Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) tweeted, “Congratulations to the 400k Chicagoans who finally got a raise to $15/hr today! As someone who tried to save for college on $5.25 and make it through the recession on $7.50, I wish this win had come sooner but I’m so happy for you!”  

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) in her latest newsletter wrote that Friday’s special City Council meeting on the police department’s plans to combat violence during the July 4 weekend "will be an important opportunity to discuss what aldermen see in their communities every day, while also providing accountability for the police department prior to the start of the busy weekend.” 

Ald. Sophia King (4) tweeted, “Yesterday was the unveiling of the new Ida B. Wells Monument just outside of the Oakwood Shores community. Renowned artist Richard Hunt designed the statue which stands proudly on East 37th Street and South Langley Avenue in Bronzeville. Major big win!” 

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted, “No matter how much [Mayor Lori Lightfoot] tries to be like Donald Trump, dodging deflecting & ignoring reality, tomorrow’s meeting is about violence.  It has always been about violence.  The very fact she can’t recognize that shows how out of touch she is.” 

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40) tweeted, “Did you know that July is Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Month? #NowYouKnow” 

Ald. Tom Tunney (44) in his most recent newsletter explained his “no” vote on renaming outer Lake Shore Drive to Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Lake Shore Drive. “I did indicate to my fellow council members that I would have enthusiastically supported renaming Millennium Park for the first First Family of Chicago, DuSable and his wife Kitihawa, who was a member of the Potawatomi tribe, but unfortunately that compromise was turned down,” he wrote.  

Ald. James Cappleman (46) used a portion of his latest newsletter to explain his “no” vote on renaming Lake Shore Drive write, writing "a good compromise would be to change the official name to  ‘Du Sable Lake Shore Drive’” but he "believed many Chicagoans would get overwhelmed by the long name and would end up leaving ‘Du Sable’ out entirely," which “defeated the whole point to give the founder of our city this needed recognition.” 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday announced the appointment of Cole Stallard to serve as action commissioner of the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation following the retirement of Comm. John Tully, who led the department since 2018 and spent 25 years previously working at the streets and sanitation department. Stallard has served as deputy commissioner since 2014. Thursday was his first day as commissioner. 

Lightfoot also announced the launch of five “Community Engagement Councils,” which she said will “ensure the Mayor’s Office gains a deeper understanding of the rich histories and community needs and continue the work to eliminate barriers facing immigrant groups that live and work in the city.” The councils respectively focus on African and Caribbean immigrants; Asian American and Pacific Islanders; Eastern Europeans; Middle Eastern, North African, and Near East; and Polish Americans. 

Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) tweeted an image of a letter from the Illinois House Progressive Caucus, saying “Proud to stand with my colleagues in the House Progressive Caucus in support of striking Cook County workers with @SEIU73. The workers that kept this county running through the pandemic deserve a fair contract.”  

Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) tweeted an image of a Pride flag in her district office, saying, “With Pride Month 2021 ending today, I stand in solidarity w/ LGBTQ community members in the 11th District & across IL.”  

Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) tweeted images of him touring the new Ferrara facility in DeKalb. 

Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) tweeted a link to list of his legislative accomplishments this year.

State and local officials joined candy company Ferrara on Wednesday to open the business’s new 1.6 million square foot facility in DeKalb. The new distribution center is a $100 million investment and is expected to support 500 local jobs. In a statement, Gov. JB Pritzker praised the company, which makes SweeTARTS, NERDS and Brach’s, for “building on their long history” in Illinois. 

Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday ordered all entities covered by the Illinois Flag Display Act to lower their flags at half-staff in honor of Wabash Fire Protection District volunteer fireman Mehdi Mourad, a 21-year-old who died Sunday while responding to a multi-vehicle crash. The governor said flags should be lowered between sunrise on Thursday until sunset on Saturday.   

Business leaders including Rob Karr of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Mark Denzler of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association will host a news conference at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Illinois state capitol building to “to voice their opposition to an energy proposal backed by Gov. JB Pritzker, warning it will result in the largest rate hike on consumers in Illinois history while exporting jobs to neighboring states.” 

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) shared a Beverly Review article about progress on a streetscape makeover underway along 111th Street in Mount Greenwood. 

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) tweeted “Capitalism runs on trauma.” 

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) thanked the outgoing officers of the Chicago chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. 

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) shared a Crain’s column calling on the city to boost its self-promotion efforts and tweeted, “We have only one shot at recovering from this pandemic. It’s time for Chicago to blow its horn, let’s get going.” 

Cook County Comm. Kevin Morrison (D-15) in a tweet thread wrote “While I'm disappointed #Pride is ending, I'm so proud of everything we did this month. We raised Pride flags, fought for Pride month resolutions, helped change an antiquated local law, and made Cook County's documents and forms gender inclusive.”

Cook County Circuit Judge Dominique Ross announced a run for an Illinois appellate judgeship in next year’s elections. She boasts the backing of Ald. Leslie Hairston (5), Cook County Board of Review Comm. Larry Rogers (D-3) and county Clerk Karen Yarbrough, among others.

Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) tweeted “Today is a huge milestone in the fight for fairness for our collegiate student athletes.”  

Sen. Napoleon Harris (D-Flossmoor) tweeted “Finally student-athletes will receive some financial benefit for the use of their name, images and likenesses. Their schools will no longer receive all the financial benefits.”  

Rep. Edgar Gonzalez (D-Chicago) tweeted “The second end-of-session TikTok is out! See how we debated IL’ new House and Senate maps.”   

Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) tweeted an image of his new interns, who he said will be around his district throughout the summer.  

Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) tweeted “students’ learning should not be interrupted by restrictive hair policies that disproportionately target Black children. That’s why I helped pass a measure that blocks schools from prohibiting certain hairstyles historically associated with race or ethnicity.”   

Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) tweeted encouragement for anyone in need of scheduling a vaccination appointment to contact her office.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will join Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) and Rep. Lamont Robinson (D-Chicago) on Wednesday to host the second part of a panel discussion on ways the state supports LGBTQIA+ businesses and BIPOC entrepreneurs. Registration is required.  

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) wrote in his latest newsletter about the "Chicago Rescue Plan" proposal he introduced last week laying out how the city should spend $1.9 billion in federal American Rescue Plan funds, saying people "deserve to know that this money has been available to the City for appropriation for more than a month, but we have heard intentions to hold these dollars until the 2022 City budget.,” which he called “unacceptable for our residents who need relief from the pandemic now, and to our residents who will benefit from expanded services and a reorientation of public safety and community-based violence prevention programming.” 

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted “Joining 19 of my colleagues in demanding public hearing in advance of the 4th of July weekend. Otherwise we will cal a special City Council meeting and demand [Chicago Police Supt. David Brown]’s participation.”  

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) in a thread tweeted photos of herself with members of SEIU Local 73 rallying in the lobby of the Cook County building “to demand a #FairContract. We here for it.” 

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) tweeted “Due to the success of the shared streets program, Paulina will remain a shared street for this summer. Shared streets allow us to reimagine our space. Local organizations and businesses will still be able to accommodate deliveries or pick-ups.”  

Cook County Comm. Kevin Morrison (D-15) retweeted a New York Times article on children’s mental health and wrote “the number of children in crisis is on the rise. We must do more to make mental health services affordable and accessible.” 

Todd Lighty, formerly an investigative reporter for the Tribune, has joined the office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas as deputy director of research affairs. Lighty will join the “think tank” Pappas is recruiting, she told The Daily Line Tuesday. Pappas earlier this year hired Hal Dardick, another Tribune veteran, as her director of research affairs. 

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi will moderate a virtual panel discussion at 6 p.m. Wednesday titled “Racial Equity & Real Estate Conversations.” Panelists will include Chicago Department of Housing Comm. Marisa Novara, developer David Doig of Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author of the book “Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership.” Online registration is required. 

The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce will cohost an event with Mesirow at 12 p.m. on July 22 titled “A New Retirement Investment Plan for Your Business.” “To provide Chicagoland businesses with a new retirement investment option, the Chicagoland Chamber and Mesirow recently announced a new retirement plan exclusively for members — the Chicagoland Chamber Pooled Employer Program (PEP),” according to a notice sent Tuesday. Online registration is required for the July 22 event. 

Rep. Lamont Robinson (D-Chicago) tweeted “Join the @IllinoisDCEO, fellow legislators and myself this Wednesday at 2PM for Part Two of our Driving Equity: Cultivating an Inclusive Ecosystem of Support for BIPOC Entrepreneurs with Pride.”  

Rep. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) tweeted “the decision to not vote on the energy bill before the end of May has made its passage a heavier lift, but it can still be done.”  

Rep. Edgard Gonzalez (D-Chicago) tweeted “The first TikTok in an end-of-session series is out! See how we voted on the appellate court maps and age-appropriate sex ed.”  

Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) tweeted images from a recent “shred event” she hosted in her district.  

Sen. Steve Stadelman (R-Rockford) tweeted about an upcoming town hall he is hosting in his district.  

Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) and Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Chicago) are set to host an in-person town hall meeting in Oak Park on July 13.

The Illinois Department of Transportation on Monday announced funding for six projects in southern Cook County. The projects include deck replacement on a bridge at Steger Road over Interstate 57, a road improvement project at Glenwood Dyer Road from Stony Island Avenue to Torrence Avenue, a resurfacing project on Dixie Highway from Chicago Road to 183rd Street, a resurfacing project on Illinois 394 from 186th Street to Joe Orr Road, a resurfacing project on Harlem Avenue from 111th Street to U.S. 6 and a bridge replacement and intersection improvement project on Illinois 83/127th Street at Tinley Creek. A total of $27 million will be invested into the region, of which $14 million will come from the state.

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) tweeted “What’s it gonna take w/ tourists getting beaten, students getting stabbed, mass shootings at public gatherings, & children dying for Lightfoot, Foxx or Brown to say enough? Chicago is now 100% supportive of crime in every community. City Council must step up if [the] Mayor won’t.” 

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25) tweeted a news release about a resolution he introduced last week “to support the liberation of environmental and human rights attorney [Steven Donziger] from an obscene judicial overreach in the American judicial system.” 

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) in a thread tweeted “This violence won’t be solved with more policing. We need to put serious resources into the social and public health structures that will allow us to counter it. We need #TreatmentNotTrauma #PeaceBook and we need to ensure ARAP funding goes to fund these life saving initiatives.” 

Ald. Matt Martin (47) tweeted information about his ward’s Youth Organizing Summit. “This one day event is an opportunity for high school students to meet elected officials, connect with activists and their peers, and learn about community organizing.” 

Ald. Debra Silverstein (50) shared a Facebook post about a “shooting in our neighborhood this weekend that tragically claimed the life of one person and injured three others” following an argument outside of a business in the Lincoln Village Shopping Center. Silverstein added she is “working closely with the police and Business Affairs to get this business closed and make sure they are not allowed to reopen until they can assure us that doing so will not pose a danger to our community.”

The Chicago Department of Housing is set to host a webinar on its Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Pilot Program at 11 a.m. Wednesday. City representatives will present details on funding and technical support for equitable transit-oriented development proposals. The city is currently accepting proposals for equitable transit-oriented development projects that “would enable all to experience the benefits of dense, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development near transit hubs,” according to the city’s website. More information about the pilot program and registration for Wednesday’s webinar is available online. 

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) and Ald. Anthony Beale (9) sent a joint news release saying their ordinance to create an independent counsel to represent the City Council would "restore order."

Ald. Matt O'Shea (19) wrote in a Facebook post that an ordinance (O2021-2870) he introduced alongside Ald. Raymond Lopez (15), Ald. Silvana Tabares and Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41) "increases the maximum penalties for specific crimes, and adds a new requirement that offenders undergo licensed family counseling. It is our hope that the intervention of a licensed family counselor will have a positive impact." The ordinance was sent to the rules committee on Friday.

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25) tweeted photos of himself on the picket line with striking Cook County nurses represented by SEIU Local 73.

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32) wrote in his latest newsletter about the "Chi Biz Strong" package's proposed public way permit approval overhaul that "Alderman have abused the system in the past and held up simple licenses of restaurants in alleged extortion schemes, so businesses have a point about wanting to pass the Mayor's business reform ordinance."

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) tweeted that public safety committee chair Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29) "confirmed to us that our [Empowering Communities for Public Safety] ordinance will be taken up by the committee in July.

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40) tweeted, "Some city council math: There are 18 white alders. 12 of them voted against renaming LSD. Only 15 Alders total voted against renaming Lake Shore Drive to Jean Baptiste DuSable Lake Shore Drive. They don’t call us one of the most segregated cities in the country for nothing."

Ald. Tom Tunney (44) wrote in a statement that his vote against renaming Lake Shore Drive "reflected the resounding feedback I received from my constituents."

Ald. Matt Martin (47) wrote in his latest newsletter that he looks "forward to working with my colleagues and other city officials to ensure Chicago is making better use of FEMA's offer to reimburse 100% of hotel-room costs through September, and to use federal ARPA funds to house domestic violence victims."

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Comm. Kim Du Buclet in her latest newsletter promoted an event she held alongside Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Ald. Jason Ervin (28) at Melody STEM School for the Space 2 Grow flood mitigation program.

Ald. Harry Osterman (48) will host a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday to discuss TimeLine Theatre's proposal to open a concert venue at 5033-35 N. Broadway. Their plans include "a 250-seat live performance theatre, rehearsal and office space, cafe, bar, and a museum," Osterman wrote in a Facebook notice. "My office has been working closely with leadership from TimeLine Theatre for years and believe they will be a strong economic and cultural anchor at the northern end of the Uptown Entertainment District."

Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago) tweeted “This morning a small group of legislators and I met with Mayor Lightfoot to discuss a trailer bill on the Elected School Board. As I have done for the last two years, I will continue to work with all stakeholders to address issues as we transition to a fully elected board.”  

Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) tweeted criticism of Fitch’s recent change in Illinois’ financial outlook, saying “Clueless! The outlook is WITHIN the worst category there is – right before JUNK.” 

Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) tweeted “The ratings agencies’ opinion means the difference of hundreds of millions of public dollars going to public services vs. going to investors.” 

Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) tweeted an update on the omnibus energy bill, which she said still has not resulted in a final deal.   

Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) tweeted several messages looking back at various bills that were approved during the most recent legislative session.  

Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) tweeted an image of Soldier Field, saying, “Hearing rumors that this beautiful space in the 26th District may be going up for sublease soon. Current lessee apparently wants out.”

State officials on Thursday encouraged the public to attend a July 4 “patriotic ceremony” at Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial on Kaskaskia Island. The Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial is home to the “Liberty Bell of the West,” which was cast in 1741 and presented by France as a gift to the Catholic Church of the Illinois Country. On July 4, 1778, bell was rung by villagers to celebrate their liberation from the British.

Ald. Sophia King (4) shared what she called a “Great and balanced explanation by my colleague @ChiAlderwoman Hadden of what happened yesterday at City Council.” 

Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20) tweeted, “I say this all the time, I don't care if it's Beyoncé or Queen Elizabeth unchecked power is dangerous to this democracy. We've got to stand up for what's right.” 

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25) tweeted, “Our @SEIU73 @NationalNurses workers at Cook County Hospital are courageously fighting for dignity and respect. A fair contract will improve working conditions and patient outcomes. We want a fair contract @ToniPreckwinkle!” 

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) tweeted, “The 35th Ward is blessed to have @SenPacioneZayas as one of our Illinois Senate champions and shared photos of himself with Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) at an event.  

Ald. Tom Tunney (44) shared a video in his latest newsletter of a Tuesday presentation from the Chicago Department of Transportation on its “Redefine the Drive” effort to redesign Lake Shore Drive. 

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) called on teenagers to apply to be members of the 49th Ward Youth Advisory Council.

Ald. Debra Silverstein (50) posted photos of the renovated Patel Brothers grocery store in her ward, writing, “Devon Avenue is truly an international marketplace. This beautiful new renovation will help draw shoppers from all over to our business district.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday announced the Food Equity Agenda, which she described as a “multi-year effort” to “transform the food system by removing barriers to urban farming, supporting BIPOC food entrepreneurs, and better connecting residents with nutrition programs and healthy, affordable food.” The mayor’s office formed the Food Equity Agenda through a “cross-sector working group” between city departments and the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which keyed in on priorities including expanding food pantries, marketing nutrition programs, expanding urban farms and supporting food growers and entrepreneurs of color. The city will convene a Food Equity Council made up of city officials and community leaders to help push forward the goals of the Food Equity Agenda.