Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) tweeted “On Monday, November 8 (10am), I am pleased to announce the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety is expected to host a hearing on the City's Vision Zero policy. By improving design and investment, we can reduce crashes and fatalities. I remain committed to this goal.” 

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) tweeted “A Chicago Police Officer assigned to the K-9 unit was abruptly stripped of his badge, his dog was taken from him and sent to a kennel.  Vaccine requirements are necessary, but draconian measures such as this are counterproductive.” 

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted “Everyone is focusing on the @ChicagoParks Board President needing to resign. Anyone on the board that was silent this entire time is complicit. Force them out too!” 

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25) tweeted “Wishing a joyous Diwali to all who celebrate in Chicago and across the world”  

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) tweeted “Chicago Public Schools' Capital Planning and Construction team committed to funding a new playground at Nixon Elementary and stated their goal is to complete the new playground by Spring of 2022.” 

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) tweeted “Veterans ensure that are freedom is protected. In Chicago, I introduced and got passed the 1st Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) program in the city’s history. We want to work with VBE firms of all sizes but especially small veteran businesses.”  

Ald. Michele Smith (43) tweeted “Update: Green City Market has extended their outdoor season, due to COVID restrictions. Now through November 20th, every Saturday from 8AM-1PM, you can buy sustainably-grown produce and protein, fresh flowers, cheese, and more.” 

Ald. Matt Martin (47) tweeted “I agree with my colleagues. Every senior Park District leader who knew about this abuse and failed to respond aggressively and decisively needs to go. Current and frmr employees, as well as the public, need to know that abuse and the inaction that shields it won't be tolerated.”  

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) tweeted a link to remarks she made during a City Council meeting last week and wrote “At last week's City Council meeting, I presented my statement on the importance of vaccine mandates and compliance in our city.”

Cook County Health leaders will host a news conference at 2 p.m. Friday at the Cook County Health Professional Building at 1950 W. Polk St. to discuss vaccine availability for children between the ages of 5 and 11. The event will be streamed live on Facebook. 

Sen. Christopher Belt (D-Cahokia) tweeted “The 57th district is home to many veterans, each of them being valued members of our community. I'm encouraging people to help lift up veterans across the state by writing friendly letters to veterans’ home residents ahead of Veterans Day.” 

Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) tweeted about her upcoming virtual town hall about the Affordable Care Act.  

Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) issued a statement after the recent passage of legislation incentivizing the manufacturing of electric vehicles in Illinois.  

Rep. Jonathan Carroll (D-Chicago) tweeted his reaction to the news that Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) will not run for reelection, saying, “Mark is a great public servant and friend. While we don’t always agree on policy, there’s no one who’s better prepared and thoughtful on issues. Godspeed sir…you’ll be missed #twill #ilgov.” 

Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) tweeted about Batinick, “The House will miss @mbatinick -- he's always prepared for an unpredictable floor debate schedule, he's a thoughtful and thorough legislator, and he always has a new idea of how to better engage with and serve his constituents. It's an honor to serve alongside him.” 

Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) tweeted about Batinick “@mbatinick is a gentleman, reasonable and thoughtful. Even when we didn’t agree we did so thoroughly and respectfully. He’s made the General Assembly better.” 

Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday announced First Assistant Deputy Governor for Education Martin V. Torres will take over as the administration’s deputy governor of education. Torres succeeds Deputy Governor Jesse Ruiz, who announced his departure in August.  

Pritzker on Wednesday announced Hipolito Roldán to the Capital Development Board and Gabriel Foley as a member of the Children and Family Services Advisory Council. The governor also reappointed Sameer Vohra and John Herrmann to continue serving as members of the State Board of Health. All four appointments must be confirmed by the state Senate.   

Officials from the Illinois Department of Human Services on Wednesday announced Christine Haley was appointed State Homelessness Chief, which was created by an executive order Pritzker issued on Sept. 3. Haley previously worked as the director of housing at Cook County Health.  

Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6) tweeted information about a winter coat drive in his ward.  

Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10) tweeted “Please join us to learn more about the Hegewisch Neighborhood Plan and share your priorities and vision for the future of Hegewisch” and included a link to more information on the plan. 

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) on Tuesday tweeted “Shortly after 6:00pm this evening a woman was carjacked on 108 & Prospect, she was not harmed. An hour ago, Chicago Police apprehended four juvenile offenders & recovered the vehicle and a weapon. Nice work CPD!” 

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) tweeted “Park District Board Pres needs to step down alongside all who had a role in covering up or not doing their due diligence to address this disaster. Chicago Park District needs new leadership that is up to the task of making our parks safe and creating structures of accountability.”

Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez will deliver her first “State of the Circuit Court Address” on Dec. 1, her office announced, saying more details are forthcoming.  

Ald. Matt Martin (47) and Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) are teaming up with the CTA to host a virtual discussion about electrifying Chicago’s bus fleet. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 17, and registration is available online.

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) tweeted “Over the past six months, residents have worked with my office to design infrastructure proposals for Participatory Budgeting. You get to decide how we spend $1,000,000. Today, the vote is live! Take 5-to-10 minutes to vote electronically through Dec. 3”  

Ald. Sophia King (4) tweeted “There were Halloween events all across the 4th Ward that our office attended...We strongly encourage people to have activations for their block throughout the year to bring their neighborhoods together”  

Ald. George Cardenas (12) tweeted “Congrats Jennie Bennett CFO COC on your phenomenal performance at City Club and yes, you created the most progressive budget ever.”  

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) tweeted “9 years ago today our friend & neighbor Herbie Johnson died battling a house fire in the Gage Park community. He will always be remembered for his unique sense of humor, as a loving husband & father, and a respected leader in the Chicago Fire Department.”  

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) tweeted “Going to the University of PR meant that I was always engaged with social struggles. It was there that I learn about neoliberalism, privatization and the power of democratically run movement to fight for what is ours. Proud of the students who keep fighting today. Solidaridad!” 

Ald. Michele Smith (43) tweeted a statement on the most recent report on allegations of sexual harassment by Chicago Park District lifeguards writing, “to dismiss more than three decades of systemic and sustained abuse and harassment as simply something not being handled in a ‘timely manner,’ suggests a stunning level of tone deafness and a failure to accept responsibility as Chair by Ms. LaVelle.” Smith ended her statement writing, “Given today’s events, nothing had changed by opinion that Ms. Lavelle should resign.”  

Ald. James Cappleman (46) tweeted “Thanks to @GovPritzker and support from Majority Leader @repgregharris for the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) statewide violence prevention plan. Its comprehensive approach will help produce the outcomes needed to address violence.” 

Former Rep. Art Turner Jr., political consultant Hanah Jubeh and campaign organizer Larry Luster on Tuesday announced the launch of Landslide Media Partners, a “new strategic communications, public affairs and grassroots organizing firm with offices in Chicago and Springfield.” 

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) tweeted “Over the past six months, residents have worked with my office to design infrastructure proposals for Participatory Budgeting. You get to decide how we spend $1,000,000. Today, the vote is live! Take 5-to-10 minutes to vote electronically through Dec. 3” 

Ald. Sophia King (4) tweeted “There were Halloween events all across the 4th Ward that our office attended...We strongly encourage people to have activations for their block throughout the year to bring their neighborhoods together” 

Ald. George Cardenas (12) tweeted “Congrats Jennie Bennett CFO COC on your phenomenal performance at City Club and yes, you created the most progressive budget ever.” 

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) tweeted “9 years ago today our friend & neighbor Herbie Johnson died battling a house fire in the Gage Park community. He will always be remembered for his unique sense of humor, as a loving husband & father, and a respected leader in the Chicago Fire Department.” 

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) tweeted “Going to the University of PR meant that I was always engaged with social struggles. It was there that I learn about neoliberalism, privatization and the power of democratically run movement to fight for what is ours. Proud of the students who keep fighting today. Solidaridad!” 

Ald. Michele Smith (43) tweeted a statement on the most recent report on allegations of sexual harassment by Chicago Park District lifeguards writing, “to dismiss more than three decades of systemic and sustained abuse and harassment as simply something not being handled in a ‘timely manner,’ suggests a stunning level of tone deafness and a failure to accept responsibility as Chair by Ms. LaVelle.” Smith ended her statement writing, “Given today’s events, nothing had changed by opinion that Ms. Lavelle should resign.”  

Ald. James Cappleman (46) tweeted “Thanks to @GovPritzker and support from Majority Leader @repgregharris for the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) statewide violence prevention plan. Its comprehensive approach will help produce the outcomes needed to address violence.” 

The Chicago Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced the removal of South Carolina, Texas and the U.S. Virgin Islands from the city’s COVID-19 Travel Advisory as their caseloads have declined. At the same time, California and Mississippi were added back onto the list because their average caseloads edged past 15 new cases per day. Arkansas has dipped below that threshold, putting it on pace to be taken off the list by next week. Unvaccinated travelers from the 41 states that remain on the Travel Advisory list are asked to get tested or quarantine for 10 days. 

Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) tweeted “Today #TeamRam joined officials to break ground at the upcoming Peterson/Ridge @Metra station in Edgewater. After years of delays, commuters will finally have more options to get them where they are going.” 

Sen. Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) issued a statement after the legislature recently approved a bill she sponsored to ensure the provisions of the Community Health Worker Advisory Board Act are implemented.   

Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) tweeted a reminder about an upcoming virtual town hall she is hosting with Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights).  

Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago) tweeted a video, adding, “I live in Avalon Park, district office at 85th & Stony I see the increase in reckless driving/speeding on Stony from 79th Street to 87th Street. @chicagosmayor @IDOT_Illinois @ChicagoDOT @GovPritzker please help more motorists and innocent pedestrians are going to die.” 

Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora) tweeted about an upcoming mobile driver services units event she is hosting with the Secretary of State in her district.  

Officials from the Democratic Party of Illinois announced on Monday the hiring of Jake Lewis as deputy director and Maralea Negron as operations director. Lewis, who will also oversee the party’s communications, previously worked as the director of communications for the Chicago Federation of Labor. Negron previously worked as chief of staff to Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago). 

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) tweeted “it’s not panic pedaling to ask ‘what if this virus continues evolving into something more severe, more transmissible, more deadly?’ Although frightening to contemplate it, we must imagine what that world would look like, and begin preparing now to live (or die) in it.” 

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) in her latest newsletter detailed components of the 2022 budget approved by City Council last week and wrote “Through Alderman Dowell's leadership, the 2022 City of Chicago Budget makes monumental investments in critical City initiatives, while also putting Chicago on a much more fiscally sustainable path.” 

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) tweeted “If there’s anyone who is ready to take on the hard and urgent work of the OIG with a wealth of knowledge experience, intelligence and integrity, that’s Deborah Witzburg.” 

Ald. Michele Smith (43) tweeted “Leftover pumpkins after Halloween? Don't trash them, smash them with University of Illinois Extension. Sites are located throughout Chicago. Help divert pumpkins from becoming landfill waste!” Smith included a link to collection sites.   

Ald. Harry Osterman (48) tweeted “Today I joined my fellow elected officials on the groundbreaking for the new Metra Station on Peterson and Ravenswood. New public transportation that has been 12 years in the making and that will spark economic development in our neighborhood.” 

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) shared a link to a conversation she had on WGN Radio and tweeted “Last Friday, I joined John Williams on @wgnradio to talk about the city’s $500 universal income pilot for low-income households and explained my hope that it will benefit these households in the long run.” 

Deborah Witzburg submitted her resignation on Monday as Chicago’s deputy inspector general for public safety, citing an intention to apply for the position of inspector general for the city writ large. “Because OIG’s Public Safety section oversees and makes recommendations to City departments including the Office of the Mayor, it is my responsibility to avoid any appearance or concern that the work of the section might be influenced by my candidacy for a mayoral appointment and that its independence might therefore be impaired,” Witzburg wrote in a letter Monday. An independent selection committee is working to compile a list of candidates for Mayor Lori Lightfoot to pick as the next inspector general to succeed former Inspector General Joseph Ferguson. Witzburg’s resignation is effective Nov. 12. 

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans on Monday appointed Judge David Navarro as the new acting presiding judge of the court's Pretrial Division. Navarro had previously served as supervising judge for the division. Navarro was a Cook County assistant state's attorney and was chief of the Public Integrity Bureau at the Illinois Attorney General’s office before being appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2017. Judge Mary C. Marubio has been named the new supervising judge of the Pretrial Division.

Good Government Illinois will host a virtual town hall at 7 p.m. Thursday with Ald. Scott Waguespack (32) and Ald. Matt Martin (47) to discuss the 2022 Chicago budget passed by the City Council last week. “What makes the budget so progressive? How did it pass so easily, and what were some of the behind-the-scenes negotiations? What caused the split in the new Socialist caucus, described as a “difference of philosophy” to the media?” the event description reads. Online registration is required.

Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago) tweeted “I live in Avalon Park, district office at 85th & Stony I see the increase in reckless driving/speeding on Stony from 79th Street to 87th Street. @chicagosmayor @IDOT_Illinois @ChicagoDOT please help because more motorists and innocent pedestrians are going to die unnecessarily.” 

Rep. Jamie Andrade (D-Chicago) tweeted a video of a Ring camera, adding, “Another typical night in the neighborhood. This will keep happening as long as criminals feel there is no consequences for their actions. The only difference between the old Wild Wild West instead of horses they now use vehicles. 

Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) tweeted “fabulous day visiting Halloween celebrations across the 7th district!And congrats to Talman Av on your very first Halloween block party! The costumes rocked! Thank you all for creating community and please celebrate safely! Happy Halloween! 

Officials from the Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday updated the department's COVID-19-related public guidance ahead of the holiday season. The guidance includes a recommendation for people to delay travel until they are fully vaccinated or wait until after they receive a booster shot. For the unvaccinated, the recommendations call for testing to take place one to three days before and three to five days after traveling. Officials also encouraged the public to travel during “off-peak times” to avoid crowds, drive a private vehicle to reduce exposure and to wear masks while riding mass transit. State officials also encourage Illinoisans to keep their indoor gatherings small, arrange seating to allow physical distance, open windows and doors to increase air flow, avoid congregating in small areas and clean and sanitize areas like kitchen and bathrooms.

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) tweeted, “Thanks to the generosity of Black Men United, Proviso Leyden Council for Community Action, Chicago Football Classic and Christmas in the Wards our community is hosting a food giveaway at Metcalfe Park tomorrow morning for needy families in our area.”  

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted, “@aldnapolitano41 and I both introduced ordinances to hold parents accountable for their children. His was derailed by a socialist, mine by the head of the Black Caucus.” 

Ald. Silvana Tabares (23) wrote in her latest newsletter, “If you think the city council doesn’t deserve input on policies that impact labor rights and public safety, then the City Council chambers might as well stand silent as they did during the shutdown. I know the mayor would like that. I know some aldermen would like that. But some of us are ready to stand up. Some of us aren’t going away.” 

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) quote-tweeted Lopez’s tweet and wrote, “And every time similar backwards measures that focus on punishing the poor instead of addressing root causes are introduced we will fight them with every tool we have.”  

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) tweeted, “Our inaugural 36th Ward Trunk or Treat event was a huge success! Thank you to Rep. EvaDina Delgado and Dignity Montclare Funeral Home for co-hosting.” 

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40) quote-tweeted Lopez’s tweet and wrote, “As the socialist being referred to in this tweet, I will proudly stand with poor and working families who are just trying to survive in a capitalist society over draconian, repressive, cynical strategies that don’t solve the problem. #anydayoftheweek #twiceonSundays” 

Ald. Matt Martin (47) wrote in his latest newsletter that “approaching this budget, my office and I centered the stories of scores of neighbors who have struggled throughout the pandemic, dealing with issues from record unemployment and unstable housing to the lack of childcare and mental health challenges. I am proud to say that the budget includes many of the priorities that my office has been advocating for based on those experiences.” 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed Erin Harkey as the next acting commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events following the retirement of Comm. Mark Kelly last week. Harkey is a former project administrator, commissioner for programming and deputy commissioner for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. She was most recently senior policy adviser to the mayor on arts and culture. 

Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) tweeted, “A good old fashioned “Springfield Surprise” greeted me this morning. I found language slipped into an amendment on a large bill that deals with the proposed #onecentral project. It essentially weakens the parameters and accountability for this $6.5B in state funding.” 

Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) tweeted, “As an early childhood advocate, it warms my heart to witness legislative ideas from the field translate into law and follow the path of implementation. For one of my first projects in the Senate, I worked with [Sen. Kimberly Lightford] & @StartEarlyorg to bring up the effective date to January 2022 to extend services for 3 year olds with summer birthdays and preserve access to critical interventions while transitioning to school-based special education supports.” 

Sen. Jill Tracey (R-Quincy) released a statement saying that she “called a meeting” of the Legislative Ethics Commission she chairs “to select a new Legislative Inspector General, but a vote was stalled by several Democrat members.”  

Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) tweeted, “After 20 years in the making, today we passed the Midwife Licensure Bill in Illinois giving women more birth choices including home births w/ certified professional midwives. Thank you to the Illinois Council of Certified Professional Midwives for their patience and perseverance.” 

Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) tweeted, “Voting in Prison on postponed consideration. Justice in 2022” 

Rep. Denyse Stoneback (D-Skokie) tweeted, “I was honored to be part of an historic vote last night to pass HB370, the Youth Health and Safety Act, which included repealing the Parental Notification of Abortion law. The law passed and is headed to @GovPritzker for his signature.”

Sen. Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) and Sen. John Connor (D-Lockport) will participate in a virtual Facebook discussion hosted by U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) at 1 p.m. Saturday on how to expand broadband access across the state.