Chicago Finances
Arnold Day was convicted and sentenced to 60 years in prison in 1992 based on confessions coerced by Chicago police detectives trained by Jon Burge, a disgraced Chicago police commander, according to court records.
A spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson said he supported the compromise measure even though it would undermine one of his major legislative accomplishments as he prepares to run for a second term as mayor.
The agreement averts a trial that would have asked a federal jury to decide whether former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara coerced Arturo DeLeon-Reyes into confessing to a 1998 Bucktown double murder.
“There is a mismatch here in terms of what the people of Chicago and Illinois are most concerned about and how government is responding and reacting,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.
The Chicago City Council’s License and Consumer Protection Committee voted to ban the thousands of unpermitted sweepstakes machines that operate in all kinds of businesses across the city, including in bars, restaurants, gas stations, laundromats and convenience stores.
In the trial set to start May 11, a jury will be asked to decide whether former CPD Detective Reynaldo Guevara framed Arturo DeLeon-Reyes, whose conviction in a 1998 double murder was overturned after a judge determined Guevara told “bald-faced lies” while under oath.
In all, Chicago taxpayers spent $285.8 million on overtime for members of the Chicago Police Department during 2025, 5.6% less than the previous year, according to the data.
The city’s 2026 budget set aside just $82.5 million for police misconduct settlements, and authorized officials to borrow an additional $283.3 million to cover the soaring cost of lawsuits alleging wrongdoing by police officers, records show.
The vote came after officials with Bally’s Corp. issued the most direct warning to the City Council that its move to green-light video gaming would kneecap the city’s permanent casino, scheduled to open in River West later this year.
CPD’s 2026 budget is $2.1 billion, including $200 million for overtime, records show.
Since the start of the year, Chicago taxpayers have paid nearly $30 million to resolve four wrongful conviction lawsuits.
“I will not abandon phasing out the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers at a time when Trump’s wars and tariffs are making it increasingly difficult to live and raise a family throughout the city and country,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement.
NetChoice, a trade association representing the tech industry, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court to block the Social Media Amusement Tax included in the city’s 2026 spending plan.
Lawyers for the Harrell family all but dared the Chicago City Council to reject their lawyers’ recommendation to pay $27 million to resolve the lawsuit blaming the Chicago Police Department for the death of Stacy Vaughn-Harrell during a police pursuit.
The ordinances rejected by the committee would have banned video slots and poker machines in the 26th Ward, the 27th Ward, the 28th Ward, the 33rd Ward, the 35th Ward and the 49th Ward.
The City Council’s Finance Committee on Friday is set to consider the proposed settlement, which calls for taxpayers to pay $20 million and the city’s insurance company to pay $7 million. A final vote of the City Council could come March 18.