Members of the City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate gave initial approval to the sale of the former Maxim’s Restaurant. A council committee is set on Wednesday to hear the merits of switching the city’s fleet to electric-powered vehicles. And members of the City Council Committee on Budget and Government Operations are set to consider two budget appropriation tweaks during their Wednesday meeting.

The city is set to sell the iconic former Maxim’s Restaurant for $680,000. [Paul Biasco / DNAinfo]

New life could soon be breathed into the former Maxim’s Restaurant in the city’s Gold Coast neighborhood.

A report from the city’s inspector general found multiple city departments mishandled fallout from the wrongful raid of Anjanette Young’s home, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Officials across multiple city departments mishandled the aftermath of the Chicago Police Department’s wrongful 2019 raid of Anjanette Young’s home and misled journalists covering the fallout, an investigation from the city’s Inspector General published Friday found.

Cook County Comm. Sean Morrison (R-17) [right] on Thursday challenged county board President Toni Preckwinkle over a county public health order requiring proof of vaccination at indoor spaces.

Updated 9:24 a.m. Jan. 14: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle stood firm on Thursday against a mounting backlash — including from one commissioner — against the county’s new vaccination mandate for some businesses, calling the criticism “profoundly disturbing.”

A public hearing on the city’s ward remap did not bear any discussion from aldermen on new ward boundaries. And Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell is urging aldermen to oppose a proposal from Mayor Lori Lightfoot that would allow the city to sue gang members and seize their assets.

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.