Stories by Heather Cherone

Federal prosecutors want the judge to hold an evidentiary hearing before deciding whether ex-Ald. Carrie Austin, 75, is too ill to stand trial.

Supporters of the ban said it would strike a necessary blow against animal cruelty, while opponents said it would harm Chicago businesses.

The Chicago City Council voted 34-15 Wednesday to pay $280,000 to activist Miracle Boyd, who was struck by a Chicago police officer during a protest in Grant Park near the Christopher Columbus statue in July 2020.

“The commission believes that strengthening trust in COPA now requires new leadership,” Commission for Public Safety and Accountability President Anthony Driver, Jr. and Vice President Remel Terry wrote, saying they had identified “critical failures of leadership (that) seriously undermine the quality and integrity of COPA’s work.”

If the verdict is upheld, it would be equivalent to the amount the city sets aside for an entire year and a half to cover the cost of police misconduct lawsuits.

Under new rules announced Monday, members of the public will be allowed to sign up for a 15-minute slot to inspect the gift room once every three months. Afterward, items will be donated to local Chicago charities, according to the mayor’s office.

Ald Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) is set to leave the City Council March 31 in order to lead the Chicago Park District, where he will oversee the city’s 600 parks and 6,000 employees.

“He didn’t deserve 16 shots,” said Charlotta Pritchett, Timothy Glaze’s partner of seven years. “I can’t find any justification in that.”

Budget Director Annette Guzman told WTTW News the dashboard was designed to answer questions she and her team fielded during the fraught negotiations over the city’s 2025 budget.

In all, Chicago taxpayers have spent $101.8 million since 2019 to resolve lawsuits brought by 26 people who were injured or on behalf of those killed during police pursuits, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

A Chicago Police officer knocked Miracle Boyd's phone out of her hand, sending it into her face and knocking out one and a half teeth during a July 2020 protest of the Columbus statue in Grant Park.

“Any action that amplify fears of deportations makes Chicago more dangerous,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

The scale of the challenges that confronted Mayor Brandon Johnson during his first 20 months in office is likely to be eclipsed Wednesday, when he is scheduled to testify in front of the U.S. House Oversight Committee about the city’s self-proclaimed status as a sanctuary city.

Former Mayor Richard M. Daley traveled to the nation’s capital twice as mayor. His successors, Mayors Rahm Emanuel and Lori Lightfoot, never made the trip in their official roles.

Mayor Brandon Johnson acknowledged that the reform effort, which began in earnest when the consent decree took effect six years ago, remains a work in progress.

“I loved being the alderman of the 35th Ward,” Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 36, said. “But you can’t turn down a job like this when you love Chicago as much as I do.”

The measure passed by the narrowest possible margin with the support of the entire Progressive Caucus and all but four members of the Black Caucus.

The Chicago City Council is set to vote on the proposal Wednesday, after a week-long delay fueled by outrage whipped up on social media, the budding 2027 race for mayor and the lack of trust many alderpeople have in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s ability to steer the city through rough financial seas.

Chicago officials would have an additional $87 million to spend on a host of programs designed to repair the city’s tattered social safety net, but the Chicago City Council used those funds to balance the 2025 budget and avert a property tax hike.

Inspector General Deborah Witzburg urged Mayor Brandon Johnson in July to form a task force as part of an effort to “implement a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to preventing, identifying and eliminating extremist and anti-government activities and associations within CPD.”

The measure failed after nearly all members of the City Council’s Black Caucus voted against it because of concerns that the change would mean more fees and fines levied against Black, Latino and low-income residents.

“Reliably providing safe drinking water is one of the most basic and important government functions,” Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said. “Providing clear and readily available information in which people have reason to be confident is another.”

The Chicago City Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to pay $27 million to the family of a Chicago woman killed by a driver being chased by Chicago police, the latest massive settlement prompted by a police pursuit that violated department policy and ended with a bystander’s death.

The Department of Law “selectively acts in opposition to the OIG’s investigative work when OIG’s work may result in embarrassment or political consequences for city leaders,” Inspector General Deborah Witzburg wrote.

Civilian Office of Police Accountability Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten much of the last 12 months at odds with the city’s top cop and the head of the city’s police oversight board.

The latest survey from the monitoring team charged with enforcing the consent decree found that Chicagoans’ confidence in CPD and the reform effort is exceedingly low, despite a reform push that began six years ago.