Chicago officials will expand their efforts to bring lifesaving vaccines directly to those who have yet to be vaccinated by going door-to-door in more parts of the city while launching an effort to contact unvaccinated residents by phone.
Stories by heather cherone
Ethics Board Finds Probable Cause Ald. Gardiner Violated Ethics Ordinance Twice
The Chicago Board of Ethics has found there is probable cause to believe that Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th Ward) violated the city’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance by using his office to retaliate against his political foes.
Feds Probe Gardiner for Bribery, Pay-to-Play: Sources
Federal officials are probing allegations that Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th Ward) took bribes and demanded payments before taking official actions, sources told WTTW News.
Chicago City Council Approves 8-Year Deal With Police Union
It took more than four years to negotiate a new deal with the police union, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot demanded changes to the way officers are investigated after a 2017 probe by the U.S. Department of Justice found police officers routinely violated the civil rights of Black and Latino Chicagoans.
Gardiner Apologies for Profane, Misogynistic Texts as Effort to Censure Him Advances
Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th Ward) on Tuesday apologized on the floor of the Chicago City Council chambers for sending profane and misogynistic texts to a former aide about Ald. Tom Tunney (44th Ward) and two women who work at City Hall.
Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Removed from Chicago’s COVID-19 Travel Advisory
The advisory now covers 48 states as well as Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands, said Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago’s top doctor. “This is an encouraging snapshot of the nation’s daily COVID data, but by no means can we let our guard down now,” she said.
City Council Poised to Approve New Police Contract Despite Opposition from Civil Rights Groups
A police union contract years in the making heads to city council Tuesday. We talk with alderpeople about that and other city business.
Pay $20.5M to 2 Men Who Spent 23 Years in Prison for Murder They Didn’t Commit, Aldermen Agree
Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez, who were released in 2016 after serving 23 years in prison for the murder of Rodrigo Vargas, would each get $10.25 million if the settlement is approved by the City Council on Tuesday.
City Set to Turn Up Pressure on Banks that Hold the City’s Cash to Lend Equitably
Treasurer Melissa Conyears Ervin said the measure was a “critical step” to combatting the disparity in mortgage lending in Chicago.
Plan to Extend Efforts to Boost Businesses Owned by Black, Latino and Female Chicagoans Advances
Members of the Chicago City Council unanimously endorsed a plan Friday to extend the city’s program that earmarks a portion of city contracts for firms owned by Black, Latino and Asian Chicagoans as well as women for another six years, without expanding its scope.
Life Ring to be Installed on Pier After Teen’s Death, Parks CEO Says
CEO Mike Kelly’s announcement reverses the city’s longstanding argument that life rings along the waterfront would encourage people to enter the water and put themselves at risk of injury or death — and make the city liable.
Lightfoot Calls for City Watchdog to Probe Whether Ald. Gardiner Targeted Political Opponents
“No one should ever be denied access to city services because of their political opinion, whom they may have supported in an election,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
Watchdog Asked to Probe How Ald. Gardiner Got Court Records on Political Foe
The watchdog for the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk has been asked to probe whether one of the office’s employees improperly accessed court records and sent them to Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th Ward), who faces allegations that he has used his office to retaliate against political opponents, WTTW News has learned.
Aldermen Advance Plan To Allow Marijuana To Be Sold — Legally — Downtown
A push by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to allow cannabis to be sold legally downtown cleared a key city panel on Wednesday, even though it won’t allow Michigan Avenue to become a “pot paradise.”
Unvaccinated? ‘Don’t Travel,’ Chicago’s Top Doctor Urges as Travel Advisory Expands
Chicagoans who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 should not travel, Dr. Allison Arwady announced Wednesday, as officials expanded the city’s advisory designed to stop the spread of the still-surging virus to every state and territory in the U.S.
Key City Panel Endorses Proposed Police Union Contract
A final vote is set for Sept. 14 on an eight-year deal that offers more than 11,000 Chicago police officers annual average raises of approximately 2.5% — while imposing new rules on officers suspected of misconduct.
Affordable Housing Battle Brews on Far Northwest Side
The Chicago City Council may be forced to confront the role its decades-old tradition of giving aldermen the final say over housing developments in their wards has played in creating a hyper-segregated city rife with racism and gentrification.
Ald. Waguespack Demands Apology from Ald. Gardiner Over Profane Texts
Ald. Jim Gardiner, elected in 2019, has been surrounded by controversy since he took office after defeating former Ald. John Arena. In 2023, he was elected to serve as the 45th Ward’s Democratic committeeperson, making him one of the leaders of the Cook County Democratic Party.
Chicago Officials Offering $100 Gift Cards as They Work To Hike Vaccinations
Chicagoans who get vaccinated by the Chicago Department of Public Health starting Saturday will get both a lifesaving inoculation against COVID-19 and also a $100 gift card, city officials announced.
Spring Break Caused COVID-19 Outbreak at Chicago University, CDC Officials Announce
Students at an unidentified Chicago university who traveled over spring break sparked an outbreak of COVID-19 that sickened 158 people, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday.
Chicago Starts Sending Mental Health Professionals to Some 911 Calls for Help
The two-year, $3.5 million pilot program represents the first time in Chicago’s history that the city’s emergency dispatch system will send someone other than a sworn and armed police officer to a call for help, officials said.
Gold Coast Dessert Bar 1st to Open Under New Rules Designed to Cut Red Tape
Scoops Dessert Bar is the first restaurant in Chicago to open as part of the city’s Expedited Restaurant Licensing Pilot Program, which is designed to help fill restaurants shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chicago’s Travel Advisory Updated to Include Every State Except Vermont
The city’s travel advisory now covers 48 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands, officials said Tuesday.
COVID-19 Surge ‘Could Hinder’ Chicago’s Economic Recovery, Financial Officials Warn
While Mayor Lori Lightfoot contends Chicago is “fiscally bouncing back,” Chicago’s top financial officials made it clear at a hearing Monday that the city’s finances are still mired in the deep hole created by the economic catastrophe of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chicago Officials Sue DoorDash, Grubhub, Allege Firms Hurt Restaurants During COVID-19 Pandemic
The lawsuit accuses both DoorDash and Grubhub of advertising delivery services from restaurants without their consent, damaging the restaurants’ reputations and forcing them to scramble to resolve complaints.
City Workers Must Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19 by Oct. 15, Lightfoot Announces
The mandate is likely to trigger a legal battle with the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 7, which represents the city’s 12,000 rank-and-file officers.
