Chicago News
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NOV 05, 2020
Plunged into a pandemic and facing potential devastation if the Affordable Care Act is overturned, the multibillion-dollar Cook County Health system is in a starkly different situation than it was during last year’s budgeting process. But the most pressing long-term crisis facing the system is the same: the mounting cost of charity care.
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NOV 05, 2020
Maurice Cox, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, and First Deputy Commissioner Eleanor Gorski on Wednesday addressed aldermen regarding the department’s proposed 2021 budget.
Aldermen on Wednesday alternated taking jabs at Chicago Department of Planning and Development Comm. Maurice Cox for what they called a lack of communication with the elected officials and their ward offices. -
NOV 04, 2020
Staffers lined up outside Provident Hospital, one of two hospitals operated by the $3.4 billion Cook County Health system.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to spend the greater part of its second full day of hearings on the 2021 budget by digging into the $3.4 billion spending plan for Cook County Health, the sprawling system that manages the county’s two public hospitals and administers its Medicaid insurance program. -
NOV 04, 2020
After taking a day off for the election, City Council budget hearings resume Wednesday morning as aldermen are set to hear from the Department of Planning and Development, Department of Housing and the Department of Assets, Information and Services.
Department of Planning and Development Comm. Maurice Cox speaks to aldermen in February. [The Daily Line/Heather Cherone] -
NOV 04, 2020
Gov. JB Pritzker warned Tuesday afternoon the outcome of the graduated income tax proposal and other races could remain undecided for several days.
With thousands of votes still unreported, Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax amendment appeared to face an uphill battle late Tuesday evening. -
NOV 04, 2020
State’s Attorney Kim Foxx declares victory in a speech Tuesday night
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx fended off a challenge from Republican challenger Pat O’Brien in a bitter and expensive race by dominating among Chicago voters as suburban Cook County favored her opponent. -
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is battling for a second term against Republican challenger Pat O’Brien
While most of the state’s attention Tuesday night will be wrapped in the presidential race and the fate of Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed constitutional amendment, the bitter contest between Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Republican Pat O’Brien tops a handful of critical county-level races also on tap for Election Day. -
NOV 03, 2020
Cook County Chief Financial Officer Ammar Rizki presents the proposed $6.9 billion county budget for 2021.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners spent just over an hour on Monday quizzing top financial officials in board President Toni Preckwinkle’s office, mostly praising their plan to close a projected $410 million budget shortfall without tax increases or widespread layoffs. -
NOV 02, 2020
Aldermen on Monday will hear from the Department of Water Management, Office of Inspector General, Department of Human Resources
City Council hearings on the proposed 2021 budget resume Monday morning as aldermen are scheduled to hear from the Office of Inspector General, Department of Human Resources and Department of Water Management. -
At more than $1.3 billion, the projected costs of operating O’Hare and Midway airports represent one of the largest budgets of any city department. But the Chicago Department of Aviation’s budget barely surfaced as a source of discussion on Friday, as aldermen spent most of a nearly two-hour hearing asking department Comm. Jamie Rhee about pandemic safety, upcoming capital projects and the department’s approach to diversity in hiring.
O’Hare Airport [photo by cseeman on Flickr] -
Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi will face questions Monday about his office’s $31 million proposed budget.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners is poised on Monday to kick off a full week of hearings on board president Toni Preckwinkle’s $6.9 billion proposal to keep the county funded through 2021, starting with the county’s tax collection offices and the administrative departments under Preckwinkle’s command. -
NOV 02, 2020
Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi on Friday fielded aldermen’s questions on the department’s $772 million budget proposed for 2021.
Streetlight repairs, pedestrian safety, bike lanes and speed cameras were hot topics among aldermen during a City Council budget hearing Friday. -
NOV 02, 2020
UNLOCKEDWith more than 3 million ballots already cast statewide, Illinois Democrats see this year’s election as an opportunity to seize on President Donald Trump’s unpopularity and bolster their already sizable advantage in the state legislature. Meanwhile, Republicans are hoping make gains by highlighting a recent string of federal indictments that have resulted in several Democratic lawmakers being charged and implicated House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago).
During the 2018 election cycle, Democrats grew their majority in the legislature by seven seats in the House and three seats in the Senate. Today, Democrats control 74 of the 118 seats in the House and 40 of the 59 seats in the Senate, enough for a supermajority in both chambers. -
OCT 30, 2020
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown speaking at an event in Woodlawn during the summer of 2020.
As some aldermen on Thursday sustained their calls for new alternatives to policing and for money to be diverted from the Chicago Police Department, others contrasted that demand and made a call for more officers on the street.
