Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: Thousands of Zillow listings in Chicago have vanished as part of a behind the scenes real estate fight that has gone public.
🗞️ Plus: New rules make it harder for immigrants to find work, microplastics pollute Lake Michigan and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Cubs fell to the Brewers, 5-0; the White Sox lost to the Mariners, 5-4; the Sky were bested by the Wings, 99-89.
☎️ Ask the mayor: Mayor Brandon Johnson will stop by WBEZ’s “In the Loop with Sasha Ann Simons” at 9 a.m. today to answer listeners’ questions live on air. Call 866-915-WBEZ (866-915-9239).
📧 Subscribe: Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.
⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER 🌤️
Mostly sunny with a high near 61.
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
New rules, backlogs make getting, keeping work permits harder for Chicago’s immigrants
By Alma Campos and Jon Seidel
Workforce worries: Advocates for immigrants say Trump administration policies targeting work authorization are pushing them out of the legal workforce. They say the effort is part of a broader effort to narrow legal pathways for immigrants and pressure them to voluntarily self-deport.
Red tape: Obstacles include pauses on work permit applications from 39 countries deemed “high risk,” the end of automatic permit extensions, slower processing times for permit applications and a proposed rule that would make it harder for asylum-seekers to get permits.
At issue: Some economists say the effects could go beyond immigrant workers and their families, rippling through businesses, employers and local government when workers lose income or are pushed into off-the-books jobs.
More on immigration:
- The judge presiding over the “Broadview 6” case ordered the feds to appear at a closed-door hearing over grand jury transcripts, just days before trial. It’s unclear what prompted Wednesday’s order, which seems like bad news for prosecutors.
- Chicago-area residents, lawyers and advocates told a federal civil rights commissioner at an unofficial hearing Wednesday about fear and trauma caused by the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement during Operation Midway Blitz, which at times put neighborhoods “under siege.”
CITY HALL 🏛️
- Ban on far right cops: During City Council’s monthly meeting Wednesday, alderpersons moved to ban cops with ties to extremist groups from serving in the Chicago Police Department.
- Hourly pay frozen: City Council agreed to freeze the hourly pay of tipped workers at 76% of the minimum wage for the next two years for large restaurants and for four more years for smaller establishments with 21 or fewer employees.
- United Center tax break OKd: Alderpersons also approved a $54.7 million property tax break that developers say is critical to secure financing for their $7 billion plan to turn a sea of parking lots around the UC into a massive residential and entertainment complex.
- Sweepstakes machine ban vote delayed: Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) and Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) moved to postpone a vote that would have banned gambling machines that look like video slot machines but offer “free play” options and coupons to winners instead of cash.
ENVIRONMENT 💧
Microplastics found in Lake Michigan, Chicago River, other Illinois waterways
By Brett Chase
Tiny big problem?: Test samplings of Lake Michigan, the Chicago River and other waterways across Illinois found tiny plastics were present, posing potential threats to human health and damage to the environment, according to an advocacy group.
What was found: In all, 31 test sites, including multiple samplings along Lake Michigan, showed broken-down plastics in the water. Known as microplastics, these small particles are being studied by government and academic researchers for possible links to illnesses including cancer. Plastics don’t easily break down in the environment and also threaten fish and wildlife.
At issue: Plastic food containers and bags, clothing fibers, pellets used in manufacturing, and many other sources contribute to water pollution, according to the report released Thursday by Environment Illinois Research and Education Center. Single-use plastics, “fast fashion” trends and stormwater runoff from factories using plastic pellets are among the biggest sources of water contamination, the report says.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- 4 dead in fire: An 8-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, as well as two adults, have died after an extra-alarm fire early Wednesday in West Englewood, which also left two others in critical condition, officials said. Police are investigating the blaze as arson.
- Teen found dead after call: The mother of an 18-year-old got a terrifying call from Venezuela this week: Her son had been kidnapped, the caller said, and here’s where to find him. Tuesday night, police say they found his body in a bathtub.
- New mayoral challenger?: CHA Operating Chair Matthew Brewer, who is embroiled in a power struggle with Mayor Johnson, is seriously considering entering the race against him.
- Lead pipe replacement funds: Illinois is receiving nearly $300 million in federal funding to track down and replace toxic lead pipes that deliver drinking water to homes across the state.
- Diplomat Motel’s next life: The former motel at 5230 N. Lincoln Ave. has been repurposed and redesigned — and reopened this month as Haven on Lincoln, a transitional shelter for homeless people. It’s Chicago’s first shelter that gives each resident a private, bathroom-equipped room.
- South Side tea salon: Chicago artist Theaster Gates and entrepreneur Heiji Choy Black are teaming up to open a Korean-inspired tea salon, Han Cha, and companion cocktail bar, Yunomi, at the Stony Island Arts Bank.
- VR Titanic delay: The virtual reality Titanic experience that was supposed to open earlier this spring is having trouble obtaining the license it needs.
REAL ESTATE 🏠
Thousands of Zillow listings in Chicago have vanished
By Abby Miller
Lost listings: Potential buyers browsing Zillow or Trulia for homes in the Chicago area have likely noticed significantly fewer listings. That’s because the real estate company Zillow Group lost access Wednesday to thousands of property listings for its two websites — the latest escalation of a legal battle with Lisle-based Midwest Real Estate Data.
What happened: The fight is over MRED’s private listing network, where homes for sale are shared among real estate professionals. After arguing over Zillow’s refusal to publish private listings, MRED cut Zillow’s access to its data feed.
The impact: Nearly 5,000 Chicago homes were listed Tuesday on Zillow, but as of Wednesday afternoon, that number plummeted to about 1,700. Meanwhile, other listing sites like Redfin and Realtor.com show about 5,000-8,000 listings in Chicago.
MUST-READ COMMENTARY ✍️
- Jacob Sullum: A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer’s assault case will test the limits of immunity.
- Neil Steinberg: Being formed by Christians does not a Christian nation make.
- Letter to the editor: We must focus on domestic violence causes and complexities to prevent it, writes Jennifer Rosenkranz.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
-
Ask the Mayor: Mayor Johnson joins the show for a monthly sit-down to answer listener questions.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- State of the economy: Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, helps set monetary policy for the U.S. and keeps an eye on economic winds in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. He’ll discuss his job and the state of the economy in the Midwest, with callers weighing in.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 1A: “Pretty Girl Rock” singer ___ Hilson, announced as part of the 2026 Market Days lineup
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
After popular dino rap, Lincoln Square sixth grader charts course for future
By Stefano Esposito
You might know Jeffrey Qaiyum, aka JQ, from the Q Brothers Collective, Chicago-based artists who have done for Homer, Shakespeare and Dickens what Lin-Manuel Miranda did for early American history — only decades earlier.
Now JQ is navigating the tricky terrain of guiding a kid eager to follow in his dad’s footsteps: His 11-year-old son JJ Qaiyum, whose dinosaur-themed rap at the Austin City Limits Music Festival late last year drew a combined 10 million views across various social media sites.
Not surprisingly, JJ has become something of a celebrity among his classmates at Waters Elementary School.
“My best friends are repeating my lyrics to me,” JJ says.
They also let him know when a new video of his work pops up online. JJ can’t check for himself because he isn’t allowed to have a phone.
“This viral moment happened. We’re trying to take it slow. This is the kind of house where it’s going to be led by [JJ], if he wants to do it,” JQ says.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
What advice do you have for a first-time home buyer in the Chicago area?
Reply to this email (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
Thanks for reading the Sun-Times Morning Edition!
Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.
Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
The Chicago Sun-Times is a nonprofit supported by readers like you. Become a member to make stories like these free and available to everyone. Learn more at suntimes.com/member.