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.Ald. Anthony Beale (9), left, and Chicago Department of Transportation Comm. Gia Biagi speak during a committee meeting on Thursday.
A long-stalled proposal from Ald. Anthony Beale (9) to raise the speeding threshold for the city to issue speeding tickets appeared close to having the votes to pass out of a key City Council committee on Thursday — more than a year after it was introduced — but a vote on the proposal was again delayed, this time until next week.
Vote on Beale’s push to raise speed camera threshold stalls again, now set for a Tuesday vote
An ordinance to allow the booting of cars all over the city stalled on Thursday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]
The City Council Committee on License and Consumer Protection delayed two votes that had been scheduled for Thursday, including one on a controversial proposal to legalize car booting citywide.
License committee delays votes on citywide car booting, tobacco sales moratoria
Department of Family and Support Services Comm. Brandie Knazze presented details on the guaranteed income pilot program during a committee meeting Wednesday.
City officials expect to send out the first $500 checks for Chicago’s guaranteed income pilot program at the end of the month, they told aldermen during a Wednesday City Council committee hearing.
DFSS officials update aldermen on guaranteed income program, expect first $500 checks to go out this month
The Chicago Plan Commission is set to consider plans for the old Laramie Bank building.
The Chicago Plan Commission is set to hear plans for the restoration of the Austin Laramie Bank building and construction of an adjacent 78-unit apartment building as part of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Invest South/West program.
Plan Commission to hear plans for Laramie Bank building development, Shedd Aquarium renovations
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2), left, and Department of Planning and Development Deputy Comm. Tim Jeffries speak during a committee meeting on Tuesday.
Aldermen unanimously and without much hesitation approved a proposed property tax incentive for the owner of a Bucktown building near Lincoln Yards despite word from a city department official that Mayor Lori Lightfoot opposed the incentive.
Aldermen unanimously approve tax incentive near Lincoln Yards over opposition from planning officials, Lightfoot
Activist Ja’Mal Green became the seventh person to officially announce a run for mayor in 2023. A key City Council committee is set on Wednesday to consider a $5 million grant transfer and hold a hearing on American Rescue Plan spending. Another council committee will take up a ground lease agreement designed to smooth the path for telecommunications upgrades at O’Hare Airport. And Cook County leaders revealed their long-awaited redesign of the county’s flag.
News in brief: Green announces run for mayor; ARPA hearing, O’Hare electrical lease on tap; Cook County unveils new flag
Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a news conference on Monday.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other city officials on Monday announced a $3.1 million expansion of city-funded mental health services through the city's network of Trauma-Informed Centers of Care.
Lightfoot touts $3.1M in new grants for city’s mental health services
Aldermen gave an initial OK to measures that will allow former 24th Ward Ald. Michael Scott, Jr. and his wife Natashee Scott to pay $8,000 for two vacant city-owned parcels next to their home in North Lawndale. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line; Byrnes & Walsh LLC]
Members of a key City Council committee unanimously approved proposals that will allow former 24th Ward Ald. Michael Scott and his wife Natashee Scott to use a city-backed land deal to buy two vacant lots adjoining their North Lawndale home.
Housing committee approves sales of vacant city-owned lots to recently retired alderman, wife at low cost
The James Sneider Apartments in Rogers Park [Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago]
Aldermen are set on Monday to hold a hearing on the heat-related deaths of three women at the James Sneider Apartments in Rogers Park last month.
Housing committee to hold hearing on heat-related deaths of 3 women in Rogers Park senior housing building
Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16) and Kamm Howard, national co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, speak during a committee meeting Thursday.
Advocates and aldermen continued during a committee meeting Thursday to push city officials on progress in creating a plan to offer reparations to Chicago’s Black residents and descendants of enslaved Africans as little work on the effort has gotten off the ground since a subcommittee was created to explore the issue nearly two years ago.
Aldermen, advocates still pushing for city’s work on reparations to begin 2 years after creation of subcommittee
AIS acting Comm. Sandra Blakemore and ComEd President Terry Donnelly speak during a committee meeting on Tuesday.
Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) executives on Tuesday painted an optimistic picture for aldermen on their progress toward a new franchise agreement with the city that would set updated ground rules for the company’s operation as Chicago’s sole electricity provider. But nearly 18 months after the last agreement expired, a deal remains elusive.
ComEd and Chicago still ‘not there yet’ on new franchise agreement as city leaders cite gaps in equity and climate goals
Some scooter companies are seeing a delay in the launch of their scooters across the city due to an administrative dispute. [Hannah Alani/Block Club Chicago]
One month after city transportation officials allowed Lyft to pepper its electric scooters around the Chicago’s downtown, appeals filed by two competing e-scooter companies that were denied licenses are holding up the proliferation of scooters across the city’s neighborhoods.
Appeals from spurned e-scooter companies holding up citywide launch of scooters in Chicago
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday launched a program that offers residents and business owners rebates for new surveillance cameras and car GPS trackers. An indicted Chicago alderman suffered a decisive defeat in court. And Lightfoot raised eyebrows when she said people accused of violent crimes should all be considered guilty.
News in brief: City launches $5.3M rebate program for surveillance cameras, GPS trackers; Judge rejects Burke’s attempt to toss wiretap records
More than 500 people cast ballots during the beginning of early voting last week. And Mayor Lori Lightfoot last week spoke about gun violence at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Reno, Nev.
News in brief: More than 500 people cast early ballots at Loop ‘supersite;’ Lightfoot urges bipartisan legislation to curb gun violence
Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a news conference last Friday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]
Nearly five months after the city hired its first employee to staff the first-of-its-kind civilian commission charged with overseeing the Chicago Police Department, city leaders have yet to hire a second.
Decision on civilian police oversight commissioners rests in Lightfoot’s hands as staff hiring slows to a crawl
Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas officially launched his campaign for mayor on Wednesday. And Mayor Lori Lightfoot named Joyce Chapman as the newest member of the Chicago Board of Education.
News in brief: Vallas announces another run for mayor; Lightfoot appoints new Board of Education member
The Cook County Board of Ethics is turning to the courts to enforce an order against an elected official. Mayoral hopeful and state Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) unveiled his public safety platform on Tuesday. And the city’s Office of Inspector Genral launched a search to find the city’s next deputy inspector general for public safety.
News in brief: County ethics board sues Wendt; Buckner details anti-violence platform; search gets underway for public safety deputy IG
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday shed light on how she plans to pick the seven members of the new Community Commission for Public Safety and Police Accountability. And the mayor stayed tight-lipped on who will be next tosucceed a resigning alderman as head the council’s education committee.
News in brief: Lightfoot wants to ensure civilian commission overseeing CPD represents all of Chicago; No sign of whononcommittal on civilian police oversight appointments, will replacement of Scott as council’s education committee chair
The Chicago Plan Commission approved a 204-unit residential building at 210 N. Morgan St.
Members of the Chicago Plan Commission on Thursday quickly approved three new residential developments including a 204-unit building with affordable units proposed for Fulton Market.
Plan Commission approves 204-unit residential Fulton Market development praised for its affordable options
Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) proposed an ordinance he hopes will help attract and retain police officers in Chicago. [Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago]
More than 30 aldermen have signed on to a proposal from Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) that would give new Chicago police officers up to a $10,000 signing bonus or the same amount in assistance for first time homebuyers who serve in the department.
Alderman proposes homebuyer assistance, signing bonuses as ‘outside-the-box’ way to recruit police officers
Bio
Covering Chicago City Hall for @thedailylinechi. Send tips to [email protected]. More coffee, always.