Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the $10 million health center will help address “a deeply troubling disparity head-on,” citing a 2019 study that found a 30-year life expectancy gap between white residents in Streeterville and Black residents in Englewood. The county predicts the center will see 85,000 patients in its first year.

“We’re not trying to attract more traffic to the Drive, but at the same time we’re trying to make sure that the neighborhoods aren’t taking the brunt of traffic coming off the Drive either,” CDOT’s Jeff Sriver said.

Jones, also an Illinois state representative, has been outspoken about the historically high property taxes for the south suburbs. Jones himself saw an almost 30 percent jump in his property taxes from last year to this year, owing $7,500 on his property on Paxton Avenue in Calumet City, which most recently assessed at about $153,000.

Maury Goodman is an emeritus scientist at Argonne National Lab and a retired U.S. Army Captain. He earned a Ph.D. in physics at the University of Illinois and a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His extensive public service resume includes five terms as an alderman in the City of Warrenville.

Many longtime Pilsen residents, who have endured gentrification and rising property taxes, have opposed an expanded TIF district. At meetings and in interviews, they’ve expressed concerns the TIF funds will be misused and could contribute to gentrification. Supporters have argued a bigger TIF district will help residents by funding affordable housing projects.

“The history and legacy of the Black Panther Party is one of very serious dedication and commitment,” said Bobby Rush, a former congressman and Illinois Black Panther Party co-founder. “The Black Panther Party is not just a figment of contemporary media and government culture. The Black Panther Party was real. The people in it were real, young people and people who sacrificed their lives … to the cause of freedom and justice and equality.”

Chicago’s migrant crisis has been national news and a $430-million headache. But those in the city for the Democratic National Convention will have a hard time seeing the problem because the city has moved shelters out of downtown and to the South Side.

“With the Democratic machine and the most corrupt media in the country behind her, (Cook County State’s Attorney Kim) Foxx won two elections even as Chicago steadily descended into chaos from violent crime. Foxx purged the prosecutor’s office of long-serving, excellent attorneys and replaced them with doting lapdogs eager to fulfill her mission of judicial activism. “

“The only goal is not about profitability. The goal is to provide a sustainable solution to food inequity,” said S. Mayumi “Umi” Grigsby, the mayor’s policy chief. A 10,000-square-foot store built by the city for a private operator would have cost $8.1 million up-front, with $2.7 million of that coming from the city. Net operating income would be $45,000 with an assumed profit margin of 0.9%. It would require a $110,000 annual subsidy.

“Don’t expect these inspiring scenes (from 1968) to repeat later this month, when the 2024 DNC reconvenes in Chicago. This time, the protesters huddled outside are not going to be Clean for Gene—the catchy slogan coined by antiwar candidate Eugene McCarthy’s supporters—but rather tainted by affiliations with terror groups. “

“A criminal was hesitant in the past to use a gun because of the enhanced charges that are attached to using a weapon in the commission of a crime,” said recently retired Chicago police detective Chuck Hernandez. “The consequences are just not there right now.”

“There has been a gentleman sleeping on the cooler in front of Dunkin Donuts for three months. Where is everybody?” a man said at the meeting. “There’s been gangs, or whatever you want to call them, teenagers, in front of Jewels. Where is everybody?”

“To compare opposition to (Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez’s) advancement to Chicago’s ugly racial politics of four decades ago is a deeply personal insult to the aldermen who’ve challenged the positions (Mayor Brandon) Johnson and his progressive allies have taken on a host of issues, including care of migrants, a publicly subsidized Chicago Bears stadium, tax policy, public safety, public transportation — we could go on.”