City Council rules committee chair Ald. Michelle Harris (8) and Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11) during a committee hearing on Friday

A chaotic and abortive meeting of the City Council Committee on Committees and Rules on Friday showed that aldermen remain as divided as ever over the city’s decennial remap as the drop-dead deadline to avoid a voter referendum draws nearer.

Left: Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) speaks during a virtual news conference on Thursday. Right: former Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope speaks during a virtual meeting in April 2021.

Illinois lawmakers dispensed with a deluge of legislation during their single-day floor session on Wednesday, but they left at least one time-sensitive task unfinished: picking a new Legislative Inspector General to succeed outgoing watchdog Carol Pope.

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) during a Dec. 15, 2021 City Council meeting. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) on Wednesday became the first candidate to throw in her hat to succeed Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) in Congress since Rush announced he will not seek a 16^th term representing Chicago’s South Side and south suburbs.

Cook County Board of Review Comm. Michael Cabonargi (D-2) [left] and Comm. Tammy Wendt (D-1) during a virtual public meeting of the board on Monday.

Cook County’s employee vaccination mandate has ripped open a new front in the internal war at the county’s Board of Review, heightening the chaos at the agency as it stands at the cusp of a crushing wave of appeals work.

A CTA “holiday train” rolls into the Washington/Wabash station in the Loop. [CTA/Flickr]

The $1.5 billion infusion into Illinois’ major transit agencies from the American Rescue Plan threw a critical lifeline to the CTA, Metra and the Pace suburban bus system as all three agencies remain devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A jogger uses a trail in the Busse Woods, one of 22 Cook County Forest Preserves [Facebook/Forest Preserve District of Cook County]

For the second time in two years, Cook County voters are set to see a ballot question in November asking them to authorize a tax hike.

But proponents of a property tax levy uptick to benefit the Cook County Forest Preserves say there’s a world of difference between their campaign and Gov. JB Pritzker’s failed 2020 push for a statewide graduated income tax. For one thing, no one has organized to stop it yet.

Cook County Health will use American Rescue Plan dollars to launch a new department aimed at improving mental health services, including at Stroger Hospital. [Cook County Health]

Cook County leaders plan to spend nearly $36 million in federal dollars next year on a panoply of programs designed to reverse a crippling spike in violent crime — but none of it will go toward policing.

Cook County Comm. Larry Suffredin (D-13) speaks during a meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on Tuesday.

A years-in-the-making push to tighten and modernize Cook County’s ethics rules is inches from the finish line after a fresh round of tweaks designed to further empower the county’s Board of Ethics and bring county lobbying rules in line with a new state law.

A rendering of The Prime Group’s $280 million plan to renovate the Thompson Center [JAHN Architecture, Inc.]

State leaders are closing in on a deal to sell the James R. Thompson Center to a private developer who plans to renovate the controversial downtown building while keeping its iconic exterior intact, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday.

Lt. Gov Juliana Stratton speaks during an event in Little Village on Wednesday to announce new funding through the state’s Restore Reinvest Renew (R3) program.

State officials on Wednesday announced $45 million in new funding for a program designed to heal communities harmed by the decades-long War on Drugs. Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated the program as hallmark of the state’s “equity-centered” cannabis legalization law while lamenting the loss of one of the law’s foremost architects to a national organization.

Ald. George Cardenas (12) speaks during the Cook County Democratic Party slating session on Tuesday [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The Cook County Democratic Party anointed Chicago Ald. George Cardenas (12) on Tuesday as its chosen candidate to take down incumbent county Board of Review Comm. Tammy Wendt (D-1) for the right to represent a freshly redrawn district on the tax appeals board.

Illinois Secretary of State candidate Alexi Giannoulias speaking during the Cook County Democratic Party slating event on Tuesday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The Cook County Democratic Party voted on Tuesday to throw its weight behind Illinois Secretary of State candidate Alexi Giannoulias, solidifying his frontrunner status in the race as one of his challengers considers dropping out.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and challenger Kari Steele asked for the endorsement of the Cook County Democratic Party on Monday. [Alex Nitkin/The Daily Line]

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and Sheriff Tom Dart are poised to win the backing of the Cook County Democratic Party for their reelection bids next year following an all-day party slating session that handsomely rewarded incumbency, seniority and party connections.

Glenstar is proposing to build a 297-unit apartment complex at 8535 W. Higgins Rd. in the 41st Ward. [Glenstar/Department of Planning and Development]

A long-stalled plan to build a nearly 300-unit apartment complex next to the Cumberland CTA Blue Line station is set to resurface again on Tuesday, setting up a high-stakes battle over aldermanic prerogative in city zoning decisions.

Anjanette Young speaks at a press conference Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 following the release earlier in the week of Chicago Police body cam video that showed officers improperly bursting into her home and questioning her while she was handcuffed and naked. [Fox32]

The lawsuit that launched a year of soul-searching on how Chicago police and attorneys treat the targets of home raids is set to reach a final resolution this week.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and challenger Kari Steele will vie for the endorsement of the Cook County Democratic Party on Monday. [Facebook]

Local Democratic party leaders are set to gather on Monday and Tuesday to firm up the list of candidates who will be boosted by the formidable funding, organizing power and campaign literature of the Cook County Democratic Party in next year’s primary elections.

From left: Health care technology entrepreneur Frank Naeymi-Rad, Primary Health Care Association lobbyist Cyrus Winnett and Lake County Health Department director Mark Pfister all testified during a Senate Health Committee hearing on Thursday.

State lawmakers should explore loosening Medicaid spending rules and cracking down on hospital acquisitions to rein in mounting health care costs, a researcher testified on Thursday. Other officials called on state leaders to push for a more centralized system to store and share patient data.

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) urged his colleagues on Wednesday to support a tax break for the lab building at 2017 N. Mendell St. over the objections of city planning officials. [Baker Development Corporation]

A City Council committee abruptly gaveled out Thursday before reaching a resolution on a tax incentive proposal that pitted a local alderman against city planning officials in the latest sign of strain between the council and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration.

Chicago’s top doctor is set to brief aldermen Thursday on the twin threat of a mounting winter surge in COVID-19 cases and the worrying new Omicron variant. And a popular outdoor dining program is set to remain on the books for at least one more year. A proposal related to towing storage lots was held in committee on Wednesday.