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Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

@jaredrutecki.bsky.social

4.1K followers 1.8K following 3K posts

Investigative Reporter, WTTW News/Chicago Tonight. My past life: Illinois Answers Project, BGA, Columbus Dispatch, ThisWeek News. Covers cops, courts, energy, health, finance, pensions etc. Prolific FOIA filer. He/him.

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Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 21d

Chicago taxpayers paid $295M to settle lawsuits tied to 272 police officers with repeated misconduct claims from 2019–2024, my latest w/ @heathercherone.bsky.social shows.

New report, only at @wttw.bsky.social 👇

Repeated Police Misconduct by 272 Officers Has Cost Chicago Taxpayers $295M Since 2019: Analysis

Chicago taxpayers paid $295 million between 2019 and 2024 to resolve lawsuits naming officers whose alleged misconduct led more than once to payouts, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News...

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

Patty Wetli @pjdubs.bsky.social · 8h

Lights out Chicago! Intense bird migration forecast for tonight. If you have exterior Halloween lighting, unplug tonight.

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

WTTW - Chicago PBS @wttw.bsky.social · 7h

Riders would see their base fare for both bus and rail to increase by $0.25 — bringing the fare up to $2.50 for buses and $2.75 for rail — starting on Feb. 1, 2026.

https://to.wttw.com/4h6s6pm

CTA Proposes Fare Increases as Transit Agencies Face Potential Fiscal Cliff, Service Cuts

Riders would see their base fare for both bus and rail to increase by $0.25 — bringing the fare up to $2.50 for buses and $2.75 for rail — starting on Feb. 1, 2026, according to a CTA budget proposal ...

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 9h

In the past 11 days, Department of Homeland Security Agents have used tear gas against the people of Chicago 4 times:
in Logan Square (Oct. 3); Brighton Park (Oct. 4); Albany Park (Oct. 11) and East Side (Oct. 14).
In all, 40 CPD officers have been exposed to the gas. @wttw.bsky.social

Federal Agents Deploy Tear Gas Against Crowd on Chicago’s Southeast Side

Federal immigration agents deployed tear gas on Chicago’s Southeast Side on Tuesday morning after a crowd gathered at the scene of a car crash involving those agents.

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

WTTW - Chicago PBS @wttw.bsky.social · 10h

The WGN-TV employee who was tackled and detained by federal immigration agents in Lincoln Square last week has denied that she assaulted anyone on scene and intends to “pursue all legal avenues available to her.”

https://to.wttw.com/4nQr3wp

WGN-TV Employee Detained by Federal Agents Denies Wrongdoing, Plans to Pursue ‘All Legal Avenues’

Attorneys for Debbie Brockman said she has not been charged with any crimes after federal authorities including Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino accused her of throwing items at agents last Friday.

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 11h

NEW: A key Chicago City Council committee advanced a package of proposals on Tuesday designed to build more housing along Broadway in Edgewater and Uptown in an effort to make it more affordable to live along the CTA’s Red Line. @wttw.bsky.social

Key City Panel OKs Plan Designed to Build More Housing in Edgewater

Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th Ward) said the proposals will revitalize Broadway, which has not seen any new housing built on its west side for two decades, by making the commercial district more a...

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 11h

The WGN-TV employee who was tackled and detained by federal immigration agents in Lincoln Square last week has denied that she assaulted anyone on scene and intends to “pursue all legal avenues available to her.”

WGN-TV Employee Detained by Federal Agents Denies Wrongdoing, Plans to Pursue ‘All Legal Avenues’

Attorneys for Debbie Brockman said she has not been charged with any crimes after federal authorities including Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino accused her of throwing items at agents last Friday.

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 12h

Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Illinois Drivers Alliance said they’d be launching “Know Your Rights” trainings for rideshare drivers and their families across the Chicago area, while also working to add signage around the O’Hare rideshare lot prohibiting entry for civil immigration enforcement.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois Rideshare Group Aim to Protect Drivers After ‘Unacceptable’ O’Hare Parking Lot Raid

Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Illinois Drivers Alliance plan to launch “Know Your Rights” trainings for rideshare drivers across the Chicago area, while also working to add signage around the O’Hare r...

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 15h

Even as an appeals court allowed a federal judge to temporarily block the Trump administration from sending 500 National Guard troops into Chicago, teams of masked immigration enforcement agents staged a series of increasingly aggressive raids across the city’s North Side. @wttw.bsky.social

While National Guard Deployment Remains Blocked, ICE Strike Teams Escalate North Side Raids

An appeals court allowed U.S. District Court Judge April Perry’s ruling blocking the deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois to stand, while halting her order stopping President Donald Trump f...

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

WTTW - Chicago PBS @wttw.bsky.social · 13h

The U.S. Supreme Court’s new term kicked off last week with culture-war topics and presidential authority on the docket. Topics on the agenda include free speech, LGBTQ rights, tariffs and broad executive power. "Chicago Tonight" took a look at just a few of these topics Monday.

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 14h

Former White Sox Infielder and Cubs Coach Sandy Alomar Sr. Dies at 81 news.wttw.com/2025/10/13/f...

Former White Sox Infielder and Cubs Coach Sandy Alomar Sr. Dies at 81

Sandy Alomar Sr., an All-Star infielder during his playing days in the 1960s and ‘70s who went on to coach in the majors and manage in his native Puerto Rico, has died. He was 81.

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 15h

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the chaplain of the men’s basketball team at Loyola University Chicago who died last week, will be honored during a wake and funeral mass scheduled for later this week. news.wttw.com/2025/10/13/s...

Sister Jean’s Wake and Funeral to Be Held at Loyola’s Main Chapel, Open to the Public

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the chaplain of the men’s basketball team at Loyola University Chicago who died last week, will be honored during a wake and funeral mass scheduled for later this week.

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 16h

Even as an appeals court allowed a federal judge to temporarily block the Trump administration from sending 500 National Guard troops into Chicago, teams of masked immigration enforcement agents staged a series of increasingly aggressive raids across the city’s North Side.

While National Guard Deployment Remains Blocked, ICE Strike Teams Escalate North Side Raids

An appeals court allowed U.S. District Court Judge April Perry’s ruling blocking the deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois to stand, while halting her order stopping President Donald Trump f...

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

WTTW - Chicago PBS @wttw.bsky.social · 17h

Hear more from Rod Blagojevich in unedited, extended Chicago Stories interviews: to.wttw.com/41Pu9be #ChicagoStoriesWTTW

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 17h

The U.S. Supreme Court’s new term kicked off last week with culture-war topics and presidential authority on the docket. Here’s what to watch for: news.wttw.com/2025/10/13/s...

Supreme Court Begins New Term. From LGBTQ Rights to Executive Power, Here’s What’s on the Agenda

The U.S. Supreme Court’s new term kicked off last week with culture-war topics and presidential authority on the docket.

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

WTTW - Chicago PBS @wttw.bsky.social · 1d

Long the state's most powerful politician during his decades as Illinois House speaker, Michael Madigan will begin his prison term days after an Illinois appellate court rejected his bid to remain free while he challenges the convictions from his trial.

https://to.wttw.com/3L9QBGc

Michael Madigan Expected to Report to Federal Prison, Beginnning 7.5-Year Sentence After Landmark Corruption Convictions

Michael Madigan — long the most powerful politician in Illinois during his decades as the state’s House speaker — has reported to federal prison, eight months after a jury in Chicago convicted him on ...

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 1d

The General Assembly convenes for the annual fall veto session for three days this week followed by another three days on Oct. 28-30. Lawmakers’ to-do list was already hefty with several issues, including public transportation and energy reform, which were left unresolved in the spring.

Veto Session Preview: Illinois Lawmakers Seek Transit, Energy Solutions; Bears’ Arlington Heights Move Not a Priority

Violent protests, legally questionable immigration raids and the deployment of National Guard troops without the governor’s approval will be at the forefront of state lawmakers’ minds when they return...

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

Jodi Cohen @jodiscohen.bsky.social · 1d

U.S. Department of Education reverses decision and will fund programs for students who are both deaf and blind.

But the money will flow a different way.

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Get Funding Back Despite Trump’s Anti-DEI Campaign

Following public outcry, the Department of Education has reversed its decision to cut funding for students who have both hearing and vision loss, opting instead to reroute grants to an organization th...

www.propublica.org

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

WTTW - Chicago PBS @wttw.bsky.social · 1d

It’s been over a week since the owner of a Northwest Side piñata store had her life turned upside down. https://to.wttw.com/4n64hiW

Owner of a Northwest Side Piñata Shop Taken by ICE in Front of Family Business: ‘We Are Shattered’

Juan Navarrete was parked in front of the store he ran with his wife, ready to bring in a load of coconuts he had just picked up. Surveillance video shows a masked federal agent walking toward him.

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

WTTW - Chicago PBS @wttw.bsky.social · 1d

Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson signed an executive order shrinking the designated protest area outside the suburb’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility following Saturday night protests that “degenerated into chaos,” Thompson announced Monday.

https://to.wttw.com/4q9G6CT

Broadview Mayor Shrinks Designated Protest Area Outside ICE Facility

Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson signed an executive order shrinking the designated protest area outside the suburban Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 1d

Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda and Ethiopian Hawi Feysa won the men’s and women’s races at the Chicago Marathon by comfortable margins on Sunday. news.wttw.com/2025/10/12/j...

Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda and Ethiopian Hawi Feysa Win the Chicago Marathon

Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda and Ethiopian Hawi Feysa won the men’s and women’s races at the Chicago Marathon by comfortable margins on Sunday.

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 1d

Dozens of young women and girls from across the city filled the Kehrein Center for the Arts as they gathered for the 14th annual Chicago Day of the Girl to celebrate the creativity, confidence and sisterhood fostered by the Girls Like Me Project.

Chicago Day of the Girl Event Aims to Empower Through Mentorship, Storytelling

Dozens of young women and girls from across the city filled the Kehrein Center for the Arts on Saturday as they gathered for the 14th annual Chicago Day of the Girl to celebrate the creativity, confid...

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 1d

Federal agents targeted a parking lot filled with rideshare drivers in an immigration raid near Chicago O’Hare International Airport that resulted in 12 arrests. news.wttw.com/2025/10/10/1...

12 Arrested in Immigration Raid at O’Hare Airport Rideshare Parking Lot Friday

Federal immigration agents targeted Uber and Lyft drivers in a raid at a parking lot near Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Friday, according to a coalition of rideshare drivers.

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

ProPublica @propublica.org · 1d

NEW: Following public outcry, the Department of Education has reversed its decision to cut funding for students who have both hearing and vision loss, opting instead to reroute grants to an organization that will provide funding to these students.

Education Dept. Reverses Decision to Halt Funds for Deafblind Student Programs

Following public outcry, the Department of Education has reversed its decision to cut funding for students who have both hearing and vision loss, opting instead to reroute grants to an organization that will provide funding to these students.

www.propublica.org

Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃 @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 1d

Chicago Tonight | The Week in Review: Judge Temporarily Blocks Troops in Chicago; Government Shutdown Leads to Delays, with @michaeljliptrot.bsky.social @vimiller.bsky.social @aliceyin.bsky.social & host @ndblumberg.bsky.social news.wttw.com/2025/10/10/w...

Week in Review: Judge Temporarily Blocks Troops in Chicago; Government Shutdown Leads to Delays

Federal courts block the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago. And a judge bans ICE from using tear gas against protesters and reporters.

Reposted by Scared Bootecki (but really Jared Rutecki) 🎃

WTTW - Chicago PBS @wttw.bsky.social · 4d

The Department of Homeland Security is looking to purchase more buildings in Chicago to operate out of, Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday.

https://to.wttw.com/3ICDJrC

Homeland Security Plans to Purchase More Buildings in Chicago for ICE, Noem Says

The Department of Homeland Security is looking to purchase more buildings in Chicago to operate out of, Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday.