The United Working Families (UWF) Board has voted unanimously to hire Kennedy Bartley, a grassroots movement organizer, as the progressive organization's next executive director, the organization announced in a news release Wednesday morning. Bartley will take the helm from outgoing Executive Director Emma Tai on Thursday. “UWF and the City of Chicago are uniquely positioned to be national leaders for what a sustainable, equitable, and just future can look like with bold, organized progressive leadership at the helm," Bartley said in the news release. 

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Tuesday issued a disaster proclamation for suburban Cook County responding to rain storms that hit on July 2 and dumped as much as nearly nine inches of rain in under 24 hours. The storms led to "severe flooding and other storm damage" with Berwyn, Cicero and Stickney getting hit the hardest, according to a news release from Preckwinkle. The disaster proclamation means the county can use all available resources to help residents and communities recover.