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It’s Tuesday. Check out these stories from WTTW News on the TRUST Act, Chicago Public Schools’ first day of classes and local stationery recommendations from science and nature reporter Patty Wetli. |
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Federal immigration agents in Chicago in a file photo. (WTTW News via CNN) |
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When it comes to Illinois laws aimed at protecting immigrants, Adams County Sheriff Tony Grootens has made his views clear.
“I have no intentions of turning away ICE agents or any of them, Homeland Security agents, any of them, that encounter illegal aliens in our community,” Grootens said in a July interview with TV station KHQA. “I know that we’ve had a few, and we put a few in jail and they’ve since been transported out of here by ICE.”
It appears the western Illinois sheriff has made good on his promise, according to documents obtained by WTTW News.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office has transferred at least two men into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, in apparent violation of the state’s TRUST Act and Way Forward Act, according to a lawyer who helped provide technical support for the legislation. Both men were later deported.
In a statement, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin pointed to both men’s criminal charges — but in one case, the federal government dismissed its criminal complaint; in the other, he was never charged for the alleged crime that landed him in jail.
In addition, the Adams County Jail also has a contract with the U.S. Marshals Service that authorizes ICE to utilize the jail to detain people for $80 a day. Such contracts also appear to run afoul of state law.
The acts generally prohibit collaboration between Illinois law enforcement officers and federal immigration agencies.
“All of those things are violations,” Mark Fleming, associate director of federal litigation with the National Immigrant Justice Center, said of both the men handed off to ICE by Adams County and the jail contract.
WTTW News detailed these apparent violations to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office, which oversees compliance and enforcement of the state’s sanctuary laws. The office did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
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Sponsor Message |
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Evanston Folk Festival returns for its second year on the spectacular lakefront at Dawes Park on Chicago’s North Shore. Join us September 6 + 7, 2025, as more than 30 world-class artists take the stage with Lake Michigan as a beautiful backdrop. Listen and learn at in-person interviews and panels with authors and luminaries presented by Chicago Public Media. And keep the music going after the sun sets with intimate evening performances at Cahn Auditorium. |
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Learn about sponsorship opportunities. |
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(PeopleImages / iStock) |
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Chicago Public Schools students returned to their classrooms Monday for the start of the new academic year, as district officials continue working to finalize a budget proposal to close a $734 million funding gap.
Monday marked the first day of classes for hundreds of thousands of K-12 students citywide, beginning the 2025-26 school year.
“Even after 32 years serving Chicago’s children, the first day of school is magical,” interim CPS CEO Macquline King said in a statement. “There’s nothing like the energy of students racing through the halls, faces lit up with excitement. It’s a powerful reminder that our work matters as we prepare the next generation of great thinkers and collaborative problem solvers.”
The school year will run through June 4, 2026, and includes weeklong breaks in November and March and a two-week winter break between December and January.
King on Monday joined Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Teachers Union officials on visits to Courtenay Language Arts Center and Austin College and Career Academy High School to welcome students back to class.
“This morning, school bells are ringing out across Chicago, calling our young people to a year of learning, new friendships, growth and limitless possibility,” Johnson said in a statement. “Our teachers are ready, our classrooms are ready, and the entire city is behind our scholars every step of the way.” |
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Argonne National Laboratory is pictured in May 2023. (Credit: Argonne National Laboratory) |
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Since 1995, Argonne National Laboratory, located just southwest of Chicago, has been at the forefront of atomic-scale research in the United States. At the heart of that research is the Advanced Photon Source or APS — a huge particle accelerator that generates super bright X-rays by accelerating electrons to near light speed in a circular storage ring.
Those X-rays — billions of times brighter than a dental X-ray — are controlled by powerful magnets and diverted to more than 70 separate beam lines that have been used to probe all manner of things — from the structure of the COVID-19 virus, to microscopic defects in a jet engine turbine blade, to new battery designs.
But after nearly three decades and thousands of experiments, the APS was beginning to show its age. And in April 2023 it went offline to allow for an $815 million Department of Energy-funded upgrade. "Chicago Tonight" talked to several researchers, scientists and workers involved in the new project to show us how it all works. |
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Back in the Day: August 19, 1969: Cubs’ Ken Holtzman Pitches No-Hitter Without Striking Out a Batter
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Achieving a no-hitter as a Major League Baseball pitcher is a rare feat. It’s so uncommon that no one has accomplished one so far in the 2025 season, and since 1875 it’s only happened 326 times. What’s even more infrequent are pitchers who have thrown a no-hitter without striking out a batter. On this date in 1969, Chicago Cub hurler Ken Holtzman managed to pitch a no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves, walking just three batters and not allowing a hit thanks to stellar defense from his team. In the eighth inning, Holtzman’s catcher Bill Heath took a foul tip off his hand, breaking his index finger and was replaced by Gene Oliver, who had caught only nine innings all season. Despite the switch, Holtzman completed the no-hitter and the Cubs won 3-0. To date, Holtzman remains the last pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter without striking out a batter. The last no-hitter in Major League Baseball was from the Chicago Cubs, starting pitcher Shota Imanaga and reliever Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge combined for the 18th no-hitter in Cubs history on September 4, 2024. |
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations |
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(WTTW News) |
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things in Chicago. This week it’s science and nature reporter Patty Wetli on greeting cards.
Patty Wetli: We’re heading into what most people think of as fall. For me, September is the start of birthday season. At least a dozen members of my family and like-family have birthdays between Labor Day and Christmas, and I will obsess over finding the perfect card for each one.
I have a regular circuit of shops I hit up — here’s my Greeting Card Crawl.
Hazel, 1835 W. Montrose Ave., has a large selection of cards for all occasions, across a broad range of styles for people of all ages, including a kids section that’s been great for finding non-Disney-themed cards for my nieces and nephews. The cards are against the back wall of this roomy gift shop, so you can take your time browsing without blocking aisles.
I fell in love with the Paper Source the moment I stepped into its OG store on Chicago Avenue. I know it’s a chain now, but I don’t care — it’s still one of my favorite places to while away an hour. One draw is the proprietary brand of cards, so there are options here you won’t have seen everywhere else. These days I mostly pop into the location at 3543 N. Southport Ave.
Foursided is an experience, especially the Andersonville location, where you might have to throw a few elbows to work your way back to the card section. The Lakeview shop on Clark Street is equally bursting at the seams with trinkets but the vibe is more chill. The card selection is eclectic and LGBTQ individuals and themes are well represented in a way you would never come across in a drugstore greeting card aisle.
Lincoln Square’s trifecta of Enjoy, Neighborly and the Book Cellar — all on the same block — are absolute staples in my rotation. Enjoy leans toward humor, the Book Cellar is generally more classic and Neighborly is notable for featuring local designers, including letterpress printers.
Speaking of, Amber Favorite is a real triple threat: She designs and prints her own line of greeting cards — I love her use of retro imagery — and sells them at her namesake stationery shop in Albany Park, A. Favorite Design. |
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Where's your favorite place to watch a movie in Chicago? Tell us why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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