Chicago News
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DEC 10, 2020
Members of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board voted unanimously Thursday to approve a $1.19 billion budget for 2021.
The government body responsible for managing more than 1 billion gallons of Cook County’s wastewater and storm runoff each day will see its annual budget grow next year, even as the COVID-19 pandemic forced other government bodies to tighten their belts. -
DEC 10, 2020
Restaurant patrons will take over city streets and parking lots for at least one more year, following a measure approved by aldermen Wednesday in an attempt to keep struggling businesses afloat.
Diners eating on Balmoral Avenue in Andersonville through the city’s Expanded Outdoor Dining Program in July [Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago] -
DEC 10, 2020
Some aldermen on Wednesday questioned how projects to update firehouses are chosen.
Aldermen in the City Council Committee on Budget and Government Operations on Wednesday questioned the equity of some firehouse renovations and approved extending a flood reduction pilot program. -
DEC 10, 2020
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News in brief: Aldermen to consider renaming Lake Shore Drive; Cook County launches opioid outreach program; Lightfoot ‘deeply disappointed’ in Tunney allowing indoor dining at Ann Sather -
DEC 10, 2020
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Influenza vaccination. | DANIEL PAQUET
The vaccine will first go to health care workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. But, over the months, the campaign will grow.
LOGAN SQUARE — Chicagoans could be getting vaccinated as early as next week.
Officials outlined the city’s vaccination plan during a Thursday news conference: It will start with a first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine, which could arrive next week and will be distributed among the city’s hospitals. The vaccine will first go to health care workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. -
A series of measures aimed at helping struggling restaurants survive the COVID-19 pandemic will be extended through most or all of next year under a proposal set for approval by aldermen on Wednesday.
The city’s Expanded Outdoor Dining program will be extended through the end of 2021 under a proposal set for consideration Wednesday. [photo via Brian Galati/Machine Engineered Dining and Drinks] -
DEC 09, 2020
Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29) is chair of the City Council Committee on Public Safety.
Aldermen will modify language of a proposal designed to protect arrestees but will return with an updated version next week, they said Monday.
The measure (O2019-3873), which would require Chicago Police to give arrestees a list of free legal service providers and access to a phone within an hour of being taken into custody, had been scheduled to be taken up on Tuesday by the City Council Committee on Public Safety. However, committee chair Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29) recessed the meeting almost as quickly as it began. -
DEC 09, 2020
Chicago Department of Housing policy director Daniel Hertz shows a map of results from the Affordable Requirements Ordinance pilot areas.
Aldermen on the City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a six-month extension (O2020-5750) for a 3-year-old program that attaches special affordable housing rules to new apartment developments in parts of the city’s Near West and Northwest sides. -
DEC 08, 2020
Aldermen are scheduled Tuesday to consider a proposal by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to extend the life of three affordable housing “pilot areas” while officials continue to work on an overhaul of the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance.
A map of the three Affordable Requirements Ordinance “pilot areas” created in 2017 [Chicago Cityscape] -
DEC 08, 2020
Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli has advocated for ensuring arresstees have a understand they have a right to a lawyer.
Aldermen on Tuesday will consider a proposal requiring the Chicago Police Department to provide arrestees with a list of legal service providers and another laying the groundwork for the department to establish a new gang database. -
The proposal to create a new Special Service Area on Michigan Avenue between the Chicago River and Oak Street was held in committee on Monday but could be considered again next week.
A controversial proposal to create a new short-term Special Service Area (SSA) along the Magnificent Mile retail strip was held in committee Monday after facing scrutiny, but the proposal could be considered again next week. -
DEC 07, 2020
Many details of mental health response pilot programs included in the city’s 2021 budget are still being worked out, and proponents of a non-law enforcement model want to be involved in the process.
The Chicago Department of Public Health next year will launch pilot programs for two different models for responding to people experiencing a mental health crisis. While money has been allocated for the programs, the city is still figuring out what shape they will take and exactly which sections of the city will be served.
