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.
Johnson launches community safety plan focused on investing in at-risk areas on South and West Sides
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?”
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.
The Bears’ decision to have a surveyor examine the South Lot of Soldier Field, as a source confirmed Thursday, is the latest instance of the team exploring options for a new stadium outside of Arlington Heights.
Ald. Bill Conway and nearby residents had petitioned the mayor’s office to address the encampment, citing open use of drugs and drug dealing.
By 5 a.m. Tuesday, the southbound lanes will be fully reopened, IDOT says. A six-month first phase repaired surfaces, rehabbed bridges and updated paint and lights between Ohio Street and the Edens junction.
Lawmakers must consider new taxes, combining four regional transit agencies under one board and changing fee structures. The report recommends the state prop up public transit with $1.5 billion.
Over strong objection from the Fraternal Order of Police and its Council allies, the committee voted to reject an arbitrator’s ruling that would allow officers accused of serious wrongdoing to bypass the Police Board and hold proceedings behind closed doors.
Chicago has amassed more than $6.4 billion in unpaid fees and fines over the last three decades. It won’t be possible to recoup all that money, but city officials should be aggressive about getting what they can.
Days after announcing his departure from the job growth agency known as World Business Chicago, Michael Fassnacht urged City Hall and the two major carriers to work out their differences on a massive project that started at $8.7 billion but has ballooned to $12.1 billion.
The Democratic National Committee has pledged that all of Chicago’s communities benefit — and minority contractors share — from next year’s convention at United Center.
The payouts from the 300 cases have included $140 million that went to lawyers for the city and $537 million paid to plaintiffs.
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.
GoJet Flight 4423 and SkyWest Flight 5433 were waiting for gate space when the wingtip of one aircraft struck the other on the runway about 7 p.m. No one was hurt.
The decision follows the city’s release of an environmental report Friday that showed the location at 38th Street and California Avenue required metals and chemicals cleanup.
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, furious over the legal battle that forced movie mogul George Lucas to cancel plans for a $743 million museum on the lakefront, derisively branded Irizarry’s organization “Friends of the Parking Lot.”
Nearly 30 community organizations and artists, most on the city’s West and South Sides, received grants from Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Expanding leased space near City Hall is crucial, Council committee members were told, but some members said that using vacant space in their wards would save money.
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