Theresa Kern, the board chair for the Women Construction Owners and Executive’s Chicago Caucus, worries that if passed, the ordinance would discourage developers from pursuing construction projects in Chicago. “Right now, there is hardly any work going on (downtown) at all,” Kern said. “It’s chasing work from downtown for one thing, and if you chase work from downtown, then you’re going to chase work from the rest of the city.”

Matt Paprocki, of the Illinois Policy Institute: “If Chicago voters pass the tax, could it trigger a migration out of the city with suburbs attracting more businesses and people? That’s something suburban businesses and communities should consider…The demographic changes could be lasting if employers flee Chicago’s egregious taxation policies and families follow.”

According to CPS, about $1.2 billion is needed for facilities in the the Bronzeville/South Lakefront region. This area includes 44 schools, of which the average campus was built in 1939. About 15,400 students live in this region, a little under 5% of CPS’ population. Of those students, about 30% of students live outside the enrollment area but attend schools within it, and about 20% live in the enrollment area, but attend schools outside of it.

“Yes, once again, our alderpeople, who have been called the “lowest form of political life” (per Mike Royko), and whose No. 1 job is making sure the trash gets collected in their wards, are venturing into foreign policy…’The potential of making and influencing national and international policy at the local level excites progressives in particular,” wrote Karen Dolan and Emily Schwartz Greco.'”

Numerous municipalities have questioned the reason for a largely redundant county law they say creates the possibility of understaffed shifts in their police, fire and public works departments; some have already have copied their previous actions with the state law by using home-rule authority to opt themselves out as employers, including Glenview, Northfield, Park Ridge, Streamwood, Wheeling, Wilmette and Winnetka, according to responses to a Northwest Municipal Conference survey. Others have gone a step beyond what they did with the state law by opting out all employers within their boundaries. This includes Buffalo Grove, Hoffman Estates, Palatine and Schaumburg.

The furious trucker with 230,000 followers on X claims that truck drivers are upset about the judgement delivered in the New York City civil fraud case against Donald Trump.

It has been reported that the stadium itself would be subsidized through a $500 million city TIF district that already covers the site, but the White Sox and developer Related Midwest have stressed the importance of additional private investment — mixed-use buildings that would feature affordable housing, bars, restaurants and shops, as well as an underground parking garage and parks, hence the intended ask of nearly $1 billion in total public funds from the state, which includes the $500 million TIF subsidy from the city.

The victims were unable to share details with police about how the stabbing happened. No one was in custody.

District officials are lauding the findings from Harvard and Stanford researchers, which showed CPS was first in reading recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic among large school districts across the country, and 13th in math. “CPS students outpaced the state as a whole in similar districts,” CPS Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova said. “CPS actually lost more ground during the pandemic than the state as a whole and also similar districts. So we had a lot more to recover, but also we are excited that we came out on top of this and accelerated the growth past the pandemic.”

“As a native son, it is hard to watch this wonderful city undermined by (Mayor Brandon) Johnson and radical allies in the city council. Some initiatives like reparations and state-funded grocery stores will cost money but will not impose nearly the costs of Johnson’s dismal record on crime and taxes. However, this week saw a particularly confusing moment when, after calling the anti-crime program ShotSpotter ‘racist,’ Johnson asked the company to extend its contract beyond the upcoming Democratic National Convention. So Johnson put an end to this supposedly racist program but only after the Democratic luminaries (and the most violent

Corey Oliver, CEO, Strength In Management LLC: “‘Big A’ affordable housing, which would be shielded from the transfer tax, relies on substantial federal funding. But NOAH (naturally occurring affordable housing) developers, who are crucial contributors to Chicago’s affordable housing stock, face increased financial strain with the proposed transfer tax.”

A report from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office showed the 5-year-old boys died in a Pilsen migrant shelter of sepsis from Strep Throat (A) and COVID-19. A statement from the mayor’s office said that “the City of Chicago coordinates medical screenings for all shelter residents, weekly on-site provider support, on-site vaccination events for COVID, varicella, and flu, and partnerships with a network of community health centers for other healthcare needs.”

Police are investigating six incidents in a 45-minute period Friday morning. Police believe there are two to five suspects between the ages of 15 and 25.

Tio Hardiman, the Executive Director for Violence Interrupters, is calling for Mayor Brandon Johnson to issue a moratorium on migrants in the city of Chicago. “People get mad when we talk about reparations sometimes, but if you’re going to be giving out any type of resources, why would you overlook the African-American people that have fought every world war here in the United States?”

Will Johnson, of The Harris Poll: “It’s a modern sports conundrum: Chicago is a sports town, with its civic identity inextricably linked to its pro franchises. But as much as we love our teams, Chicagoans aren’t interested in giving the teams’ wealthy owners public dollars to build fancy new palaces. Unbinding this Gordian knot was not why Mayor Brandon Johnson sought elected office, but it’s on him to figure out how to keep Chicago sports whole without draining the public coffers.”

The shelter would have displaced 40 residents of micro apartments in a mixed-use building at 1140 West Wilson, where Mike Sullivan opened the 2Bears Tavern on the ground floor in 2022, following a half-million-dollar renovation and a quarter million in start-up costs. “We had concerns about the viability of our business, that it would not be able to survive in a situation like this,” he said. “This was a one-of-a-kind, never-tried-before social experiment.”

Officers found a cache of drugs and a pistol inside a tent that Ronnel Kado, 24, allegedly used. Two backpacks inside the tent contained 50 small baggies of suspected heroin and 51 baggies of suspected crack cocaine, according to court records. A loaded 9-millimeter handgun outfitted with a laser site was on the floor of the tent, according to police. Judge David Kelly released both Kado and George Crayton, 48, to await trial.

Chicago’s car theft crisis appears to be on the decline, after reaching a two-decades high of 31,139 vehicles stolen or attempted stolen in 2023.

Using Shift Change, Chicago hospitality workers can file reports on current or past experiences of workplace abuse, including wage theft, sexual abuse and discrimination. Users of the platform can choose to remain anonymous or be connected with a lawyer, therapist or organizer to take the next steps toward addressing the abuse. The service is available in English and Spanish.