Mayor Brandon Johnson enthusiastically endorsed the plans for a new stadium, calling the renderings of the futuristic oval-shaped stadium with a translucent roof “miraculous.”
Stories by heather cherone
Bears Ask Taxpayers for $2.4B Subsidy to Build $4.75B Domed Stadium Along Lakefront
Apr 24, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Chicago Bears Call a Reverse, Prepare to Unveil Plan for New Domed Stadium on Lakefront
Apr 23, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The news that the Bears now want to remain the Chicago Bears in more than just name is the latest twist in the team’s high-profile search for their forever home that faces at least two major obstacles: the need for millions of dollars from taxpayers to subsidize the new stadium and an all-but-certain legal challenge.
Taxpayers Spent at Least $5.6M to Settle, Defend Lawsuits Accusing CPD Officers of Misconduct During Protests, Unrest in 2020: Analysis
Apr 22, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Nearly $2 million of that toll went to pay private lawyers to defend the conduct of CPD officers from late May until mid-August 2020, one of the most tumultuous periods in Chicago history, according to records obtained by WTTW News.
Police Union Appeals Ruling Requiring Serious CPD Discipline Hearings to Take Place in Public
Apr 22, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Judge Michael Mullen’s decision upheld the effort backed by the city’s largest police union to upend the system used for 60 years to punish officers for serious misconduct, but “split the baby,” said Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara.
City Council Votes 32-17 to Borrow $1.25B to Fund Economic Development, Affordable Housing Projects
Apr 19, 2024 | Heather Cherone
The approval represents a major win for Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has touted the proposal as a way to make Chicago a more equitable place to live by “investing in people” and expanding the city’s economic capacity — without raising taxes on Chicago property owners.
City Council Votes 30-18 to Spend $70M More to Care for Migrants in Chicago
Apr 19, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Officials expect it will cost an additional $321 million through the end of 2024 to care for the migrants. The Chicago City Council and the Cook County Board of Commissioners have approved plans to contribute $70 million each. State lawmakers are expected to set aside $182 million as part of the state’s budget for the next fiscal year.
Final Tally: Ex-Ald. Ed Burke Spent $3.8M in Campaign Cash on Legal Fees Before Conviction
Apr 19, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Former Ald. Ed Burke paid two law firms, Blegen & Garvey and Breen & Pugh, approximately $769,000 one month after his conviction, according to state records.
Votes Delayed on Plan to Spend $70M More to Care for Migrants, Proposal to Borrow $1.25B
Apr 17, 2024 | Heather Cherone
Both proposals could get a vote at the next Chicago City Council meeting, set for Friday.
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.