Author: bomba

Four remaining members of the so-called “Broadview Six” filed a motion Monday pushing a federal judge to release grand jury transcripts, arguing that U.S. prosecutors have kept a felony conspiracy charge “alive and pending” after announcing that it would be dismissed and stymieing disclosure of the transcripts.

The unredacted transcripts were set to be handed over last week to U.S. District Judge April Perry. Instead, prosecutors said they would drop the conspiracy charge at the center of the protest case, one of the most high-profile prosecutions stemming from the Operation Midway Blitz deportation campaign last year.

Perry had wanted prosecutors to bring copies of grand jury transcripts to last Wednesday’s hearing. But once the feds revealed their plans to drop the conspiracy charge — and move on from the grand jury’s indictment altogether — the judge decided she no longer needed to see the transcripts.

On Monday, defense attorneys for the four defendants said federal prosecutors are now keeping the conspiracy charge pending until misdemeanor charges of forcibly impeding a federal agent are settled at trial in less than a month. They filed a second motion Monday to dismiss the conspiracy charge.

Charged are former congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, Oak Park village trustee Brian Straw, 45th Ward Democratic committeeperson Michael Rabbitt and Andre Martin, a member of Abughazaleh’s campaign staff.

Defense attorneys laid out three possibilities for what the unredacted transcripts could include: The assistant U.S. attorney either “mis-instructed” the grand jury on the law; failed to instruct the grand jury on the law at all; or there were other interactions between the assistant U.S. attorney and the grand jury that are “otherwise improper or prejudicial.”

The attorneys framed the prosecution as potentially politically motivated, tying it to the recent cases against former FBI Director James Comey and the Southern Poverty Law Center. They raised the possibility of the feds dropping the conspiracy charges in order to avoid disclosing the unredacted transcripts.

“This remarkable about-face, abandoning a high-profile indictment rather than submit to scrutiny its conduct before the grand jury comes at a time of mounting national distrust in the Department of Justice’s use of the grand jury process,” the motion states. “These actions only underscore the growing concern that the grand jury is being wielded not as an instrument of justice, but as a tool of unchecked prosecutorial power meant to persecute any perceived enemies of the current White House.”

The case stems from a protest last September at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in west suburban Broadview. Abughazaleh and others were seen on video pushing against a black SUV driven by a federal agent toward the facility.

Catherine Sharp, a former Cook County Board candidate, and musician Joselyn Walsh already had their charges dropped in March.

Attorneys argued in the motion that the high-profile case had ripple effects beyond those charged, and it “impacted elections and potentially suppressed public dissent.”

The U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The motion to disclose the transcripts isn’t a complete surprise. Defense attorneys immediately questioned the grand jury proceedings after the conspiracy charges were dropped and vowed not to back down in court.

Straw’s attorney, Christopher Parente, said, “The timing of the government’s sudden decision to drop the felony indictment for the remaining Broadview 6 co-defendants — in lieu of presenting the requested unredacted grand jury transcripts to the Court — raises red flags about the government’s presentation of the law to the grand jury.”

“Transparency around this presentation is essential, as the question of the government’s use of grand juries has risen in national prominence, is material to this case and of consequence to the fair functioning of our justice system,” Parente said in a statement Monday.

The Cubs’ ground crew rolled the tarp onto the infield at 5:45 p.m. and Wrigley Field’s PA announcer informed early arrivals that Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds was not expected to start on time due to rain and thunderstorms expected to arrive shortly.

The game started at 7:50 p.m.

On Monday morning, the team had already moved up the 6:40 scheduled start to 6:10 in hopes of avoiding the storms forecast to hit the area.

The Cubs have won five straight overall, and 11 in a row at Wrigley Field, after sweeping Arizona three straight over the weekend. They took over sole possession of first place in the National League Central on Saturday, and have now opened a two-game lead over the Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Reds had begun the weekend in first place, the first time since 2006 they had entered May in first place, but were swept three straight by the Pirates in Pittsburgh prior to their arrival here.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning, though it appeared on radar that the most severe activity will occur south of the ballpark.

Shaka Rawls, the principal at Leo Catholic High School in Auburn Gresham, knew something was up on Monday when he saw all the cars in the school’s parking lot.

What he didn’t know was that all those visitors, including friends, family and elected officials, were there to congratulate him for winning the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership, one of the most prestigious honors for Illinois principals.

Visitors and students, many wearing orange Leo High School hoodies over their ties, filled the school’s auditorium for the surprise. They let out a joyous roar when Rawls walked through the doors. Blue pom-poms shook in the air. A wide smile spread across Rawls’ face when he realized what was happening.

“The most important thing is to experience this with the students,” Rawls said. “The award is for leadership, but essentially the award is for the work that we’ve done. I’m sharing this award with my students and the faculty at Leo High School.”

Rawls, principal at Leo since 2016, was selected as one of the leadership award winners from among nearly 100 nominees. Golden Apple winners, which will also include teachers, are being surprised with awards this month. All winners get a cash award of $5,000, and leaders also get $5,000 for their school.

Under Rawls’ leadership, Leo seniors have a 100% college acceptance rate and the share of ninth graders who are on track to graduate within four years has increased by 20 percentage points, according to the Golden Apple Foundation, which awards educators the prestigious prizes each year.

But he isn’t being recognized only for academic achievements.

Rawls also spends time mentoring students. He sits with them at lunch and lets them know that he is available if they need someone to talk to. Rawls’ role as a leader at the school feels personal to him because he once walked its halls as a student. He graduated from Leo in 1993 and wants to give the students access to the kinds of resources and relationships he has now, but didn’t back then.

“When I look at every student in this building I see me,” Rawls said.

Rawls had to be persuaded to step in as principal a decade ago. He was then an assistant principal at a Chicago charter school and was hesitant to make the leap because he knew the pressures of the job. But his love for the school won out.

“He understood that there was a need for the type of skill that he could bring,” said Dan McGrath, the former longtime president of the high school. McGrath credits Rawls for helping turn around the school, noting that around the time he was hired the community was concerned it would be closed due to low enrollment.

“We don’t hear that much anymore,” McGrath said, adding that enrollment has doubled under Rawls’ tenure at a time when other local Catholic schools are losing students. There are 250 students at Leo, and they are predominantly Black.

McGrath most appreciates Rawls’ rapport with the students and what he represents for them.

“He’s from the area, he’s a Leo graduate, they look at him and they see a young, dynamic, energetic Black man in this position of authority,” McGrath said. “I think it rings a bell that if he can do that, I might be able to do that.”

That relationship was apparent in the auditorium. As Rawls spoke to the crowd, some students yelled out “you the man!” Rawls and the students belted out the school fight song together to close out the ceremony.

Rawls’ mother, Andre Rawls, said her son is continuing a legacy that made her enroll her boys at Leo in the first place.

“Leo had a reputation for graduating young men that were leaders, that would do well in the community,” Andre Rawls said. “We wanted that for our children, as well.”

The award came with a lesson in perseverance, too. When he addressed his students, Rawls told them he applied in 2022 and didn’t get it.

“It doesn’t matter if you fail,” Rawls said, “never ever give up.”

Dozens of South Side residents gathered on Monday outside of a Chatham Walgreens, waving signs saying “Senior Lives Matter” and “End Corporate Abandonment,” after learning the store will be closing.

Daycare owner Latonya Mitchell said her center’s families were alarmed that the pharmacy would be closing. Many of the children she cares for at Exceptional Little Leaders Academy are from low-income families that visit the Walgreens because it’s within walking distance, she said. The children she serves need medication for conditions like ADHD and asthma, she said.

“It’s unacceptable to these children that they can’t get the things that they need from a place like this, and then you gotta leave us destitute and in a desert,” Mitchell said. “That’s not fair to us, and that’s not fair to these children. That’s not fair to our seniors, and that’s not fair to the members of this community.”

Walgreens said in a statement that theft and violent incidents led to its decision to close the store at 8628 S. Cottage Grove Ave. It’s the only Walgreens in the neighborhood, with the nearest location 1.3 miles away at 1616 E. 87th St.

“Despite a range of efforts, including previous operating adjustments, these ongoing safety challenges have made it increasingly difficult to maintain a secure environment for our team members and customers,” the company said. “While this was not an easy decision, safety must remain our top priority.”

Employees at the Chatham store will be able to transfer to other locations, the company said.

The store is slated to close June 4, the Deerfield-based company said. After the closure, prescriptions will “be automatically transferred” to the nearest stores to “ensure uninterrupted service.” Pharmacy customers will also be able to receive free prescription delivery for 90 days.

During a news conference outside the store, residents and local leaders said the pharmacy’s closure would negatively impact the community.

“Walgreens has decided that they don’t want to tolerate us no more,” 6th Ward Ald. William Hall said. “They had no dignity when they closed the door, but we showed dignity with our money to invest to open the store. Let’s not forget that it’s TIF money that got this here. And so now that the TIF is dry, Walgreens, all of a sudden is drying up. And so again, what Walgreens has showed us is that they’re not even willing to sit down at the table to have a conversation with the community.”

A portion of the area, which includes Walgreens, was designated as a tax increment financing district in 2002 with its expiration occurring this year.

The area has a large population of older adults, many of whom don’t drive and rely on the pharmacy for medication access, Hall said.

“Our seniors deserve better than silence and sudden change,” Hall said.

Since 2025, at least seven Walgreens locations on the South Side have shuttered or will close, including the area’s only specialty pharmacy at 2351 E. 71st St., which will close May 19.

Walgreens had announced plans in 2025 to close five locations on the South and West sides, as part of a plan to shutter 1,200 locations by 2027. Walgreens, which was acquired by Sycamore Partners in 2025, has previously said it would prioritize closing poor-performing stores owned by the company, or locations where the leases are expiring.

“While we won’t be able to keep every store open, closures are always a last resort,” Walgreens said Monday. “We expect to close fewer than 100 stores in 2026 and have approved four new store openings.”

The South and West sides have fewer pharmacy locations than other areas of the city. Access to the two largest pharmacy chains in Chicago — Walgreens and CVS — is much higher in the city’s white communities than in Black or Latino areas, a 2022 Chicago Sun-Times analysis showed. Of Walgreen’s more than 100 Chicago locations, about one-third are on the South and West sides.

“Walgreens has not said what they’re going to do to fill the gap in this community,” Hall said. “When Walgreens opened years ago, everybody thought Walgreens was the best option. Now that Walgreens is leaving, we have no option. But years ago, we had Black pharmacies all up and down King Drive … but Walgreens came and swiped … them out.”

Hall said he wants Walgreens to redesign the Chatham location and give the community a five-year commitment to stay in the neighborhood.

Resident Daryl Smith was clutching a bag stuffed to the brim with medications.

“I’m holding a bag with medicine that my mother takes every single day for the rest of her life. Every pill bottle in here, by the way, has a Walgreens cap on it,” Smith said. “I live in the 16th Ward. They closed the 63rd and King Drive [location]. They closed 63rd and Halsted. … I shouldn’t have to drive across town to find a Walgreens on my lunch break.”

Dozens of Brookfield Zoo Chicago union workers, pickets in hand, made their voices heard outside the main entrance on Monday — the first day of an authorized strike after failed contract negotiations.

Several dozen grounds crew members and union representatives of the zoo, at 3300 Golf Road in Brookfield, were among those striking.

Grasping a sign reading “We’re not lion about being understaffed” was Carrie Sapienza, a senior groundskeeper and equipment operator who has worked at the zoo for over three decades.

“We have staff that worked here 25, 35, 45 years. We’re dedicated to these animals,” said Sapienza, who is also the chief union steward for Local 727. “This is not a job. It’s a career. We’ve invested our lives into this place. It’s a second home and we want to be recognized for that.”

In a statement released Monday morning, zoo officials said they were “disappointed but anticipated” the strike and have plans in place to ensure operations continue.

“While the Zoo continued bargaining in good faith as recently as Friday, we are disappointed that an agreement was not reached,” zoo officials said. “A strike is neither necessary nor inevitable, and our focus remains on reaching a fair and responsible contract—one that supports our employees while protecting the Zoo’s long-term sustainability and mission.”

Later Monday, the zoo said animal care staff will return to work Tuesday morning. “Conversations with the union regarding ongoing planning and expectations will continue” Tuesday, the zoo said.

Union employees are seeking to address include under staffing, healthcare and wages to match increased living costs.

Union leadership say the zoo hasn’t been negotiating in good faith and that officials “came back to the table with no movement” after the latest round of stalled negotiations Friday.

“We want the zoo to come to the table and bargain in good faith, to stop violating the law and treat these members with the dignity and respect they deserve,” said Caleen Carter-Patton, president and business manager of Teamsters Local 727.

Carter-Patton urged the public to stay away from the zoo as the strike progresses. She noted that while operations at the zoo will continue, guests won’t get the same atmosphere the zoo is known for.

“You’re not going to get that world class experience people are used to,” Carter-Patton said.