Chicago Flips Red (2026)

06/10/2026

CFR INVESTIGATES: THE DEVON HORTON KICKBACK CASE

FROM SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT TO FEDERAL DEFENDANT

A former Illinois school superintendent has admitted that the job he held overseeing a public school district became part of a federal criminal case involving contracts, undisclosed financial interests and kickbacks.

On October 5, 2026, former Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton changed his plea to guilty in federal court, bringing a major development in a case that has been unfolding since federal prosecutors announced charges against Horton and three other defendants.

Horton had originally pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Now he has admitted guilt to three federal counts.

And the case provides a window into how public-school contracting can become vulnerable when the people responsible for approving public expenditures have undisclosed financial relationships with vendors.

HOW THE SCHEME ALLEGEDLY WORKED

According to federal prosecutors, Horton used his position as superintendent of District 65 to steer professional-services contracts toward companies connected to people he knew.

The contracts were worth more than $280,000.

Prosecutors alleged that Horton received more than $80,000 in kickbacks connected to those contracts.

The issue wasn’t simply who received the contracts.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Horton concealed his financial interests from the District 65 Board of Education while participating in the contracting process.

That meant the school board was allegedly making decisions without being given the complete financial picture.

Horton has now admitted wrongdoing related to the scheme.

PUBLIC MONEY. PRIVATE BENEFIT.

The allegations went beyond contracting.

Horton admitted improperly using a District 65 procurement card for personal expenses.

He also admitted failing to report income connected to the scheme on his federal tax returns.

What began as questions surrounding school contracts ultimately became a federal investigation involving allegations of fraud, embezzlement and tax violations.

The investigation brought together federal law-enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General and the IRS, along with the Chicago Board of Education Office of Inspector General.

THEN THE CASE REACHED CHICAGO

There is another chapter to this story.

The federal investigation also involved people connected to Chicago Public Schools.

Two of Horton’s co-defendants were CPS employees at the time of the indictment:

Antonio Ross, who was identified as the principal of Hyde Park Academy, and Alfonzo Lewis, identified as the school’s athletic director.

Federal prosecutors also alleged that a company connected to Horton received approximately $10,000 from Chicago Public Schools for professional services.

Prosecutors alleged that false purchase orders and invoices were used for services that had not actually been performed.

That allegation is separate from Horton’s guilty plea, and the legal status of the other defendants must be distinguished from Horton’s admission of guilt.

But the CPS connection makes this case particularly important for Chicago taxpayers.

Because we’re no longer talking only about what happened inside one suburban school district.

We’re talking about a contracting relationship that federal prosecutors say touched Chicago’s public-school system as well.

THE PEOPLE WHO TRUSTED THE SYSTEM

Parents send their children to school expecting educators to educate.

Taxpayers provide the money expecting school officials to use it for students and legitimate district operations.

School boards establish procurement rules because public officials aren’t supposed to use their positions to enrich themselves or people connected to them.

That’s why conflicts of interest matter.

That’s why invoices matter.

That’s why purchase orders matter.

And that’s why independent oversight matters.

When those safeguards fail, the question isn’t merely how much money was involved.

It’s how the system allowed it to happen.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Horton’s guilty plea doesn’t end the broader case.

Another defendant, Samuel Ross, pleaded guilty September 29, 2026, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, according to reporting on the case.

Other defendants remain in the legal process.

Horton’s sentencing is scheduled for January 5, 2027.

For taxpayers, however, the story is bigger than sentencing.

The real issue is whether school districts have adequate controls to prevent contracts from becoming vehicles for undisclosed financial relationships.

Because the money being spent isn’t the superintendent’s money.

It isn’t the school board’s money.

It’s the public’s money.

And when that money moves through contracts, purchase orders and invoices, taxpayers should be able to follow the trail from beginning to end.

CFR INVESTIGATES:

WHO GOT THE CONTRACT?

WHO APPROVED IT?

WHAT DID TAXPAYERS RECEIVE?

AND WHO WAS WATCHING THE MONEY?

Flipsred.com

06/10/2026

The latest on education rankings and proficiency in Illinois.

06/10/2026

Four More Businesses Hit on 75th Street as Break-Ins Renew Questions Over Security and Parking Ban

by John Kugler SubX.News® Chicago Flips Red

Crime Report Oct 5, 2026

CHICAGO — Four businesses along the 75th Street commercial corridor were broken into overnight after vehicles were reportedly used to ram storefronts, renewing questions over repeated burglaries, nighttime parking restrictions and security along the South Side business district.

Latest incidents prompted 6th Ward Alderman William Hall to begin communicating with the Chicago Police Department at approximately 4:30 a.m. Monday, October 5.

Hall's office described the incidents as another series of break-ins affecting businesses along the corridor.

Our business owners should not have to start their day with broken glass, damaged property, and uncertainty about what comes next, Hall said.

They deserve a response that is immediate, coordinated, and focused on solutions. That work began before sunrise, and it will continue until we have addressed both the immediate damage and the larger security concerns along this corridor.

Concerned Citizens of Chatham reported Monday that vehicles were used to ram storefronts during the overnight break-ins.

The criminal element targeting the 75th Street business corridor has struck again, breaking into four businesses overnight by using vehicles to ram storefronts, the organization said.

The group questioned whether nighttime parking restrictions along the corridor have been effective.

Got to ask how effective is the parking ban, Concerned Citizens of Chatham said.

Closing businesses is not the answer. The answer is business owners, residents, elected officials, law enforcement, and community organizations coming together around real solutions—stronger storefront protections, coordinated camera coverage, rapid police response, support for affected businesses, and accountability for those responsible.

Our business corridor cannot thrive if entrepreneurs are left to absorb repeated losses alone, the group added.

The vehicle-ramming method was reported by Concerned Citizens of Chatham. Hall's statement confirms four break-ins but does not specify the method used to enter the businesses.

Chicago Flips Red also reported the four incidents Monday while documenting what it described as a broader series of burglaries affecting businesses and vehicles across parts of the South Side.

Bronzeville. Hyde Park. 75th Street. The break-ins keep coming, Chicago Flips Red reported.

The outlet cited 69 vehicle burglaries in Bronzeville, multiple businesses hit during an overnight spree in Bronzeville and Hyde Park, more than 40 additional vehicle burglaries investigated by CPD across Bronzeville and the South Loop, three businesses hit on one block of South King Drive Sunday, and four businesses reportedly hit overnight along 75th Street.

Chicago Flips Red cautioned that investigators have not established the cases as one connected operation.

These cases have not been established as one connected operation, the outlet reported.

But the question is unavoidable:

WHO IS PROTECTING CHICAGO’S SMALL BUSINESSES?

Business owners are paying for broken windows, stolen equipment, damaged storefronts—and lost business, Chicago Flips Red said.

We’re not just counting broken windows. We’re counting the cost to Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Concerns Predate Latest Break-Ins

Concerns over security along 75th Street predate Monday's incidents.

Chicago Flips Red reported August 26 that Brown Sugar Bakery, 328 E. 75th Street, had been hit by another smash-and-grab, its second break-in in less than a month.

According to the outlet's report citing Chicago police, four individuals broke through the bakery's front window and stole a cash register.

Chicago Flips Red also reported obtaining surveillance footage from 606 Lounge timestamped approximately 1:51 a.m. August 25. The footage reportedly showed individuals arriving in a Hyundai, getting out and approaching the business. The business told the outlet the individuals attempted to break in.

Brown Sugar Bakery was burglarized later that morning farther along the corridor.

Chicago Flips Red said it had not yet independently established whether the individuals involved in the attempted break-in at 606 Lounge were the same individuals involved in the Brown Sugar burglary.

The outlet nevertheless raised a question that has resurfaced following the latest incidents:

WHO IS PROTECTING 75TH STREET?

Parking Restrictions Under Scrutiny

Chicago Flips Red's August investigation also documented complaints from businesses about nighttime parking restrictions.

The outlet reported obtaining a City of Chicago Police Order designating an entire block as a no-parking tow zone during approximately 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., hours affecting restaurants, lounges and other nighttime establishments.

The people coming to spend money are being told they can’t park. Meanwhile, businesses are still being targeted by criminals in the middle of the night, Chicago Flips Red reported.

How does that help protect or strengthen a commercial corridor?

The August report also raised questions about legislation introduced by Hall seeking to prohibit additional liquor and package-goods licenses along portions of 75th, 79th and 71st streets.

Chicago Flips Red noted the proposal concerned additional licenses and would not automatically close existing licensed establishments.

Break-ins.
Attempted break-ins.
Nighttime parking restrictions.
Businesses saying they’re losing customers. Additional licensing restrictions.

This is how we get pushed out, Chicago Flips Red said.

It doesn’t always begin with a bulldozer.

The outlet asked who requested the Police Order tow zones, how frequently they were being imposed, whether their economic impact had been considered and what was being done to protect businesses overnight.

Chicago Flips Red ended that investigation by asking:

WHERE IS THE SSA MONEY GOING?

SSA Paying for Board-Ups

Hall's October 5 statement now identifies the Special Service Area as part of the response to the latest break-ins.

The SSA is covering necessary board-ups for impacted businesses, helping owners secure their properties without immediately absorbing the expense, according to Hall's office.

Hall has also called an emergency meeting exclusively for 75th Street business owners and business license holders. Representatives from CPD and the SSA have been invited to participate and answer questions directly from business owners.

This is not a meeting for speeches, Hall said.

We are bringing the people responsible for public safety, corridor support, and business resources to the same table with the people directly affected. We need answers. We need solutions. And our business owners need to leave knowing exactly what happens next.

The emergency meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 9 a.m. at Soul Vegetarian East, 203 E. 75th Street.

The meeting will focus on security, accountability, immediate solutions and steps to strengthen protections for businesses along 75th Street.

Our businesses are the backbone of 75th Street, Hall said.

When they are hit, we respond. When they need answers, we get the right people in the room. And when there is work to be done, we do it.

Latest break-ins leave questions over whether any of the incidents are connected to earlier burglaries, whether nighttime parking restrictions are improving security, and what additional measures will be taken to protect businesses facing repeated property damage and losses along the corridor.

06/10/2026

CHICAGO’S FOOD IS PART OF OUR IDENTITY

Chicago is known for its food.

People travel from across the country—and from around the world—to experience what Chicago puts on a plate.

From the neighborhoods on the South and West Sides to restaurants downtown, Chicago’s food culture is built on generations of people who turned recipes, traditions and family kitchens into something the entire city could be proud of.

But behind every great restaurant is a person.

A chef.

A family.

A story.

And today, Chicago is mourning the loss of Chef Royce, the chef and owner of Soul Prime.

Her passing is not simply the loss of a restaurant owner or a talented cook. It is the loss of someone who became part of Chicago’s culinary story.

Soul Prime became more than a place to eat. It became a destination—one of the restaurants that people talked about, traveled to and shared with others.

Chef Royce showed what can happen when food connects with people. Her work at Soul Prime helped put a spotlight on Chicago’s Black culinary community and the entrepreneurs who continue to create, build and serve their communities every day.

Chicago has always had food that tells a story.

Our food tells stories about immigration.
It tells stories about the Great Migration.
It tells stories about Black Chicago.
It tells stories about family, struggle, entrepreneurship and neighborhood pride.

That is why people come here hungry—but leave with an experience.

And that is why the loss of a chef can feel like the loss of a piece of the city itself.

Today, we remember Chef Royce—not only for what she served at Soul Prime, but for what she represented.

Chicago eats because Chicago creates.

And behind every plate is somebody’s dream.

Rest in peace, Chef Royce.

From Chicago Flips Red, our condolences go out to her family, friends, employees, customers and everyone whose life she touched through food.

Flipsred.com

06/10/2026

🚨 CFR CRIME REPORT: 14-YEAR-OLD REFUGEE SHOT IN THE NECK WALKING HOME FROM SCHOOL

WEST RIDGE — OCTOBER 5, 2026

A 14-year-old boy was critically wounded in a broad-daylight shooting Friday afternoon after leaving Mather High School in Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood.

According to police, the teen was on the sidewalk in the 6300 block of North Rockwell Street shortly after 3 p.m. on October 2 when he was shot in the neck. He was transported to Lurie Children’s Hospital in critical condition.

A witness told ABC7 that the teenager is a refugee from Myanmar and had been walking home with a classmate after leaving Mather High School when the shooting occurred.

Police have arrested 19-year-old Muhammad Sayadul Boshar, who was taken into custody Friday night in the Lakeview area.

Boshar faces felony charges including:

• Attempted first-degree murder
• Aggravated battery with a fi***rm
• Aggravated discharge of a fi***rm at an occupied vehicle

Police allege Boshar shot the 14-year-old and then fired at a 24-year-old man inside an occupied vehicle. That man was not struck.

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST SHOOTING CONNECTED TO THE AREA AROUND MATHER

In May 2025, a 17-year-old Mather student was shot in the arm during school dismissal near Mather Park. (CBS News)

In August 2025, a 29-year-old man was fatally shot inside a vehicle near Mather High School.

And in June 2024, a shooting near Mather left a 16-year-old dead and two other teenagers wounded.

That history raises a serious public-safety question:

What is being done to protect students walking home from Mather High School and residents living around the school?

A 14-year-old should be able to walk home from school without being caught in gunfire.

CFR INVESTIGATES.

Flipsred.com

06/10/2026

CFR COMMENTARY: BARACK OBAMA IS BACK ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Barack Obama is heading back to Detroit.

On October 24, Obama is scheduled to campaign alongside Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson as Democrats mobilize voters ahead of the November 3 election. The event also falls on the first day of Michigan’s statewide early in-person voting period.

And that raises a bigger question:

What exactly does Barack Obama represent to America in 2026?

For some, Obama remains a historic former president and an influential Democratic voice. For others, his presidency represents policies they believe moved the country in the wrong direction.

Those disagreements aren’t imaginary. Obama’s administration made consequential decisions on healthcare, federal spending and taxation, immigration, foreign policy, military operations, and regulation. His administration itself points to the Recovery Act, the Affordable Care Act, the Iran nuclear agreement, the opening to Cuba, and other policies as major accomplishments.

Critics have challenged many of those same policies and their long-term effects.

So instead of treating Obama like a political celebrity whose endorsement settles an election, let’s talk about the record.

What did his policies actually accomplish?

What did they cost?

Who benefited?

Who didn’t?

And why should voters in Detroit—or anywhere else—believe that bringing the Obama brand back onto the campaign trail is the answer to today’s problems?

CFR isn’t asking voters to worship political personalities. We’re asking voters to examine the record.

Barack Obama is back on the trail.
So should the questions about his record.

Flipsred.com

06/10/2026

CFR INVESTIGATES: THE $25,000 ACCLIVUS QUESTION

A $25,000 political expenditure deserves a closer look—not because it proves wrongdoing, but because of what happened immediately afterward.

On November 20, 2024, Friends of Brandon Johnson reported a $25,000 contribution to Acclivus, Inc. in Illinois campaign-finance records.

Five days later, Acclivus CEO LeVon Stone sent Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo Ige a formal protest concerning the City’s violence-prevention funding process, copying Mayor Brandon Johnson.

That timing raises a straightforward public-records question:

Why was the mayor’s political organization financially supporting an organization that was simultaneously seeking substantial City violence-prevention funding?

The Johnson administration characterized the $25,000 as part of philanthropic giving. Acclivus said the money was not payment for services and remained in its reserves.

But the story didn’t end with the contribution.

Acclivus ultimately became a major recipient of Chicago Department of Public Health violence-prevention funding. Meanwhile, Ige raised concerns about aspects of the organization’s contracting and payment arrangements. The dispute eventually reached senior officials within the Johnson administration.

Ige later left her position.

That does not prove that the $25,000 contribution caused her departure, nor does it establish a quid pro quo.

But it does establish something worth examining:

A political contribution.
A pending City procurement.
A dispute with the health department.
Millions of dollars in public funding.
And a commissioner who subsequently left City Hall.

The unanswered questions are simple:

* Who approved the Acclivus contract?
* How was Acclivus scored during the RFP?
* Who authorized subsequent amendments?
* Why did the contract grow substantially?
* What concerns did Ige raise internally?
* What role did the mayor’s senior staff play?
* And was the $25,000 completely unrelated to the contracting decisions that followed?

Those answers should come from the documents—not political talking points.

Chicago taxpayers deserve the paper trail.

CFR INVESTIGATES.

Flipsred.com

05/10/2026

🚨 CFR INVESTIGATES

SBK: CHICAGO SMALL BUSINESS KILLERS

Bronzeville. Hyde Park. 75th Street. The break-ins keep coming.

Chicago’s small businesses are being hit with a string of burglaries across the South Side.

In recent weeks:

* 69 vehicles were burglarized in Bronzeville.
* Multiple businesses were hit in Bronzeville and Hyde Park in one overnight spree.
* CPD investigated 40+ additional vehicle burglaries across Bronzeville and the South Loop.
* Three businesses on one block of South King Drive were hit Sunday.
* And four businesses were reportedly hit overnight along the 75th Street corridor, with vehicles allegedly used to ram storefronts.

These cases have not been established as one connected operation.

But the question is unavoidable:

WHO IS PROTECTING CHICAGO’S SMALL BUSINESSES?

Business owners are paying for broken windows, stolen equipment, damaged storefronts—and lost business.

CFR is tracking the incidents, the arrests, the charges and whether investigators find connections between cases.

We’re not just counting broken windows.

We’re counting the cost to Chicago’s neighborhoods.

SBK

CHICAGO SMALL BUSINESS KILLERS

CFR INVESTIGATES.

Flipsred.com

05/10/2026

CFR INVESTIGATES — PART 2

BILLIONS IN PUBLIC FUNDING — BUT WHAT ARE CHICAGO’S CHILDREN GETTING?

Chicago Public Schools is operating a $10.11 billion FY2027 budget.

CPS says it received $576 million in TIF funding from the City during FY2026, after budgeting for $379 million. The district’s current FY2027 budget assumes another $285 million in TIF surplus revenue. (Chicago Public Schools)

The money is significant.

So are the needs.

22,438 STUDENTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS

During the 2024–25 school year, CPS identified 22,438 students experiencing homelessness.

That represented approximately 6.9% of the district’s student population.

The majority—about 80%—were living doubled-up with other people because of housing instability or economic hardship. Another 4,239 students were living in shelters. (Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness)

These aren’t abstract budget numbers.

These are children showing up to Chicago classrooms while dealing with unstable housing.

THEN THERE IS STUDENT SAFETY

CPS has an Office of Inspector General specifically responsible for investigating allegations involving sexual misconduct by CPS-affiliated adults, including employees, contractors, vendors and charter-school personnel. (Chicago Public Schools)

The CPS OIG’s FY2025 annual report documents multiple sexual-misconduct investigations, including cases involving students and staff on the same high-school campus. The report includes a section dedicated specifically to sexual allegations and individual case findings. (AIG - Association of Inspectors General)

Separately, more than 700 CPS employees had sustained misconduct findings between January 3, 2025 and January 6, 2026. The cases ranged from workplace violations to more serious allegations including harassment, discrimination and fraud; the reporting also identified employees facing allegations of sexual abuse.

Student safety remains a major accountability issue inside a school system receiving billions of dollars in public funding.

THE QUESTION CFR IS ASKING

CPS says its FY2027 budget is designed around student needs.

Its budget documents also acknowledge:

* declining enrollment;
* growing costs;
* more than $9 billion in existing district debt;
* an aging school portfolio;
* nearly $4 billion in immediate critical facility needs; and
* continued reliance on TIF surplus revenue. (Chicago Public Schools)

At the same time, the district continues to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in TIF revenue.

So here’s the question:

How much money is flowing into CPS—and what measurable outcomes are Chicago children receiving in return?

Not just buildings.

Not just budgets.

Children.

Are fewer students experiencing homelessness?

Are schools safer?

Are sexual-misconduct investigations being resolved appropriately?

Are vulnerable students receiving the services they need?

Are declining enrollment and increasing expenditures being addressed?

FOLLOW THE RESULTS

CFR isn’t arguing that funding schools is unnecessary.

We’re asking taxpayers to look beyond the headline budget number.

If hundreds of millions of dollars in TIF revenue are being transferred to CPS, taxpayers should be able to trace that money from collection to expenditure to outcome.

Because the real measure of a school system isn’t simply:

How much money did it receive?

It’s:

What happened to the children?

CHICAGO FLIPS RED

Follow the money.
Follow the records.
Follow the outcomes.

Flipsred.com

05/10/2026

CFR INVESTIGATES

CHICAGO’S TIF MONEY: $2.15 MILLION FOR TWO CPS PROJECTS

Chicago is preparing to approve up to $2.15 million in Tax Increment Financing funds for two Chicago Public Schools projects.

The money comes from two separate TIF districts.

WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING

Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School
3444 W. Wabansia Ave.
$1.15 million — Pulaski TIF

The proposed funding would support construction of an artificial-turf soccer field.

Suder Montessori Magnet Elementary School
2022 W. Washington Blvd.
$1 million — Central West TIF

The proposed funding would support gym-floor, classroom-ceiling and lighting improvements.

Both ordinances were introduced September 23, 2026.

FOLLOW THE TIF MONEY

The Central West TIF is where the numbers get considerably larger.

According to the Illinois Comptroller’s FY2025 report, Central West ended the year with approximately $84.8 million in its TIF fund balance.

During FY2025, the district generated approximately $44.2 million in property-tax increment revenue and reported approximately $44.6 million in expenditures.

The district also reported approximately $13.05 million in surplus distribution.

That raises a straightforward question:

How is Chicago deciding what stays in TIF accounts, what gets spent, and what gets returned to the taxing bodies?

THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT TWO SCHOOLS

City records show TIF financing has also been used for other CPS capital projects, including projects involving Kenwood Academy, James Weldon Johnson Elementary, Perkins Bass Elementary, James B. Farnsworth Elementary and Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center.

So the $2.15 million proposed for Stowe and Suder should be examined within the broader picture of TIF-funded CPS construction and improvements.

THE TAXPAYER QUESTION

TIF revenue comes from the increase in property-tax revenue generated within designated TIF districts.

That money has statutory restrictions. It cannot simply be transferred into the City’s general fund whenever officials want.

But Chicago taxpayers should still be able to see the complete ledger:

* How much each TIF district collects
* How much remains
* What has been committed
* What has actually been spent
* What has been declared surplus
* Which taxing bodies received surplus distributions
* How much has gone toward CPS projects

Chicago is simultaneously projecting an $882.4 million 2027 budget gap.

That makes transparency over every major pool of public revenue even more important.

CFR’S BOTTOM LINE

We’re not arguing against improving Chicago schools.

We’re asking a much simpler question:

When Chicago collects property-tax increment revenue through TIF, who ultimately benefits from that money—and how is City Hall deciding where it goes?

$2.15 million is the transaction.

The TIF system is the story.

CHICAGO FLIPS RED — FOLLOW THE MONEY.

Flipsred.com

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