The crux of the issue is that while federal aid gave the transit authorities a lifeline when fare-box collections plummeted during the pandemic, they now need to replace that funding, which currently makes up about 20% of operating funding. Rides have returned to about 60% of pre-pandemic levels and the drop in fares is the largest contributor to the anticipated funding gap in 2026, according to the report.

The historic reforms will take effect Sept. 18 across the state, marking a major change in the way decisions will be made around whether a defendant will be released from jail while awaiting trial.

“Mr. Mayor, mayors have been asked by reporters about how fast they were enacting their stated agenda as long as there have been mayors and reporters…This is their job. It is called accountability. It is a democratic check on leadership, enshrined in the U.S.. Constitution, and throughout American history, it has worked pretty darn well. It has nothing to do with the race of the mayor, and if the leader of the city tries to get supporters to buy into this kind of divisive rhetoric this early in the game, that’s just not helpful in the long term…”

“While nationally 11% of all parents enroll their school-age children in private schools, for public-school teachers it’s 20% – or almost twice the average. In large cities, the percentages are far greater. In Chicago, at least 39% of public-school teachers send their students to private school. What does it say when nearly 4 out of 10 Chicago public school teachers will pay money so their children don’t have to attend a public school in the district in which they teach?”

The winterized tents could hold up to 1,000 migrants, he said, and the camps would provide meals and recreational and educational programming.

“It was a very difficult decision for us because there is not a lot to offer Black youth who are entering high school” in Chicago, Davis Gates said. “In many of our schools on the South Side and the West Side, the course offerings are very marginal and limited. Then the other thing, and it was a very strong priority, was his ability to participate in co-curricular and extracurricular activities, which quite frankly, don’t exist in many of the schools, high schools in particular.”

Ald. Ray Lopez said that exceptions to cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were eliminated from the ordinance “before you had tens of thousands of individuals being shipped to our city engaging in this kind of behavior, as we’ve seen at Wadsworth [Elementary], Piotrowski Park” and other migrant shelters. Exceptions include arrests for gang-, drug- and sex crime-related activity.

The first issue relates to the voting districts; the main controversy centers around whether the districts should reflect the racial population of the city or the racial population of the school district. The city’s population is 33% white, 32% Latino, 29% Black and about 7% Asian. But the school district’s student population is more than 80% Latino and Black. Some 11% of students are white and 4% Asian.

While campaigning, Mayor Brandon Johnson promised to stop CHA land selloffs like the Fire agreement. Since taking office in May, though, he has not followed through. And by not intervening, the mayor is letting the CHA spend public funds to fight the lawsuit and keep the Fire deal in place.

“Even though you might have a Latino-majority ward by population, who is voting in that ward might be very different than what the population shows,” said Juan González, who authored the report from the University of Illinois Chicago Great Cities Institute. “And when you look at voting age in a Latino community, you take out anyone who’s a green card holder or is undocumented, and then suddenly the percentage of that voting bloc drops dramatically.”

The five-story office building at 344 N. Ogden Ave. would be used for families, and would become one of the latest temporary housing solutions. The Parthenon Guest House was set to open to migrants Friday, but that plan has been pushed back to next Friday.

While several states, counties, and municipalities have enacted similar real estate transfer taxes, Chicago’s proposed “mansion tax” structure is unique in two notable ways: it would be paid by buyers of residential and commercial properties, and it has a graduated approach.

Comment: This column illustrates the media perspective — if you’re not a far left progressive, then you’re a “conservative,” even though you’re a Democrat.

“There is a different standard that I’m held to. There is,” Johnson said. “And that’s not something that I’m mad at, but that’s just the reality. I’m not the first person of color, particularly a Black man, that will be held to a different standard than other administrations…These are microaggressions, that if you don’t have the lens of those who have lived through these experiences, you would just miss it. You would, because the same — some of the folks who would

Ten years ago, 85% of Chicago Public Schools students came from low-income households. Now, that figure is 73% — a 12 percentage point drop — according to district data from the 2022-23 school year. The drop, experts say, is driven by several factors, including gentrification, population and enrollment shifts, as well as a potential dissatisfaction with district schools. But if the downward trend continues, Chicago schools could continue to see fewer dollars than expected from the state.

In 2024, the highest-paid aldermen will make about $145,970 should they allow the automatic 2.24 percent pay increase to go through. And thanks to a provision wedged into this year’s budget under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, other elected officials, including her successor, Brandon Johnson, will also be due the 2.24 percent salary increase as well. His current salary $216,210.