The legislation was designed to favor GOP candidates in the next year’s midterms. Republicans control the state Senate, but many have been hesitant or openly opposed to the idea of mid-decade redistricting.

Over the objections of the mayor, the Chicago City Council agreed to meet Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Dec. 23 in an attempt to hammer out a deal over the $16.6 billion spending plan.

The measure is the third attempt by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) to expand the Chicago Police Department’s power in an attempt to deter teens from gathering in large numbers.

Illinois’ consolidation of suburban police and fire pension funds is beginning to pay off, with records showing improved investment returns and significant cost savings for some local governments. While challenges remain, the overhaul has boosted funding levels and eased financial pressure on communities long burdened by rising pension obligations.

In March 2024, Gov. JB Pritzker announced the closure and rebuild of both Stateville and Logan correctional centers, allocating $900 million for the projects. The decision came after a state-commissioned report found that the two prisons accumulated more than $402 million in deferred maintenance costs.

The law, which takes effect immediately, also provides legal steps for people whose constitutional rights were violated during the federal enforcement action in the Chicago area, including $10,000 in damages for someone unlawfully arrested while attempting to attend a court proceeding.

U.S. labor laws can’t help new unions force companies to reach a deal. The laws only require employers to bargain in “good faith,” meaning there are basically no penalties if companies drag out negotiations for years.

In letters sent to both Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker, the Federal Transit Administration on Sunday issued a special directive calling for “immediate, measurable corrective actions” aimed at reducing violent crime.

The current proposal would impose a $33 per employee tax on companies with 500 or more employees to generate $82 million to fund violence prevention and youth employment programs.

A group of alderpeople led by 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn is pushing an ordinance to ban the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products in Chicago.

If the extra subsidies expire, the premiums ACA enrollees pay will more than double on average, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group.

“We have to revisit our promotion policy,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “We don’t want these types of archaic approaches to set us back. So, it is something that we are looking into.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was open to new ideas and continuing negotiations but said he would not allow the city’s budget to be balanced “on the backs of working people.”

President Donald Trump announced a $12 billion farm aid package Monday — a boost to farmers who have struggled to sell their crops while getting hit by rising costs after the president raised tariffs on China.

Of 439 positions in the Chicago Police Department charged with implementing the consent decree, 179 positions were empty at the beginning of December, according to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by WTTW News.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin described Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s co-sponsoring of the bill as “an extraordinary act of political courage.” Durbin has spent more than two decades pushing for the Dream Act, which he first introduced in 2001.