Good morning, Chicago. ✶
🔎 Below: Burdened by the costs of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in town, suburban Broadview is reckoning with a spotlight it never wanted.
🗞️ Plus: Cabbies are conflicted about fare hikes, an ex-Gangster Disciple’s debt, Chicago Public Schools’ May Day decision and more news you need to know.
📝 Keeping score: The White Sox lost to the Rays, 5-3.
📝 Keeping score: The Blackhawks ended their season with a feel-good win against the Sharks, 5-2; the Cubs bested the Phillies, 11-2; the White Sox fell to the Rays, 8-3.
⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER 🌤️
Mostly sunny with some fog and a high near 80.
TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎
Broadview reckons with spotlight it never wanted
By Lauren FitzPatrick and Nader Issa
Blitzed community: Leaders and residents of the small village of Broadview had no say in the scope or magnitude of President Donald Trump’s blitz that shuffled thousands of migrants through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility that has long operated in the quiet town. The word “Broadview” is now synonymous with the federal facility that became an immigration detention site and drew contentious protests.
Unexpected costs: Just as the village had gotten its financial house in order, it was hit with nearly $400,000 in unexpected costs as a result of last fall’s campaign — about 10% of the small municipality’s discretionary budget. That’s in sharp contrast to local governments elsewhere in the country that have contracted with the feds to have their costs covered for detaining immigrants in local jails. Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson recently made an ambitious request for federal reimbursement.
Sun-Times investigates: We take a look at Broadview before the blitz, assess the impact after it and hear how the 7,900 people living in the unassuming western suburb are still digging out.
EDUCATION 🍎
CPS will be in session May 1 though rally field trip is scheduled
By Sarah Karp and Emmanuel Camarillo
Class in session: Chicago Public Schools will be in session for a full day May 1, known as May Day, but it will also be an official civic day of action during which hundreds of students will be able to take a “field trip” to a massive pro-labor, anti-President Trump rally.
Key context: The Chicago Teachers Union wanted the school district to cancel classes so that staff and students could participate in May Day, also called International Workers’ Day. But CPS CEO Macquline King pushed back, saying she wanted to keep schools in session. The disagreement kicked off a firestorm of debate.
Where things stand: On Thursday, CPS and CTU agreed to a compromise. CPS will observe May 1, 2026, as a day of districtwide civic engagement. To that end, 100 schools will be provided with buses and bag lunches so that students can attend the afternoon May Day rally downtown.
CHICAGO GANGS ✶
Larry Hoover’s former No. 1 man says he’s drowning in debt from court-ordered fine
By Frank Main
No money: Gregory Shell was once the right-hand man to Gangster Disciples boss Larry Hoover in a $100 million-a-year drug empire, according to federal authorities. Now, he says he’s flat broke. And he’s asking a judge to wipe out most of what’s left of his court fine. “It’s unfair,” Shell said. “The interest is more than my original fine, which was $15,000.”
Key context: Shell and Hoover both were sentenced in the 1990s to life in prison for running a drug conspiracy. They were shipped to the nation’s toughest prison, the Colorado “supermax.” Last year, they were sprung after winning presidential commutations of their federal convictions. But their legal troubles aren’t over. Hoover, 75, is still serving a state life sentence for murder and is asking Gov JB Pritzker for executive clemency.
Financial burden: Shell, 68, is back at home on the South Side, and back in court, trying to get out of most of the remaining debt from his federal case. Former President Joe Biden, in one of his last moves in office, pardoned Shell in January 2025 and shaved $10,000 off his fine. Prosecutors say Shell still owes $1,461 in principal — plus a whopping $20,630 in interest on that — and argue he shouldn’t be let off the hook.
PUBLIC SAFETY 🚔
- Slain student honored: Family and friends gathered outside the South Side YMCA Thursday, where Eric Billups, 16, was fatally shot the day prior. Billups’ Hyde Park Academy High School classmate was also wounded.
- State police fatally shoot man: Illinois State Police fatally shot Jalen Carpenter, who they say was armed Wednesday in Woodlawn. Cops were responding to a domestic incident between Carpenter and a woman with whom he’d had a relationship, his father told the Sun-Times.
- Man sentenced in terror case: A federal judge handed a 25-year prison sentence to Ashraf Al Safoo, a former Chicago software developer who the feds say functioned as a “press person for the Islamic State” terrorist organization and held a sincere, “radical urge for bloodshed.”
MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️
- Johnson on Emanuel: As former Mayor Rahm Emanuel revs up for a 2028 presidential bid, Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday described Emanuel’s eight years as mayor as “disqualifying.”
- Mayor’s reelection race: Mayor Johnson has just $813,125 in campaign cash on hand — compared to $18.3 million for Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias — just a few months before deciding whether to seek a second term.
- Chicagoan’s federal testimony: Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman who survived being shot five times by a Border Patrol agent, will testify before the Homeland Security Committee in Washington next week — and committee Democrats are also requesting that White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and border czar Tom Homan appear.
- Reskin Theatre closes: After nearly 120 years, DePaul University is closing its Merle Reskin Theater, citing budget troubles. The closure comes as the university is also preparing to shutter its art museum in June.
- Schmear campaign: East Coast chain PopUp Bagels will open its first Chicago location Friday in Lincoln Park, offering a limited edition “Giardiniera Schmear” in collaboration with Portillo’s Hot Dogs.
TRANSPORTATION 🚕
- Chicago’s conflicted cabbies: The city’s beleaguered taxi drivers say they’re conflicted about a 20% fare hike City Council recently greenlit, welcoming the money but worried customers may be driven away by the increase.
- New transit money: The Regional Transit Authority plans to spend the first batch of historic transit law money on expanded security and service for the CTA, Metra and Pace.
- O’Hare flight reductions ordered: Citing safety and efficiency concerns, the FAA announced it will cut the daily flight volume at O’Hare Airport this summer by more than 300 flights. This comes as United Airlines and American Airlines have been battling for gate space.
- Car insurance charges: Auto insurance companies are charging customers more for factors like age, credit and zip code, a new study finds — factors that disproportionately hit older adults and lower-income families.
WEEKEND PLANS 🎉
🎶 CIVL Fest
Through April 25
📍Venues citywide including Carol’s Pub, Lincoln Hall, The Whistler, California Clipper, Reggies
This citywide music festival aims to connect music lovers with independent venues and artists.
Admission: Prices vary by performance
🩰 ‘Mujeres’
7 p.m. Friday (preview); 7 p.m. Saturday (premiere + benefit)
📍Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St.
Contemporary dance company Para.Mar Dance Theatre presents its full-length ballet based on Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral’s “Locas Mujeres.”
Admission: $10-30 suggested (preview performance); $100 (premiere + benefit)
🎨 ‘Chinatown USA;’ ‘Dispossessions in the Americas‘
Friday through July 18
📍Wrightwood 659, 659 W. Wrightwood Ave.
See two new exhibits. “Martin Wong: Chinatown USA” traces the evolution of the painter and poet’s work, and explores the Chinatowns of New York and San Francisco. “Dispossessions in the Americas: The Extraction of Bodies, Land and Heritage from La Conquista to the Present” brings together 40 works by 36 contemporary artists from Latin America.
Admission: $20
🇬🇷 Greek Independence Parade
2 p.m. Sunday
📍Halsted Street from Monroe Street to Van Buren Street
Celebrate Hellenic culture and history with floats, traditional music and costumes, and dance troupes.
Admission: Free
ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻
In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.
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Weekly news recap: WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel, Axios’ Carrie Shepherd and Chicago Tribune’s Talia Soglin break down the week’s top stories.
Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.
- Ask the infectious disease expert: Dr. Emily Landon of University of Chicago Medicine discusses the latest vaccine guidelines and what to know about outbreaks. Callers are invited to ask questions.
FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏒⚾🏀
- Captain Connor?: Blackhawks star Connor Bedard feels ready for captaincy, and his teammates agree: “He’s our guy.”
- Sox sink low: As they embark on a road series against the Athletics and the Diamondbacks, both with winning records, the Sox are a major-league worst 6-13 after losing eight of their last nine games and six in a row at home.
- Sky’s next practice space: The team will now practice at University of Illinois Chicago from April 19 through May 30. For the last 15 years, the team had to practice at a Park District facility in Deerfield, a small gym with a public locker room.
- Boys basketball: Here’s an early look at 15 teams to keep an eye on ahead of the 2026-27 high school boys basketball season.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭
Today’s clue: 7A: ___ of the Past (store participating in this weekend’s Record Store Day)
BRIGHT ONE 🔆
Record Store Day returns with live bands, exclusive pressings and $1 deals
By Morgan Ciocca
Record Store Day is an annual tradition celebrated around the country but gets special treatment in Chicago. On Saturday, expect more than three dozen shops in the area to offer live events and fresh pressings, including a 20th-anniversary release from a-Ha and famed private recordings of John Coltrane’s band by musician Frank Tiberi in the 1960s.
Chicago’s independent record stores know how to celebrate, often drawing lines around the block — some even starting Friday night. Here are some shops offering perks just for Record Store Day.
Beverly Records, 11612 Western Ave.
The cast of The Goodman Theatre’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” will kick off the day with a ceremonial needle drop of a collection of Rainey’s blues hits and a raffle of tickets for the show.
Dusty Groove, 1120 N. Ashland Ave.
Limited releases, free gifts with every purchase, doughnut holes, coffee and a morning magic show.
Out of the Past Records, 4407 W. Madison St.
Exclusive Record Store Day titles, plus a selection of $1 used vinyl.
Pinwheel Records, 1459 W. 18th St.
See live music from Macie Stewart, Flowering and Mail. Plus there will be pastries from chef Becky Carson of Cerdito Muerto and a sidewalk sale.
LET’S HEAR FROM YOU 🗣️
What’s the first vinyl album you ever bought, and from where?
Reply with your answer (please include your first and last name). We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.
PICTURE CHICAGOLAND 📸
A surprise ceremony for Seth Brady, the 2026 Illinois Teacher of the Year, happened Thursday at Naperville Central High School. Brady didn’t know he received the honor until he was pulled out of a class and led to a room full of cheering students, teachers and state education leaders.
Victor Hilitski/For the Sun-Times
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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