It’s a new week and tomorrow is the Illinois Primary. Before Tuesday’s elections, make sure to revisit our 2026 Voter Guide.
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Chicago Board of Elections Supersite, 137 S. State, in downtown on March 2, 2026. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)
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Nonpartisan poll watcher groups in Chicago are preparing to respond to potential election law violations and voting rights threats during Tuesday’s primary election amid concerns of federal immigration activity near polling places.
“Our democracy is strongest when every eligible voter participates in our elections,” Ami Gandhi, director of the Midwest Voting Rights Program at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, said in a statement. “We know voters are concerned about federal overreach at the polls, and we stand ready alongside our partners to ensure every eligible voter can cast their ballot.”
Some backstory:
Poll watching is one part of a broader response network the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago have built to monitor possible cases of voter intimidation and federal immigration agents near polling places. Legal volunteers, field volunteers, local rapid response teams and volunteer hotline operators will also be mobilizing as part of the effort.
The Trump administration said it has no plans to deploy immigration agents to polling locations, according to the Associated Press. But, Democrats and voting rights groups are on high alert as aggressive federal immigration enforcement operations continue in Democrat-led cities, including Chicago.
Federal and state laws prohibit any type of intimidation of voters during elections, including prohibiting the presence of federal officers at any polling place, according to Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chair Marisel Hernandez said during a news conference last month.
The Board of Elections is in contact with federal, state and local agencies to ensure “we’re all on the same page,” Hernandez said. Election judges are trained to contact the Board if they see “unusual” activity, Hernandez added.
“Every voter has the right to register to vote, and then vote free of intimidation, threats and coercion,” Hernandez said. “We will do what we need to do to protect the rights of voters.”
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(FierceAbin / iStock)
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The Great Lakes provide water to hundreds of cities and tribal nations, from Chicago to Duluth to Toronto.
Despite the distance, local leaders across the region are realizing they have a lot in common. Now, these leaders are joining together to advocate for their shared needs and to protect the shared resources of the lakes.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (GLSCI) is a multinational coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to supporting the region. Since its founding by former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2003, its membership has expanded to more than 425 mayors and other municipal leaders.
The Great Lakes hold more than 80% of North America’s surface freshwater and provide drinking water to more than 30 million people.
Mayors from the coalition traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier in March to advocate for policies they say will benefit the region.
More context:
Sam Cunningham, the mayor of Waukegan, said he was inspired by the bipartisan interest he saw in Great Lakes management.
“There was a sense of understanding that this fresh, essential water is a need that all Americans have,” Cunningham said. He went on to say that lawmakers he talked with seemed surprised by the passion of the coalition.
One of the coalition’s priorities is the renewal of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides financing for clean water projects like replacing lead service lines.
Stewardship of the Great Lakes is essential as climate change and economic conditions reshape where people live and work, according to Jon Altenberg, the president and CEO of GLSCI.
“If you don’t have access to fresh water, and the energy needed to keep factories cool, you’re going to move into this region,” Altenberg said. “We know this is going to happen over the next 10 years.”
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For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional St. Patrick's Day dye job is back at Garfield Park Conservatory, March 13, 2026. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
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In a teaser for Saturday's traditional St. Patrick's Day dyeing of the Chicago River, the fern pond at Garfield Park Conservatory turned its own shade of kelly green.
Though slightly less dramatic than the downtown ceremony, which involves powerboats spewing dye in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators, the conservatory's produced the same electric effect.
The dye job was left to Gustav Roman, aka the Fern Man, who strapped on his waders, picked up his watering can and stepped into the pond, spreading a concoction containing the same (secret) formula as used on the river.
The pond was routinely colored in the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this is the first year it's happened since.
“I begged them: Oh, can we just pick it (back) up? Because we had some extra of that green stuff,” Roman said. “They were like, ‘That’s fine, go ahead and do it.”
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Back in the Day: March 16, 1996 - Dennis Rodman Headbutts Referee
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Thirty years ago, the Chicago Bulls were in fine form. They had won 57 games and lost just seven, and would go on to set the record for most wins in an NBA regular season with 72. They’d soon kick off the franchise’s second three-peat championship of the decade at the end of the campaign, too. While they were a well-oiled machine and were one of the league’s all-time best teams, it wasn’t a seamless run. On this day in 1996, Bulls forward Dennis Rodman headbutted a referee. During the first quarter, Rodman received a technical foul for chucking a basketball and minutes later, he received his second technical foul, which meant an instant ejection from the game. As he was
arguing his case, he appeared to headbutt referee Ted Bernhardt. Rodman, who threw his jersey on the court as he exited the game, was suspended six games without pay and fined $20,000, which roughly totaled $203,926 in 1996 dollars. He was defiant in a post-game interview. “They're going to suspend me no matter what," Rodman said. “If you want to suspend me, suspend me. They make an example out of Dennis Rodman. I don't care. This is really getting out of hand. It's getting really ridiculous, picking on me. This has been going on the last two or three years. If I butted him, I butted him. Suspend me.”
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This Week’s Civic Events and Meetings
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Every Monday, WTTW News highlights the best ways to get involved with local government.
City Council’s Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight
On Monday at noon, the City Council’s Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight will host a regular meeting. Among the items on the agenda is the 2025 Q4 report, a search for a new Inspector General and appointments to the Chicago Board of Ethics. For more info, click here.
Show Up Chicago
On Monday at 6 p.m., Show Up Chicago is at Hideout. The “combination community gathering, cocktail hour, and political panel show at Chicago's most highly evolved saloon” previews Tuesday’s primaries with political strategist Pete Giancreco and journalist Brandon Pope. To RSVP, click here.
City Club of Chicago
Want to go to a party where you can watch the Illinois primary results? City Club of Chicago is hosting a ticketed event at the Chicago Firehouse (1401 S. Michigan Ave.) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. For more info, click here.
City Council
Following Tuesday’s primary elections, City Council will convene for a regular meeting on Wednesday at 10 a.m. The deadline for public comment is at 9 a.m Wednesday. For more information, click here.
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What's your favorite local movie theater? Tell us why.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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