With his microphone turned off, Ald. Andre Vasquez, who chairs the Hispanic Caucus and co-chairs the Progressive Caucus, shouted from the floor that the Council can create its own legal counsel. The mayor replied, “You all are not gonna shout me down.”

The Chicago Policy Center‘s Austin Berg says the tech trouble is the perfect example of having too many cooks – or in this case, politicians – in the kitchen. “Cook County needs an assessor. We need a board president. We need a clerk, but those don’t necessarily need to be elected offices that are completely separate and independent,” Berg said. “We saw here the result of that, just being a complete mess in trying to do something the county really needs.”

Alderman William E. Hall explained his reason for the ballot measure is because the September, 2025 ICE operations in the city cost the local government resources: “It cost our city not only dignity, it also invoked the trauma that can never be paid for. But in addition to that, the resources spent to protect Chicagoans has not only cost us financially, but it has cost a lot of people a lot of nights of no rest.”

“The City accurately and transparently reported spending,” wrote newly appointed Inspector General David Glockner. “OIG found that the City’s publicly reported cost dashboard was generally complete…” In total, Chicago spent $269.1 million of its Corporate Fund on the migrant mission, or about 42 percent of the total. Another 29 percent came from federal grants, 23 percent from the state and 6 percent from Cook County.

The new poll also examined Chicagoans’ feelings on affordability in the city, with two-thirds of residents saying the cost of living in their area is unaffordable.

Fifty Chicago public schools closed amid the largest mass closure of public schools in the nation’s history in 2013; more than half remained vacant for the decade that followed, despite the city setting a goal to sell or tear down all closed buildings by 2017.

Mayor Johnson declined to answer if he was running for re-election.

Ervin’s proposal would call for cobbling together the money using Tax Increment Financing funds, but there’s a catch, as Ervin acknowledged state lawmakers would have to modify state law to allow it. The proposal for the new expenditure comes after $425 million in TIF funds were recently approved for infrastructure around a new stadium for the Chicago Fire in the South Loop.

First responders had no indication the boy had been shot, or even that there had been gunfire in the neighborhood, because nobody called 911 to report shots fired, records show. Ald. Jason Ervin represents the block where the boy was killed, and was among roughly one-third of City Council members who supported Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision to end the city’s relationship with ShotSpotter. Ervin argued at the time that the technology discouraged residents from engaging with police.

“After a thorough review, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office determined the available evidence is insufficient to support the filing of criminal charges,” the office said in a statement.

Actuary Mary Pat Campbell: “Thing is… I don’t think Chicago… or Illinois can really be repaired with Chapter 9, either. They’re not ready for the level of honesty required for Chapter 9.”

“Real financial accountability is unlikely while CPS leadership and CTU continue doing business as usual. CPS bureaucrats maintain central control, and the CTU relies on that centralized structure to enforce expansive contracts. (Gov. JB) Pritzker should reestablish the Chicago School Finance Authority, which from 1980 to 1996 provided independent fiscal oversight, ensured fiscal discipline and helped stabilize CPS during a prior financial crisis.”

Ohio-based Yellow Banana has a redevelopment agreement with the city of Chicago, through which it received over $13 million in taxpayer financing to renovate and reopen Save A Lot locations. Yellow Banana was pitched to Chicagoans in 2022 as a Black-owned company that wanted to reinvest in Save A Lot locations that came with a reputation for dirty stores, a rat infestation and expired foods.

The eleven companies and one PAC singled out by “ICE Out of Chicago” are: Motorola Solutions, Waste Management and Stericycle, Target, SP+Parking, Home Depot, Amazon, FedEx, Microsoft, Dell, Deloitte, Ean Holdings (Enterprise, National and Alamo) and the Illinois Hotel & Motel PAC. For the last name, the pledge says Marriott and Hilton “allow immigration agents to stay at their properties.” The list can change depending on the companies’ contracts and policies.