A rendering of a planned inclusive playground to be built at the east end of Midway Plaisance in Hyde Park. (Chicago Park District)
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Though lauded as “groundbreaking” by the Park District, the playground has met with significant opposition from neighbors, who have faulted the choice of the Plaisance's east end as too dangerous for a play space.

(Adler Planetarium / Facebook)

On Wednesday, the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners approved an admission fee increase that will take effect April 1.

A memorial for Monty and Rose, held in 2022, at the site now named in their honor. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

The Park District Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to rename the plovers’ Montrose Beach meeting spot the Monty and Rose Wildlife Habitat.

Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. (Celine Harrand / Flickr Creative Commons)

The increases, MCA’s first since 2017, were approved Wednesday by the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners and will affect residents and non-residents alike, though the latter is getting hit harder.

Ald. Monique Scott (center) celebrates the Park District board’s approval of Riot Fest. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Riot Fest received permit approval from the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, over the objections of opponents who’ve campaigned for more than a year to keep the festival out of Douglass Park.

(Courtesy Riot Fest)
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Opponents want Riot Fest out of Douglass Park, but supporters of the festival say it has been an asset to the North Lawndale community.

Promontory Point. (Eric Allix Rogers / Preservation Chicago)

The Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of landmark status for Promontory Point.

(Field Museum / Facebook)
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Admission for a Chicago adult will increase from $9 to $15 at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and from $18 to $21 at the Field Museum. The Park District Board of Commissioners approved the hikes Wednesday.

(Courtesy Riot Fest)

On Wednesday, commissioners unanimously approved an amendment to the Park District’s code that gives members of the board the final say on permits for large-scale events held in the city's parks.  

Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park. (David Mark / Pixabay)

The funds will be used for repairs, debt retirement and pension contributions.

(Courtesy Riot Fest)
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An amendment has been proposed to the Chicago Park District code, which, if approved, would insert commissioners into the permit approval process for events drawing more than 10,000 attendees. 

Rosa Escareño appears on Chicago Tonight on July 31, 2021. (WTTW News)

Rosa Escareño planned to retire in July as commissioner of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection after 30 years with the city, but agreed to lead the beleaguered park district after the scandal erupted.

(Chicago Park District)

The Chicago Park District board of commissioners has elected Myetie Hamilton, a member of the board since September 2021, as the body’s new president, filling a vacancy left by the resignation of Avis LaVelle, who stepped down in November.

Fallout from a scandal within the Park District’s aquatics division continues to reverberate. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

If confirmed by the Chicago City Council, Andrea Telli would be the first person to join the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners after a scandal ousted the district’s top leadership.

River Park, in Lincoln Square. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

The Park District board OK’d a $600,000 budget for the new Office of Prevention and Accountability, which is being established to prevent misconduct and hold wrongdoers accountable. Commissioners questioned whether the amount dedicated to the new office was adequate enough for the task at hand.

Chicago Park District Board President Avis LaVelle addresses the news media about the lifeguard sexual abuse scandal Tuesday, Nov. 2. (Heather Cherone / WTTW)

Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners President Avis LaVelle said Wednesday she was not forced to resign by Mayor Lori Lightfoot for her handling of complaints that girls and young women were being abused while working at Chicago’s parks.