Stories by Heather Cherone

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed spending plan for 2027 would increase CPD’s budget by approximately 6% to reach $2.24 billion, records show.

The final group of candidates seeking to deny Mayor Brandon Johnson a second term each filed tens of thousands of signatures Monday to officially get on the Feb. 23 ballot, solidifying the race for Chicago mayor.

Members of the Chicago City Council’s Budget and Government Operations Committee kicked off weeks of budget hearings by giving Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed $17.6 billion spending plan a stony reception.

While former Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling agreed the officer violated CPD policy, Snelling said the decision to use force against the woman was “reasonable and necessary” even if it was not proportional, records show.

The department is also performing an “audit of prior searches conducted by members” using systems not controlled by CPD to determine if “there are additional instances of potential misuse,” according to a statement from police brass.

To win a second term, Mayor Brandon Johnson will have to overcome a serious challenge from perhaps a dozen candidates, including Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.

Investigators have determined that the tactical team that stopped Dexter Reed improperly stopped and searched Chicagoans during four separate traffic stops between September 2023 and March 2024, records show.

Mayor Brandon Johnson unveiled his proposed $17.6 billion 2027 spending plan Wednesday.

Juliana Stratton and Don Tracy are vying to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who will end his political career in January after 30 years in the Senate.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s resurrection of the so-called head tax — which was soundly rejected by the Chicago City Council a year ago — would impose a $25 per month per employee tax on all firms that have more than 125 employees, according to the proposal.

Chicago’s progressive labor community will be split between Mayor Brandon Johnson and Alexi Giannoulias during the 2027 mayoral election.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who is running for reelection, has been under intense pressure to replace ShotSpotter, the city’s controversial gunshot detection system, which he scrapped two years ago, by members of the Chicago City Council.

Lauren Maniatis, 43, is no longer an employee of the board, which is responsible for enforcing the city’s ethics laws, records show.

In all, 17 members of the Chicago Police Department have faced termination for allegedly defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program of a total of approximately $517,000, according to reports released by the Office of the Inspector General.

The total cost of defending and resolving 32 lawsuits naming Guevara, who has been repeatedly accused of falsifying police reports, framing suspects and coercing witnesses, is now $472.8 million, according to a WTTW News analysis.

The Chicago City Council failed by one vote Wednesday to override Mayor Brandon Johnson’s veto of a measure that would have required at least 30 alderpeople to approve any plan to borrow more money.

The retirement of Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling poses “a test for the CPD to show that its reforms are now built into how it operates,” said Maggie Hickey, the attorney who leads the monitoring team that reports to U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer.

While the Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommended that Officer Jose Rodriguez be suspended for less than three months, former CPD Supt. Larry Snelling overruled that recommendation, finding that he should be fired.

After a three-week trial, a Cook County jury determined that the fatal injuries suffered by Dominga Flores Gomez, who was survived by five children and eight grandchildren, were the fault of the driver who refused to stop for police, records show.

Officer John Kaporis “blatantly and repeatedly used vulgar homophobic and racist language, despite policy dictating that supervisors may randomly audit these videos,” the Civilian Office of Police Accountability concluded.

“Neighborhoods with the greatest infrastructure needs should not face additional barriers to securing essential public investment,” Mayor Brandon Johnson wrote in his official veto measure. “Delaying infrastructure projects can increase construction costs, worsen deterioration and ultimately cost taxpayers more.”

Drivers blocking bicycle and bus lanes racked up nearly $4.5 million in fines since November 2024, when an effort to use automated cameras to make streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians launched downtown, according to city data.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city would refinance bonds backed by the city’s sales tax revenues that are at least 10 years old to generate between $65 million and $71 million. But that refinancing generated just $36 million, officials said.

To date, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability has determined members of that tactical team violated department policy during 23 separate traffic stops, according to a WTTW News analysis of COPA records.

CPD has exceeded its annual overtime budget for the 10th straight year, despite repeated promises from Mayor Brandon Johnson to reign in police overtime spending, according to a database published by Inspector General David Glockner.

“This budget magic … we’re only able to do this once,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said. “We are sweeping the cupboards bare. Once you’ve done that, you have to look for other resources.”