Belmont Central

Adan Casarrubias Salgado (left), known as El Tomate, and his late brother Mario Casarrubias Salgado, nicknamed El Sapo Guapo, or the Handsome Toad — were Chicago pizza delivery guys who became among the reputed leaders of the Guerreros Unidos Mexican drug cartel. The Mexican government blacked out Adan Casarrubias Salgado’s eyes in the photo.

They were 2 Chicago pizza delivery guys. Then, they ran a Mexican drug cartel, feds say

By Oscar Lopez and Frank Main

Protestors hold up signs Wednesday in the Loop to oppose Francisco Panuco’s detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Family fights potential deportation of longtime Northwest Side resident

Francisco Panuco lived in Belmont Cragin for 18 years before ICE detained him on May 31. Friends and supporters have since rallied to keep him in Chicago.

By Michael Loria

Elections

Gardiner, Villegas headed to runoff as incumbents (mostly) cruise in Northwest Side wards

James Gardiner faced several scandals in his first term on the City Council; Jessica Gutierrez is poised for a runoff to replace Ariel Reboyras after falling 300 votes short in 2019.

By Andy Grimm and Allison Novelo

A man was fatally shot early Saturday in Belmont Gardens.

Crime

Woman fatally shot while driving, crashes into dumpster in Belmont Gardens

Police said the woman’s car caught fire after crashing in the 2700 block of North Pulaski Road.

By Sun-Times Wire

Shoppers walk along North Belmont Avenue near North Central Avenue, in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022.

Politics

Pulse of the Heartland: Belmont Cragin voters keep their heads down, say they wish pols would occasionally show their faces

It should be a neighborhood with more clout considering its size and its being home to the largest Hispanic population in Chicago. But adding to the confusion for residents, Belmont Cragin is divided among multiple wards and state representative districts, meaning residents living near one another can have different representatives in the City Council or state Legislature.

By Manny Ramos

A still frame from a video posted on Twitter, showing police surround a car at Brickyard shopping center in June 2020. One officer can be seen on the video using a baton to break one of the car’s windows as the car’s occupants were pulled from the vehicle.

City Hall

Committee OKs $1.67M Brickyard settlement after racially charged debate

Ald. Nick Sposato infuriated his Black colleagues by questioning Mia Wright’s claim that she and her friends, who lived in North Lawndale, had chosen to shop in Belmont Cragin on a chaotic day of rampant looting.

By Fran Spielman

Mia Wright, who said a police officer grabbed her out of her car by her hair and knelt on her neck outside Brickyard Mall in June 2020, speaks during a press conference near 314 N. Loomis St. in West Town Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 29, 2020.

City Hall

Woman dragged by cops at Brickyard mall to share in $1.67M settlement

The settlement is on the agenda for Thursday’s Finance Committee meeting. Mia Wright claims the violent actions by Chicago police in May 2020 left her blind in her right eye, possibly ending her dream of becoming a paramedic.

By Fran Spielman

Crime

Machete attacks on Northwest Side trigger police warning

In two of the three attacks, the assailant fled in an older model, light-colored Toyota Camry.

By Mitch Dudek, Emmanuel Camarillo, and 1 more

A woman sits in front of a memorial set up for Yvonne Ruzich outside Baltimore Food & Liquor Store in the Hegewisch neighborhood, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021.

Columnists

Random shootings of seniors and children put city on edge

Why are criminals randomly shooting seniors and children?

By Mary Mitchell

Serenity Broughton was killed and her younger sister, Aubrey, was wounded in a shooting Aug. 15 in Belmont Central.

Crime

‘I did not want her to feel she was dying alone,’ says man who tended to 7-year-old girl after she and sister were shot

Serenity Broughton, 7, died from the gunshot wounds she suffered to her chest and torso in Belmont Central Sunday. Her sister, identified by family as 6-year-old Aubrey Broughton, was “fighting for her life” at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, police said.

By Madeline Kenney, Cindy Hernandez, and 1 more

Crime

Chicago police warn of armed robberies on Northwest Side, including one where victim was shot

In each incident, someone was approached by up to three people who flashed a gun.

By Sun-Times Wire

A townhouse near N. Maplewood Ave. and W. Potomac Ave. sits with a thick layer of snow on its roof, after lake effect snow dumped about a foot of snow.

Weather

Snow weighs heavily on roofs, minds of homeowners

“There is probably a couple thousand pounds of weight sitting on it right now,” one homeowner said of his roof. “It’s a lot of weight and I don’t want it to cave in.”

By Manny Ramos

Rene Reynoso, left, answers questions regarding Chicago’s stay at home advisory after buying groceries outside an Aldi at 6520 W Fullerton Ave. in Montclare, Monday, Nov. 16, 2020.

Coronavirus

Chicagoans keep shopping amid stay-at-home advisory

Shelves in Garfield Park, Humboldt Park and Belmont-Cragin remained stocked with groceries and essentials like toilet paper — which became scarce during the initial lockdown in March — were limited to one or two per person.

By Manny Ramos

Robbers have posed as police officers by shining flashlights at victims and demanding their wallets or IDs in August 2020 in Albany Park, Avondale and Belmont Central.

Crime

Robbers pose as police officers on NW Side

In each case, a man pulled up in a black vehicle, pointed a flashlight at the victim and demanded the person’s ID or wallet, according to Chicago police.

By Sun-Times Wire

A man was fatally shot Feb. 25, 2021, in Austin.

Crime

Man shot to death in Belmont Central

Hugo Tecomateco was found unresponsive on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds to his head and back in the 2100 block of North Parkside Avenue, authorities said.

By Sun-Times Wire