McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski has heard from governors and mayors seeking to woo McDonald’s headquarters out of Chicago and said it was more difficult for him to convince executives to relocate to the city than it was a few years ago. Now, when discussing return-to-office plans, Kempczinski hears concerns from employees who aren’t sure it’s safe to work downtown. “It’s a lot of times easy to say, well, that’s just perception. That’s not reality. In our business, other people’s perception becomes our reality.”

Jim Dey: “Those who suspect that public officials view taxpayers as little more than chickens to be plucked got some evidence recently when a state appeals court ruled that the city of Chicago subjected motorists to sham trials in order to collect fine money.”

From the unanticipated funds, $15 million has been designated for the district’s pension fund. With this infusion of cash, the fund’s managers will be able to pay out benefits without needing to sell off assets.

“I’m scared of a death spiral for this agency,” Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa said.

Ald. Pat Dowell for years has railed and legislated against the “drag racing subculture” of motorcycle clubs wreaking havoc on DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Columbus Drive, Lower Wacker and the streets and sidewalks of her South Loop ward. At Wednesday’s Budget Ciommittee meeting, Dowell saw another, more practical opportunity to crack down on those clubs — and she took it.

Kaegi’s office has been delivering unwelcome news to owners of many commercial properties in the northern and northwestern suburbs this year. He’s raising their assessments again, fueling fears of more property tax hikes in 2023 and preserving his persona non grata status among many in the Chicago business community who say he’s driving away investors and killing the local economy.

“Every major city is grappling with Covid’s economic aftereffects, but in Chicago, the departures sharpened the focus on longstanding problems that predated the pandemic…Most of its challenges long predate Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who is seeking a second term early next year, but business and political leaders as well as residents are looking to her for leadership and urgency to steer the city’s course.”

The median income of the program’s participants is $14,000, according to the city. About 58% of participants already get food assistance, and about 9% of people in the program said they’re experiencing housing instability or homelessness. Women make up 71% of the program’s participants, according to the city. About 68% of participants are Black or African American.

Preckwinkle has said she is confident that making cash assistance payments directly to people struggling to make ends meet can help reduce poverty in Cook County and should be made permanent.

Since Wednesday, Aug. 31, the city of Chicago says it has received approximately 364 migrants via bus from Texas.

“Today, I signed a disaster proclamation allowing the state to speed up the procurement of the immediate resources needed to help Chicago, Cook County, and other jurisdictions provide humanitarian assistance to the asylum seekers who are being sent to our state with no official advance notice by the Governor of Texas,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Let me be clear: while other states may be treating these vulnerable families as pawns, here in Illinois, we are treating them as people.”

Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Shreveport (La.), Durham (N.C.), Gainesville (Fla.) and the state of Georgia have all announced Universal Basic Income types of programs in 2022. “But the danger of UBI lies in placing it on top of existing poverty programs,” said Antony Davies, an associate professor of economics at Duquesne University. “Doing this simply adds one more program to the more than 100 that already exist. And if 100 programs haven’t solved the poverty problem, we should be asking hard questions as to whether we actually need them.”

“There is nothing that curdles the fortunes of Gov. JB Pritzker and his ally Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot quite like the scream. It exposes them for what they’ve done.”

Immediately upon arrival Tuesday afternoon, the migrants were loaded into CTA buses. As with previous arrivals, the migrants will undergo screening to figure out housing and healthcare needs. More than 360 migrants have been bused into Chicago from Texas since the end of August.

“Without economic growth, the planned site is destined to cause maximum disruption, expense, and degradation to Jackson Park and its immediate environs…The OPC could end up underwater both physically and financially, which is why the 2021 Annual Report does not mention these touchy funding issues.”

Police were called to the park at 7:46 p.m., and found that a quarrel between two groups had led to a shootout. UniverSoul Circus is soon to start a run in Washington Park and tents have been set up – but the circus has not started its run yet and was not performing Tuesday night.