Politics
Political news, including Chicago City Hall, Cook County government, Chicago and county elections, the latest from Washington and Springfield and more.
City Hall
The search for at least seven more votes to get the 26 needed for passage will likely require the mayor to scrap a property tax increase and remove the line in the sand he has drawn against layoffs or other cost-cutting options that might alienate the unions that helped elect him.
Even some members of the mayor’s Progressive Caucus, including Alds. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, Jessie Fuentes and Angela Clay, were refusing to play along by passing a budget balanced with the help of a $68.5 million property tax and a slew of other taxes.
Chicago’s point person on air pollution and extreme heat was pushed out, raising questions about the mayor’s commitment to neighborhoods choked by pollution.
Commentary
These vague lump sums were part of the final budget deal, which is deemed almost a sacred covenant, writes Rich Miller
Gabbard, Donald Trump’s pick to be director of national intelligence, has been called “Russia’s girlfriend” and parrots Kremlin talking points.
Illinois Democrats Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and other Senate Democrats urged President Biden on Tuesday to take decisive actions on the immigration front before he leaves office and President-elect Donald Trump orders mass deportations.
The bill sponsored by state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Hillside, would limit sales of most hemp-derived products to licensed cannabis dispensaries. The goal is keeping psychoactive products packaged like candy away from kids. But merchants of other hemp products worry it would criminalize a massive Illinois industry.
The 911 caller and his partner told the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ that Samantha Steele, a Democratic member of the Cook County Board of Review, tried to flee the scene of the Nov. 11 crash before police arrived — but her car was too damaged to drive.
El gobernador JB Pritzker dijo que seguirá protegiendo a los inmigrantes documentados, migrantes e inmigrantes sin estatus legal del estado contra el plan de deportación pendiente. “También es mi obligación protegerlos. Son residentes del estado de Illinois”.
Judge E. Kenneth Wright Jr. acquired a handful of Chicago homes from the estates of deceased clients when he was a solo law practitioner in the 1990s. Now, two families claim he took advantage of his elderly clients.
A state law that took effect in 2021 allows students to wear hijabs, leggings and long sleeves without having to request a waiver. Muslim Civic Coalition president Dilara Sayeed says that’s given them the chance “to play in uniforms that meet their faith traditions and not have to constantly be seeking approval to do it.”
The team says it’s still focused on building a new dome on Chicago’s lakefront, but a potential move to the suburbs got a lot easier this week as they ended a property tax dispute with school districts around the former Arlington International Racecourse.
Former Dixon comptroller Rita Crundwell, who stole $53.7 million from the northwest Illinois city, and former Northbrook CEO Eric Bloom, who lost his investors more than half a billion, saw their federal sentences slashed Thursday.
It’s the third time the City Council’s Finance Committee has agreed to revise a city subsidy to pave the way for an $87.8 million rehab of the 104-year-old theater in Logan Square. Baum Revisions will now receive a grand total of $27.25 million in city assistance.
IBM’s decision is a huge win for Gov. JB Pritzker, who has for years sought to make Illinois a global leader in quantum computing and innovation. The announcement comes a day after the City Council gave the multibillion-dollar quantum computing campus final zoning approval.
A 14% approval rating has emboldened Mayor Brandon Johnson’s opponents and sent his own allies running for cover. A two-week budget delay. Some head-scratching self-inflicted staffing wounds. And an inexperienced mayor who has, too often, kept City Council in the dark. That and more have created a political mess.
Jurors in the trial of former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza heard from more than a dozen witnesses over four days. Key players in the alleged scheme included Michael McClain, Madigan’s longtime friend who is now on trial with him in a related case, and former state Rep. Edward “Eddie” Acevedo.
James McIntyre, 33, an East Rogers Park advocate for foster youth, pleaded not guilty to charges he assaulted the GOP congresswoman in Washington. Nancy Mace posted on X that she was assaulted by a “pro-tr*ns man” and used the incident to solicit campaign funds.
The fire began about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday in a records storage area on the county side of the building at 118 N. Clark St., officials said.
Pritzker 'open' to meeting with Trump border czar, but vows to protect undocumented from deportation
Gov. JB Pritzker said he’ll continue to protect the state’s documented immigrants, migrants and immigrants lacking legal status against the pending deportation plan. “I believe it’s my obligation to protect them too. Those are residents of the state of Illinois.”
Ald. Scott Waguespack briefly threatened to block any vote on items sent to the Council by the Zoning Committee because that committee’s report did not include its rejection of a Sterling Bay proposal in Lincoln Park that Waguespack opposes over concerns about traffic, parking and height of the buildings.
Algunas clínicas que atienden a migrantes están viendo multitudes más grandes a medida que las personas buscan ayuda, intentan comprender sus opciones y se preparan para cambios en la política de inmigración y un aumento en las órdenes de deportación.
