Just 24 percent of Chicago residents feel the city overall is at least somewhat safe, according to the latest Chicago Index survey.

Fewer than one-quarter of Chicago residents feel the city is safe after almost two years of a pandemic and surging citywide crime, and fewer than one-third feel safe in their own neighborhoods, according to a new survey conducted through the Chicago Index.

Illinois Restaurant Association president Sam Toia speaks during a meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee on Monday.

Cook County commissioners are poised on Thursday to unlock $257 million in new funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for a range of new programs including everything from violence prevention to business supports, broadband expansion and new health programs.

Chicago transportation officials have opened the application process for companies looking to bring e-scooters to city streets. A City Council committee gave an initial OK to funding for improvements to a Chicago Public Schools playground area. And the City Council Committee on Committees and Rules is set on Thursday to hold another public hearing on the ward remap. 

Ald. Michelle Harris (8) [left] and Ald. Leslie Hairston (5) speaking during a public hearing on the city’s ward remap.

Disagreements over process continued on Tuesday to force stagnation in the City Council’s remap of Chicago’s 50 wards. 

A City Council committee is set to approve $450,000 in funding for infrastructure work at a CPS school. Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a study on Tuesday that found that while speed cameras reduce the expected number of serious crashes, they also disproportionately impact Black and Latino drivers. 

Chicago Department of Public Health Comm. Allison Arwady [right] and Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10) during a City Council committee hearing on Monday

Chicago schools have not been widespread vectors for the spread of COVID-19, the city’s top doctor insisted on Monday as city officials push for a return to in-person learning.

State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) [left] and NAACP West Side Chicago President Carl Brinson speak during a hearing on Monday.

One month after state officials announced a second round of funding for a program that uses cannabis sales tax revenue to help communities harmed by the so-called War on Drugs, Illinois lawmakers grilled organizations Monday on their progress in helping communities they are charged with serving. 

Organizers and at least one alderwoman are blasting city finance officials’ indirect use of federal rescue dollars to pay off a short-term loan. And aldermen will make another attempt to push forward remap negotiations in a hearing on Tuesday. And the department that will support the civilian commission charged with overseeing the Chicago Police Department now has an executive director and applications for the citywide commission are open.

Spending on surveillance cameras through the menu program nearly quadrupled in 2021. [Chicago Inspector General's Office]

Aldermen spent more than $4.3 million in discretionary funds meant for street infrastructure to buy new police cameras and license plate reader technology last year — more than quadruple what they spent on surveillance in 2020, according to data available on the city’s website. 

City Council rules committee chair Ald. Michelle Harris (8) and Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11) during a committee hearing on Friday

A chaotic and abortive meeting of the City Council Committee on Committees and Rules on Friday showed that aldermen remain as divided as ever over the city’s decennial remap as the drop-dead deadline to avoid a voter referendum draws nearer.

Ald. Michelle Harris (8) held a news conference in December with supporters of the ward map proposed by the City Council Committee on Committees and Rules. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

Public discussion on the once-a-decade remap of Chicago’s 50 wards is set to resume Friday during the year’s first public hearing on the topic, testing a new strategy by the City Council Latino Caucus that aims to shake loose a months-long stalemate on the topic. 

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) during a Dec. 15, 2021 City Council meeting. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) on Wednesday became the first candidate to throw in her hat to succeed Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) in Congress since Rush announced he will not seek a 16^th term representing Chicago’s South Side and south suburbs.

Members and supporters of the Chicago Teachers Union demonstrate at Union Park on Jan. 5, 2022. [Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago]

This article was first published in Block Club Chicago.

Chicago Public Schools classes are canceled Thursday as the district and Chicago Teachers Union battle over in-person versus remote learning during the ongoing COVID-19 surge.

Cook County Board of Review Comm. Michael Cabonargi (D-2) [left] and Comm. Tammy Wendt (D-1) during a virtual public meeting of the board on Monday.

Cook County’s employee vaccination mandate has ripped open a new front in the internal war at the county’s Board of Review, heightening the chaos at the agency as it stands at the cusp of a crushing wave of appeals work.

The Chicago Police Department plans to add 200 detectives to its ranks at the beginning of this year to help with caseloads and homicide clearance rates, department leaders announced Tuesday. And Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged aldermen to pass her proposal to sue gang members and seize their assets.