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The cul-de-sac clearing process is expected to take up to six weeks, with crews active daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. — including on weekends.

One hundred and seventy minutes.That’s how long it took federal prosecutors to make their case Wednesday that Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, of Chicago offered $10,000 for the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino.The feds say Espinoza Martinez became “fixated” on Bovino last October because he saw him as “the face of the threat” to the Little Village community. But to prove their allegations, prosecutors summoned only three witnesses to a 17th-floor courtroom at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, who spent a little less than three hours on the witness stand, combined. Related Chicago’s first Midway Blitz trial could center on feds’ Bovino murder-for-hire claim Closing arguments are expected Thursday morning, and then it’ll be up to the jury to decide whether it’s convinced that Espinoza Martinez is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Key to the case could be whether prosecutors have shown that he intended for the murder to be carried out.It’s the first trial to result from the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign in Chicago, known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”“What the defendant did was a solicitation of murder,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Minje Shin told the jury during opening statements Wednesday. “And no matter what the reasons are, murder is murder and solicitation is a crime.”The prosecution will likely hinge on the testimony of Adrian Jimenez. He’s the 44-year-old previously anonymous “source of information” who passed a message he’d received from Espinoza Martinez on to Homeland Security Investigations last fall.Another crucial piece of evidence could be Espinoza Martinez’s Oct. 6 interview with federal agents. Jurors saw portions of that video-recorded interview Wednesday, in which a flustered and nervous Espinoza Martinez insisted, “I didn’t threaten anybody.”Espinoza Martinez did not testify in his own defense. Instead, his attorneys summoned his younger brother, Oscar Martinez, as their lone witness. He testified for 24 minutes. Dirksen Federal Courthouse, 219 S. Dearborn St. | Rich Hein/Sun-TimesSun-Times Media “Juan Martinez is not guilty,” defense attorney Jonathan Bedi told the jury during opening statements. “He’s not guilty because repeating neighborhood gossip is not a federal crime.”Things were moving fast in Little Village last October, he said, and people in the community were sharing information with each other out of “self-preservation.”Prosecutors say Espinoza Martinez sent Jimenez a picture of Bovino via Snapchat in early October. A message allegedly followed that said, “2k on info cuando lo agarren,” “10k if u take him down,” and “LK … on him.”Jimenez testified Wednesday that he understood that to mean “$2,000 when they grab him … $10,000 if you kill him … Latin Kings are on him.”Jimenez walked slowly and with a limp as he made his way to the witness stand Wednesday. He told the jurors he had back pain. But he still testified for an hour about his background and his interactions with Espinoza Martinez.Jimenez said he was born in Mexico and came to the United States as a child. He became a legal permanent resident in 2017 and owns a small construction company. That’s how he got to know Espinoza Martinez, who also works in construction.Because messages sent by Snapchat disappear after they’re read, and users are notified when screenshots are taken, Jimenez testified that he used another phone to take a photo of the message allegedly sent to him by Espinoza Martinez.“Did [Espinoza Martinez] say that he was joking?” Shin asked.Jimenez said he did not. Related Opening statements expected Wednesday in Bovino murder-for-hire trial Jimenez also acknowledged that he’s been a longtime law enforcement source, working for local police as early as the mid-1990s before working with the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations. He said his relationship with Homeland Security goes back more than 15 years.He also said he was convicted of a felony around 2000 or 2001 and served a prison sentence…

Canada’s six largest markets recorded a combined 3.9 per cent year-over-year increase from 2024, driven by record annual starts in Calgary and Edmonton.

Ben Johnson is prepared to lose staffers to promotions elsewhere.Wednesday, two Bears position coaches took steps toward that end.Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy took the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator job reuniting with head coach Andy Reid and taking the place of former Bears head coach Matt Nagy, who is interviewing for head coaching and coordinator jobs elsewhere.Defensive backs coach Al Harris interviewed for the rival Packers defensive coordinator job Wednesday. Harris played cornerback in Green Bay from 2003-09, going to two Pro Bowls during his stint there. Packers coordinator Jeff Hafley was named the Dolphins' head coach this week.Under Bieniemy, the Bears finished third in the league in rushing. Under Harris, they led the NFL in interceptions.Wednesday, Johnson said that a few NFL teams had put in coaching interview request slips for members of his staff. He called his employees a “five-star staff,” saying it was rare for head coaches to find the right mix in Year 1 the way he did.Johnson said he encourages his staffers to seek promotions — but also values coaches who want to be in Chicago.“I see future head coaches on this staff,” he said. “I see future coordinators. I see these young coaches being future position coaches. I see that across the board. So, when you have success and you win games, normally that's what happens. …“And I'm all for it, man. I want these guys to continue to ascend, anything I can do to help them out. I think they all know I'm more than willing to do that.” 

A severe temperature drop is expected beginning early Thursday, and the wind chill is forecast to make it feel like -46 at sunrise.