Scooterworks Chicago, course carts opening and the start of anti-trans policies under Trump
plus, ICE in Chicago
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! It’s your newsletter team Lauren, Elliot, Ellie, Audrey, Gia, Annabelle, Eli and Lesly. We’ve got a good one for you today.
To start, we have a feature on a scooter repair shop in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. Then, we have information on the Blue Demon Challenge, the Secret Service at a Chicago elementary school and the new U.S. Secretary of Defense. To conclude, we have information on ICE raids in the city and a recommendation for Mac Miller’s posthumous album. Also, check out our updated resources guide for immigration resources at the end of the newsletter.
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For scooter needs, community and a cozy vibe turn to Scooterworks
By Elliot Allison
Situated in a large warehouse on the quiet corner of N. Damen and W. Balmoral just south of the Rosehill Cemetery, is one of the few vespa-style motor-scooter repair shops serving Chicagoland: Scooterworks Chicago.
Over the years, the warehouse has lost any of the daunting industrial nature it once might have had, and now peeks out toward the street charmingly between a few trees. The service entrance sits to the left, a few old scooters and signs sit rusting on a patch of grass in front of a short asphalt drive leading to the garage. A light dusting of snow covers the ground, and a few vines poke their way up, climbing the yellow-brick façade of the building.
Inside, the warmth is a welcome break from the cold and the smell of two-stroke oil and gasoline is immediately present in the air. It’s nostalgic for those of us who grew up surrounded by old cars that barely ran and boats that didn’t, and welcoming. Lines of scooters and motorcycles decorate the floor forming colorful hallways to the service desk in the back and the sales counter to the right. Banners denoting the company’s brands and services hang from the ceiling.
Founded in 1989 as a scooter parts, repair and accessories supply shop, Scooterworks has a rich Chicago history. Originally, the company was run out of the building next door to the present-day warehouse, with the warehouse originally serving as a workshop and office space. When the company moved to create an in-house brand of scooters in 2002, Genuine, the original building became too small, leading to the purchase of a much larger warehouse at Grand and Western. At this point, Scooterworks Chicago was born, as the local dealership wing of Scooterworks USA.
Nathan Oakes, the general manager of Scooterworks Chicago, who has been with the company since 2017 when he started as a junior mechanic, called the company the “hometown heroes, as far as scooters go.” The hometown charm of Scooterworks extends beyond the brand success, also, he said.
The scooter-riding community — having popped up in Chicago, like in most larger cities, due to bad traffic and high gas and vehicle prices — is very important to Scooterworks. The company organizes group rides and gatherings in addition to providing a space for community members to get advice and help with their projects. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, there are some still scooter-riders coming in to get routine service done and chat, Oakes said.
A typical winter decline in ridership is to be expected, but the overall trend in the number of people riding scooters has largely not changed, according to Oakes. However, recently there has been more of a shift to favoring electric and electric folding scooters, like the Lime and Spin varieties that regularly decorate street corners which have become an alternative to the CTA. “The rental scooters, of course, you see people treat them like they would an Uber except with their own freedom to go where they will,” Oakes said. Over time people see the costs of renting the scooters add up and consider buying their own, he added. Scooterworks now offers some repairs for personal folding electric scooters and Genuine sells a model of their own.
Folding electric scooters can provide a cheaper alternative to cars or larger scooters and are convenient to carry and store. The scooter community as a whole is also generally welcoming to electric-scooter riders, Oakes said. “It doesn’t really matter what you ride as long as you’re having fun and being safe,” he said. However, the small scooters can be dangerous and riders can often be seen ignoring traffic regulations and leaving the scooters in unsavory places such as in people’s yards or lying across the sidewalk.
In addition to lower cost folding electric scooters, there is also a strong second-hand market for older gas scooters, which can be an affordable introduction to the community, though the costs to get foregone maintenance up to spec can be daunting. Scooterworks is often willing to help with these tasks, even as just an advisor. “We answer questions,” Oakes said. “If somebody has a project they’re working on, I love weird stuff. I love custom projects and things that are being modified beyond what the factory had ever intended.”
The doors to Scooterworks, Oakes said, are wide open. “Come one, come all. Bring your scooters, bring your projects, we’ve got something for everyone.”
DePaul News
By Ellie Shelton
Course carts open today — DePaul students are now able to add classes to their course carts. Registration begins in February — students can find their registration date and time in their Campus Connect account. Registration for the summer quarter is now separate from spring quarter registration, beginning on April 14. For more details, check your student email.
Blue Demon Challenge begins Thursday — Faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and friends will come together to support the university by giving back for DePaul’s annual Blue Demon Challenge on January 30. Donors can direct their donations toward areas of DePaul that are most important to them including athletics, scholarships or student organizations — including 14 East. Be sure to check our socials for more information! DePaul Newsline has more.
College of Education earns $500,000 for Special Education Teachers — DePaul’s College of Education has received a nearly $500,000 Job Training and Economic Development Teacher Apprenticeship Program grant bolstered by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and the Illinois State Board of Education. With the creation of a two-year pilot program, special education teaching assistants will be provided a pathway to earn licensure and lead their own class. DePaul Newsline has more.
Chicago Headlines
By Audrey Leib
Secret Service Agents Denied Entry at Hamline Elementary — At a Back of the Yards neighborhood elementary school, Secret Service agents were turned away by school administrators. The agents were from the Chicago Field Office and were investigating a threat made against a “government official” protected by the federal agent. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) initially reported that the Secret Service agents were ICE agents. A spokesperson for ICE denied that agents visited the school. A CPS source said the federal agents were there to investigate an 11-year-old who posted an anti-Trump video. Francia Garcia Hernandez has more from Block Club Chicago here.
ICE Targets Chicago — ICE, the largest branch of the Department of Homeland Security, is officially in Chicago. Agents from the FBI; Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Drug Enforcement Agency; Customs and Border Protection; and U.S. Marshals are conducting “enhanced targeted operations today in Chicago to enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security.” The launch of “Operation Safeguard” comes a day after four Chicago-based immigrants rights groups filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, stating that the planned raids violate human rights and are a “retaliation against Chicago’s sanctuary city status.” Chicago City Council squashed a push to change the sanctuary city rules so CPD could cooperate with ICE earlier this month. Read more from Charles Thrush at Block Club Chicago here.
Lori Lightfoot to provide summary of Dolton Mayor investigation — Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is set to provide a final summary of the investigation into Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s spending. Henyard is alleged to have spent nearly $3.5 million in public funds. Lightfoot was hired by the Dolton Board of Trustees to investigate Henyard’s alleged misuse of funds. The investigation focuses on Henyard’s misuse, including overspending on credit cards, $40,000 in public funds spent on Amazon and a controversial Las Vegas trip. You can watch Lightfoot’s summary of the investigation tonight on CBS Chicago’s YouTube page. Read more here from Marissa Permian and Elyssa Kaufman and Jermont Terry at CBS Chicago.
Lookingglass Theatre to Reopen on Thursday — The Lookingglass theatre will reopen later this week after renovations to its lobby, bar and cafe. Officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday with co-founder David Schwimmer and Gov. JB Pritzker. Schwimmer co-founded the theatre in 1988 after his graduation from Northwestern University. The theatre’s reopening show is “Circus Quixote” and will run until March 30. The theatre is located at 821 North Michigan Ave. Read more from Fox32’s Alex Ortiz.
National Headlines
By Gia Clarke
Pete Hegseth is the new Secretary of Defense — In a tie breaking vote casted by Vice President JD Vance, Fox News host Pete Hegseth is the new secretary of defense. Hegseth is a far-right Christian extremist who appears to endorse “sphere sovereignty,” a Christian-based theocratic and authoritarian doctrine. He has been accused of sexual assault from his ex-wife, and, according to an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, his second wife feared for her safety a lot of the time, hiding in her closet to escape him. He is also known to drink excessively at work and at home, and has said women shouldn’t be in combat roles. Staff from The Guardian have more information.
Colombia agrees to Trump’s deportation terms after tariff standoff — Colombia agreed to all of Trump’s deportation terms Sunday after Trump threatened to impose tariffs and visa sanctions. According to Colombian Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, Colombia “will continue to receive Colombians deported, guaranteeing them dignified conditions as citizens subject to rights.” The tariffs he was going to impose if Colombia did not comply would start at 25% on all goods and would rise to 50% in one week. In response, Gustavo Petro, the president of Colombia, directed Colombia's foreign trade minister to raise tariffs on imports from the United States by 25% and to direct exports everywhere else but the U.S. NBC has more information.
Woman gets more than three years in prison for helping pregnant Chinese women get to the U.S. — California woman Phoebe Dong was sentenced 41 months in prison for running a business that helped more than 100 pregnant Chinese women travel to the U.S. in order to take advantage of birthright citizenship. Her husband, Michael Liu, was also sentenced to 41 months in December. Dong’s lawyer asked if the judge could let her and her ex-husband serve their sentences at separate times, so as to not leave their child parentless, but the judge refused. Amy Taxin from The Associated Press has more information.
Trump begins anti-trans legislation — Trump recently signed an executive order declaring that people can only legally be defined as only male or female. It rejects that people can transition from one gender to another or to be considered as nonbinary. Trump said his intention is to protect women’s spaces from those who self-identify as women. Incarcerated transgender women may have to be housed in male prisons. Geoff Mulvhill and Carla K. Johnson from The Associated Press has more information.
14 East Pueblo: ICE begins mass deportations, with Dr. Phil broadcasting
By Annabelle Rivera
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) touched down in Chicago on Sunday to begin their deportation raids that have gripped the city’s immigrant communities with fear. Several other agencies flew in to conduct raids and television personality Dr. Phil broadcasted updates.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with federal partners, including the FBI, ATF, DEA, CBP and the U.S. Marshals Service, began conducting enhanced targeted operations today in Chicago to enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities,” ICE wrote in a statement on X.
Talk show host Dr. Phil, also known as Dr. Phillip C. McGraw, joined the agencies in an unexpected move to broadcast the raids. In a video on X, McGraw urged viewers to download an app where they could view a live feed of deportation coverage. It is unclear why McGraw was present or if he will continue to join raids, but it could signal an effort by Trump to get positive PR for an operation that has stoked fear and uncertainty in immigrant communities nationwide.
Last month, Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan announced that mass deportation would begin in Chicago. Leaked plans last week showed that ICE planned to start operations this past Tuesday, but reconsidered after the information became public. Gov. JB Pritzker says the raids could affect as many as 2,000 people. The agencies say they will target illegal immigrants with a criminal record, but their plans reportedly allow officers to arrest immigrants not initially targeted.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Eli Smith
When it was announced that Mac Miller’s album “Balloonerism” was being released, fans like me were struck with an uncomfortable truth. This would likely be the last time we hear music from him for the first time, as Miller passed away in 2018 from an accidental drug overdose. Thankfully the project was recorded and almost entirely completed over 10 years ago, allowing the final product to be more artistically genuine than most posthumous releases. The project was originally shelved for being too experimental, and it is nothing short of breathtaking.
The music Miller was making between 2013-2014, including “Balloonerism” and the cult-classic album “Faces,” have been aptly described as drug-fueled. While Miller never shied away from referencing recreational drugs in his musical catalog, “Balloonerism” provides listeners with a blatantly clear representation of how his struggles with addiction shaped his worldview and fueled creative production. Substance use seemed to be an inescapable component to his ability to make music, and “Balloonerism” explores this crutch with unflinching honesty.
He openly criticizes and bargains with his addictions on tracks like “Friendly Hallucinations” or “Mrs. Deborah Downer,” contextualizing his relationship with drugs in the same way he raps about unhealthy romantic relationships. Despite how prevalent they are thematically, solely calling this a drug album would be a gross oversimplification, as “Balloonerism” is perhaps Miller’s most existential project.
Throughout the album, Miller grapples with his conception of mortality and his disillusionment with reality, notably on tracks like “Rick’s Piano” and “Funny Papers.” He explores the concepts of life and death with an otherworldly comfort and maturity at just 22-years-old.
In addition to the album’s thematic direction, the musical landscapes of the project are complex and he explores them fearlessly. Rich piano or chord organ sections are sonically pervasive across the project. The keys on each song have a hollow timbre and allow each track to take up a substantial amount of space. Having a musical groundwork like that allows for sonic elements like the guitars on “Stoned” or the intense vocal distortion that closes out “Do You Have A Destination?” to have a colossal impact.
“Balloonerism” serves as an indication that Miller was always bound to be a prolific songwriter. Without projects like this one, we likely would never have emotionally mature projects like “Circles” or sonically enthralling albums like “The Divine Feminine.” Now we finally see the full picture of Mac Miller’s prolific career. I’ll always be grateful for that.
Resources
Need resources regarding immigration, cooling centers, rental assistance, abortion access, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s it for today! See you next Monday.
The 14 East Newsletter Team