City Hall

The most thorough coverage of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago’s City Council, including analysis and news from veteran City Hall reporter Fran Spielman.

If passed, the Chicago Rideshare Living Wage and Safety Ordinance would raise drivers’ wages, improve driver safety and create a transparent system to handle driver deactivation.
Eligible residents have January deadlines to file a claim or opt out of the court settlement with the owner of the McKinley Park plant.
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Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the community-led initiative would focus on “harnessing the full force of government, community organizations, businesses, the philanthropic community and youth and faith leaders to solve decades-long problems in a new and bold way.”
Ald. Anthony Beale’s proposed referendum would have asked voters in the March 19 primary: “Should the city of Chicago limit its designation as a sanctuary city by placing spending limits on its public funding?”
State environmental regulators determined there were too many harmful metals and other toxic substances detected on the property for it to safely house asylum-seekers.
The tavern-restaurant announced Wednesday that it will shut down at the end of dinner service on New Year’s Eve.
Brushing aside criticism that he has remained silent since the crash, CTA President Dorval Carter said National Transportation Safety Board rules prohibit him from commenting on the investigation. But he tried to allay speculation about a potential design flaw.
Beale tried briefly to suspend the rules Wednesday for immediate consideration of a new version stating: “Should the city of Chicago limit its designation as a sanctuary city by placing spending limits on its public funding?”
Mayor Brandon Johnson was forced to call for a recess after public observers gathered in the third-floor gallery overlooking the City Council chambers banged on the glass and shouted from their seats.
Brian Beals was convicted in the 1988 slaying of a 6-year-old boy in Englewood. Five witnesses corroborated that Beals was the intended target and not the shooter.
This would be a radical departure for a school system built around allowing parents to choose where their children attend. But it would be a welcome change for public education advocates.
The new rules were prompted after a number of intense and chaotic City Council meetings.
The proposed quick fixes include a six-month delay — until July 1 — in the requirement that businesses give Chicago employees five paid sick days and five paid vacation days per year.
Current CEO, board lack vision and desire to help more families, activists say, citing broken promises to build more public housing.
Ferguson replaces Laurence Msall, the public finance expert whose death in February left a giant hole in the watchdog landscape.
A man, 24, was in the 4900 block of South Hoyne Avenue about 5:30 p.m. Monday when he was shot multiple times, police said. He died at a hospital.
The EMWQ Retirees’, Widows’ and Children’s Assistance Fund was founded to provide financial assistance to the children and widows of active service members of the Chicago Fire Department who die.
Nonprofit groups complained they could not afford to jump through regulatory hoops or pay hefty fines for honest mistakes. On Monday, the Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight passed a revised ordinance aimed at easing those concerns.
The settlement goes to the City Council for approval at Wednesday’s meeting. It would go to the children of Michael Craig, 61, who was shot and killed by police in 2021 after Craig called 911, saying his wife had “a knife on me, on the bed, on my throat.”
A man was driving ‘at a high rate of speed’ in the 8900 block of South Ashland Avenue about 9:52 p.m. Saturday when he hit the side of an apartment building, police said.
Grace Manor, which will have 65 apartments on West Ogden Avenue, is slated for groundbreaking Monday. The development is expected to be completed in spring 2025.
The “Chi vs. Hate” ordinance aims to collect reports of disturbing acts that might fall short of a crime, but hint at more troubling actions to come, as hate crimes spike in Chicago and beyond.
The officer was driving an Infiniti SUV in the 300 block of North State Street about 12:30 a.m. Thursday. She told officers she dropped her phone and took her eyes off the road to grab it, according to a police report.
The Portage Park school closed this year and is expected to house up to 350 people starting as early as mid-January.