Oak Park was the first local government in the Midwest to pass electrification standards for new construction. The ordinance passed in the summer and will go into effect at the beginning of 2024, which means electricity, not fossil fuels, will be the source of energy for all new homes and buildings. Activists want Chicago to join Oak Park and other cities around the country that have changed emission standards for new buildings.

In addition to outlining how Chicagoans would vote in the 2024 and 2026 election, the proposal includes ethics requirements for elected members and a conflict of interest provision that falls in line with state law. The proposal also calls for the board of education to create a Black Student Achievement Committee to address the needs of Black students throughout the district and create a strategic plan to close the gap in academic achievement between Black students and their peers.

Neighbors who filed the lawsuit felt there was a lack of transparency as the city bypassed the traditional zoning and permit process to convert the building in the 500 block of North Western Avenue into a shelter. “The question is whether or not you can compel the city to follow it’s own rules,” said attorney Neal McNight, who represents the plaintiffs.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said, “The weather has been somewhat patient with us. But that’s not going to last. We have to move with the type of urgency that is required at this moment.”

Of the compromised records, approximately 2,600 may have included Social Security numbers, the health agency said.

The Civic Federation supports Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed FY2024 budget, which maintains the City’s commitment to making supplemental pension contributions, avoids general tax hikes and increases the number of civilian positions within the Chicago Police Department. However, the Federation is concerned about an ongoing structural imbalance within the City’s budget and several sources of future financial stress for which the City must find solutions, such as proposed pension benefit enhancements and the cost of the migrant crisis.

Ald. Daniel La Spata said he’s working with the city’s Department of Transportation to install temporary Jersey walls — concrete barriers often used at Downtown parades — outside stores likely to be targeted. “It’s not a sustainable solution and causes accessibility problems, but it provides a temporary fix,” La Spata said.

According to new data from the Chicago Police Department, there were 201 shootings and 52 homicides recorded throughout the month of October. Those totals are each down about 19% compared to the same month in 2022, and that homicide total is the fewest for any October since 2019. However, police data also shows the number of robberies (25% increase) and motor vehicle thefts (up 59%) recorded year-to-date have risen dramatically compared to recent years.

Chicago has 380,000 lead service lines. City officials have estimated it will cost up to $9 billion to replace all of them.

“Being paid by a special interest group with something to gain by his election – coupled with his failure to explicitly distance himself from CTU – doesn’t bode well for Chicagoans.”

Just 19% of 3rd- through 8th-grade students from low-income families met proficiency standards in reading and 11% in math this spring. The proficiency rate of Chicago low-income students was seven percentage points lower in reading and math compared to the district average.

“Just amazing,” said Strautmanis, a former Obama White House aide who hadn’t seen the view before. He said his mission is for the center to fit the Obamas’ brand. “The Obamas are special,” he said. “They’re important. They’re iconic. But at the end of the day, they’re two people who decided that they want to participate in creating civic change, and anybody can do that.”

State law allows campaign funds to pay for legal costs, but a campaign finance expert said it was unusual to see an arrangement in which funds are sent to another co-defendant, classified as “consulting” and then used for legal fees.

“Despite all FOIA requests being filled, Hank Sanders continues to contact city departments and city employees via phone and email,” the violation notice mentioning Mayor Thaddeus Jones states. “Despite request from Calumet City attorneys to stop calling city departments and employees, Hank Sanders continues to do so.”

Waller, 62, is set to receive $181,788 per year in his new CPD job, “deputy director in the superintendent’s office,” according to city records. A CPD spokesman declined to elaborate on Waller’s responsibilities in that post. As a civilian, additionally, Waller will continue receiving a police pension totaling $151,535 a year.

“I’ve said that as much as $5 billion is really what the number should be,” Johnson said, citing a national figure of which Chicago presumably would get a good chunk of. “Other folks think the number could be higher.” He said he was in “lockstep” with the Denver mayor in making that request. But it’s highly unlikely to happen; the White House is asking Congress to include $1.4 billion in supplemental funding to help migrants.

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas breaks down Cook County’s $1.8 million tax property bills.

“I literally had to put my body directly against him and push him back, so that she could break herself free to get into the chamber and away from his grip,” Ald. Ray Lopez said. Ald. Scott Waguespack said he heard from colleagues that Ramirez-Rosa threatened the unnamed alderperson.

The meeting will be remembered as one of the City Council’s most chaotic since the infamous Council Wars of the 1980s. It doubled as a message that a growing number of City Council members are frustrated over the city’s handling of providing shelter for the 20,000 asylum seekers who’ve arrived in Chicago since last August. Lopez described the meeting as a “shitshow.”