Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: Nearly a year after a federal military-style raid on a South Shore apartment building, some former residents are still trying to secure places to live.
🗞️ Plus: Mayor Brandon Johnson projects an $882.4 million budget gap, why two bridges broke this week and more news you need to know below.
📝 Keeping score: The Cubs beat the Brewers, 2-1; the White Sox fell to the Astros, 6-2.
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⏱️: A 7-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER 🌤️
Mostly sunny with a chance of thunderstorms and a high near 94, with heat index values as high as 103.
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Nearly a year after the South Shore raid forced him from his home, he’s still homeless
Reporting by Esther Yoon-Ji Kang
Blitz backstory: On Sept. 30, 2025, federal agents raided a troubled South Shore apartment building — rappelling down from helicopters, ransacking the building and zip-tying residents, including many U.S. citizens, in one of the defining moments of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration campaign, Operation Midway Blitz. The feds said they were going after Venezuelan gang members, but no criminal charges have been filed against anyone detained that night. A county judge soon ordered residents to vacate the building.
Key context: The raid set off a chain of events that laid bare the precariousness of Chicago’s housing system for the city’s low-income renters: the lack of affordable apartments for both migrants and U.S. citizens, the disinvestment from out-of-town landlords, the neglect from property managers, a broken and inefficient courts system, and a virtually nonexistent safety net for the working homeless.
After the operation: Nearly a year after the raid, Darren Hightower, 41, is one of several former residents of the building stuck in limbo, unable to secure housing and unsure of where to go. Hightower has been sleeping most nights in his car, an older SUV, and has experienced all of the aforementioned instability of the city’s housing system.
CITY HALL 🏛️
Mayor Johnson projects upcoming $882M deficit
Reporting by Mariah Woelfel and Courtney Kueppers
Money matters: Chicago faces an $882.4 million budget gap next year, one of the city’s largest of the past two and a half decades, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Thursday. Johnson, expected to announce his reelection campaign Sept. 13, is likely to embark on yet another mission to pass progressive revenue in his fourth budget.
Mayor’s view: The deficit, Johnson said, is driven in part by $70 million more in the city’s bond payments, $90 million more in pension obligations, cost-of-living adjustments for union workers, and commodity price hikes linked to the U.S. war against Iran, including $32 million more in fuel and energy costs. Johnson on Thursday teed up “tax-the-rich” funding streams he believes are needed to offset the city’s financial woes.
Cultural spending cut: Staying on the topic of city budgets, Johnson has previously said that investing in the arts defines his administration. A new analysis by WBEZ found that across the five largest U.S. cities (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix), Chicago was the only one to cut the funding for its local arts agency during its most recent budget cycle.
TRANSPORTATION 🚧
Why 2 bridges got stuck this week in Chicago
Reporting by Amy Yee
Broken bridges: On Wednesday, two Chicago bridges got stuck in a raised position due to severe heat: the DuSable Lake Shore Drive bridge, closed for more than four hours, and the Torrence Avenue Bridge, closed for more than an hour. The stuck bridges caused hours of disruption and traffic jams.
Blame the heat: The bridges, when closed, can be protected from thermal expansion, thanks to the cooler temperatures of the lake and river — raising them exposes the metal to the elements and allows the metal to expand, preventing the bridges from being closed, one expert said.
Will this happen again? Chicago, with more movable bridges than any other U.S. city, is vulnerable to stuck bridges thanks to extreme hot and cold weather, experts said. Many of Chicago’s bridges are aging, with about 17% considered “structurally deficient,” a Sun-Times analysis found.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- 2 Shedd belugas die: One beluga had been part of the rescued belugas from a shuttered Canadian adventure park; the other was part of the Shedd Aquarium’s resident beluga pod, according to an announcement Thursday.
- Man admits to bilking millions: Jawad Fakroune, who once posed as Pablo Escobar’s son, pleaded guilty to conning investors in his bogus business schemes and using their cash to bankroll homes, watches and a high-flying lifestyle.
- ‘Right-to-die’ challenges: Cardinal Blase Cupich has added his name to a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois’ assisted suicide law, one of at least three suits seeking to block the law ahead of its Sept. 12 effective date.
- State sues home repair company: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit against Arlington Heights-based ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc. for alleged deceptive business practices that targeted seniors, according to court documents.
- Things to do Sept. 4-9: The Chicago Jazz Festival, the African Festival of the Arts and Taste of Polonia are among the highlights in the days ahead.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- Weekly news recap: WBEZ’s Alden Loury, NBC 5’s Paris Schutz and Axios Chicago’s Monica Eng join the show to discuss the week’s top stories.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- Can we separate the art from the artist? Ahead of Ye’s second night performing at Soldier Field, guests and callers weigh in on the Chicagoan formerly known as Kanye West.
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏀⚾🏈
- ‘Ice Man’ on ‘Hot Ones’: Bears QB Caleb Williams mastered all 10 hot wings put before him during his appearance on the online interview show. These are the five moments from the episode.
- Cubs’ focus: With Ben Brown out for the season, the Cubs are focusing on the current arms rather than counting on rehabbing possibilities.
- Tristan Peters honored: With AL Rookie of the Month honors, Peters’ magical season continues, writes James Fegan.
- Sky sued: Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom is suing the Sky after being ejected during a game against the Indiana Fever last month and receiving an indefinite ban from attending games at Wintrust Arena.
- College football: Will Notre Dame make easy work of Wisconsin at Lambeau Field? Steve Greenberg shares his Week 1 picks.
- High school football: Mike Clark previews Week 3’s top five games this weekend.
- Dodgeball championship: The nation’s best dodgeball players are set to descend upon the area, with the USA Dodgeball National Championships taking place this weekend at the Wintrust Sports Complex in Bedford Park.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 2D: Chicago’s Navy ___
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
Mural is an ode to a couple of cowgirls
Reporting by Genevieve Bookwalter
When Ruby Bean heard the call for an Andersonville mural inspired by lesbianism, she knew the cowgirls would be perfect.
“Chicago has a rich history with cowgirls, and same with Texas,” said Bean, a Texas native. “A lot of my art has to do with capturing their histories.”
So Bean submitted her design: two cowgirls “who are in love and holding hands.” The colors of the desert at sunset behind them are also the colors from the lesbian flag, dark orange graduating down to dark pink. The white of the fence the two cowgirls lean against represents the equality sign.
The idea was perfect for Searah Deysach, owner of the feminist sex toy shop Early to Bed and the building that houses it at 5138 N. Clark St.
“I thought we had an opportunity to take advantage of putting more art and more queer art into the neighborhood,” Deysach said.
The idea of cowgirls tracks for Andersonville. It’s adjacent to the Uptown neighborhood that was once a draw for those moving from Appalachia and other spots in rural America, bringing their country music with them.
As for the mural, Bean said, “I think that the important parts are it’s just a celebration of love and stories that are untold.”
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Say you’ve been tasked with compiling a playlist for future generations to capture the sound and essence of music from Chicago — what song absolutely needs to be included? Tell us why. 🎶
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Satchel Price