Latest news with #BarrioArtsFestival
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Photos: The 25th annual Bario Arts Festival
Photos from the 25th annual Barrio Arts Festival held at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Humboldt Park on July 13, 2025.
Politico
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
A sanctuary showdown
Happy Thursday, Illinois. And thank you for your Reader Digest comments on dramatic takes on political scandals — Broadway better watch its back. TOP TALKER PUSHING BACK: The City of Chicago has joined a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration for withholding federal funds from sanctuary cities. 'Federal funding should never be used as a tool to coerce local authorities into compliance with unlawful mandates,' Corporation Counsel Mary B. Richardson-Lowry declared in a statement that cuts to the heart of the legal argument: that Washington cannot hold the purse strings hostage to force political compliance. The city expects to receive about $3.5 billion in federal dollars this year, reports the Block Club's Quinn Myers. The legal maneuver on Wednesday came a day after federal officers descended on the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Chicago, raising tensions between Illinois elected officials and the Trump administration. According to museum officials, officers, who they presumed were immigration officials with U.S. Homeland Security, entered the museum parking lot Tuesday and refused requests to present a warrant, badge or identification. They were assessing entry and exit points for upcoming events, museum officials said at a press conference Wednesday. The museum is hosting its annual Barrio Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday. But, but, but: Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied the department targeted the museum, stating it was a visit by the Chicago Financial Crimes Task Force 'related to a narcotics investigation,' reports WTTW's Matt Masterson. Whoever visited the museum created anxiety and fear within the community and prompted elected officials to organize a press conference to denounce actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 'This seems to be a plan to terrorize,' said Ald. Jessie Fuentes of the 26th Ward, where the museum is located. And Ald. Gilbert 'Gil' Villegas echoed the message, saying, 'Right now, what we have in the White House is a domestic terrorist.' Their provocative language underscores the deep divide between Illinois and the White House on immigration issues. Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, who was also at the press event, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, expressing her concerns about the museum confrontation. Get used to the uproar: President Donald Trump's megabill includes $170 billion for border and immigration enforcement, which means Illinois will remain in the feds' sights. 'We're going to continue to fight every single way to block ICE,' said state Rep. Lilian Jimenez, architect of legislation that bars ICE from entering schools. 'This is our home.' Here's the lawsuit that the city joined And here's video of the press conference More details: Federal officers' presence stokes deportation fears, by the Tribune's Nell Salzman Related: The Chicago churches on the frontline of Trump's deportation wars, by The Bulwark's Adrian Carrasquillo THE BUZZ THE CHICAGO WAY: Walter Burnett, the long-serving alderman and vice mayor of Chicago, is stepping down at the end of the month to open a lane for his son to possibly take his seat. According to Burnett: 'My wife told me she's been at home by herself for 30 years,' scooped the Block Club's Melody Mercado. 'She said, 'You put in your time. Now, come home.'' But Burnett still wants to keep working. He's being considered for a job heading the Chicago Housing Authority. And if that doesn't work, he may run for Congress in the 7th District seat, he told Playbook. The dominoes: Burnett wants his youngest son, 29-year-old Walter Burnett III, to be appointed to his 27th Ward seat. Burnett's other son, state Rep. Jawaharial 'Omar' Williams, had expressed interest in the job, too, but recently changed his mind, Burnett told the Block Club. If you are Tricia McLaughlin, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@ WHERE'S JB No official public events WHERE's BRANDON No official public events Where's Toni No official public events Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a (gasp!) complaint? Email skapos@ BUSINESS OF POLITICS — DAVID AXELROD predicts Democrats will win back the U.S. House in 2026. 'I would rate their chances very high, primarily because history is very, very strong in this regard,' he told the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman in an interview touching on a range of political issues and characters, including Brandon Johnson, JB Pritzker, Rahm Emanuel, Michael Madigan, Ed Burke, Rod Blagojevich and Donald Trump. On Dems taking the House, the political guru said, 'Republicans have a razor-thin margin. There are enough targets for Democrats to pick up. And their chances were improved by the passage of this bill that the president likes to call 'The Big Beautiful Bill,' which is a real misnomer because it was a flat-out exchange between tax cuts for the wealthy. and healthcare for working people and the poor.' The full interview is here. — Speaking of Rahm Emanuel: If he runs, he'll bet on candor defeating the 'culture police,' writes George F. Will in The Washington Post — Samantha Steele is going to seek re-election for her Cook County Board of Review post — instead of running for Cook County assessor. The decision came after her office was honored by the National Association of Counties for its programming and service work. Steele 'doesn't want to see all her good work unravel,' said a spokesperson, adding the commissioner also wants to be available to her high-school senior daughter instead of battling for a new job. — In IL-08: Candidate Junaid Ahmed raised nearly $350,000 since announcing his candidacy for Congress last month. — Endorsement: Robert Peters, the Illinois state senator running in the 2nd Congressional District, has been endorsed by state Sen. Mattie Hunter, who is also the assistant majority leader in the Senate. THE STATEWIDES — State Farm to raise Illinois homeowners insurance rates by 27.2 percent in August: The rate hike, 'one of the largest in the state's history,' is due to the increase in 'extreme weather events,' by the Tribune's Robert Channick. — Audit finds state agency fell short on social equity initiatives outlined in Gov. JB Pritzker's landmark climate bill: 'The state's Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity failed to implement programs designed to assist clean energy contractors in underserved areas and to deliver clean energy jobs training to people exiting Illinois prisons,' by the Tribune's Olivia Olander. — Illinois to return $45M of missing money to residents: 'This is not a scam,' via ABC 7 CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools facing cash crunch as it works to close $734M deficit: 'District leaders must find a way to close the deficit either by finding more revenue, making more cuts, or borrowing money,' by Chalkbeat's Reema Amin. — CPS wants more students from all backgrounds to get the chance to skip a grade, by WBEZ's Sarah Karp — Chicago's summer jobs program sees another year of growth following pandemic-era dip, by WBEZ's Mariah Woelfel — Judge rules ex-Ald. Carrie Austin medically unfit to face trial on corruption charges, by the Tribune's Jason Meisner — Tuesday night's flash flooding was a 'one-in-500-year' event, by NBC 5's Kevin Jeanes — Sculptor Richard Hunt's life is on exhibit in Chicago — and it's a walk through Civil Rights history, by WBEZ's Mike Davis COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS — Bears stadium survey addresses seating chart, ticket prices and 'VIP tailgating': The questionnaire seeks thoughts on a 'state-of-the-art stadium that will serve all of Chicagoland and the state of Illinois' but doesn't mention the NFL franchise's 326-acre Arlington Park property specifically, by the Daily Herald's Christopher Placek. — Harvey Ald. Colby Chapman declares victory after charges dismissed: She says the charges stem from a political dispute with Mayor Christopher Clark, by the Daily Southtown's Mike Nolan. — Cook County now faces class-action lawsuit over tax sales that stripped home equity, by Crain's Dennis Rodkin — Michael Jordan's former Highland Park estate listed on Airbnb, by ESPN's Kalan Hooks Reader Digest We asked what political scandal would make the best musical. Zachary Brown: 'The saga of New York Congressman Daniel Sickles who murdered his wife's lover but was acquitted, becoming the first person in the country to successfully use the temporary insanity defense.' Larry Bury: 'The Magic Shoeboxes' based on the life of former Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell. Writers would have so much to work with: In his hotel room he also had 49 cases of whiskey, 14 transistor radios and two cases of creamed corn.' John Engle: 'The Teapot Dome corruption scandal of the 1920s.' Mike Gascoigne: 'The Bush v. Gore debacle. Hanging chads need their own song.' Jarod Hitchings: 'The Shoebox Shuffle about Paul Powell.' Bob Kieckhefer: 'Paul Powell's 'shoebox cash stash,' with Julianne Moore playing Marge Hensey, described by the politically incorrect 1970s media as Powell's 'shapely red-headed secretary.'' Jim Lyons: 'Watergate, with the president singing a song called 'I Am Not a Crook.'' Dan Mattoon: 'The story of U.S. Rep. Wilbur Mills and Fanne Foxe, the stripper known as 'the Argentine Firecracker,' who leapt from a limo into Washington's Tidal Basin after a night of drinking in the 1970s.' Dennis Rendleman: 'The story of Orville Hodge, the Illinois state auditor who in the 1950s stole $1.5 million in state funds. One song, a la Hamilton's 'The Room Where it Happens' could be 'The Till Where It's Taken.'' Tomás Revollo: 'Former Congressman George Santos' fabricated biography!' David Schroeder: 'Watergate. The abundance of personalities set to music and song would be highly entertaining.' Timothy Thomas: 'Shoebox — the Musical Life and Times of Paul Powell: How a man of humble Southern Illinois roots came to accumulate over $750,000 stuffed in shoeboxes as Illinois Secretary of State.' Erika Weaver: 'Hell & High Water: The Story of Poppa Pope,' a character on 'Scandal.' NEXT QUESTION: If you had to survive a presidential debate using only quotes from one movie, which movie would you choose? KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION — Getting schooled: Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth questioned the qualifications of President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, Dr. Anjani Sinha, at his confirmation hearing Wednesday. 'This is not a glamour posting. You need to shape up and do some homework,' she said. Video here — A conservative take: Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller posted her views about people who speak other languages: 'In America, we speak ENGLISH — and that goes for truck drivers, construction workers, factory employees, store clerks, delivery drivers, warehouse crews, and everyone in between,' she posted on X. THE NATIONAL TAKE — Trump promises a farm labor fix. Ag secretary is stuck in the middle, by POLITICO's Jake Traylor, Myah Ward and Samuel Benson — Trump's assault on Big Law has been a big mess, by POLITICO's Ankush Khardori — Civil servants hold out hope their lawyers can still save their jobs, by POLITICO's Erin Schumaker TRANSITIONS — Doni Robinson is now of counsel in Barnes & Thornburg Intellectual Property Department. She was with Reed Smith. EVENTS — Today at 6:30 p.m.: Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) hosts a telephone town hall to discuss how the president's budget reconciliation bill will impact Illinois. Callers can dial in here (833)-708-2162 to join. Streaming here — Sunday: Let's Talk Womxn with hosts Rohini Dey, Tina Tchen, Shital Daftari and Becky Carroll, is holding a Summer Disco Social. Details here TRIVIA WEDNESDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Carson Conlon for correctly answering that former Mayor Richard J. Daley was first elected to the Illinois House as a Republican. TODAY's QUESTION: Who's the social reformer whose work led to an Illinois law limiting women's working hours and prohibiting child labor? Email skapos@ HAPPY BIRTHDAY Former Congressman John Cox Jr., former state Rep. Carol Sente, Illinois Manufacturers' Association President and CEO Mark Denzler, nonprofit leader Sunny Fischer, Faegre Drinker Senior Director Olivia Pantoja, TresserLabs Chief Engagement Officer Tom Tresser, civic leader Toni Canada, Wall Street Journal reporter Heather Haddon, Champaign News-Gazette reporter Paul Wood and journalist Brandon Smith -30-
Chicago Tribune
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
What to do in Chicago: Windy City Smokeout, Gospel Music Festival and sneakers on Navy Pier
Our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend. Call them sneakers, kicks, gym shoes — whatever — but if you love them, get to Navy Pier this weekend. Billed as the 'ultimate sneaker convention' and hosted by Chance the Rapper, Chicago Got Sole offers a chance to buy, sell, trade and just generally geek out over shoes. In addition to more than 300 vendors, expect performances, meet-and-greets, games, giveaways and your cowboy hat. The country music and barbecue festival returns to the United Center parking lot, this year featuring headliners Kane Brown, Megan Moroney and Old Dominion. With pitmasters from across the country on hand, the toughest part of this fest will be choosing what to house music's deep Chicago roots with pioneering DJs Wayne Williams, Jesse Saunders, Terry Hunter and Alan King. Guest DJs David Morales and Danny Krivit will also spin, and Ann Nesby and The Ladies of SKYY will offer live performances. The festival, which is marking its 35th anniversary since starting as an informal reunion behind the Museum of Science and Industry, promises 12+ hours of singer and guitarist Brittany Howard fronts the rock band that also includes guitarist Heath Fogg, and bassist Zac Cockrell. They're coming to the Salt Shed outdoor Fairgrounds after a jam-packed weekend that also includes Primus on Friday, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue on Saturday and Yo La Tengo with Built to Spill on Moore leads the bill at this year's free Gospel Music Festival in Millennium Park. The day kicks off with an Inspiration 1390 AM live broadcast from Cloud Gate, hosted by DJ Sam Williams. The show shifts to Jay Pritzker Pavilion at 4 p.m. for five acts as well as a tribute to Don Jackson, founder of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards and a media the mood to dance? Maybe need a little soca, a little dancehall reggae? Jah Vinci, Elephant Man, Rupee and Richie Stephens are among the many acts playing at this weekend's African Caribbean International Festival of Life in Washington Park. You've got three days to get you haven't been to the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Humboldt Park, here's your sign to go: the free Barrio Arts Festival. Yes, you can browse the more than 50 vendors and enjoy live performance, but you can also participate in art workshops, a dominoes tournament and guided tours of the museum and the in Chicago is all too brief, so what better way to appreciate it than a garden walk? Head to Bucktown to linger outdoors, let the kids play (St. Mary of the Angels is hosting a foam party), listen to some music and maybe catch a movie in the park. 'The Sandlot' is scheduled at dusk on July than 100 artists from across the country will set up shop in Southport this weekend. Browse their booths, listen to music, get a personalized poem and let the kids help make a mural. And if you need a break from the heat, dash into the Music Box Theatre; it's showing Wong Kar-wai's modern classic 'In the Mood for Love,' accompanied by a rarely seen related you're a Godzilla fan, go for the Kaiju cosplay alone. The creativity on display during the costume parade is worth the sacrifice of a summer day spent inside a hotel by the airport. But it goes so much deeper than cosplay: movies, models, art, tattoos, video games, autographs, discussions, G-fans teaching G-fans to draw. From Anguirus to Zilla, G-Fest — after 30 years — has it all.
Chicago Tribune
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Federal officers' presence at Puerto Rican museum draws criticism, stokes deportation fears
The federal agents on the screen wore black as they entered the museum's doors. One briefly spoke to a staff member before walking down the hallway and out of the camera's view, leaving the employees at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Humboldt Park feeling targeted and intimidated. 'Our community is under attack. The Latino community, brown people, are being targeted by this administration,' said Ald. Gil Villegas, 36th, at a hastily arranged news conference on Wednesday with other community leaders and other elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, who believed the federal government was there for immigration enforcement purposes. But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents weren't there for immigration reasons, said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. They were there to hold a briefing in the museum's parking lot ahead of an operation related to a narcotics investigation. Museum staffers say the agents refused to identify themselves. In security footage reviewed by the Tribune and other media after the news conference, the agents were seen arriving in unmarked vehicles and standing in a group in the parking lot. Several of them entered without incident. Still, the presence of federal officers at the museum on Tuesday set off a chain reaction of fear in a community already on edge. And regardless of why federal officers showed up unannounced at the museum, some local officials continued their criticism of their tactics. 'Agents of DHS … should identify themselves, like every law enforcement official is required to do,' said Ramirez, who represents Illinois' 3rd Congressional District, in a statement. The strong response from community leaders and local officials mirrored nationwide panic that was sparked in January after two Secret Service officers — who were mistaken for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — attempted to enter a school in Back of the Yards on the city's South Side. Then, as on Tuesday, DHS confirmed to the Tribune that it was conducting a separate investigation, unrelated to immigration. In recent weeks and months, nationwide fear has spread through images and videos on social media of President Donald Trump's administration detaining people in public spaces. Most notably in Los Angeles this week, armed federal agents showed up in a park considered to be the hub of a well-known immigrant neighborhood. With that visible enforcement front of mind on Wednesday morning, dozens of organizers and city and state leaders gathered inside the museum to condemn the federal government for targeting Latino communities for deportation. The museum staff reported that about 15 unmarked vehicles drove into the Puerto Rican museum's parking lot during operating hours on Tuesday, creating worry that the federal government was preparing to target upcoming festivals in the West Side park — the Barrio Arts Festival and the Colombian Festival, planned for the upcoming two weekends. Although Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, the festivals are expected to draw large crowds of Latinos, a group frequently targeted in nationwide immigration enforcement raids. 'We have reason to believe that here in Humboldt Park, we may see what they demonstrated earlier this week in Los Angeles,' said Esmeralda Montesinos, an organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. On Tuesday, the agents were on site at the museum between 3 and 5 p.m., according to Veronica Ocasio, the museum's director of education and programming. They pulled their vehicles into the parking lot, she said, and then talked and milled around. Ocasio said an employee of hers who was taking out the garbage overheard the agents talking about the upcoming festivals. The staff member immediately panicked, assuming they were discussing a strategy to detain people at the upcoming events. Later, several tried to enter the building, Ocasio said, claiming they needed to use the bathroom. The agents and vehicles left after a different employee told them the parking lot was closing for the day. But they wanted to park their vehicles overnight, she said. McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary, later clarified in a statement that the officials were part of the Financial Crimes Task Force, under the investigative arm of the federal agency. 'The Department of Homeland Security DID NOT target the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture,' the statement read. The museum's staff emphasized Wednesday that it didn't matter why DHS officials were there. 'If they had just said they were working on a drug case, maybe it would have been a different story, but we can't take that as fact now, after the point,' a spokesperson for the museum said. Chicago police said they were not informed about the federal agents stopping for a briefing at the museum. Aldermen, meanwhile, expressed skepticism and concern about McLaughlin's statement. Ald. Ruth Cruz, 30th, said that it's been 'difficult to believe the information they're sharing is accurate.' She cited a U.S. citizen who was pulled over in her ward by federal agents while walking his dog. 'They had him go up to his apartment and bring back his residence card,' she said. 'Our community is scared. We feel that we're under attack.' At the news conference Wednesday, several elected officials shared their own immigrant stories, stressing that Latino communities in Chicago plan to present a united front against nationwide deportation efforts by the federal government. 'I am from Puerto Rico,' said Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, 33rd. 'Our siblings that are coming into this country … for the same reason that I came here, because it was impossible to live under the conditions that we were in.' They also shared harrowing stories of their own family members who have been affected by increased immigration enforcement. State Sen. Graciela Guzmán, a Chicago Democrat, has several of her family members in Los Angeles, where she said 'militarization has been unavoidable.' 'We had a cousin disappear a couple of months ago. We just found out he's in Guantanamo,' Guzmán said, referring to a naval base in Cuba being used by Trump to detain dozens of foreigners.
Axios
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Latino leaders vow to protect Barrio Fest from ICE
Local Latino lawmakers are vowing to protect Chicagoans who may be targeted by immigration officers in the coming days at cultural festivals. Why it matters: The community is on high alert after more than 15 people who said they worked with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but showed no identification, arrived at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Humboldt Park on Tuesday. Staff say they used "gestapo-style intimidation" and refused to leave. Between the lines: Museum officials say a staffer overheard someone they believe was a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer discuss targeting upcoming festivals at the museum for raids. This weekend, the museum will host its annual Barrio Arts Festival, followed by Colombian Fest July 18-20. What they're saying: "We're not going to let ICE intimidate our families and instill fear in us," said Ald. Jessie Fuentes during a Wednesday press conference at the museum. She noted that the museum is located on "private property" and "ICE is not welcome." The other side: ICE officials did not respond to Axios' request for comment on the allegations. Reality check: While Latino leaders promised to protect this weekend's festival attendees by denying entry to ICE officers if they show up and keeping immigration attorneys on hand, they acknowledged there are limits to what they can do in the face of armed agents. "They have the guns, they're masked up, and they have been deployed by the President of the United States to abduct people without due process," U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez tells Axios. Context: President Trump's megabill just allocated more than $100 billion through 2029 for immigration enforcement. Ramirez has co-sponsored a bill that would require ICE agents to identify themselves and remove masks while working. Zoom out: The alleged arrival of ICE agents in Humboldt Park came in the wake of a militarized immigration operation in Los Angeles' MacArthur Park this week.
