Advocates and some Cook County officials are pressing for better data collection and more efficient scheduling in the county’s mammoth court system, saying reforms could help wind down the county’s unique backlog of defendants languishing in jail for years while they await trial.

The longstanding delays in the nation’s second-largest court system grabbed county commissioners’ attention in November, when Sheriff Tom Dart shared data during a budget hearing showing that more than one-third of the jail’s detainees have been locked up there at least a year, and 150 defendants — about 3 percent of the jail population — have spent more than five years awaiting trial.

News in brief: Vote on civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department could come this month, alderman says; Obama Presidential Center gets green light, construction could begin this summer

News in brief: Vote on civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department could come this month, alderman says; Obama Presidential Center gets green light, construction could begin this summer 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has respectively appointed Ald. Michelle Harris (8) and Ald. George Cardenas (12) as her new floor leader and deputy floor leader, putting them in charge of advancing her agenda in the City Council, she announced Tuesday.

Lightfoot revealed the changing of the guard via news release hours after Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) said he would step back from the floor leader role — which he has held since May 2019 — so he could focus on his other City Council work.

Chicago briefs: Suburban Cook County moves to Phase 4, keeps dining restrictions; City partners with Zocdoc for an online COVID-19 vaccination booking platform

The candidates hoping to be appointed to state Sen. Heather Steans’ (D-Chicago) 7^th District seat following her resignation last month have different takes on the party-led process currently underway to fill her seat.

The six candidates weighed in on the process during a virtual forum hosted Monday night by 40th and 47th Ward Democratic organizations, who organized the event with the goal of making the appointment process more transparent. Candidates also weighed in on topics including workers’ rights, police reform and the state’s budget crisis.

Chicago briefs: Suburban Cook County moves to Phase 4, keeps dining restrictions; City partners with Zocdoc for an online COVID-19 vaccination booking platform 

Any proposal to create an elected Chicago school board must include a “safeguard” to ensure that at least some members of the board have children in the school system — otherwise, Mayor Lori Lightfoot won’t get behind the plan, the mayor’s top lobbyist said Monday.

News in brief: First Subcommittee on Reparations meeting canceled; Lightfoot, city file lawsuit against companies for selling and marketing flavored vape products

About 359 miles of bike lanes traverse Chicago’s streets, a far cry from the 645-mile network a 2012 plan envisioned the city would have by 2020. And just more than 25 miles of those lanes are physically separated from car traffic, a fraction of the 100-mile goal city officials vowed to build by 2015.

After promising during her campaign to add 100 miles of new bike lanes, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said her administration is doubling down on adding and maintaining lanes, with plans to accelerate the build-out during the next two years using dedicated funding from a new capital plan.

News in brief: @chipubschools standoff intensifies as talks with @CTULocal1 grind to a halt; Chicago moves to Phase Four of reopening but indoor dining restrictions remain

News in brief: @chipubschools standoff intensifies as talks with @CTULocal1 grind to a halt; Chicago moves to Phase Four of reopening but indoor dining restrictions remain 

News in brief: First Subcommittee on Reparations meeting canceled; Lightfoot, city file lawsuit against companies for selling and marketing flavored vape products 

New Committee on Litigation and Risk Management, downtown dispensary push among new ordinances introduced to City Council 

Leaders of the Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus proposed creating a new committee to focus on litigation and risk management to rein in police abuses, and a downtown alderman rolled out a push to allow marijuana dispensaries to operate downtown among dozens of new measures introduced to the City Council this week. 

Other proposals introduced Wednesday also seek to create a “Clean Water For All program” and clarify functions of the Chicago Board of Health. 

Cook County redistricting gets underway as commissioners stare down ‘tight period’ before reelection season 

County commissioners on Thursday formally kicked the tires on their once-in-a-decade effort to redraw their own district boundaries, vowing to lead a fair and collaborative process before their reelection campaigns get underway in the fall.  

The county Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a measure (21-1196) by board President Toni Preckwinkle charting out rules for the redrawing process, and another ordinance (21-1195) creating a new committee to develop and approve a new map. The 2020 Census Redistricting Committee will comprise all 17 commissioners and will be chaired by Comm. Deborah Sims (D-5).