García appeared to dismiss illegal immigrants attacking and murdering Americans in remarks made at a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement hearing. “This is the exception, not the rule,” he added. “I live in an immigrant neighborhood in Chicago. I know what it’s like.”

The current $200,000 pilot program with ZeroEyes has detected 10 guns and resulted in six arrests since it began last summer, according to the CTA. But the technology, limited now to 250 cameras on train platforms, did nothing to alert police to a quadruple murder on a Blue Line train in September. Despite that record, the CTA’s board of directors Wednesday approved a $1.2 million contractto expand the technology to 1,500 cameras through the summer of 2026.

In a letter Wednesday, State Superintendent Tony Sanders challenged the U.S. Department of Education to prove which programs and activities violate federal civil rights law and to identify “illegal DEI” activities. In February, Sanders told school districts to continue teaching Black, Asian American, and LGBTQ history, and to provide education to students regardless of their citizenship status as required by state law.

The Black Student Success Plan aims to bring in more Black teachers, reduce suspensions against Black students, promote teaching on Black culture, increase belonging and close opportunity gaps.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s effort to take a new approach to reducing Chicago’s massive affordable housing shortfall by creating a city-owned nonprofit housing developer faced deeply skeptical City Council members. “The concept, the idea, is a good one, but my god the devil is in the details,” said Ald. Brendan Reilly, who compared the act of creating the new nonprofit to handing the keys to a very expensive car to an untested driver.

The Trump administration has reportedly threatened to withhold over $1 billion in federal funding from CPS due to concerns over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

“It’s funny that (U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy”) Garcia is from Chicago and he cannot tell you what’s happening in our community. If he came into our community, he would see all the gang graffiti, the Tren de Aragua signs, the

If Chicago Public Schools were to tackle all the building repairs and upgrade projects on its list, that would cost $14.4 billion. The average age of CPS’ roughly 800 buildings on 520 campuses is more than 85 years, and dozens of schools were built before 1900.

Robin McElroy paid her property tax bills on time for more than a decade, only to be told her home had been “sold for delinquent taxes.” The clerical error will cost taxpayers more than $66,000 to reimburse the company that had been granted the deed to the home after it was sold at the tax sale, as well as the real homeowner’s attorney’s fees.

“In a letter to Board President Toni Preckwinkle urging the county to sue to recover money from Tyler, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas called the county’s agreement ‘possibly the worst technology contract with a vendor that Cook County has ever written.’ … This mess and the price tag for a lousy deal to clean it up are the sort of thing that gave rise to the chaotic Department of Government Efficiency and a broad appetite for slashing government spending.”

Gov. JB Pritzker directed state hiring officials to block the employment of anyone who took part in the attack that claimed the lives of five members of the U.S. Capitol Police and injured an additional 174 officers. Mayor Brandon Johnson declined to follow the governor’s lead, prompting four aldermen, all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, to craft a ban with a city ordinance.

University of Chicago officials confirmed that the federal government terminated the F-1 visa status of three current students and four recent graduates. The university said the Office of International Affairs “has offered to connect the affected individuals with immigration attorneys.”

The Foundation for Economic Education said while the policy is well-intentioned, “it’s far from the most effective way to eradicate poverty in America’s cities … One glaring problem with allowing this program to exist for any extended period of time is that, unless it is privately funded, it would be too expensive to maintain and would require substantial tax increases across the board.”

Supporters say it would be part of an effort to keep the iconic shopping mall from becoming another retail casualty by converting the upper floors into office and medical space while leaving the first three floors for retail. The owners of Macy’s State Street did the same thing a few years ago.

Northwestern is being investigated by the Department of Education for “widespread antisemitic harassment,” the department announced this year. A university spokesman insisted that the university “has fully cooperated with investigations by both the Department of Education and Congress.”

Cook County is considering offering one-time payments of $1,000 to residents who have had the biggest hikes in their property tax bills. The county has budgeted $15 million for the program this year, which would benefit about 13,600 people. The county estimates around 112,000 households are eligible. A proposed resolution shows the county estimates it would cost $1.4 million to administer the new program.

While DePaul University is a private institution, it receives federal funding which means it is subject to the Civil Rights Act. One scholarship gave preference, but was not limited to African American students. Five other scholarships listed on DePaul’s website were meant to be awarded to or give preference to a female student.

“With regard to these two sites, city officials should cut any red tape faster than a Pete Townshend riff or an animatronic squirrel. We need a redevelopment plan as a matter of urgency.”