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  "path": "/wbez-newsletter/2026/04/22/the-rundown-mixed-results-for-businesses-on-tariff-refunds",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-22T20:45:00.000Z",
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  "textContent": "<p><i>Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and Earth Day. Here’s a </i><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/earth-day-explained-environment-a027792357624ee3e88aea43f14d3ba0\" target=\"_blank\" ><i><u>history of the holiday</u></i></a><i>, which started as a teach-in event 56 years ago. And here’s what else you need to know today.</i></p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/small-business/2026/04/21/illinois-businesses-mixed-results-tariff-refund-process\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>1. Illinois businesses have had mixed results with the tariff refund process</u></b></a></p><p>The federal government launched an online portal Monday for importers to claim refunds, months after the Supreme Court struck down certain tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.</p><p>As my colleague Amy Yee reports, some companies submitted documents smoothly but anticipate obstacles in getting refunded. Others are still trying to understand the complex guidelines before filing claims.</p><p>“As expected, [Monday’s] refund portal launch is a mixed bag for small businesses,” said Dan Anthony, executive director of national grassroots group We Pay the Tariffs. “Many in our coalition report challenges getting their online accounts in order to file. Among those who were ready to file [Monday], some reported a seamless process, while others received error messages and delays.”</p><p>U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in court filings that over 330,000 importers paid a total of about $166 billion on more than 53 million shipments as of March 4. Not all of those orders qualify for the first phase of the refund system’s rollout, which is limited to cases in which tariffs were estimated but not finalized or within 80 days of a final accounting. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/small-business/2026/04/21/illinois-businesses-mixed-results-tariff-refund-process\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/04/22/ice-broadview-kat-abughazaleh-trump-crime-chicago\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>2. The feds plan to use protest chants to prosecute Broadview ICE protesters — but balk at free speech defense</u></b></a></p><p>Federal prosecutors say the remaining members of the “Broadview Six” should be barred from making arguments about free speech rights when they go to trial next month. But the feds also plan to use protest chants caught on video as evidence against the group, Jon Seidel reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>Prosecutors also argued there should be no references to the October shooting of Marimar Martinez by a Border Patrol agent in Chicago, nor of the fatal shootings this year of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by immigration authorities in Minnesota.</p><p>Meanwhile, defense attorneys asked U.S. District Judge April Perry to bar the feds from referring to their clients as “rioters,” “Antifa members” or “domestic terrorists.”</p><p>The arguments appeared in a series of motions filed yesterday, five weeks ahead of the second federal trial to result from Operation Midway Blitz. Four people, including former congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, are accused of a conspiracy to impede a federal agent. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/04/22/ice-broadview-kat-abughazaleh-trump-crime-chicago\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p>Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent in October, testified today before the Homeland Security Committee in Washington, D.C., warning federal lawmakers that if immigration agents aren’t held accountable, “more people are going to get hurt.” [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/04/22/marimar-martinez-chicago-border-patrol-agent-shooting-testimony-homeland-security-congressional-committee\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/04/22/chicago-park-district-summer-camp-registration-stress-mounts-parents\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>3. The Chicago Park District’s summer camp registration has begun, though some parents are still frustrated by the process</u></b></a></p><p>In recent years, parents have complained that technical difficulties and a shortage of spots prevent them from registering their children for park district summer camps, which are some of the most affordable programs across the city. This year, some parents say they remain frustrated despite the park district’s changes, Zoe Singer writes for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>The park district has introduced a map feature, a revamped registration landing page and new “high demand” icons to label popular programs that are likely to sell out. The park district also held webinars to answer questions before registration.</p><p>Vanessa Lee said her computer froze with one second left on the registration countdown. By the time she got the website running again, her son’s preferred camp was full. Now he’s registered for another camp and is on a waiting list for the camp his friends are attending.</p><p>The park district said its revamped registration process has led to fewer complaints and more changes will be implemented in the future. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/04/22/chicago-park-district-summer-camp-registration-stress-mounts-parents\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/04/22/ammonaka-chickasaw-ecovoice-loyola-chicago-choir-song-earth-day-things-to-do\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>4. Want to sing for Earth Day? The poetic ‘Ámmo’naka’ explores the connections between humans and land</u></b></a></p><p>When “Ámmo’naka” has its world premiere at Loyola University Chicago today, a giant stacked choral chord will burst out of silence, with a wide-open, ringing-crystal voicing, sung fortissimo. The sopranos will squeal out some of the highest sung notes composers ever call for. The chord will suddenly stop, and the choir all speak, each in their own rhythm, the first line of the text, a babel of unintelligibility because of the overlap.</p><p>Audiences will hear another sudden silence, and the choir will sing the words, together and now understandable: “Ámmo’naka poshki’,” meaning “In a beginning / Our Mother” in the Chickasaw language. The libretto, original poetry written in Chickasaw by the poet Lokosh, tells the traditional Chickasaw story about the creation of the world and the relationship between humans and the land.</p><p>“What I tried to do with this project is convey our traditional worldview that the Earth is considered our mother,” said Lokosh, a maker and poet based in Oklahoma. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/04/22/ammonaka-chickasaw-ecovoice-loyola-chicago-choir-song-earth-day-things-to-do\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/04/22/frontera-grill-chicago-javauneeka-jacobs-rick-bayless-chef-vegetable-dining-mexican-cuisine-chopped\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>5. At Chicago crowd-pleaser Frontera Grill, a rising chef is redefining plant-forward dining</u></b></a></p><p>When chef Javauneeka Jacobs was still in culinary school, she went door to door searching for a gig in a Chicago restaurant. Her first 20 stops offered her only one role: dishwasher.</p><p>But the young chef finally landed at the corner of Illinois and Clark streets, which for nearly 40 years has been the headquarters of chef Rick Bayless’ ever-growing culinary empire. In a decade, Jacobs has risen from an unpaid staging at Frontera’s little sister, the fast-casual XOCO, to co-chef of Frontera Grill, my colleague Courtney Kueppers reports for WBEZ.</p><p>Still just 29, the Harvard, Illinois, native is now redefining what vegetable-forward dining looks like at one of Chicago’s longest-standing destination restaurants. And her skills are gaining wider recognition: She won the Food Network’s competition show “Chopped” in 2023 and, more recently, a Banchet Award for Chicago’s Rising Chef of the Year.</p><p>Even as her star rises, Jacobs insists she has no interest in opening a restaurant of her own. Instead, she is innovating from her post at Frontera and bringing new vegetable dishes to the regional Mexican menu, which has long been heavy on pork, chicken and beef. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/food-drink/2026/04/22/frontera-grill-chicago-javauneeka-jacobs-rick-bayless-chef-vegetable-dining-mexican-cuisine-chopped\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p>Here’s the recipe for Jacobs’ glazed Mexican white sweet potatoes with chipotle crema. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/recipes/2026/04/22/frontera-chef-javauneeka-jacobs-recipe-camotes-bravos-glazed-mexican-white-sweet-potatoes-with-chipotle-crema\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><b>Here’s what else is happening</b></p><ul class=\"rte2-style-ul\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;\" id=\"rte-c104d2c4-3e84-11f1-bfda-2b66a929a615\"><li>The federal government may step in to keep Spirit Airlines afloat. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/04/22/nx-s1-5789050/spirit-airlines-liquidation-bankruptcy-impact\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</li><li>Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. maintains its blockade and diplomacy stalls. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/us-iran-war-hormuz-israel-pakistan-ceasefire-april-22-2026-267230f7f32b436822484479313840f7\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>After yesterday’s vote in Virginia, Democrats gained an edge over Trump’s national GOP redistricting push. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/04/22/nx-s1-5787989/redistricting-map-trump-midterms-congress\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</li><li>Here are a few affordable tips for making your closet more sustainable. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/03/14/975728474/5-tips-to-ditch-fast-fashion-and-cultivate-a-sustainable-closet\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</li></ul><p><b>Oh, and one more thing …</b></p><p>There’s a Southern twang in the Black Chicago accent, even though many Black Chicagoans are generations removed from the South. As Arionne Nettles reports for WBEZ’s Curious City, the explanation goes back to the Great Migration, roughly between 1915 and 1970, when half a million Black people moved from Southern states to Chicago.</p><p>“It’s partly the language that comes from descendants of enslaved peoples,” said Sharese King, one of two researchers leading the Chicagoland Language Project. “That is why you see a lot of overlap even between African American English and Southern varieties of English.”</p><p>In Chicago, segregation has preserved those Southern aspects of speech. And while Black families may have moved to the city, many never lost connection with relatives who stayed in the South, and accents stay as strong as those relationships.</p><p>The last reason, Nettles writes: “We like how we talk. We like ourselves. We’re not trying to emulate other people’s speeches because the people who we see as cool are also Black Chicagoans.” [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/curious-city/2026/04/22/how-has-the-black-chicago-accent-retained-its-southern-roots\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><b>Tell me something good …</b></p><p>What’s your favorite place to go for a bike ride in the Chicago area, and why?</p><p>Adrienne writes:</p><p>“As a girl I rode my bike around Marquette Park in Chicago. Starting at the 71st and California entrance towards Marquette Road, along 67th towards Kedzie and back along 71st. The park had a lovely lagoon, the Darius Girenas monument and beautiful homes and businesses surrounding the green and leafy park. A beautiful memory and neighborhood. So fortunate to have grown up there.”</p><p>Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.</p>",
  "title": "Mixed results for businesses on tariff refunds: The Rundown",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-22T20:45:01.131Z"
}