Both proposals could get a vote at the next Chicago City Council meeting, set for Friday.
Stories by heather cherone
Votes Delayed on Plan to Spend $70M More to Care for Migrants, Proposal to Borrow $1.25B
Apr 17, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Ethics Board Urges Chicago City Council to Tighten Rules That Would Allow Enforcement of a Ban on Lobbyists Giving Campaign Cash to Mayors
Apr 17, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The recommendation followed the unanimous decision on Monday by the Chicago Board of Ethics to dismiss an enforcement action against a City Hall lobbyist who donated to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign fund.
Top Cop Says CPD Tracks Accusations Against Officers — But Took No Action After 36 Complaints Filed Against Officers Involved in Dexter Reed Shooting
Apr 17, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The five officers who conducted the traffic stop that led to the death of Dexter Reed and the wounding of one officer had been the subject of 36 complaints that they were improperly stopping Chicagoans driving through the city’s West Side, according to records provided to WTTW News by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
Official Who Greenlighted Botched Little Village Smokestack Implosion Set to Lead Buildings Department
Apr 16, 2024 | Heather Cherone
During the more than hourlong confirmation hearing, Marlene Hopkins was not asked about what she did as the top official from the city’s Buildings Department charged with overseeing the implosion of the smokestack at the former Crawford Power Plant in Little Village.
Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin Fined $60K for Violating Ethics Ordinance
Apr 15, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The board found Conyears-Ervin committed 12 total violations of Chicago’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance for violating her fiduciary duty to the city, for the unauthorized use of city property and prohibited political activity.
Key City Panel Advances Plan to Spend $70M More to Care for Migrants in Chicago
Apr 15, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The City Council’s Budget Committee voted 20-8 to advance the proposal to the full City Council, which could vote on it as early as Wednesday. The panel also agreed to accept $48 million in federal and state grants to care for the migrants.
Chicago Police Lieutenant Who Failed to Investigate Sergeant Accused of Sexual Assault for 5 Years Should Be Fired, Watchdog Says
Apr 15, 2024 | Heather Cherone
A 2016 probe by the U.S. Department of Justice found that Chicago police officers were rarely held accountable for misconduct because of badly broken systems as well as a “code of silence” among officers that allowed them to act with impunity. CPD has fully complied with just 6% of the court order known as the consent decree designed to require the police department to change the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers.
Breach Between Top Cop, Misconduct Agency Widens Amid Probe of Shooting Death of Dexter Reed
Apr 12, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Superintendent Larry Snelling’s remarks come nearly two months after the first sign of deep tension between CPD and COPA emerged, and reflect a widening breach between the two agencies, sources told WTTW News.
Mayor Brandon Johnson Asks Chicago City Council to Fill $70M Gap to Care for Migrants
Apr 11, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The City Council’s Budget Committee is set to consider the request at a meeting Monday, six weeks after the mayor pointedly declined to join Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle when they announced an agreement to set aside an additional $250 million to care for migrants.
Proposal to Borrow $1.25B to Fund Economic Development, Affordable Housing Projects Gets Civic Federation Blessing
Apr 11, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Civic Federation President Joseph Ferguson called the complicated proposal to phase out the city’s decades-long reliance on tax increment financing districts, known as TIFs, “sensible” and “responsible.”
When Can Chicago Police Officers Use Force? Here’s What to Know
Apr 10, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The rules that govern when — and how — Chicago police officers can use force against members of the public are complicated and subject to interpretation, despite years of efforts to make it less likely that an altercation between an officer and a Chicagoan turns deadly. Those rules face new scrutiny after officers shot and killed Dexter Reed on March 21.
Key City Panel Advances Measure to Keep E-Scooters Speeding Through Chicago’s Streets
Apr 10, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Two firms are set to get licenses to keep their 3,000 scooters speeding through Chicago until June 2026. And for the first time since shared e-scooters hit Chicago streets five years ago, city rules will allow the motorized two-wheelers to be ridden between midnight and 5 a.m.
Johnson Misses Deadline to Nominate Permanent Chicago Police Oversight Board
Apr 8, 2024 | Heather Cherone
It is not clear when Mayor Brandon Johnson will make his pick from among 15 people nominated by members of Chicago’s police district council members and send those seven names to the City Council for confirmation to serve four-year terms.
Reform Groups Say CPD’s Plan to Handle Protests Around DNC Violates First Amendment, Consent Decree
Apr 8, 2024 | Heather Cherone
A federal judge is set to decide whether to force changes to CPD’s proposed mass arrest policy as the city prepares for the Democratic National Convention from Aug. 19-24.
Chicago Police Continued to Target Black, Latino Drivers With Flood of Traffic Stops in 2023: Report
Apr 4, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The vast majority of the more than 537,000 traffic stops made by Chicago police in 2023 were based on dubious evidence of minor violations that took direct aim at Black and Latino Chicagoans but spared White Chicagoans, according to a new report from Impact for Equity, a nonprofit advocacy and research organization that has helped lead the push to reform the Chicago Police Department.
Johnson Picks 4 Developments to Launch Effort to Transform Chicago’s Financial District
Apr 3, 2024 | Heather Cherone
“Like many cities, we are in the process of recovering from the impact of the pandemic, resulting in vacancies, particularly our storefronts and offices,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “We have to respond to these changes. As a city, we have to do it in a creative and collaborative way.”
Johnson Taps Cristina Pacione-Zayas as Chief of Staff
Apr 2, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Since Mayor Brandon Johnson took office, Cristina Pacione-Zayas has served as his first deputy chief of staff, charged with overseeing the city’s response to the arrival of nearly 38,500 migrants from the southern border.
City Council Votes 16-29 to Reject Effort to Punish Sigcho-Lopez for Speaking at Protest Where American Flag Was Burned
Apr 1, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The Chicago City Council voted 16-29 Monday to reject an effort to punish Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez for speaking at a protest in front of City Hall where an American flag was burned.
Key Chicago City Council Panel Slaps Johnson for Canceling ShotSpotter Contract
Apr 1, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The measure now set for a final vote by the full City Council on April 17 would require the Johnson administration to provide alderpeople with a host of data generated by the ShotSpotter system before the city’s contract with SoundThinking expires on Nov. 22.
13 Days Later, O’Neill Burke Celebrates Victory in Democratic Cook County State’s Attorney Race
Apr 1, 2024 | Heather Cherone
University of Chicago lecturer Clayton Harris conceded about an hour after Eileen O’Neill Burke declared victory Friday afternoon after the latest vote count showed her leading by 1,566 votes in a race where more than 527,000 votes were cast.
Eileen O’Neill Burke Wins Democratic Cook County State’s Attorney Race: AP
Mar 29, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Eileen O’Neill Burke declared victory Friday afternoon after the latest vote count showed her leading by 1,566 votes in a race where more than 527,000 votes were cast. O’Neill Burke said she had a “mathematically insurmountable lead.”
Key City Panel Advances Measure to Require Officials to Track Evictions From Chicago Migrant Shelters
Mar 28, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The measure set for a final vote by the full City Council on April 17 would require officials to detail how many people are evicted from city shelters every week. In addition, officials must report on the type and number of complaints filed by shelter residents twice per month, according to the proposal.
Eileen O’Neill Burke’s Lead Narrows Again Thursday to 1,623 Votes in Cook County State’s Attorney Contest
Mar 28, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The gap between the two candidates has been essentially unchanged for the past 48 hours.
South Shore Voters Endorse Calls to Expand Protection From Gentrification Sparked by Obama Presidential Center
Mar 27, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Nearly 80% of voters in two precincts of the 7th Ward endorsed a referendum asking whether Ald. Greg Mitchell and Mayor Brandon Johnson should support “a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) ordinance to prevent the displacement of renters, condo & home owners in South Shore in light of the impact of the Obama Center and growing development in the area.”
Eileen O’Neill Burke’s Lead Widens Slightly Wednesday to 1,637 Votes in Cook County State’s Attorney Contest
Mar 27, 2024 | Heather Cherone
For the first time since Election Day, Eileen O’Neill Burke widened her lead slightly over Clayton Harris III as election officials in Chicago and suburban Cook County counted ballots. The gap between the two candidates has been essentially unchanged for the past 24 hours.
Eileen O’Neill Burke’s Lead Shrinks Slightly Tuesday in Race to Replace Kim Foxx as Cook County’s Top Prosecutor
Mar 26, 2024 | Heather Cherone
A full week after the March 19 election, the contest remains a long way from being settled, with 53,712 outstanding mail-in ballots from Chicago and approximately 35,000 outstanding ballots from suburban Cook County that will be counted as long as they were postmarked or dropped off on Election Day and arrive by April 2.