Chicago News
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AUG 13, 2020
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Republican former Judge Pat O’Brien is challenging State’s Attorney Kim Foxx for reelection in November.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has found herself increasingly on the defensive this summer as Chicago reels from a historic spasm of violence and racial unrest, culminating in the widespread looting of downtown businesses early Monday morning.
Now, former Judge Pat O’Brien is hoping the backlash against is fierce enough push Cook County voters to a once-unthinkable feat: electing a Republican to countywide office for the first time in nearly three decades. -
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx speaks to reporters Monday.
Hours of widespread looting in downtown Chicago early morning Monday is increasing tensions among public officials across the city and state, and also activist groups who are demanding for accountability in a police shooting Sunday that sparked the maelstrom. -
AUG 10, 2020
Former Cook County Board of Ethics member Juliet Sorensen during a virtual town hall; Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
Cook County leaders are vowing to press forward with a series of revisions to beef up the county’s ethics ordinance in the wake of a controversial shake-up in the appointed board that crafted the changes. -
Tax-increment financing (TIF) districts in Chicago are on track to pull in about $926 million from taxpayers this year, a record haul representing more than one-third of total taxes collected by the city.
Revenues from the special taxing districts jumped inside the city by more than 10 percent since last year, according to a report published Thursday by Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough. When including money from districts scattered across the Cook County suburbs, TIF revenue topped $1.3 billion. Those numbers represent values assessed for the 2019 tax year, which property owners are paying this year. -
AUG 06, 2020
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Teachers and parents pushed back against the district's plan to have most kids in school for two days per week.
CHICAGO — The city’s public schools will start the year Sept. 8 with all kids taking online, remote classes, officials announced Wednesday, reversing a previous decision to begin with some in-class instruction.
The move comes after weeks of pushback from teachers, parents and community members, who worried the district’s plan — to have a hybrid model where most kids would spend at least a few days in school — would expose children, families and faculty to coronavirus. -
AUG 06, 2020
Gov. JB Pritzker gives an update on unemployment benefits and statewide Covid-19 cases during a press conference on Wednesday
Gov. J.B. Pritzker blamed federal regulators for allowing widespread unemployment fraud to flourish in Illinois, saying the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has flagged more than 100,000 cases of fraud this year. -
AUG 05, 2020
Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough’s office is scheduled to assume the duties of the Recorder of Deeds’ office, currently led by Ed Moody, in December.
Representatives of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough predict being able to save the county up to $1.1 million next year by assuming the staff and responsibilities of Cook County Recorder of Deeds Ed Moody, more than doubling earlier expectations. However, the offices still face significant hurdles, including a historic budget crisis that may force more cuts and convincing a court-appointed monitor that they can purge patronage from their hiring practices.
Property owners who grow “native gardens” would be exempt from Chicago’s rules against overgrown weeds under new rules being developed by the Cook County Environmental Commission. [photo by Alex Cheek on Flickr]
