together and one recipe reminds them of home
Reporting by Araceli Gómez-Aldana
Food has been at the center of Teddy and Alexis Vejar’s lives since they were kids. They remember walking around their neighborhood in Morelia, Michoacán, where people would serve dinner out of their homes.
Today, the brothers own Jarabe in Little Italy. The restaurant opened in 2015 and prides itself on authentic Mexican cuisine. When they began developing their recipes, they focused on making things from scratch, like their grandmother did growing up.
Of all the dishes they grew up eating, one remains their favorite all these years later: Cochinita pibil. They serve it at their restaurant.
Teddy and Alexis have fond memories of living in Ukrainian Village when their dad began making homemade cochinita pibil for them and their extended family. Even today, the family gets together to eat the dish.
Cochinita pibil is a pulled pork dish. The pork is marinated in achiote paste and served with tortillas and pickled red onions. It’s considered one of Yucatán’s traditional dishes, and it’s a favorite celebration meal for the Vejar family.
WBEZ reporter Araceli Gómez-Aldana and photojournalist Manuel Martinez met up with the Vejars to learn more about what the dish means to them.
WATCH: MAKING COCHINITA PIBIL ▶️
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What Chicago restaurant feels like home to you? Tell us why.
Reply to this question via email (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
In Wednesday’s newsletter, we asked you: What longtime Chicago institution should more people know about?
Here’s some of what you said…
“People should know more about the Chicago Pedway. It’s quite interesting, and handy in the winter.” — Christine Bock
“The Driehaus Museum is certainly one of the best hidden gems of Chicago institutions, now offering pay-what-you-wish Wednesday evenings and free music programming every third Wednesday in their Murphy Auditorium.” — Katy O’Malley
“Chicago Cultural Center. It’s a free museum essentially. They had a super dope Chicago House exhibit a few years ago.” — Robbie Jason Ferraren
“The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Not very well known … Even those who know of it may not be aware that it’s back in business after a long hiatus.” — David Fell
“Ed Paschke Art Center in Jefferson Park; Wrightwood 659 gallery, in a four story structure designed by Tadao Ando in Lincoln Park; and The Arts Club of Chicago in Streeterville.” — Victoria Cunha
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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