If you had work off yesterday, jump into the week with these stories from WTTW News. If you had to work yesterday, here’s your Tuesday newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino stands with federal immigration enforcement agents during a skirmish with protesters in Little Village neighborhood, Chicago Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Anthony Vazquez / Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
|
A Chicago man is set to go on trial today on charges alleging he placed a bounty on the head of Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino amid the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement efforts last fall.
While federal prosecutors initially claimed Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, was a “ranking member” of the Latin Kings who posted a Snapchat message offering $10,000 to anyone who killed Bovino, the government has been barred from mentioning any gang affiliation or using the term “hit” before jurors at trial.
Some backstory:
Espinoza Martinez was arrested on the murder-for-hire charge in October, weeks after the Trump administration launched its “Operation Midway Blitz” enforcement efforts in Chicago and the surrounding areas, which were led by Bovino.
The case has been fast-tracked through federal court after Espinoza Martinez demanded a speedy trial.
According to prosecutors, Espinoza Martinez posted a Snapchat message that included a photo of Bovino — who has largely been the face of the Trump administration’s expanded immigration efforts throughout Northern Illinois — along with the message “2k on information when you get him” and “10k if u take him down.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said at the time of his arrest that “depraved individuals like Juan Espinoza Martinez — who do not value human life and threaten law enforcement — do NOT belong in this country.”
While prosecutors initially claimed Espinoza Martinez was a Latin King, his defense attorney Jonathan Bedi argued the government produced no evidence “corroborating or supporting this bare-bone allegation.”
Days before the trial was set to begin, U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow ruled that any testimony regarding the Latin Kings, gangs in Chicago, or any ties to or affinity for gangs that Espinoza Martinez may have will be excluded from trial.
“Without evidence showing that (Espinoza Martinez) is a member of the Latin Kings or that the Latin Kings instructed (him) to send the alleged murder-for-hire information, the prejudicial nature of such testimony outweighs any probative value,” Lefkow’s said in a written ruling Thursday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
(WTTW News)
|
The number of internal affairs complaints filed against Chicago Police Department officers hit a record high in 2025, fueling a growing backlog that has made it nearly impossible to hold officers accountable for misconduct, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office told the federal judge overseeing the ongoing effort to reform the department.
CPD must work faster to complete internal affairs investigations, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling acknowledged during a hearing on Tuesday about the city’s progress in complying with the court order known as the consent decree, which requires CPD to overhaul the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers.
More than 5,300 complaints were made to the Bureau of Internal Affairs in 2025, according to a database maintained by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the agency better known as COPA, which is charged with investigating serious police misconduct.
Since 2021, the number of internal affairs complaints has jumped 26.7%, even as the number of complaints increased by less than 1% from 2024 to 2025, according to city data.
More context:
Internal affairs investigators are tasked with probing allegations of criminal activity, operational violations, theft or property misuse, substance abuse, residency violations, and medical leave abuse, records show.
Of the 1,508 internal affairs complaints under investigation as of Dec. 29, 47% are more than six months old, with nearly a quarter of those complaints more than a year old, according to data presented to U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer.
“These delays represent an ongoing and serious concern regarding accountability,” Assistant Illinois Attorney General Emily Hirsch told Pallmeyer. “They threaten the morale of department members who are subject to the uncertainty of lengthy, unresolved investigations. They also undermine discipline, which may not be imposed until many years after the incident, making the sanction less effective at correcting behavior.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
South Shore educator Wayne Issa. (WTTW News)
|
Across Illinois, the teacher workforce remains predominantly White and female. Chicago Public Schools reflects that same trend despite most of its students being people of color.
Black male teachers are especially underrepresented. According to CPS’ most recent figures from 2022, Black men make up just 3.6% of the district’s teachers. CPS in a statement said its total percentage of Black teachers increased from 14% in 2019 to 20% this school year, though the district did not provide data breaking down those numbers by gender for this school year.
For longtime South Shore educator Wayne Issa, the impact of that gap shows up in the classroom every day. Issa, who has spent 26 years in education, said students respond differently when they see themselves reflected in their teachers.
“The more children can see folks that look like them, that talk like them, that understand the cultural nuances they have, the easier it becomes to teach them, the easier it becomes to reach them,” Issa said. “I still love seeing the light bulb go off. I love seeing them get it.”
Researchers say the shortage isn’t just a hiring problem. It begins with the experiences many Black boys have in school long before they consider becoming teachers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
More From WTTW News:
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Back in the Day: Jan. 20, 1909 - The Chicago Crib Fire of 1909
|
Over 100 years ago, water from the Chicago River was polluted, so Ellis Chesbrough, Chicago’s first city engineer and designer of the water delivery system, built an offshore structure called a crib to act as a straw and bring clean water from miles out on the lake through a pipeline and into the city. During the morning of Jan. 20, 1909, a temporary wooden water crib structure located on the South Side about 1.5 miles from the shore around 71st Street caught fire. Dozens of men were killed and just many were sent jumping into Lake Michigan's icy waters for safety. While the exact death total is still debated, 47 bodies were recovered and 48 men were rescued (which was above the
building's stated capacity of 90). In addition, the cause of the blaze is undetermined but one theory posits it started due to a worker skirting the rules by smoking in the bunkroom. The fire remains one of the worst labor disasters in local history. For more on water cribs, revisit the WTTW News Explains segment on them.
|
|
|
|
|
This Week’s Staff Recommendations: Where to Warm Up in Chicago
|
Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things in the city. This week, it’s “Chicago Tonight” anchor Brandis Friedman on the best spots to weather the cold.
Brandis Friedman: As usual, it’s winter in Chicago and everyone needs a place to warm up, amiright? Especially this week when temps are expected to plummet … again. And I should mention, though I’ve lived in Chicago 14 years, I’m an original Southern girl and while I can survive the cold, I do not love it.
OK, so without further ado, three of Brandis Friedman’s fave places to get warm.
Any hot yoga studio.
They really make you appreciate the cool, frigid crisp winter air. While you actually have to DO the yoga to earn the heat, it’s worth every chaturanga and crescent pose. While I typically head to the CorePower Yoga studio in my neighborhood, I went to Ritual in River North a few years ago…y’all: hottest yoga class I’ve ever been in. Ever. But, pick your studio and get in there!
AIRE
The whole place is a buncha warm water and steam rooms. And that’s really all you need, right? You can do a hot bath. Or a warm bath. Or a bath of a thousand jets. Or a salt bath. Now, there is a cold bath. It's supposed to reactivate blood circulation and tone your skin but…I’m not sure that’s for me. AIRE Ancient Baths also offers massages. So, your whole experience would be relaxing and, of course, warm.
North Pond Restaurant in Lincoln Park
To have lived in Chicago this long, I’ve only recently been to this restaurant (I have a very long list of Chicago restos). In addition to having outstanding service and food, the restaurant seated us right next to a roaring fireplace in the corner of the dining room. On a frigid and snowy night back in November, I tell you, that fireplace was just right. Perfect, in fact. We also had a lovely view of the aforementioned pond and downtown. And that all makes sense, since the building served as a warming shelter for ice skaters on the pond, when it was built back in 1912. Keeping folks warm 114 years later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What’s the most overrated Chicago food specialty?
|
|
|
Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
|
|
|
|
|
|
5:30 PM | 11:00 PM
|
|
|
|
Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more.
|
Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
|
|
|
|
|
