It’s Thursday and opening day for Major League Baseball. The Cubs are away at the Diamondbacks while the Sox are at home versus the Angels. Read on for today’s top stories. Mayor Brandon Johnson addresses the news media on June 12, 2024, alongside Chief of Staff Cristina Pacione Zayas. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News One week ago, Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters he was confident two things would happen in short order. First, nearly a year of high-stakes negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union would culminate within hours, if not days, in a new deal with the 25,000-member labor organization that reflects his vision for the nation’s fourth-largest school district, Johnson told reporters. And then a new 21-member, partially elected Chicago Board of Education would vote to cover a $175 million pension payment and figure out how to pay for new contracts with the unions representing teachers and principals. Neither has happened, as of Thursday morning, leaving Johnson — who campaigned on promises to transform CPS into a school district that offers a well-rounded education to every Chicago child and security to employees — caught in another bruising political battle that has, once again, frustrated his allies and emboldened his critics. Senior Johnson administration officials told reporters Tuesday that they were no longer counting on CPS to reimburse the city for making the required payment into the pension fund that includes 23,166 employees of CPS who are not teachers by Sunday. City officials say CPS is required to make by the state law that ended mayoral control of the school district. Contract malaise: Despite Johnson’s direct involvement in contract negotiations between CPS and CTU, a deal remains out of reach. Johnson is a former middle school teacher and organizer for the CTU who rose to prominence during the 2012 strike during former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s time in office. The last major sticking point preventing a deal between CPS and CTU involves the amount of time elementary school teachers have to plan and prepare while on the clock, CTU officials told reporters Wednesday. Read more (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) Cook County voters in eight municipalities will be asked April 1 to hike property taxes to fund a variety of programs and projects, including expanded fire protection, renovated schools, resurfaced roads and new parks. The decisive votes on those ballot measures will likely be cast by voters who live in wealthy communities where the majority of residents are White and own a home, according to a new report from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. What the report says: Voters who live in communities where the majority of residents are Black or Latino and rent are far more likely to skip ballot questions that ask them to hike property taxes. The report released Wednesday was the first to compare income, racial and home ownership characteristics with the number of voters who weighed in on measures authorizing the issuance of new debt, which is backed with property tax revenue, or tax hikes. Overall, few voters decided to weigh in on the measures, which have helped fuel the increase in property taxes across Cook County. More context: The eight property tax-related referendums up for a vote include a proposal to borrow $45 million in Western Springs to repair the village’s infrastructure and a proposal to increase property taxes in Palatine Township to provide “community mental health facilities and services for the person with a developmental disability, mental health disorder, or substance use disorder.” In 2024, Cook County voters approved 26 of 35 ballot measures that sought to hike taxes. An average of 45.9% voters cast a ballot in those races. Read more Learn more about advertising & sponsorship with WTTW. Left, Brandy Leach, a unionized CTA switch person, speaks with a transit rider on March 26, 2025, at the Howard ‘L’ station in support of a proposal to reform the Chicago area’s public transit systems. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News) Workers with the Chicago Transit Authority gathered at an entrance of the Howard ‘L’ station Wednesday on the far North Side to raise awareness of the impending $770 million budget gap facing the Chicago area public transit systems at the CTA, Metra and Pace next year, when federal COVID-19 funding runs out. A recent Regional Transportation Authority report found one in five workers in the city could lose access to transit during their daily commute if a funding solution is not found for the fiscal cliff. The off-the-clock transit workers, represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308, passed out flyers to morning commuters in support of a bill that aims to reform the area’s public transit systems, but stops short of combining CTA, Metra, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority into a single agency, unlike what some advocacy groups have called for. Read more Back in the Day: March 27, 1899 - ‘Sunset Boulevard’ Star Gloria Swanson Born in Chicago On this day 126 years ago, the actress Gloria Swanson was born in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. She began her career in 1914 as an extra at Uptown’s Essanay Studios, a film studio that served as a launching point for Charlie Chaplin. As she got more work, she quit school to focus on acting full-time, starring in dozens of silent films. During the first Academy Awards, she was nominated for Best Actress for her work on the 1928 film “Sadie Thompson.” Her most enduring role came in 1950 when she starred in Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard,” which earned her another Best Actress nomination and won her a Golden Globe. The late great film critic Roger Ebert wrote, “Gloria Swanson gives her greatest performance as the silent star Norma Desmond, with her grasping talons, her theatrical mannerisms, her grandiose delusions.” She made only three more films after “Sunset Boulevard” and died in 1983. This Week’s Arts and Culture Events Every Thursday, WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali highlights the city’s must-see cultural events. It is spring, so break out the flip-flops and cargo shorts – but don’t put away the duck boots and snow pants just yet. You’ll need them soon after you get your first sunburn of the season. Whether it’s freezing or frying outside, choose your outerwear carefully and wade into the waters of Chicago arts and culture. Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) River Cruise – Riverwalk It’s a sure sign of spring when the First Lady tour boat returns from her winter hibernation. The Chicago Architecture Center cruise is often cited as one of the best in the country, so make no small plans and discover the backstories behind 50 grand buildings along three branches of the Chicago River. The First Lady boards along the Riverwalk at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. Open daily Orchestra Noir – Harris Theater, Millennium Park Sounds like a party – Atlanta-based Orchestra Noir highlights African American music pioneers in all types of music, from classical to hip-hop and jazz. Expect swinging arrangements of R&B hits and popular songs for orchestra. These advocates for music education and minority musicianship return to Chicago with a high-energy show called “Y2K Meets 90s Vibe.” March 29 “The Listeners” - Lyric Opera of Chicago This contemporary opera considers the power of sound itself. When a woman hears a low-frequency hum that few others can detect, she joins a cult-like group of people with the same affliction. Co-commissioned by Lyric Opera and composed by Missy Mazzoli, “The Listeners” promises “intense, edge-of-your-seat theatrics for mature audiences.” It sounds like an ear-opening experience. Opens March 30 What's a must-visit place in the suburbs? Tell us why. Email [email protected] with your responses and your answers might be published. Meet two brothers fighting for their lives. One needs a kidney transplant. The other is a match — but he's in ICE custody and facing deportation. 5:30 PM | 10:00 PM Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
