The proposal from Lightfoot’s administration would create a new tax-increment financing district along the southern branch of the CTA Red Line to generate $950 million for the project by funneling a portion of the increase in property tax revenues for the next 25 years from the 42nd, 3rd, 4th, 11th and 25th wards — even though the extension of the train line would be miles away from any of those wards.

“The postal workers have become like every other citizen around Chicago, worried about every step they take,” Ald. Anthony Napolitano said.

Banana Republic plans to close its longtime store on North Michigan Avenue, joining the swelling crowd of retailers ditching the city’s most important—but now beleaguered—shopping strip.

Three years after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned on a pledge to reduce fines and fees, the city issued over 1 million parking tickets in the first half of 2022 – a 25% bump from the same period a year earlier.

Since recreational marijuana became legalized in Illinois, it has turned into a billion-dollar-a-year industry. “We are about to erect a brand-new state of the art manufacturing hemp plant in the 21st ward,” dispensary owner Everett Berry said. “We’re looking to provide at least 200 positions.”

Lightfoot’s 2022 spending plan would not have passed without the support of progressive members of the City Council — and whether the 18-member caucus can reach a deal with the mayor in 2023 will shape the final outcome for the last budget in what Lightfoot hopes is her first term.

Police Supt. David Brown also compared a few Columbus Day weekend crime statistics with the same weekend in 2021. Those were: homicides dropped 50%; shootings fell 24%; and shooting victims declined 40%.

According to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Illinois has already pardoned and expunged nearly 800,000 low-level convictions after the legalization of marijuana in 2020. More than 15,000 of those cannabis-related convictions have been expunged by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

Six or seven years ago only a few companies per year would sign leases in the Chicago-area market for more than 500,000 square feet of warehouse space, but there were 16 such deals in 2020, 19 in 2021 and 13 in the first three quarters of 2022, said Craig Hurvitz, vice president of market research at Colliers International.

Since 2019, about 3,300 officers have retired, resigned, were fired – or lost their lives while wearing the badge – according to data from the Chicago Department of Human Resources. And since 2019, Chicago has hired about 1,600 officers – about half the amount of the departures.