Happy Friday. Before you take in the weekend and World Cup action, take a moment to catch up on the latest headlines from WTTW News.
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From left: “Chicago Tonight” anchor Brandis Friedman; Oak Park Village Board Trustee Brian Straw; Democratic Committeeperson Michael Rabbitt; and Catherine Sharp, chief of staff for the 40th Ward. (WTTW News)
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More than 100 former federal prosecutors published an open letter Monday blasting Chicago’s U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, claiming he “tarnished the reputation” of the office in the wake of the botched “Broadview Six” case.
The letter, signed by 111 ex-prosecutors who worked in the Northern District of Illinois office, shares their “heartbreaking” concerns over a mass exodus of prosecutors, grand jury “irregularities,” and breaches of trust with judges as more and more cases have fallen apart since Boutros — a Trump administration appointee — took over last spring.
Patrick Collins and John Gallo, two former assistant U.S. attorneys in the Northern District of Illinois and signatories to the letter, joined “Chicago Tonight” to explain the rationale behind their message.
WTTW News: What did Andrew Boutros’ office do wrong in the grand jury proceedings for the ‘Broadview Six’ case?
Gallo: Vouching by the assistant U.S. attorney in the grand jury. Basically saying, from a personal perspective, she (Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Mecklenburg) believed the case was meritorious. Talking to grand jurors outside the grand jury room. Excluding jurors, which she didn’t have the power to do anyway, but excluding jurors, asking them to be excluded if they were skeptical about the charges. And then there were issues later with redactions.
Is Boutros free of blame here? Should he have known that his attorneys were behaving this way?
Collins: He’s the leader of the office. And so the buck stops with him. It stopped with every U.S. attorney that I ever served under. The facts will play out.
What some defendants said:
Cat Sharp, the chief of staff for the 40th Ward and one of the “Broadview Six” defendants, was frustrated at the level of misconduct presented in the transcripts, but also felt vindicated to see her suspicions validated and confirmed.
“To see that they were willing to inappropriately excuse grand jurors in order to relentlessly seek these charges against us raises a significant number of questions for me,” Sharp said. “We know that there were assistant U.S. attorneys as well as the U.S. attorney who knew about this initial misconduct and did not inform the defense, Judge (April) Perry or the public.”
The defendants have since filed a Hyde Amendment claim in order to be reimbursed for legal fees incurred.
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(Medill School of Journalism)
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This story is part of a series of reports on life in Mexico City from Medill School of Journalism students in partnership with WTTW News. Read more about the project.
As construction crews prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Mexico City’s renowned Estadio Azteca, Rosalba Flores climbs to her rooftop to wash clothes by hand. It’s another day without running water in the neighborhood closest to the stadium.
Flores lives in Santa Úrsula, a neighborhood tucked in the shadow of the Estadio Azteca, with her home closer to the stadium’s front gates than any other residence. As Mexico City prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer, construction crews have been working to renovate the iconic venue, which is set to become the first stadium in history to host three World Cup opening matches. But the accelerated pace of that work is taking a toll on people who live nearby.
“There has been a shortage of water this time, because obviously the construction work has broken pipes, broken water tanks,” Flores said. “For example, the day before yesterday there was no water because the construction work was being carried out — a pipe broke, leaving us without water.”
Residents said the rapid construction is destroying local infrastructure, severing the very pipelines that communities depend on for daily life. For many in Santa Úrsula, the disruptions have come with little warning and even less explanation.
Rubén Ramírez has made it his mission to change that. A lifelong resident of Santa Úrsula, Ramírez spends his days going door to door, documenting the concerns of his neighbors and tracking the community resources he said are being diverted in the name of the World Cup. To the people of this community, he is known as “The Warden.”
“I am a native of the town, and I am very interested in defending its rights,” Ramírez said.
In recent months, he said, his work has grown considerably more difficult.
“As you can see, we are facing a water crisis,” Ramírez said during one of his neighborhood visits. “All the communities of Mexico City have problems, but the government — and previous governments — want to take away our constitutional rights.”
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Nurses and supporters rallied outside Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital on June 11, 2026 in a planned one-day strike to protest nurse firings and alleged union busting from hospital management. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)
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Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital rallied outside the hospital Thursday in a planned one-day strike after they allege nurses were fired by management in retaliation for trying to form a union.
About 200 nurses and supporters gathered in front of Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital at 2233 W. Division St. with picket signs and demands that management reinstate six nurses who allege they were illegally fired last month amid union organizing efforts.
Nurses are scheduled to hold their union election Wednesday.
“When it comes to the point where safety and patient care is affected, I had to stand up,” said Amiee Bae, a nurse in the intensive psychiatric unit who was fired after working at the hospital for nearly eight years. “I had to raise my voice, and I knew the repercussions. I knew that I could get fired.”
Through forming a union, nurses said, they hope to have a voice at the hospital and see improved nurse-to-patient ratios, proper supplies and resources for patients, along with improved pay scales and benefits for nurses.
The hospital denied retaliating against employees.
Some backstory:
Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital say they experienced “drastic” changes since Prime Healthcare, a for-profit company took over the hospital from Ascension Illinois more than a year ago. The hospital has changed ownership three times in the last decade, the Chicago Tribune previously reported.
Nurses at the hospital filed a petition to hold a union election on May 20 and be represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United. Nurses held another rally after their petition in late May to protest what the union described as “retaliatory union busting” by hospital management.
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More From WTTW News:
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Taxpayers should pay $650,000 to two women struck and injured by a driver being chased by Chicago police, city lawyers recommended, the latest large settlement prompted by a police pursuit.
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Back in the Day: June 12, 1991 - Bulls Win First Championship
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The Chicago Bulls were founded in 1966, joining the NBA as the league expanded to 10 teams. During their first 25 years in pro basketball, their biggest success was arguably one division title in 1975 and a handful of playoff appearances. In 1991, however, their fortunes changed thanks to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and coach Phil Jackson, who ended their regular season first in not just the Central Division but the Eastern Conference. They stormed through the playoffs, sweeping their rivals the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals to face the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls won the series 4-1, claiming their first ever NBA Championship and the first
of six titles the team would claim throughout the decade.
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If you could time-travel to any moment in Chicago's history, what would it be?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. Here's what you had to
say:
"I couldn't see this as anything but a responsibility. I'd travel back to October 8, 1871, so I could move the lantern that almost certainly started the fire which led to the deaths of 300 people. Then I'd yell at the city govt for their basically non-existent building codes & lack of concern." — @vmurr.bsky.social
"Definitely the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. I've always had a huge fascination with it and would love to see what it must have been like." — Nathan Z.
“I'd travel back to the early 60s so I could ride the North Shore Line to Milwaukee.” -@runafterhairpiece
"During the first permanent settlement in the 1780’s" — John D.
"The 1893 World's Fair for me. That fair looked fantastic." — Josh E.
"April 28, 2012. Somehow convince Tom Thibodeau to sub out Derrick Rose with a double digit lead with less than two minutes left." — Daniel Aaron S.
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