iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Colin Boyle @colinbphoto.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Here’s what @blockclubchi.bsky.social reporters and photographers captured while covering the city’s neighborhoods this week: This Week In Photos: Johnson Joins Mayoral Race, Mexican Independence Day Celebrated blockclubchicago.org/2026/09/18/t...

Dancers in traditional costumes march in the street during the annual 26th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade in Little Village on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. Credit: Jim Vondruska for Block Club Chicago

Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a press conference after he announced he would run for re-election at the DuSable Museum on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. Credit: Giacomo Cain/Block Club Chicago

Rate Field is seen in Bridgeport on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. Credit: Talia Sprague for Block Club Chicago

The Morales family tries on a quinceañera dress at Alborada Quince, 3434 W. 26th St., in Little Village on Aug. 13, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

"Members of the group Patriot Front ride the metro as a commuter looks on, during the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 4, 2026. REUTERS/Cheney Orr"

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 03/07/2026

I miss proper Texas brisket so much ngl.

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gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Unfortunately my phone died so I didn't get as much video as I had hoped but here is Michelle, Persia's mother, speaking:

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 15/04/2026

Your hair ends at the top of Violet's head tho lmao

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 15/04/2026

Oh and they are both incredibly good photographers ngl. Ellery's food photos are always gorgeous and Violet could give me a run for my money on certain assignments lol.

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 15/04/2026

The only thing that @ellery.bsky.social and @vimiller.bsky.social have in common is being iconic baddies who I happen to be friends with fwiw lmao. So don't go on confusing the two of them lol.

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ellery @ellery.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

A very important personal message for you all today: No, @vimiller.bsky.social and I are NOT the same person. And the fact that y'all keep confusing us says something about Society™️ in case you need more clarification: chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/2026...

COMMENTARY
OTHER VIEWS
LGBTQ+
No, my Sun-Times colleague, Violet Miller, and lare not the same person
Many people can't tell us apart because they don't know or understand trans women, a deficit that fuels policies and rhetoric that harm us all.
By Ellery Jones | Apr 15, 2026, 6:00am CDT
Chicago Sun-Times reporter Violet Miller (left) and Sun-Times and
WBEZ Innovation Editor Ellery Jones | Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times

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Violet Miller @vimiller.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

“We shouldn’t have to sacrifice our identity to be included,” said organizer Keinan Carpenter, 25. “If I can’t play professionally, how can I make a space that’s professional athletics for queer and trans people? That’s the goal. There’s no limit, there’s no ‘I can’t’ — let me just make the space.”

chicago.suntimes.com

Trans Day of Visibility basketball tournament creates space for trans athletes amid international sports bans

The court, split into competitive and recreational sides, pitted players of all genders against each other for 15-minute matchups less than a week after transgender female athletes were banned from wo...

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Colin Boyle @colinbphoto.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

See what @blockclubchi.bsky.social reporters have captured while covering the city’s neighborhoods lately. This Week In Photos: Jesse Jackson Laid To Rest, Hundreds March For Women’s Day And More blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/13/t...

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shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

very disappointed to see @thetriibe.com fired one of its staffers after they went public with their union campaign and has still not voluntarily recognized the union. solidarity with @onetriibeunited.bsky.social ✊

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onetriibeunited.bsky.social @onetriibeunited.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Corli Jay, The TRiiBE’s community investment reporter was terminated by TRiiBE leadership on March 9 alleging that she had broken nonexistent company ethics rules.

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gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

it's baseball season baby

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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

the Epstein files are really devastating because they remind me of how many girls and women miss out on professional opportunities, mentorship and careers because of how many powerful, rich and influential men only view girls and women — and interactions with them — through the lens of sex

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amanda moore 🐢 @noturtlesoup17.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Washington Post laid off many of their staff photographers, too. Which seems missing from a lot of coverage I’ve read.

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Kim Kelly @kimkelly.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

journalists are workers who deserve to be paid fairly for our labor and I think that far too few consumers of media recognize or even care about this fact

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Colin Boyle @colinbphoto.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Hundreds protested in the Loop tonight in the snow and frigid cold as part of a nationwide shutdown in response to federal immigration raids, and fatal shootings by federal agents, in Minneapolis. Read the full story soon @ blockclubchicago.org 📍 Chicago #OnAssignment for @blockclubchi.bsky.social

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J. Emory Parker 🏳️‍🌈 @jaspar.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

The reason journalists are so particular about what’s off the record and about granting anonymity is that many of us take that very seriously. If I promise to protect your identity, I’m not just saying I won’t print your name. I’m saying I will go to jail for refusing a court order to name you.

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Dan Hinkel @danhinkel.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Worth noting that one reason you’re benefitting so fully from the Star-Tribune’s timely, extensive coverage of unfolding events is that it’s a metro newspaper that hasn’t been systematically starved to further enrich shareholders and executives.

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Steve Held @peoplesfabric.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Reminder: DHS has lied after every single shooting, in big and obvious ways. After Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum shot Marimar Martinez five times they claimed she was "armed with a semi-automatic weapon." In reality, they later found a handgun in her purse.

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gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

When people believed that Jade Helm was going to send surges of masked troops into American cities, we were told American patriots would arm themselves in defense. Today, ICE killed a man and used his concealed carry as justification.

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Colin Boyle @colinbphoto.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

The frigid temperatures aren’t chilling the news here in Chicago. See what @blockclubchi.bsky.social reporters captured while covering the city’s neighborhoods this week. This Week In Photos: Chicagoans Brace For Dangerous Cold, Bears Season Ends And Much More blockclubchicago.org/2026/01/23/t...

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Violet Miller @vimiller.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

take a wild guess as to who not only passed and supported, but helped introduce the most recent trans bathroom bill in chicago…. if you guessed Rahm Emanuel, you were right! he did in 2016. focus on the classroom is *quite* the statement coming from the guy who closed 50 schools though.

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Violet Miller @vimiller.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

bringing this one back because Rahm Emanuel is being loudly transphobic again

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Colin Boyle @colinbphoto.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

The energy in the city was unparalleled Saturday night when the Bears came from behind and beat their rivals in the fourth quarter. And from there, it was a chilly and wintery week with plenty of news. See photos by @blockclubchi.bsky.social 's team this week! blockclubchicago.org/2026/01/16/t...

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Violet Miller @vimiller.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Broadview is restricting the items people will be allowed to bring inside it’s designated protest area near the ICE facility — under threat of removal or arrest — ahead of a protest tomorrow, which the village said it expects to bring 2-5k people to Lexington and Beach Street.

The following items will not be permitted inside the protest area:

• Firearms or other weapons prohibited under Illinois law including knives, clubs, metal pipes, or similar objects primarily designed or used as weapons.

• Wooden or metal poles, boards, or sticks thicker than ¾ inch in diameter or with sharp ends; sign supports must be hollow cardboard or similarly flexible material.

• Shields, body armor, helmets (other than required motorcycle/bicycle helmets while riding), or gas masks.

• Glass bottles, rocks, bricks, fireworks, or other hard objects that can be thrown.

•Large hard-sided coolers, backpacks, or bags larger than 4×4, except as medically necessary.

"Individuals who bring prohibited items will be asked to return them to their vehicles or dispose of them before entering the protest area," said Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills. "Failure to comply with these restrictions or other lawful orders may result in removal from the area and possible arrest under applicable state or local laws."

The restrictions are intended solely to protect the safety of protesters, residents, businesses, and first responders.

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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Jesus. www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...

January 15, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Reid Forgrave
ICE agents eat at small-town Mexican restaurant — then arrest workers
Federal agents detained three workers from a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Willmar yesterday, hours after four agents ate lunch there.

It was not immediately clear what the immigration status of those detained was, or whether the people detained included the restaurant’s owners or only workers.

An eyewitness who declined to give a name for fear of retribution, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that four ICE agents sat in a booth for a meal at El Tapatio a little before 3 p.m. Staff at the restaurant were frightened, said the eyewitness, who shared pictures from the restaurant as well as video of the arrest.

The arrest happened around 8:30 p.m. near a Lutheran church and Willmar Middle School as agents followed the workers after they closed up for the night. A handful of bystanders blew whistles and shouted at agents as they detained the people. “Would your mama be proud of you right now?” one of the bystanders asked.

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Passerby bike along the Lake Front Trail near North Avenue Beach in Chicago on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. | Talia Sprague/for the Sun-Times

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Nov 1, 2025; Bridgeview, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Union striker Tai Baribo (9) and midfielder Milan Iloski (32) react after scoring a first half goal against Chicago Fire FC at SeatGeek Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Harrison Ford accepts the E.O. Wilson Legacy Award for Transformative Conservation Leadership at the Field Museum on Oct. 29, 2025. (Talia Sprague/for the Chicago Tribune)

Harrison Ford speaks after accepting the inaugural E.O. Wilson Legacy Award for Transformative Conservation Leadership, named after his late friend, biologist Edward Osborne Wilson, at the Field Museum on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. The pair met through their work with Conservation International, a nonprofit environmental organization that Ford has been involved in since 1991, including serving as vice chair of the board of directors for over 25 years. Wilson, who discovered over 325 species of ants, named one of them Pheidole harrisonfordi in honor of Ford. (Talia Sprague/for the Chicago Tribune)

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Broadview police officers arrest Jackie Birov, a protester dressed as the Statue of Liberty during a demonstration outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025.

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

A Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy shoves a protester over a barricade during a protest outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility in Broadview on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Talia Sprague/Block Club Chicago)

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Bishop Yehiel Curry, who was recently elected as the first Black presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), poses for a portrait, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

A passerby boards a Lake Park-bound #47 CTA bus in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. The DHS said it was stepping up immigration enforcement in Chicago with Operation Midway Blitz, targeting people it described as “criminal illegal aliens.” (Talia Sprague/Bloomberg)

A passerby boards a Lake Park-bound 47 Chicago Transit Authority Bus in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. The Department of Homeland Security said it was stepping up immigration enforcement in Chicago and the rest of Illinois with Operation Midway Blitz, targeting people it described as “criminal illegal aliens.” Photographer: Talia Sprague/Bloomberg

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Vernon Hills outside hitter Kiersten Cieslinski (20) poses for a portrait following a practice at Vernon Hills High School in Vernon Hills on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (Talia Sprague / News-Sun)

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Aug 10, 2025; Bridgeview, Illinois, USA; Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji (9) and Chicago Stars FC defender Kathrin Hendrich (6) battle for control of the ball during the first half at SeatGeek Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Rep. Gene Wu, a Democrat from Texas, boards a bus following a news conference at the Democratic Party of DuPage County office in Carol Stream, Ill. on Aug. 3, 2025 as Democratic lawmakers attempted to block a Republican redrawing of congressional maps by leaving the state. (Talia Sprague/Bloomberg)

State Representative Gene Wu, a Democrat from Texas, boards a bus following a news conference at the Democratic Party of DuPage County office in Carol Stream, Illinois, US, on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. Democratic lawmakers left the state of Texas in an effort to temporarily block Republicans from redrawing its congressional maps - a redistricting initiative pushed by President Donald Trump. Photographer: Talia Sprague/Bloomberg

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Boxers prepare for sparring outside of the ring during Crushers Club in Englewood on Monday, July 14, 2025. (Talia Sprague/for City Bureau)

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

A marcher holds a rainbow umbrella as bubbles are blown from a float during the 54th Chicago Pride Parade in Chicago’s Boystown neighborhood on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (Talia Sprague/Chicago Pride Parade)

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Speakers are silhouetted by windows in the 94th floor observation deck at 360 Chicago during a press unveiling of the former Signature Room space at 875 N Michigan Avenue on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Talia Sprague/Block Club Chicago)

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Chicago Police officers Kelvin Eze and Timothy Lammert (right) yell at protesters while forming a line as Chicago Police carry out arrests during an Anti-ICE protest in the Chicago Loop on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

A family member prays as Joshua Cabrera kisses his mother, Norma Contla Galvan, prior to driving from Waukegan to O’Hare International Airport prior to Galvan’s flight to Mexico after 20 years of living in the United States on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (Talia Sprague/for the Chicago Tribune)

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

A Foot-long Italian Beef egg roll and dipping sauce is seen on a plate during a portrait session at Tastee Rolls in Chicago’s Grand Crossing neighborhood on Thursday, June 5, 2025. | Talia Sprague/for the Sun-Times

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Apr 6, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell (67) takes a shot on goal against Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight (30) during the second period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Apr 6, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Noel Acciari (55) checks Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser (44) against the glass during the first period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

Kuher Massa (left) and Kilroy Massa (right) walk around during a protest for transgender healthcare in Seneca Park in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Talia Sprague/Block Club Chicago)

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

A rainbow is seen as grounds crew members clear water off a tarp prior to a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)

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Talia Sprague @taliaspraguephotography.com · 28/12/2025

My 2025 Photos of the year. - My full thoughts on this year are over on my instagram (@taliaspraguephoto), but TLDR: Working in media this year has been so weird, especially as a trans woman who's been impacted by some of the very policies that we're trying to do stories on.

Talia Sprague's 2025 Photos of the year! Individual Pictures and their captions follow in the thread.

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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:

News Team,
Thank you for the notes and texts. I apologize for not reaching out earlier.
I learned on Saturday that Bari Weiss spiked our story, INSIDE CECOT, which was supposed to air tonight. We (Ori and I) asked for a call to discuss her decision. She did not afford us that courtesy/opportunity.
Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now-after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.
We requested responses to questions and/or interviews with DHS, the White House, and the State Department. Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed
to kill the story.
If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we

have effectively handed them a "kill switch" for any reporting they find inconvenient.
If the standard for airing a story becomes
"the government must agree to be
interviewed," then the government effectively gains control over the 60 Minutes broadcast.
We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state.
These men risked their lives to speak with us.
We have a moral and professional obligation to the sources who entrusted us with their
stories. Abandoning them now is a betrayal of the most basic tenet of journalism: giving voice to the voiceless.
CBS spiked the Jeffrey Wigand interview due to legal concerns, nearly destroying the credibility of this broadcast. It took years to recover from that "low point." By pulling this story to shield an administration, we are repeating that history, but for political optics rather than legal ones.

We have been promoting this story on social media for days. Our viewers are expecting it.
When it fails to air without a credible
explanation, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. We are trading 50 years of "Gold Standard" reputation for a single week of political quiet.
I care too much about this broadcast to watch
it be dismantled without a fight.
Sharyn

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