Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: In an at times contentious congressional hearing in Washington, Chicago Public Schools Supt. and CEO Macquline King was repeatedly pressed by Republican lawmakers on the district’s transgender policies and sex education curriculum.
🗞️ Plus: Another case could crumble like the “Broadview Six” case did, how Chicago got its gay beach and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The Cubs lost to Colorado, 3-2; the White Sox beat Atlanta, 2-1.
📧 Subscribe: Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.
⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER 🌤️
Partly sunny, more severe thunderstorms in the afternoon and a high near 84. Wednesday’s storm downed trees and left hundreds of homes without power.
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
CPS CEO defends transgender student policies against attacks by House Republicans
By Sarah Karp
Grilled on Capitol Hill: Republican lawmakers grilled Chicago Public Schools CEO and Supt. Macquline King about transgender students, religion and sex education as she testified under subpoena Wednesday at a contentious U.S. House education committee hearing. About two dozen Chicago parents, teachers, students and advocates went to Washington for the hearing.
Key context: King appeared alongside school district leaders from San Francisco and Loudoun County, Virginia, which is in suburban Washington. More school leaders and education policy experts nationwide watched closely, as the Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that run afoul of its interpretation of civil rights laws.
CPS investigated: The Trump administration is investigating CPS over its policy that allows transgender students to use a bathroom that corresponds with their gender identities, as well as the district’s Black Student Success initiative.
More in education: Back in Chicago, the Board of Education renewed contracts Wednesday with six charter school networks after putting off the vote in May, Chalkbeat reports.
HEALTHCARE 🩺
Affordable Care Act enrollment in Illinois continues to drop, new state data shows
By Elvia Malagón
Fewer insured: More than 92,000 people are no longer getting Affordable Care Act health insurance in Illinois, including a majority who were dropped because they didn’t pay their monthly premiums, according to new data.
Zooming out: This makes the number of people buying health insurance through the state’s marketplace exchange, Get Covered Illinois, lower than initially thought. Overall, enrollment now stands at 373,065, which includes those who signed up after open enrollment closed for most people. The figure is a nearly 15% drop from the state’s record high of 437,892 in February 2025.
Key context: The enrollment decrease in Illinois due to nonpayment mirrors national figures. Advocates say this is what they feared would happen when Congress last year did not extend enhanced tax credits that had made health insurance more affordable.
COURTS ⚖️
Loretto Hospital exec’s fraud case could crumble amid claims of prosecutors’ misconduct
By Jon Seidel
‘Credibility crisis’: With allegations of misconduct and a “credibility crisis” swirling around Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros’ office, a judge on Wednesday said she’d hold a hearing over claims of grand jury improprieties by a veteran prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Mecklenburg, in another case.
Path forward: U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman did not say exactly how the feds could avoid the June 17 hearing over an alleged scam involving Loretto Hospital. But to cancel the hearing would likely require the permanent dismissal of charges in a high-profile case involving a former Loretto executive. The case revolves around an alleged plot to scam the federal government out of hundreds of millions of dollars in reimbursements for fake COVID-19 tests.
Key context: Allegations of Mecklenburg’s grand jury misconduct first surfaced in the tainted “Broadview Six” conspiracy case, brought last fall against Operation Midway Blitz protesters. The case collapsed May 21 amid claims of prosecutors’ wrongdoing. U.S. District Judge April Perry allowed the release of grand jury transcripts in that case Tuesday, revealing details of apparent misconduct by Mecklenburg, who also handled the Loretto investigation.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Authorities wound two: Two people suspected of trying to rob undercover federal agents during a firearms trafficking operation were shot by a Chicago police officer and federal agents Tuesday in Country Club Hills. The wounded suspects and three others were taken into custody.
- Grant Park cross burning: Police have released a picture of a man they suspect lit a cross on fire in the middle of the afternoon in Grant Park, alarming officials, faith leaders and the public. Faith leaders have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the man’s arrest.
- AG sues feds: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 20 attorneys general, is suing the Trump administration over its attempts to purge “diversity, equity and inclusion” from federal contracting.
- Road builder back at work: For more than a year, Builders Companies was blocked from new contracts by the Illinois Department of Transportation while the agency investigated whether felon Sebastian “Sam” Palumbo was wrongfully involved in the company’s operations.
- $22.1M to replace lead pipes: Chicago’s Department of Water Management will receive about $22 million in federal funding to help replace lead pipes in Austin, U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin announced.
- Greyhound station purchase OKd: A City Council committee approved the $19 million purchase of the South Loop Greyhound bus station, setting the stage for a full Council vote to create the city’s first publicly owned intercity bus terminal.
- James Beard events: The “Oscars of the food world” take place Monday at the Lyric Opera House, bringing some of the culinary industry’s biggest stars to town. This weekend, you can get in on the fun with brunches, a night market and more.
MUST-READ COMMENTARY 🗣️
- Ambar Colón: The little-known anxiety disorder called selective mutism quieted my childhood. But it didn’t define me. Now, my journey is one of three central stories in a new documentary about the condition, which has a higher prevalence among children from bilingual households.
- Almethia C. Franklin: The “takeover” label is unhelpful to teens not looking for trouble.
- Lee Bey: West Side’s new Sankofa Village Wellness Center seeks to heal — and impress.
- Neil Steinberg: The new Obama Presidential Center tries to offer hope for a better world.
- Scott Fornek: As the Ford City Mall prepares to close for good June 22, a former Sun-Times politics editor reminisces about its better years.
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
- Push for safer streets: Kyle Lucas of Better Streets Chicago, Jim Merrell of Active Transportation Alliance and Charna Albert of Chicago Bike Grid Now! talk about building safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians.
- Calls to finish trail: After more than 30 years, the Grand Illinois Trail is 90% complete. Emily Reusswig of Openlands and I&M Canal Trail cycling enthusiast Christine Hubert discuss.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- Illinois AG: Attorney General Kwame Raoul talks through his agenda as callers weigh in.
FROM THE PRESS BOX ⚾🏀🏈
- Braden Montgomery’s big hit: Montgomery became the fifth player to hit a walk-off home run in his big-league debut. His family was there to witness the moment, as were legendary broadcasters Steve Stone and Bob Costas in the Chicago Sports Network booth.
- On Cloud 9: Call her “energizer bunny” or “team papi,” as her teammates know her. The Sky’s Natasha Cloud sets the tone for the squad.
- Bears need Jaylon Johnson: With uncertainty at cornerback, Bears need Jaylon Johnson to give them stability now more than ever, writes Jason Lieser.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 6A: Cubs mascot introduced in 2014
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
How Hollywood Beach became Chicago’s gay beach
By Erin Allen
For many in the city’s LGBTQ+ community, Pride Month and beach season go hand in hand, with many beachgoers choosing Kathy Osterman Beach.
Colloquially known as Hollywood Beach, this vast patch of sand starts where DuSable Lake Shore Drive ends, extending from Hollywood Avenue to Ardmore Avenue, east of the Edgewater neighborhood.
Hollywood Beach is considered Chicago’s gay beach. Every spring and summer, hundreds in the LGBTQ+ community gather there to dance, play volleyball and soak in the sun and water.
Originally called Ardmore Beach, it was developed as a northern extension of the Lincoln Park neighborhood in the 1950s. For decades after that, visitors to the beach were few.
That all changed in the summer of 1991, when Jerry Marcoccia brought a few friends to Hollywood Beach for a low-stakes game of volleyball. In the months that followed, more and more queer people began flocking there.
Eventually, Marcoccia’s search for a small, close-knit gay community created a place where hundreds of LGBTQ+ Chicagoans still find belonging.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Which Chicago beach do you go to most often? Tell us why.
Email your response here (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
Yesterday, we asked you: What’s your favorite piece of public art in Chicago?
Here’s some of what you said…
“The lions at the Art Institute of Chicago.” — Robert Haugland
“My favorite sculpture is ‘Crossing’ by Hubertus von der Goltz, on Lasalle Street just north of the Chicago River.” — Peter Hartel
“Matthew Hoffman’s ‘You Are Beautiful’ works can be seen all over the city, and farther, but my favorite was his ‘Go For It’ temporary installation near my home. It uplifted me every day. The artist was kind enough to gift me a small piece when he dismantled it. I miss it dearly.” — Jill Murtagh
“My favorite piece of public art in Chicago is the Bean. When I first saw a picture of it, I was somewhat puzzled. I went to see it in person and was instantly awestruck! It’s iconic, it’s beloved, it’s beautiful no matter what time of day or … year.” — Manisha Makwana
“The mural depicting a medley of parades and outdoor celebrations in a variety of mediums on the South Loop Parking Garage at 318 S. Federal St. I walk by it often and always find delightful new faces and personalities to focus on every time.” — Elijah Sloane
“The Picasso in the Daley Plaza is one of my favorites because I love seeing the kids use it as a slide.” — Terrence Camodeca
“I LOVE the ‘Stand Tall’ mural on the north side of the Prudential Building!” — Emily Lenz
To hear more answers to Wednesday’s question, listen to what callers had to say on Tuesday’s Say More with Mary Dixon & Patrick Smith.
PICTURE CHICAGO 📸
A cloud bank moves in from the west as storms approach the city Wednesday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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