There was no Zoning Committee meeting before the March 18 Council meeting, leaving at least 41 zoning applications in legislative limbo. The backlog includes the landmark designation that Chicago-based Golub & Co. needs to qualify for a $47.2 million tax break at 30 N. LaSalle. The developer has already received a $57 million tax increment financing subsidy but needs the additional tax break to convert a portion of the 44-story office building into 349 residential units.

“Imagine being an alderman, having a college freshman murdered in your ward, and, before the suspect is even identified, posting a video in which you brainstorm an excuse that maybe the victim ‘startled’ the guy who killed her,” reader-funded public safety news outlet CWB Chicago posted on X. “God Almighty.”

“I know that there are some folks who are politicking already. That’s, you know, I understand it. I do. But when people see me all over the city of Chicago, they’re not asking about my reelection,” Johnson said. “As a Cook County commissioner, I was governing and I ran for mayor. So, it’s clear that I know how to multitask. … Not only have I done it multiple times, I’ve won every time.”

Manny Whitfield said he and former Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood had to prod the mayor to show up at the hospital for fallen law enforcement members, a part of the job he says is crucial for the mayor to do. “Absolutely there is a level of hostility, and it was our job to balance that out,” Whitfield said. “We understand there has been harm caused in the past, but it is our job to make sure the police department moves in the right direction.”

“Many Illinoisans are understandably frustrated with an electoral system that entrenches incumbents, discourages challengers, and depresses voter turnout — while underwritten by special‑interest Super PACs and Pritzker’s seemingly unlimited campaign funds. Yet within that uncompetitive landscape, this primary did offer a ray of light for those who want accountability in education policy: the CTU’s political machine extended its losing streak.”

“Sheridan Gorman’s life was allegedly taken from her at the hands of a criminal alien shielded by the anti-American sanctuary policies of the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said on social media Monday.

Ald. Ray Lopez says the city’s sanctuary policies may have contributed to the fatal shooting of a college student who was fatally shot on the lakefront last week. “All immigrants are not like this individual. Many, overwhelmingly, want to be good future Americans,” he said. “But when we have individuals like Jose Medina-Medina, who don’t care about assimilating, don’t care about our customs and don’t care about American human life, then they must be dealt with in a very specific and unalterable way.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson said he has “concerns” about the deployment of ICE agents at airports: “We will closely monitor the deployment and use every tool we have to ensure that people, no matter their immigration status, can travel to and from Chicago safely and without harassment from the federal government.”

Among seven options, 46.2 percent of likely Chicago voters in a survey late last month cited taxes among the one or two most pressing issues facing city residents. That’s up from 35 percent in October and comes as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to bring back a head tax on city employees and as a surcharge on millionaires is on the table in the General Assembly.

Court records show the 25-year-old Venezuelan man was arrested in June 2023 for allegedly shoplifting in the Loop, and gave as his home address at the time the address of Leone Beach Park, where the fieldhouse had been converted into a migrant shelter by City Hall. According to court records, he was released from custody “by rule of the court.” He never showed up for court again.

Chicago’s distressed dining scene—recently described as “on the brink of collapse”—was bolstered by good news last week, as the City Council voted to halt future increases in the minimum wage for servers and bartenders.

The ages of the victims range from 22 to 57.