A report published by Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson found the Department of Streets and Sanitation has yet to implement actions to fix its weed-cutting program. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said an announcement on mandatory vaccinations for city employees is coming “shortly.” And Lightfoot cautioned against a new ward map drawn in a “backroom deal.” 

Aldermen are tasked with redrawing boundaries for the city’s 50 wards.

August marks the City Council’s annual summer break from official business, but aldermen have little time to rest this year. In addition to focusing on work in their wards, council members are gearing up to redraw boundaries of the city’s 50 wards. 

Cook County Comm. Larry Suffredin (D-13) speaking during a meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee on Wednesday

The Cook County Board of Commissioners is poised on Thursday to delay the next property tax deadline until October and approve a framework for spending the county’s first round of American Rescue Plan dollars, among dozens of other measures, during the board’s last scheduled meeting until September.

From left: Chicago Police Officer Bob Long, Deputy Chief Thomas Mills and Cmdr. Sean Loughran speak during a virtual committee hearing on Tuesday.

Chicago Police Department leaders pledged Tuesday to push forward with a long-promised overhaul of its controversial gang member database but defended sticking with their existing system in the meantime, even as they faced a barrage of criticism from aldermen and advocates over its inaccuracy and disorganization.

From left: Ald. Maria Hadden (49), Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20) and Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29) speak during the Tuesday public safety committee meeting. 

Questions over the amount of time police officers should wait before entering a home to execute a search warrant, what time of days such warrants should be executed and whether the city should codify search warrant policy were at the heart of discussion among aldermen on Tuesday.  

Cook County Board of Review Comm. Tammy Wendt (D-1) alleged during a virtual public hearing on June 29 that the board regularly violates the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

A bitter internal dispute at the Cook County Board of Review has widened to include State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as both offices have been enlisted to weigh in on accusations from one commissioner that the board routinely violates state transparency laws.

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) speaks during the February news conference unveiling the proposed Anjanette Young Ordinance.

Aldermen are scheduled on Tuesday to discuss measures designed to codify new search warrant procedures and the rein in the police department’s use of gang databases.

The city of Chicago and the Fraternal Order of Police have reached a tentative agreement on an eight-year labor contract, officials announced on Monday. And the city is scheduled in August to host a series of three community engagement forums meant to solicit public input on the 2022 budget. 

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) and Jazmine Salas speaking during a news conference on Friday. 

Aldermen last week approved a measure creating civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department, but some grassroots leaders say there’s more work to be done to ensure Chicago residents participate in the oversight process.

A rendering of the six-story development proposed for 4730 W. Irving Park Road. [Novak Construction/MG2 Architects]

A 208-unit redevelopment of the closed Sears building in Portage Park, a 316-unit apartment tower in Fulton Market and a nearly 40,000-square-foot Uptown theater building were among more than a dozen new planned development applications submitted to the Chicago City Council last week.

(From left) Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Ald. Ed Burke (14) and Ald. Carrie Austin (34) saw more tepid campaign contributions than many of their colleagues during the second quarter of this year.

Incoming campaign donations ground to a near-halt between April and June for the three members of the Chicago City Council who are under indictment, state campaign finance records show. But the aldermen continue to spend cash from their committees on legal fees, “thanking residents” and business luncheons. 

Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez would be open to presenting a “status report” on her efforts to overhaul the beleaguered office, she told commissioners Wednesday.

Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez is on track to avoid the mistakes of her predecessor in a scheduled technology upgrade aimed at making the court’s sprawling network of records more accessible to everyday users, she assured commissioners this week.

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans speaks during a county budget hearing on Wednesday.

Therapists could be more a “far superior tool” than ankle bracelets at preventing people from committing new crimes while under pre-trial home confinement, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans told county commissioners this week.

Ald. Jason Ervin (28) speaks during a news conference celebrating the passage of a civilian oversight ordinance

Aldermen on Wednesday approved a long-awaited framework for civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department, satisfying demands of a grassroots coalition while also delivering on one of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s major campaign promises. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks in a news conference after Wednesday's City Council meeting. [Alex Nitkin/The Daily Line]

A series of key legal restrictions designed to control the proliferation of new pot dispensaries in Chicago would be lifted under a new ordinance proposed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday, one of dozens of new ordinances and resolutions tossed into consideration in advance of the City Council’s August recess.