“Again, for me, right now, it’s a non-starter. The devil’s in the details, though, but right now, just by taking the path of least resistance from government, by saying we need more money, it’s a non-starter,” said Ald. Gilbert Villegas.

Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski argues the time has come for a complete overhaul after data shows academic performance slowed to the point where less than one out of every four 11th graders were achieving or exceeding proficiency in reading and math. “It tells me that the place is a fiscal mess, is an educational mess and I think it’s a moral mess,” he said. “The educational system of Chicago Public Schools doesn’t work at all and it hasn’t worked for a long time and needs to be broken up.”

Absenteeism continued to hover well above the pre-pandemic rate of 24 percent in 2019 as Chicago schools continue to struggle to engage students, especially minority and low-income students. That means 1 in 4 CPS student missed 10 percent or more of the school year.

“It’s tempting to say no one is really in charge on the Fifth Floor nowadays, but that’s not entirely true. If you have to wonder whose interests are being served, who’s calling the shots, wonder no more: What’s driving all this is the unions who helped put Johnson and a large swath of the City Council into office.”

The aldermen who represent the areas where those men were shot, Anthony Beale and Monique Scott, were part of a 66 percent majority of the City Council that fought to keep ShotSpotter active beyond its September 23 contract expiration date.

Members of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, including the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, HANA Center and Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, gathered Thursday outside City Hall to sound the alarm on the One System initiative, the city’s plan to merge the two shelter systems for addressing homelessness and the new arrivals of migrants. Leaders of the group say the plan will result in at least 4,000 people sleeping on Chicago’s streets.

“Before we go any further, I’d like to reaffirm this board’s commitment to inclusivity and collaboration with all stakeholders to foster a supportive learning environment,” chairman pro tem Michilla Blaise said. “In alignment with Mayor Brandon Johnson, we are dedicated to our mission of transforming Chicago’s public education system.”

As the shelter grew in size, restaurant owner George Liakopoulos said customers started avoiding the block because of crowding on the street and a sharp rise in crime. City record show a 31 percent increase in crime in the first nine months of the year, compared to all of 2023. Examples include theft, assault, drug possession and more.

In his budget recommendations, Mayor Brandon Johnson backed a state-level “graduated income tax,” which is on the Nov. 5 ballot as an advisory question that would later need approval from state lawmakers and voters.

A Muslim illegal immigrant who entered under Biden-Harris policies tried to kill an American Jew on the streets of the Windy City — and the city’s government is caught between progressive pieties and justice.

“To fix this situation, three things have to happen. First, Chicago will have to raise more recurring revenue. Second, the schedule for repaying pension debt has to be re-amortized. Third, Springfield has to help do both.”

Said Chris Berry, a property-tax expert at the University of Chicago, “Only in Illinois will you find politicians who think the way to cure runaway taxes is by creating yet another new tax.”

Of the 141 single-family homes sold in South Shore in 2023, nearly 40 percent were sold to business buyers.

In Oregon and Washington state, ballot boxes have already been set on fire. In Florida, an 18-year-old was arrested at a polling site for wielding a machete in what police said was an attempt to intimidate voters. On Wednesday, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said his office got its first call about an issue at a polling site—a man who refused to leave and caused problems. Police responded and handled the situation without it escalating.

The mayor’s proposal also adds two new initiatives: an Office of Crime Victim Services with 59 employees and an Office of Equity and Engagement, with seven employees. But the professional counseling division that offers mental health care and other assessments for CPD employees would drop from 35 to 25 employees.

“That’s what this budget does, It recognizes the significant obligations of this city, it tells the truth to our residents about those obligations, and it puts really solid plans in place to lessen that burden on the taxpayers,” City of Chicago Budget Director Annette Guzman said.