“The Windy City is out of control and the mayor is blaming guns, racism, or Trump. He never blames the criminals or let the police do their work. … The ’68 convention will look like a G-rated movie compared to what we will see this summer.”

A California real estate investor has purchased a distressed office building half a block from Willis Tower for 89% less than it traded for more than a decade ago, the latest example of the extreme losses that remote work and higher interest rates have dealt to office property values. Los Angeles-based Brog Properties this week paid $2.5 million in cash for the vintage 10-story office building at 216 W. Jackson Blvd.

“In Chicago, where just 15 percent of Chicago’s 8th-grade students are proficient in math and 21 percent are proficient in reading, the Chicago Teachers Union is focused on other things. As the Illinois Policy Institute documents, the union spent nearly three times more on politics in 2023 than the year before, and just 17 percent of its spending was on representing teachers.”

Unlike negotiations in the past that resulted in strikes, the teachers union and the mayor CTU helped put in office are on the exact same page when it comes to union demands. “This is making sure that every single child has a library, a librarian, wrap-around services, class sizes that are manageable. There is a lot of work to be done,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

“I think it makes sense as we wait for the elections for the elected school board in Chicago, and then the elected school board will be able to make the decisions about what the future of those (selective enrollment) schools is,” Pritzker said.

“Corporate defendants often seek to move lawsuits against them to federal court to better defend themselves under the federal courts’ generally stricter standards. Illinois state courts, such as Cook County’s courts, have built a reputation of being notoriously friendly to plaintiffs, with much more lax standards to prove injury under the law and wider latitude for trial lawyers to present evidence allegedly backing their claims.”

The taxing authorities that impose taxes on consumers in the City of Chicago include the federal government, State of Illinois, Cook County, City of Chicago, Regional Transportation Authority, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, and Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. Many goods that are subject to specific excise taxes are also subject to the general sales tax.

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said, “We don’t get to a strike unless we get to an impasse. … [But] we’re a labor union that understands the power of solidarity and the power of work stoppage. … It’s part of the DNA of who we are as an entity, the right to strike. And that is something that I wish for every worker in this country.”

“This has been an issue that people want transparency on,” Commissioner Bridget Gainer said. “We do not want to make it difficult, but we also don’t want to just hand it over without being able to see the changes, because the umbrella is large.” In response to these concerns, Board President Toni Preckwinkle said that the county will receive invoices before reimbursing the City of Chicago for the food expenses.

“It’s entertainment for the whole community to get the kids excited about going to school, so that’s a positive thing. That’s a good thing, so why take it away?” Melvin Walls said. But the parade chairwoman said police resources are needed Aug. 17 in advance of the Democratic National Convention.

The region’s three major transit agencies are hoping $375 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds will usher along their transition to zero-emission fleets by 2040.

During each crime, multiple men confront victims on the street to take phones and other valuables at gunpoint.

According to court documents, funding for the 2013 project was to come from a grant for $2.5 million from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; $2 million from IDOT’s Economic Development Program; $900,000 from Cook County motor fuel tax funds; and $250,000 from Harvey. According to court documents, Capitol Cement is still owed more than $2 million.

The lawsuit, filed last November, argues that Evanston Mayor Dan Biss and some council members disregarded city and state laws that should have required more votes by the council to allow events, like concerts, at the future stadium.

“… one figure that doesn’t make sense is that even though over 40 percent of Chicago students are chronically absent, graduation rates remain extremely high, at 83 percent.”

“They (CPS) have been — unfortunately — I don’t think very transparent or forthcoming with a lot of the decisions that they are making,” state Rep. Margaret Croke said. “And that miscommunication for those decisions I think have led parents and families and citizens of Chicago to have a lot of mistrust about what is going on.”

The nonprofit Cook County Health Foundation — established 14 years ago to fund-raise for and support Cook County Health, the county’s health division — spent nearly $80,000, entered into contracts and hired attorneys with ties to the foundation’s leaders, sometimes without full foundation board approval, the report stated.

“Elected leaders have been quick to respond to the needs of migrants by investing millions of dollars to provide for their well-being. … The senior citizens in Austin voted to elect (Mayor Brandon) Johnson, (Gov. JB) Pritzker and (Cook County Board President Toni) Preckwinkle. The least these leaders could do is provide resources to remedy environmental inequities that could further exacerbate serious health issues. It is common sense to take care of your own citizens’ needs first.”

Statewide, there have been 64 confirmed cases, with 58 of them concentrated in Chicago, notably among individuals who stayed at a migrant shelter in Pilsen. With Chicago potentially welcoming up to 2,000 migrants weekly this summer, public health officials expressed concern.