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The federal funding agreement pledges more than $1.9 billion for the estimated $5.75 billion project, which will extend the CTA’s Red Line by 5.5 miles, from 95th Street to 130th Street, in Altgeld Gardens at the Dan Ryan Expressway. Four new Americans with Disabilities Act accessible stations will also be added.
The amendments expand the type of documents employees have access to but increase the requirements requesting employees must meet to access them.
“Today, with the GOP just days from controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress, Schneider’s amenability to teaming with Republican lawmakers may be more valuable than ever. It’s a big reason the 10th District veteran was chosen in November to lead the New Democrat Coalition, a 110-member centrist group within the House’s Democratic caucus.”
“In 2023, tax revenue from the casino represented just 25 percent of the amount originally anticipated by the city, while in 2024, the casino’s contribution was still only 47 percent of the expected total. These figures highlight the challenges the city faces as it attempts to balance its budget, particularly the financial strain on the police and fire pension funds.”
Actuary Mary Pat Campbell: “Given the lack of ability of both the current mayor Brandon Johnson and the governor Pritzker (who can’t deal with money, either), Chicago may finally come to its crisis. It’s not like there is anybody with any competency around in Illinois politics anymore.”
The bill changes existing laws’ references to “juvenile prostitution” to “commercial sexual exploitation of a child.” On top of that change, the term “juvenile prostitute” in existing law will be replaced with “sexually exploited child,” and the word “prostitute” when referring to adults will be replaced with “person engaged in the sex trade.”
“Tightening up regulation on delta-8 and other forms of synthetic THC should be a relative no-brainer…. And yet, lawmakers in the Illinois House failed last spring and failed again in this year’s veto session to pass just such a set of rules despite winning passage in the Senate — and despite the governor’s backing. In fact, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch didn’t even call the bill, which meant the legislation was declared more or less dead on arrival on Jan. 6.”
More than 50 organizations including the UIC Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at UIC plan to assemble as a coalition to “prepare for a new era of struggle” as the Trump administration takes office this month.
Jim Dey: “Yes, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was a kinder, gentler version of himself on the witness stand in federal court than he was on the public stage — or, as he preferred, behind the stage. But in a time that is trying his soul, what choice did the normally secretive, onetime political powerhouse have but to rely on his skills of political persuasion to escape a guilty verdict and, at age 82, a prison sentence?”
Harvey Park District Executive Director Dr. Kisha E. McCaskill will replace former Commissioner Monica Gordon and will serve out the remainder of her term, according to officials. Gordon replaced Deborah Sims in 2023 before being elected Cook County Clerk in the November 2024 election.
“I’m going to sound very partisan in this, but quite often under the Biden administration and the Pritzker administration, deep southern Illinois gets forgotten…” said state Sen. Terri Bryant. “That’s a large agricultural area, and I think sometimes people think that if it’s not a whole lot of buildings, it’s not a whole lot of houses, that it’s insignificant. But, you know, there are farmers that lost not just buildings, but vast areas of crop.”
With Green Line and Red Line riders being among those most likely to be victimized and battery being the most common offense, statistics show about 1.3 out of every 100,000 rides across the system ended with a crime being committed.
Pension costs alone are rising by $1 million, City Manager Jeff Jurgens said.
The push to boost funding for transit could be complicated by a projected multibillion-dollar deficit in Illinois’ next budget and competing requests from Chicago, such as a potential ask for more Chicago Public Schools funding and a package for a new Bears stadium.
Negotiators are facing major sticking points concerning elementary school planning time, teacher evaluations and who has the final say over what is taught. Bogdana Chkoumbova, the school system’s chief education officer, and other CPS officials say changes proposed by CTU could threaten the academic progress that students have been making. But as the contract negotiations enter their ninth month, the disagreement over planning time is such a big deal that some teachers are willing to walk out to get it.
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