Chicago News
-
Aldermen on Tuesday will consider carving out an exception to a sweeping crackdown on lobbying they passed overwhelmingly last year that would loosen the rules for outside elected officials.
A previously stalled amendment to a recent ban on “cross-lobbying” is set for consideration in a hearing on Tuesday. [Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago] -
OCT 12, 2020
Advocates and some aldermen say Mayor Lori Lightfoot should uphold support for independent ward redistricting process.
As the census count comes to a close at the end of this month, advocates for a more “equitable” Chicago ward map are calling for more community input in the redistricting process set to be carried out next year with data from the national count. -
After largely avoiding painful cuts and new taxes to fill a sizable budget hole for the city of Chicago last year, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is staring down a $1.2 billion gap for 2021 with no easy solutions on the horizon, made all the worse by a global pandemic and an accompanying economic recession.
While a series of hard choices is made on the Fifth Floor of City Hall, televisions all across the state are blasting opposing advertisements claiming that Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature campaign promise — changing Illinois’ constitution to allow for a graduated income tax — is either the revenue panacea that Illinois needs, or will hasten its financial implosion. -
OCT 09, 2020
Chicago Community Trust CEO Helene Gayle and Mayor Lori Lightfoot Thursday announced an initiative to help the city’s underserves communities recover economically from the pandemic.
An initiative launched by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Community Trust Thursday will use more than $25 million in philanthropic donations to help with economic recovery in Chicago’s already underserved communities that are hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the mayor announced Thursday. -
OCT 09, 2020
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announces the launch of the county’s Recovery Mortgage Assistance Program during a press conference in Daly Plaza Thursday.
Cook County is funneling federal dollars into a new $20 million program aimed at helping vulnerable suburban homeowners make their monthly mortgage payments, officials announced Thursday. -
OCT 09, 2020
UNLOCKEDA guide to your rights as a Chicago renter during a pandemic.
Renters have special rights to protect them from eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: James Andrew/shutterstock)This story was originally published by City Bureau on 10.08.2020If you’re worried about missing rent or in danger of losing housing as the pandemic continues, you’re not alone. Though housing insecurity is not a new problem, now one in three Illinois households are at risk of eviction by the end of the year, according to the Aspen Institute. Here’s what Chicago renters need to know about eviction moratoriums.
-
OCT 08, 2020
Mayor Lori Lightfoot presides over a meeting of the Chicago City Council on Wednesday
A proposal by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to slap more regulations on industrial polluters hit the skids after briefly appearing to gain new life on Wednesday, and two separate proposals by Democratic Socialist aldermen were knocked from consideration during a meeting of the City Council the same day. -
OCT 08, 2020
New legislation from Ald. Gilbert Villegas aims to stop “rogue” towing companies from doing work in the city.
New city legislation introduced this month runs the gamut from an attempt to put a stop to “rogue” towing companies in the city, to the city’s acquisition of more property in West Garfield Park adjacent to support construction of a controversial police and fire training academy, to a collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local 700. -
OCT 07, 2020
Chicago Chief Sustainability Officer Angela Tovar and Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11) during a meeting of the City Council zoning committee
An ordinance proposed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot setting new regulations for would-be industrial developers stalled on Tuesday following a barrage of criticism on multiple fronts from aldermen who thought the ordinance goes too far, does not go far enough or would put too much regulatory power in the hands of “bureaucrats” beholden to the mayor. -
OCT 07, 2020
UNLOCKED
Chicago Chief Sustainability Officer Angela Tovar shows a map of air quality across the city.
The City Council on Wednesday will consider at least one ordinance aimed at cracking down on industrial polluters — and potentially a second, depending on the outcome of a last-minute committee meeting scheduled to revive a proposal that appeared to stall on Tuesday.
Aldermen are on track to approve a measure (O2020-3395) sponsored by Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22) creating a legal framework for the city to revoke tax incentives awarded to so-called “bad actor” developers, following Hilco Redevelopment Partners’ botched April 9 demolition of a smokestack in Rodriguez’s ward.
Related: Framework to revoke property tax incentives from ‘bad actor’ developers passes committee
A separate ordinance (O2020-4590) proposed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to add new regulatory requirements for industrial developers appeared to hit a wall on Tuesday, when it was deferred from consideration by the council’s zoning committee following criticism from aldermen. But the zoning committee scheduled a follow-up meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday to reconsider the ordinance. -
OCT 06, 2020
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), chair of the finance committee, held an ordinance in committee Monday with plans to revisit an amendment that incorporates the city’s procurement program standards Tuesday.
The City Council Committee on Finance Monday passed an ordinance on Monday to issue $7 million in Multi-Family Program bonds to fund renovations to a Humboldt Park apartment complex and on Tuesday will revisit intergovernmental agreements with the CTA for projects in the 42nd Ward after more rigorous minority hiring requirements are incorporated. -
OCT 06, 2020
Developers would have to clear extra regulatory hurdles before embarking on some industrial projects under an ordinance set for approval by a City Council committee on Tuesday.
A proposal touted by Mayor Lori Lightfoot as a way to bring “environmental equity and justice” to polluted neighborhoods by adding new checks on industrial development is set for consideration by aldermen on Tuesday, setting it up for final approval this week.
