“We’ve got retail leakage,” Ciere Boatright said. “That’s money leaving our neighborhoods because we don’t have the goods and services in our community. We’ve got to capture that leakage. But we need the households. We need the rooftops to ensure that our neighborhood retail can thrive…We’ve got office buildings that have been vacant for some time. That requires us to use strategies that we’ve never used before and think creatively and leverage every tool in the toolbox.”

Chicago police officers freed two women from the trafficking operation after one of their captors took them to a West Side hospital for medical treatment over the weekend, according to officials.

Altogether, organizers C3 Presents paid a total venue fee of $9,632,475. A C3-commissioned economic impact report found the festival contributed $422 million to the local economy in 2023, a needed bump for area hotels and restaurants still recovering from the pandemic. In contrast, the NASCAR Chicago Street Race netted $620,000 in permit

“It is in honor and service to neighbors and family and friends from Cabrini and a demonstration of what’s possible when you let people in leadership positions who come from the communities impacted by our decisions,” Foxx said. “This feels like a natural time for it to come to an end, the abolish of cash bail, the legalization of marijuana, the wrongful convictions, vacating 250 of those cases and going.”

“The 3% tax on a purchase of a 20-unit courtyard building, that’s 40- to 50-thousand dollars,” said Mike Glasser, president of the Neighborhood Building Owner’s Alliance. “The buyer needs that to improve the property, and without that $40,000 available, there’s really little incentive to purchase.”

“Somebody willing to shoot the police is most certainly willing to shoot a civilian,” said Arthur Lurigio, a criminologist and professor at Loyola University Chicago. “If word is out, these kinds of crimes are going to eventuate in a prison sentence that might have a deterrent effect on the would-be perpetrator.”

The worsening situation at the site at 800 S. Desplaines St. began developing when migrants started staying there two weeks ago — months after the city and state announced they would use tens of millions of dollars to build an intake center, which the city said would likely be a brick-and-mortar location. Construction of that center is underway, an Illinois Department of Human Services spokeswoman confirmed Monday, and will be finished later this month. But the six “heated tents” will be used for social services, not housing.

“This is one of the most egregious blind spots of our openly anti-capitalist administration: They have to compete for jobs and economic development with the likes of Denver, where such political sensibilities are not in control. And Seattle and Austin and, well, everywhere. That’s the simple reality they have not yet grasped.”

Bally’s brought in $8.5 million in gross revenue in December — $864,645.42 of that is Chicago’s share. December was the highest-grossing month in the casino’s four-month run, according to data from the Illinois Gaming Board.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 103,000 vacant housing units in Chicago. More than 13,000 of them are vacant because they need repairs, were abandoned or are condemned – vacant, even as the unhoused population continues to grow.

The City of Evanston released a statement that reads, in part, “We have been encouraged by the State to direct any migrants that may arrive in Evanston to a centralized location in Chicago for processing…Additionally, for months, the City of Evanston has actively sought suitable local shelter options for migrants. Unfortunately, given the density of our community, finding a safe and workable space has proven challenging.”

Tiffany Henyard, who is also the Thornton Township supervisor, has been blasted for bringing DJs to town meetings, filming music videos with cops and using a professional stylist to get glam for community events.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said of Gov. Greg Abbott, “He is attacking democratically-run cities, and particularly cities that are being led by Black leaders or leaders of color. This is unconscionable. I mean, it’s a very raggedy approach. And quite frankly, not only is it reckless and raggedy, but it is evil-spirited.”

“History teaches that wrongful convictions do not happen by accident. They are the result of systemic racial prejudice, illegal tactics and abuse of power,” said President Preckwinkle. “They reflect what the system was—and could still be, if we do not take action. If we do not continue to fight for a system grounded in justice and fairness.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2024 budget plan anticipates $35 million in local tax revenue from Bally’s temporary casino in the former Medinah Temple, which would mean nearly $3 million per month. The casino has averaged $776,582 in local tax revenue the past four months, on pace to generate only $9.3 million for the city by the end of 2024.

“One time, we had 45 cranes downtown; now, we have six or nine. That’s a lot of people not working,” said Theresa Kern, owner of MA Rebar Services. Kern predicts the situation will only get worse if voters approve a binding referendum that raises the real estate transfer tax for properties over $1 million for 43 years. On behalf of the Women Construction Owners and Executives, Kern and a coalition of Chicago developers and real estate groups have filed a lawsuit hoping to knock the question off the March ballot.

Andy Shaw: “Sure, I’m a 75-year-old senior now, long past the ‘bulletproof’ vibrancy of youth — but I feel like the same person, only traversing a different city that has many more palpable threats…I won’t stay home barricaded behind locked doors. But I sure as hell won’t walk alone down any deserted neighborhood street after dark until Chicago feels more like the city I used to know.”

Reporting on the year that ended June 30, 2023, Chicago Public Schools Inspector General Will Fletcher said, “During this period, the (Office of Inspector General) received over 2,000 complaints of misconduct, waste, fraud, financial mismanagement, and adult-on-student sexual misconduct.” Those cases included an assistant principal who was charged after allegedly stealing close to $275,000, numerous employees accused of fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program loans, eight cases of substantiated adult-on-student sexual assault, as well as the missing tech equipment.

As of September, the English Learners program at CPS increased by 11 percent – up from just over 72,000 in the 2022-23 school year to nearly 80,000 this year. Ogden International’s Jenner Academy enrolled 80 migrant students this school year.