Mayor Brandon Johnson (left) and Larry Snelling, chief of the Chicago Police Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism, speak during a news conference Monday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 

While his appointment is still contingent on City Council approval, Mayor Brandon Johnson during a Monday news conference officially introduced Larry Snelling, chief of the Chicago Police Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism, as his pick to lead the police department. 

The selection process that brought forth Snelling as the best person for the job was historic in that it marked the first time a community commission ran the search for superintendent candidates and narrowed down the list of finalists. The search process also saw a record number of people apply for the job. 

Related: More than 50 people apply for CPD superintendent job, 32 have affiliation with the department 
 

A Cook County flag flies outside the county government building in Chicago. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

A law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker and backed by Cook County is a “landmark” piece of legislation that will “responsibly ensure full funding of the County’s pension obligations,” county officials said in a news release last week.

Department of Planning and Development Comm. Maurice Cox on Friday became the latest city commissioner to resign from their post leading a major city department, a spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson confirmed Friday. Just hours later, the spokesperson confirmed that Allison Arwady, who served as commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot and during the first few months of Johnson's term no longer worked for the city.

Alderpeople discuss the tiny homes pilot program during a budget hearing last year. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

More than 10 months after former Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced as part of her budget address that the city would launch a “first of its kind” tiny home pilot program in the city, a request for proposals for the program has yet to be released. And city officials will not comment on a timeline for the request to go out.  

The program was heralded by Lightfoot in her October 2022 budget address as a “creative” investment and “an interesting innovation that we should embrace as a city.” But as Chicago gears up for this year’s round of budget discussions, the tiny homes program hangs in the balance. 

Concept art for development around the future 130th Street Red Line station [Chicago DPD]

The Chicago Community Development Commission on Tuesday gave initial approval of the sale of nearly 18 acres of city-owned land to the CTA for $1 to make way for the planned Red Line Extension on the city’s Far South Side.

A photo of St. Adalbert Catholic Church from a Department of Planning and Development presentation. [City of Chicago]

A beloved church in Pilsen took the first step in the process of becoming an official Chicago landmark Monday after community members have pushed for years to protect the building. 

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks during a special meeting on Monday voted unanimously in favor of a preliminary landmark recommendation for St. Adalbert Catholic Church, setting off a monthslong process of reports, requests and potentially a public hearing while also granting additional protections to the church. 

Outgoing CDOT Comm. Gia Biagi speaks during a news conference in April 2021. 

A group of transportation advocacy groups on Monday sent Mayor Brandon Johnson an open letter detailing the characteristics they want to see in a new leader for the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT). 

The letter signed by 16 groups, including Active Transportation Alliance, Sierra Club Chicago, Access Living and Better Streets Chicago, comes one week after CDOT Comm. Gia Biagi announced that Friday will be her last day helming the department.  

A new forestry advisory board that makes recommendations on policy related to city trees will ask Mayor Brandon Johnson to get rid of a directive issued in 1990 that allows aldermen to have up to 20 living trees removed from their ward each year.

Cook County's flag is pictured outside the county building in downtown Chicago. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The 2024 Cook County budget will be affected significantly by a change in how the state will allocate the county’s portion of personal property replacement tax (PPRT) revenue.

While the revenue the county has gotten from PPRT spiked in recent years, the county is expecting that revenue to drop heading into the next fiscal year.

Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg speaks about the findings of an inquiry into the Chicago Police Department’s misconduct complaint process in a livestream Aug. 3, 2023. [Livestream]

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) has failed to allow officers to properly report allegations of misconduct without potentially facing retaliation, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found in a report published Thursday.

Members of the Urban Forestry Advisory Board met Thursday at City Hall. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

Tree trimming crews in Chicago have been able to trim more than triple the number of Chicago trees this year compared to 2022 under the city’s new grid-based system. 

Malcolm Whiteside, head of the forestry bureau under the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation, announced the status of the tree trimming program during a meeting of the city’s Urban Forestry Advisory Board Thursday. 

The city of Chicago is suing Vision Property Management for unfair and deceptive practices related to selling and leasing properties. A group of community advocates and an alderman are urging the city’s landmark commission to landmark St. Adalbert Church in Pilsen. 

Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks during a news conference Wednesday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday pushed back against the notion that migrants were being moved out of a police station in the South Loop in preparation for the upcoming Lollapalooza music festival set to begin in Grant Park on Thursday. 

O’Hare Airport was recognized by a travel magazine for its dining experience for the fourth year in a row, and the county treasurer released a guide to help educate the public about how property tax administration works. Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters on Wednesday he is taking a “deliberative” approach in selecting the new police superintendent.

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) speaks during a committee meeting last week. [City of Chicago livestream]

The deadline for the City Council to approve a referendum question for the 2024 General Primary Election asking Chicagoans if they support the so-called Bring Chicago Home proposal is Jan. 2, and the lead sponsor of the proposal is confident the measure will pass by the end of the year. 

Alderpersons largely voiced support last week for the Bring Chicago Home proposal that would increase the real estate transfer tax for the sale of properties over $1 million and put the revenue toward affordable housing and homeless services. 

Related: Alderpersons voice support during housing committee hearing on Bring Chicago Home proposal