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 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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Ald. Jason Ervin (28) speaks during a news conference celebrating the passage of a civilian oversight ordinance [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 

A little more than five months after the City Council approved the creation of a long-sought civilian commission to oversee the Chicago Police Department, aldermen are set to open applications for the inaugural interim citywide commission after missing a series of key deadlines. 

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other city officials announced a vaccine requirement set to take effect Jan. 3. 

People wanting to dine, drink or workout indoors in Chicago will be required to show proof of vaccination beginning Jan. 3, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and public health officials announced on Tuesday.

Caption: Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) is a lead sponsor on a resolution calling for the city to increase its stock of public bathrooms. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Nearly 20 aldermen support a new measure calling for the city to consider a pilot program that would bring more public bathrooms to Chicago.  

 Ald. Matt Martin (47) and Ald. Howard Brookins (21) speaking during a committee meeting on Friday. 

Aldermen, city officials and policy experts last week launched into a discussion on increasing electric vehicle charging stations across Chicago, as stations are currently clustered mainly around the Loop and the North Side.  

The Chicago Plan Commission advanced Hispanic Housing Development Corporation’s plans for an affordable housing development in Humboldt Park. 

A Humboldt Park affordable housing development plan nearly five years in the making spurred debate on Thursday over the weight that design should play in affordable housing.

Aldermen are set to hold a hearing on Friday to discuss a citywide plan for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. And the Zoning Board of Appeals will consider a handful of cannabis-related applications as state licensing remains stalled.

The City Council approved a proposal from Ald. Walter Burnett (27) to allow sports betting at Chicago stadiums and ballparks. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Chicago professional sports teams got the green light on Wednesday to build physical locations for people to place sports bets at and around the city’s stadiums and ballparks. 

Plan commissioners are set to consider a proposal for a 133-unit affordable senior-housing development in Pullman. 

A 133-unit affordable senior housing development proposed for Pullman and a 73-unit affordable senior housing development in Uptown will both come one step closer to reality Thursday if they net approval from the Chicago Plan Commission. 

Aldermen voted 12-5 to approve a proposed apartment complex near the Cumberland Blue Line station. [Glenstar/Department of Planning and Development]

A key City Council committee advanced a long-stalled proposal to build a 297-unit apartment complex near the Cumberland Blue Line CTA station, delivering a blow to a Northwest Side alderman’s so-called aldermanic prerogative. 

A rendering of a DraftKings betting facility proposed to open at Wrigley Field by Opening Day 2023. [provided]

Aldermen are set during the final City Council meeting of 2022 to vote on allowing sports betting at Chicago stadiums and ballparks over the objections of would-be casino operators and some aldermen. 

Aldermen on Monday approved a $2.9 million payment to settle a lawsuit by Anjanette Young. 

Aldermen gave unanimous initial approval to a $2.9 million payment to settle a lawsuit by Anjanette Young, nearly one year after video was released showing police in 2019 wrongly raiding the Chicago woman’s home as she was handcuffed while naked and repeatedly telling police they had the wrong house.