Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) tweeted a video from the 1st Ward block party held at Maplewood Park on Saturday and wrote “Food! Music! Games! Community resources! Come check it out!” 

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) tweeted, "RMS Titanic, 1912: Women and children first. RMS Pandemic, 2021: Everybody get in line for the lifeboats, must be at least 12 to ride. bye kids, good luck in the ocean!"

Ald. Sophia King (4) in her latest newsletter wrote “We offer our condolences to the loved ones of Keith Cooper, a 73-year-old Vietnam Veteran and longtime 4th ward resident that lost his life in a fatal attempted carjacking in Kimbark Plaza on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at 12:30 PM. Two suspects are currently in custody.” 

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted, “I’m all about service (request letters)” along with a photo of the letters. 

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) tweeted, “The U.S. imprisons more citizens per capita than Cuba, Russia, and China. We claim to be the land of the free. As a nation we need to focus on decarceration and decriminalization - the last thing we need is another costly forever war. No to a US invasion of Cuba!” 

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) tweeted a copy of a statement from the Chicago City Council Latino Caucus demanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) ruling made on July 16 “be appealed immediately.”  

Ald. James Cappleman (46) tweeted a link to a podcast about “gentrification” and wrote “In Uptown, there's been much discussion about gentrification, especially this past week. Here's a podcast that looks at some intriguing research on the topic. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, you might be surprised.”  

Ald. Matt Martin (47) in his latest newsletter recapped the Friday public safety committee meeting and wrote “Unfortunately, the Committee again failed to take up an ordinance to establish a civilian oversight board for CPD and our other public safety entities. There's a possibility, however, that we will vote on the ordinance early next week, so stay tuned.” 

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) in her latest newsletter invited constituents to a series of meetings this month hosted by the Department of Transportation and Department of Planning and Development to discuss the city’s Western Avenue Corridor Study. 

The Chicago Department of Public Health on Friday released a “hyperlocal vaccine event calendar” for the next week, showing four pop-up vaccination locations for each day through Friday.

Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) tweeted she and Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) are holding a town hall forum on July 22.  

Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood), who sponsored the Senate version of the recently signed cannabis equity bill, issued a statement after it became law on Thursday.  

Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) tweeted “Today I was honored to join @GovPritzker to announce a $98 million investment in @thisisUIC’s upcoming Computer Design, Research and Learning Center as part of the #RebuildIllinois program.”  

Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), Rep. Fran Hurley (D-Chicago) and other officials are set to host a prescription takeback event on July 31.  

Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago) tweeted about an upcoming shredding event he is hosting.   

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) tweeted images after he toured McDonald’s Chicago headquarters.  

Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Hoffman Estates) and Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) are set to host a shredding event on July 17.

Gov. JB Pritzker and officials from the University of Illinois on Thursday broke ground on a new Computer Design, Research and Learning Center at the university’s Chicago campus. The Pritzker administration said the new 135,000-square-foot facility, which will serve as major hub of the campus, will include a 1,200-square-foot robotics lab, 16,000 square feet of classroom space, 16 classrooms, 35 dry and specialty labs and an auditorium. Construction of the new $118 million center is partially funded by a $98 million allocation from Rebuild Illinois, the state’s capital plan.

The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University will host a Zoom panel discussion at 10 a.m. Wednesday with Tim Knight, president and CEO of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, to “discuss the challenges and opportunities facing philanthropy in Illinois and the strategic role Knight envisions for the McCormick Foundation.” Online registration is required. 

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) tweeted “This Saturday at North and Maplewood, it's a first annual 1st Ward Block Party! We've got jobs! Vaccinations! Mental health and violence prevention resources! Plus food, music, and games! All free! Come join us!” 

Ald. Sophia King (4) tweeted a statement on a fatal carjacking in Hyde Park. 

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted about a news conference Mayor Lori Lightfoot attended Thursday for the groundbreaking on a new Chicago Park District campus, saying “I’m glad I left this presser. I wouldn’t be able to sit still listening to her bullshit!” Lightfoot announced a $1 million reward fund for tips leading to the seizure of illegal guns. 

Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41) tweeted “The Chicago Criminal Accountability Ordinance expands on our existing Administrative Notice of Violations (ANOV). This Ordinance will add strict penalties for the crimes we are seeing ravage our city.All fines collected will be allocated to our state mandated pension obligations.” He also shared a copy of the ordinance.  

Ald. Matt Martin (47) tweeted Has anyone asked [Jeff Bezos] about rents in his new outerspace colony?” 

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) tweeted photos of “joke” notifications announcing, “citizen burials in the park, home births in a ‘quartyard,’ and agricultural notices for urban farm animals.” Hadden also linked to a Sun-Times article about one of the brightly colored warning signs found on the city’s North Side. 

Ald. Debra Silverstein (50) tweeted “I am heartbroken to report that a 9-year-old boy from our community was killed yesterday evening while riding his bike on a residential block. Words are not enough to express my deep sympathy for his family.” 

The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans will hold an “Italian Unity Day” rally in Arrigo Park at 3 p.m. Sunday to celebrate Italy’s win in the Eurocup Soccer Championship and “commemorate the one-year anniversary of the “temporary” removal of the Christopher Columbus statues from Arrigo and Grant Parks,” the group announced. The group will also present the “Inaugural Marco DiFranco Hero Award” to "the group of forty-nine courageous Chicago Police Officers who were injured on July 20, 2020, defending the Columbus Statue in Grant Park.” 

Cook County Health will offer Johnson & Johnson vaccinations to adults 18 and older at the Chicago Tattoo Arts Convention, officials announced. The convention is being held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center at 5555 North River Road in Rosemont. Vaccines will be offered Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Good Government Illinois will host a virtual town hall moderated by David Orr at 7 p.m. next Tuesday with SEIU Local 1 president Tom Balanoff and Andrew Fox, director of the Chicago Office of Labor Standards. Balanoff and Fox will “discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted workers and how the City’s labor watchdog helps enforce labor ordinances, investigate claims, process complaints, issue fines and recommend other penalties,” according to an event description. Online registration is required. 

Federal funding for Chicago’s Head Start program is being renewed for the next five years at the current level of $145 million, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office announced Wednesday. In addition to the Department of Family and Support Services, which will receive about $52 million, five local groups accessed the grant funding: Carole Robertson Center for Learning, Chicago Commons Association, Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago, Inc., Henry Booth House and Start Early (formerly the Ounce of Prevention Fund). 

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) tweeted about the recent raise in Chicago’s minimum wage and wrote, “It is important that Chicagoans know their rights in the workplace. While I am happy to see this progress for Chicago's workers, please know that I will continue to advocate for fair and equitable wages and workplace standards in the 1st Ward and across the City of Chicago.” 

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted “The stress & emotions our officers feel, being abandoned by their city, can’t be discounted. We must do better for them & their families. To anyone feeling they are at the end of their tether, know there are people that would rather talk to you today than read about you tomorrow.” 

Ald. Michael Scott (24) tweeted information about the 24th Ward Block Club Convention scheduled for 10 a.m. July 17 in Douglass Park and wrote, “People who form block clubs are concerned and care about their communities and share information, identify concerns and act collectively to address those concerns.” 

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) tweeted a link to a Sun-Times article about mental health clinicians who will begin answering some 911 calls in place of the police department and wrote, “We’ve had to push CDPH and the MLL administration so hard to get to this tiny investment in non-police mental health crisis response. Some of my colleagues and I also have things to say if you want to have a complete story.”

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) tweeted “The deadline to submit feedback on the revisions to Chicago Police Department's foot chase policy closes July 15” and included a link where people can learn more about the proposed revisions and submit feedback. 

Officials in the Illinois Department of Transportation said Wednesday pavement patching on Interstate 39 between state Route 116 and Route 17 in Woodford and Marshall counties will begin July 19. Work is expected to last through the end of August, the agency said.  

State officials and the Amsino Medical Group on Wednesday celebrated the start of construction for the medical and health care products company’s new distribution hub in Aurora. Construction of the new $32 million facility is expected to create 110 permanent jobs.

Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) tweeted images from a business in her district.  

Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) tweeted an image, adding “Back in person visiting one of our wonderful 58th District libraries.” 

Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) tweeted images from a recent town hall event he hosted in his district.  

Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) tweeted an image from a recently collapsed bridge in her district. 

Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) tweeted “The Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan provides the largest Child Tax Credit ever and historic relief to the most working families ever – and most families will automatically receive monthly payments without having to take any action.”  

Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) tweeted “Today is #InternationalNonbinaryDay! There are an estimated 1.2 million people in the US who identify as non-binary, with that number growing every day. As the first openly gay member of the Illinois Senate, the fight for LGBTGQIA liberation is very near and dear to my heart.” 

Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) tweeted a brief video, thanking those who participated in a recent event he hosted with the Secretary of State’s office.  

Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) used his latest newsletter to promote HB2620, a bill he sponsored to make it easier for small breweries and wineries to sell their wares at local grocery stores.  

Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) sent a news release lauding SB2338, the Student-Athlete Endorsement Rights Act, which Slaughter co-sponsored and Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law last month. 

Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) tweeted, “We need property tax relief. That’s why I supported a measure to expand eligibility for the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program, helping keep more seniors in their homes.”  

Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland) shared a Wall Street Journal article about high coal prices and tweeted, “Well, this is a timely article as the green energy lobbyists try to shut down our IL coal industry.”  

Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) tweeted that she and Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) will speak at the Portage Park Chamber of Commerce Networking Breakfast next Tuesday. 

Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) shared a clip of herself on WTTW promoting the TEAACH Act. 

Gov. JB Pritzker and leaders of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity on Tuesday announced an $8 million expansion of the Apprenticeship Illinois program. The expansion will stretch the program to “serve an additional 750 apprentices across key industries, with plans to reach underserved populations as well as industries heavily impacted by COVID-19,” according to an announcement. The expansion is being funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Labor, officials said. 

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) tweeted, “It has been 124 days since the American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law, of which Chicago received $1.9 billion in federal aid that could be going toward social supports that have been shown to lead to a measurable reduction in crime.” 

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) tweeted, the “Chicago Department of Public Health reports that a West Nile Virus positive mosquito trap has been found in the 19th Ward near 95th & Charles St. CDPH officials will monitor the area and take appropriate action following additional testing.” 

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) tweeted she is “rooting” for Nikole Hannah-Jones “to stand with non-tenured unionized faculty in their fight to get the treatment they deserve. Kindergarten teachers need to be valued just as much. Among other things they teach babies to READ and be kind. Both deserve the best, no need to compare worth.” 

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) tweeted, “A new NIMBY group was launched this week to oppose a 300-unit multifamily development proposed for former site of Gordon Tech HS (at #IrvingPark / #Avondale border). Group calls itself ‘California Park Neighb Assoc’ & former Ald. Dick Mell is on the board” 

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) retweeted a Block Club story about how The Wilson Men's Hotel has reopened offering upscale "micro-apartments" and wrote, “We've gotta do more to save our remaining SROs. They provide sustainable, affordable housing for many and seeing this flip is outrageous. Let's preserve what we have left.” 

Ald. Debra Silverstein (50) tweeted a link to her radio appearance with the West Ridge Chamber of Commerce.  

Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Comm. Rosa Escareño and Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Comm. Mark Kelly will both step down from their roles in the coming months, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday. Escareño, who has led the business affairs department since 2017, will retire at the end of July and be succeeded by First Deputy Comm. Kenneth Meyer in an acting capacity, officials said. Kelly, who was appointed by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2016, will step down “in the fall,” according to the announcement. 

The Chicago Department of Public Health reactivated its COVID-19 Emergency Travel Order on Tuesday, announcing that unvaccinated travelers from Missouri and Arkansas must obtain a negative test result or quarantine for 10 days upon visiting Chicago. The two states were added back into the city’s “Orange Tier” because their daily COVID-19 caseloads exceed 15 new cases per 100,000 residents. The department had not listed any states in its Orange Tier since May 18, and on June 29 officials changed the emergency travel order to an “advisory.” Officials added that case rates have been “steadily increasing” in Nevada, Louisiana, Utah, Wyoming, and Florida, which may soon be added to the list of travel-restricted states. 

Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Riverwoods) tweeted an image of her recently attending a renaming of Twin Creeks Park to Rick Drazner Park.  

Sen. Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) tweeted “I will be co-hosting a free Mental Wellness Fair on Monday, July 19 with @SenatorHolmes.” 

Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) tweeted a reminder about his July 13 event with the Secretary of State’s office to offer mobile services in his district.  

Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) tweeted about a July 24 “Yoga in the Park” event she is co-hosting with Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago).

Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) is set to co-host a series of in-person town halls this week. On Tuesday, Harmon and Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Chicago) will host a 6:30 p.m. event at Brooks Middle School in Oak Park. On Wednesday, Harmon, Lilly and Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-Addison) will hold a town hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Centre at North Park in Franklin Park. On Thursday, Harmon and Willis will hold a town hall at Northlake’s city hall at 6:30 p.m.  

The Illinois Department of Public Health said Monday the latest winners of its COVID-19 vaccine lottery were residents of Quincy, Springfield and Chicago. The three winners will be awarded $100,000 in cash prizes.  

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) wrote in his most recent newsletter that his 2nd Ward service office at 1400 N. Ashland Ave. is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Residential Zone Parking Permits are also available for purchase. 

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) wrote in a tweet thread, “Do the people tweeting #SOSCuba want capitalism and the US to do to Cuba what it has done to Haiti? If you want to help the Cuban people achieve an even greater life expectancy demand an end to the US embargo - not a US military intervention a la Iraq or Afghanistan.” 

Cook County Comm. Kevin Morrison (D-15) tweeted a “reminder” that he is hosting a town hall on regional infrastructure and public transportation at 6 p.m. July 22.  

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) and Ald. Matt Martin (47) are set to host a virtual town hall at 6 p.m. Thursday on “climate solutions” the City Council is considering. Discussion topics will include building decarbonization, electric vehicle infrastructure and “a green bank for Chicago,” according to the event invitation. Clean energy and climate experts from the Illinois Environmental Council will also be on hand to answer questions. Registration is available online. 

The Chicago Department of Transportation is scheduled to hold a virtual community meeting at 6 p.m. July 27 to introduce plans for streetscape work along Lincoln Avenue from Western Avenue to Catalpa Avenue, including Catalpa Avenue from Lincoln Avenue to Western Avenue. In addition to introducing and discussing the potential scope of the streetscape project, officials from the transportation department are expected to look at existing conditions, seek feedback and provider a question-and-answer session. Registration is available online.

Lauren Maniatis will join the Chicago Board of Ethics on Aug. 2 as an investigator/attorney, board executive director Steve Berlin announced during Monday’s board meeting. She comes from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office and will fill the vacancy left by Ana Collazo, who left in April to become assistant inspector general for the City Colleges of Chicago. 

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) tweeted images from a recent graduation ceremony when he served as keynote speaker.  

Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) tweeted an image of one of her office staff members at a booth at an event in her district.  

Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) tweeted images from a recent event in which he said the Rockford Black Chamber of Commerce was “rebirthed.”  

Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Riverwoods) tweeted she is hosting her mobile office hours at Buffalo Grove Park District’s Alcott Center on July 13.  

Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa) tweeted “stalking and the threat of confrontation is a constant worry for survivors of abuse. This year I helped pass legislation that better secures survivors’ private information.”

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission will host its annual College Changes Everything Conference virtually from July 12 to July 16. The conference will host education professionals, students, the business community and others to discuss education-related topics, including diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, the topic of the keynote panel. Deputy Gov. Jesse Ruiz will kick off the multiday event, which will also include an Illinois Board of Higher Education discussion about the state’s 10-year strategic plan for higher education. In total, the conference will feature more than 50 livestream sessions. Advanced registration is required.