Imagine starting your day in Chicago or one of our Cook County suburbs and turning on the faucet, only to find no water comes out. For many of us, that sounds unimaginable. But for some Cook County residents, especially in neighborhoods facing flooding, aging pipes, or concerns about lead, the challenges around water are already real and constant.

As football season is fully underway, a new Chicago tax proposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson is doubling down on a bad idea for sports fans. The mayor’s budget includes a city of Chicago tax on sports betting companies that would be delivered on top of a brand-new state tax – which added a 50-cent tax on each bet customers make. That state tax, which was fully implemented by the sportsbooks on September 1, is already making every bet placed in Illinois more expensive for customers. As an expert in responsible gaming, I have been advocating for legal sports betting laws that empower bettors with information about their spending and avoid impulsive betting before it begins. But these new taxes push the state in the opposite direction, pushing bettors to make more expensive bets or seek out cheaper, tax-free illegal betting options that don’t have any of the protections of Illinois’ legal market. Ultimately, these changes will add more pressure to push gamblers back towards the black market.

Why Chicago’s Business Community Should Support the Hazel M. Johnson Ordinance

I’ve seen firsthand over decades of building and buying housing and commercial developments across the country how a city can reinvent itself. As the Chairman of Banner Real Estate Group, I’ve led our firm through many market cycles, always with a view toward long-term value, community impact and sustainable growth. That’s why I believe the Hazel M. Johnson Cumulative Impacts Ordinance is not just good policy — it’s good for business.

Illinois’ economy is on the road to recovery, with our annual GDP recently surpassing $1 trillion a year, fueled by more than 660 business expansions and relocations in 2024 alone. This is due in no small part to Gov. JB Pritzker’s efforts to expand our state’s economy and demonstrate that Illinois is “Open for Business.”

The road to reform in Chicago is never smooth, but sometimes leaders with courage and foresight clear a path forward. That’s why we’re grateful to the 39 City Council members — three-quarters of the council — who voted to advance an ordinance safeguarding the independence of inspector general investigations to the Council’s Ethics Committee, where it will get a hearing on Monday.

SEIU Local 73 represents 12,000 members, primarily black and brown women, who work tirelessly across Chicago Public Schools (CPS).  These dedicated individuals serve essential roles, including Special Education Classroom Assistants (SECAs), Sub SECAs, Custodians, Security Officers, Bus Monitors, Parent Workers, and Crossing Guards.

Last September, Chicago's City Council enacted the so-called “Northwest Side Preservation Ordinance,” an ill-conceived law that will reduce housing affordability in several northwest side wards and hurt the small and mid-sized housing providers represented by my organization, the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance (NBOA).

The ordinance, which imposes draconian restrictions on the sale of rental property in Logan Square, Hermosa, Humboldt Park, and Avondale just went into effect on March 1.

This ill-conceived ordinance has many harmful provisions, but the most harmful to housing affordability gives tenants of a rental building a “right of first refusal.” This gives the tenants an “opportunity to purchase” the building if they can match the selling price, and imposes a chain of complicated and time-consuming requirements before the transaction can close with the tenants or with another buyer.

As President Trump begins his new administration, his commitment to restoring trust in the Department of Justice (DOJ) offers a vital opportunity to rebuild public confidence in the fairness and integrity of our justice system. His pledge to appoint principled leaders like Pam Bondi and Kash Patel signals a clear resolve to confront systemic issues, hold bad actors accountable, and ensure justice is applied equally to all Americans. This mission is urgent, as the failures of the previous administration have left deep scars on the foundation of our democracy.

The case of Curt Somoza exemplifies the dire consequences of a politicized and unaccountable DOJ. Somoza, a businessman and CIA contractor, created cutting-edge secure communication technologies designed to protect U.S. national security. According to evidence and reports, DOJ personnel mishandled this technology, releasing it to unauthorized parties—including individuals connected to terrorist organizations. This mishandling extended to next-generation communication technologies that were not only more advanced than what the CIA or U.S. government possessed but also critical to future defense strategies.

Last week, the Chicago City Council passed an amendment to the Northwest Side Housing Preservation Ordinance. Thanks to the efforts of the Chicago Association of Realtors, this amendment contains changes that make the ordinance somewhat less bad.

This rushed legislation should be more aptly named the Northwest Side Housing Prevention Ordinance (to reflect its actual impact). The sponsors of this bill Carlos Rosa (35th) & Jessie Fuentes (26th) have a long history of simply attacking the housing industry for political points. This law passed with blinding speed and no input from those who actually provide housing.