Dixmoor suffers from a trifold problem: It can not afford to replace its aging infrastructure, its government lacks the financial records to pinpoint how much money is available, and the tax base continues to dwindle in a village where 20% of people live below the federal poverty line, according to the U.S. Census.

Austin was receiving supplemental oxygen during Monday’s City Council meeting when the Council passed Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $16.4 billion 2023 budget. Austin, who is in her early 70s, is facing a federal bribery indictment alleging she accepted sump pumps, a dehumidifier and kitchen cabinets as kickbacks from a developer overseeing a $50 million development in her ward.

“Critical race theorists have shown that whiteness has long functioned as an ‘unmarked’ racial category, saturating a default surround against which non-white or ‘not quite’ others appear as aberrant,” according to the course description. The class is offered through the Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Department.

District officials in Chicago and across the country are making attendance a major focus this school year. That’s because for students whose attendance remains spotty, academic and mental health recovery will be harder to attain.

ince 1999, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) has reported investing $375,000 of the $4.2 million in campaign contributions he’s gotten from political supporters — but $300,000 of the invested money has disappeared from his campaign-finance reports. The Chicago City Council member says in a text message in response to questions: “I don’t feel comfortable talking about that with you. It’s not my city business.”

“If I were advising Arlington Heights, I’d say stay away from it,” says Allen Sanderson, a sports economist and professor at the University of Chicago. “If Arlington Heights is competing against a Subway restaurant or some other mom-and-pop business, they’ll do OK. But negotiating against an NFL team, you’re likely going to lose.”

“Cook County challenges seem to be getting worse in urban areas revolving around crime increases, political headwinds and tax increases on retail properties,” says Kellen Duggan, with the Chicago office of Friedman Real Estate.