Erin Hegarty has covered City Hall for The Daily Line since September 2020. She previously covered the City of Naperville for the Naperville Sun/Chicago Tribune for four years, and prior to that covered the northwest suburbs for the Daily Herald. Erin enjoys biking around the city and eating her way through different neighborhoods.
Contact Erin at [email protected]
Bio
Covering Chicago City Hall for @thedailylinechi. Send tips to [email protected]. More coffee, always.
OCT 21, 2020
Mayor Lori Lightfoot Wednesday morning will detail plans for the 2021 budget.Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been presented with a task analysts say no other mayor has ever faced in filling a $1.2 billion budget gap amid a pandemic, and the proposal she will present Wednesday is likely to be unpopular to many.
Lightfoot faces ‘herculean task’ in presenting 2021 budget that tackles $1.2 billion deficit
Mayor Lori Lightfoot Wednesday morning will detail plans for the 2021 budget.Mayor Lori Lightfo...
OCT 19, 2020
Chicago Police officers displayed “incompetent” behavior in handling the response to finding former Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson asleep in his car after consuming several alcoholic beverages last year, a report from Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson shows.Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson described officers’ “incompetent” behavior after finding former Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson asleep in his car last year after he consumed “the equivalent of approximately 10 alcoholic beverages,” according to a quarterly report released by the city watchdog on Friday.
Watchdog blasts ‘incompetent’ handling of events that led to Eddie Johnson’s firing
Chicago Police officers displayed “incompetent” behavior in handling the response to finding fo...
OCT 16, 2020
Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29) on Thursday urged Vaughn Bryant (left) of Metropolitan Family Services to involve aldermen and small community organizations in their street outreach work.Aldermen on Thursday called for city-funded violence prevention groups to regularly involve aldermen in their work and to ensure that people hired to work with the organizations are not working against violence prevention.
Aldermen push to be more involved in street-level anti-violence programs receiving city funding
Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29) on Thursday urged Vaughn Bryant (left) of Metropolitan Family Servic...
OCT 15, 2020
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady Wednesday updated aldermen on the city’s response to COVID-19Aldermen on Wednesday received a whirlwind update on how the city is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic spanning from contact tracing numbers, how the city plans on implementing vaccine logistics and a projection from Chicago Department of Public Health Comm. Allison Arwady that the city’s average number of daily new cases is on track to surpass 400 this week.
Arwady touts increased testing, contract tracing as Chicago nears 400 new COVID-19 cases per day
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady Wednesday updated aldermen on t...
OCT 14, 2020
Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Public Health Allison Arwady on Tuesday announced Indiana is being added to the city’s quarantine travel list.Aldermen on Wednesday will hear a monthly update on how the city is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, just one day after the city added neighboring Indiana to its list of states city officials recommend residents avoid as cases in the Hoosier state continue to increase.
Aldermen to get update on city’s response to COVID-19 as officials add Indiana to quarantine list
Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Public Health Allison Arwady on Tuesday announced India...
OCT 12, 2020
Advocates and some aldermen say Mayor Lori Lightfoot should uphold support for independent ward redistricting process.As the census count comes to a close at the end of this month, advocates for a more “equitable” Chicago ward map are calling for more community input in the redistricting process set to be carried out next year with data from the national count.
Advocates, some aldermen call for independent ward remapping process to ensure ‘equity’
Advocates and some aldermen say Mayor Lori Lightfoot should uphold support for independent ward...
OCT 09, 2020
Chicago Community Trust CEO Helene Gayle and Mayor Lori Lightfoot Thursday announced an initiative to help the city’s underserves communities recover economically from the pandemic.An initiative launched by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Community Trust Thursday will use more than $25 million in philanthropic donations to help with economic recovery in Chicago’s already underserved communities that are hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the mayor announced Thursday.
Lightfoot, Chicago Community Trust launch initiative to help economic recovery in communities hardest hit by pandemic
Chicago Community Trust CEO Helene Gayle and Mayor Lori Lightfoot Thursday announced an initiat...
OCT 08, 2020
New legislation from Ald. Gilbert Villegas aims to stop “rogue” towing companies from doing work in the city.New city legislation introduced this month runs the gamut from an attempt to put a stop to “rogue” towing companies in the city, to the city’s acquisition of more property in West Garfield Park adjacent to support construction of a controversial police and fire training academy, to a collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local 700.
Ordinance to combat ‘rogue’ towing companies, land acquisition near new police academy among new proposed legislation
New legislation from Ald. Gilbert Villegas aims to stop “rogue” towing companies from doing wor...
OCT 06, 2020
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), chair of the finance committee, held an ordinance in committee Monday with plans to revisit an amendment that incorporates the city’s procurement program standards Tuesday.The City Council Committee on Finance Monday passed an ordinance on Monday to issue $7 million in Multi-Family Program bonds to fund renovations to a Humboldt Park apartment complex and on Tuesday will revisit intergovernmental agreements with the CTA for projects in the 42nd Ward after more rigorous minority hiring requirements are incorporated.
Humboldt Park affordable housing loan approved, TIF agreement with CTA to include minority hiring requirements
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), chair of the finance committee, held an ordinance in committee Mond...
OCT 05, 2020
A public hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday to issue $7 million in Multi-Family Program bonds to fund renovations at Humboldt Park Residence at Division Street and Christiana Avenue.The issuance of $7 million in Multi-Family Program bonds to help fund renovations at Humboldt Park Residence will be considered during a public hearing by the City Council’s Committee on Finance at 10 a.m. Monday.
Hearing set for Monday on $7M city loan for renovations to Humboldt Park apartments
A public hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday to issue $7 million in Multi-Family Program bo...
OCT 02, 2020
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Budget Director Susie Park on Wednesday held a virtual town hall to discuss results of a budget survey that shows residents want money reallocated from police services to other departments.At a time when policy analysts say Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s task of presenting a balanced budget amid an economic downturn due to the pandemic is already “a challenge,” a citywide survey released by the mayor’s office shows nearly nine in 10 respondents support reallocating city resources away from police .
Chicagoans want money reallocated from police budget, city-sponsored survey shows
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Budget Director Susie Park on Wednesday held a virtual town hall to di...
OCT 01, 2020
The franchise owner of a Huddle House restaurant being built at 9401 S. Stony Island Ave. was awarded up to $1.1 million in Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant money for what will be the city’s first Huddle House restaurant.The City Council Committee on Budget and Government Operations on Wednesday approved up to $1.1 million in Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant money (O2020-4583) for the city’s first Huddle House restaurant, which is under construction at 9401 S. Stony Island Ave. in the 8th Ward.
Huddle House restaurant franchisee scores $1.1M Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant
The franchise owner of a Huddle House restaurant being built at 9401 S. Stony Island Ave. was a...
SEP 30, 2020
An ordinance introduced by Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22) to establish a process for revoking property tax rebates from developers was approved Tuesday by the City Council’s Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development, which is chaired by Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36).Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22) said an ordinance setting framework to revoke property tax incentives from irresponsible developers that passed the City Council’s Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development Tuesday will ensure companies are held responsible for their actions and that public dollars are being spent wisely.
Framework to revoke property tax incentives from ‘bad actor’ developers passes committee
An ordinance introduced by Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22) to establish a process for revoking prop...
SEP 29, 2020
Dust runoff from Hilco Redevelopment Group’s April 11 demolition of a smokestack near Little Village. [YouTube/Alejandro Reyes]
The city would have an official framework to revoke property tax incentives it’s awarded to so-called “bad actors” and developers whose projects have negative impacts on the health and safety of residents under a proposed ordinance (O2020-3395) from Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22).
The ordinance is set to be considered at 2 p.m. Tuesday by the City Council’s Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development, three months after the council approved a non-binding resolution (R2020-353) as an opening salvo in the effort to establish a process to rescind tax incentives from irresponsible developers.
The city would have an official framework to revoke property tax incentives it’s awarded to so-called “bad actors” and developers whose projects have negative impacts on the health and safety of residents under a proposed ordinance (O2020-3395) from Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22).
The ordinance is set to be considered at 2 p.m. Tuesday by the City Council’s Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development, three months after the council approved a non-binding resolution (R2020-353) as an opening salvo in the effort to establish a process to rescind tax incentives from irresponsible developers.
Ordinance creating legal process to revoke property tax incentives set to advance
Dust runoff from Hilco Redevelopment Group’s April 11 demolition of a smokestack near Little Vil...
Bio
Covering Chicago City Hall for @thedailylinechi. Send tips to [email protected]. More coffee, always.
