Kingston, IL Municipal and More

Zero Tax Hikes, 25 Smashed Storefronts, and School Closure Showdowns: Inside Cook County’s Defining Week: Chicagoland’s Week In Review

While Chicago battles a massive fiscal deadlock, Cook County is closing a $550 million shortfall without asking taxpayers for an extra dime. Yet across the North Shore, overnight retail smash-and-grabs and painful elementary school closure votes are putting suburban leaders to the test. Overview: The Cook County 2027 budget plan...

Cook County, IL · 2d

chronicleillinois.com

partner publisher · 18.9K followers

Democrats flip final Cook County Board seat

When Sean Morrison leaves the Cook County Board next month, so will any Republican voice on the government body. Cook County Democrats flipped his 17th District seat, which has been Republican since it came into existence in 1994. Only three Republicans – Herb Schumann, Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman and Morrison – have served the district over its 22 years.

Cook County, IL · 2d

Chalkbeat

CTU-backed candidates win three Chicago school board races that were too close to call

Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. More than a week after Election Day, Chicago voters in three electoral districts have clarity about who will represent them on the city’s first fully elected school board. A fourth race remains too close to call as mail-in ballots trickle in. The updated results reaffirm the new power balance that emerged from the Nov. 3 election. Candidates backed by pro-school choice groups will make up a narrow majority, loosening the teachers union’s current stronghold. The official proclamation of results in the historic election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 24, according to the Chicago Board of Elections . Jason Dónes beat incumbent Carlos Rivas Jr. in District 3b, which includes Humboldt Park on the West Side. Michilla Blaise’s lead over Anthony Hargrove gives her enough votes to keep her seat representing District 5b, which runs from the West Loop to Austin on the West Side. And incumbent Emma Lozano will stay on the board despite a challenge from Jesus Ayala Jr. in District 7a, which

hoodline.com

Five Challengers Crowd Ald. Derrick Curtis's 18th Ward Reelection Bid

Ald. Derrick Curtis is seeking a fourth term representing Chicago's 18th Ward, and this time he's got five people standing in his way: Joshua Barksdale, Nicole Allison, Artemiza “Tammy” Chavez, Glenford Flowers Jr. and Toni C. Galloway. All five, however, are currently facing objections to their nominating petitions that could still knock them off the February ballot.

partner publisher · 57.7K followers

Willow and Hearth

HUD Launches A Public Dashboard Grading Local Housing Authorities From High Performer To Troubled, And 7 Are Already In Substantial Default

Anyone who rents with a housing voucher, lives in public housing or has a family member who does now has a new way to check how the local housing authority […]

Chicago, IL · 3d

Block Club Chicago

publisher · 7.3K followers

New Bronzeville Development Will Only Displace Residents If New Bears Stadium Is Part Of Project

BRONZEVILLE — The future of Bronzeville’s massive Prairie Shores complex could be contingent on if the site is selected for the Bears’ next stadium, developers told residents on Friday. Three of the southernmost buildings in the five-apartment complex could be demolished if the site is selected for...

everafterinthewoods.com

partner publisher · 14.4K followers

This Historic Illinois Outdoor Market Has Been Drawing Shoppers For More Than A Century

Blues musicians once cranked up their amplifiers on a busy street just to be heard over shoppers haggling for bargains. That loud little workaround helped shape a famous sound. Pretty wild for a flea market, right?. This Illinois market has been pulling in shoppers for more than a century. Immigrant...

Chicago, IL · 20h

967 The Eagle

Five Cook County Highway Stretches Make National Top 100 For Fatal Crashes

Five Illinois highway stretches made the national Top 100 for fatal crashes, every one of them in Cook County. I94 sits highest at number four.

Cook County, IL · 2d

POLITICO

partner publisher · 546.7K followers

Aldermen have a message for the mayor

TGIF, Illinois. Life without email wasn’t so bad… But seriously, if I didn’t respond to you, it’s because of the global outage. TOP TALKER FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A group of Chicago aldermen is about to remind Mayor Brandon Johnson that voters had more than one thing to say last week. Making a shift: The Chicago City Council Budget Accountability Coalition, a group of aldermen who have been pushing back on the mayor's budgets, wants to act on both of the advisory questions that Chicago voters overwhelmingly supported last week, even though the two measures don’t necessarily fit into the mayor’s political playbook. The two measures: One calls for bringing back the ShotSpotter gunshot detection policy, which the mayor had previously rejected but voters overwhelmingly support. And the other is a millionaire’s tax, which the mayor supports and voters like, too. The coalition is expected to announce their plans today to call for votes on both measures at next week's City Council meeting. Johnson has leaned heavily on the millionaire-tax vote as he makes the case for raising revenue from wealthy residents and businesses to balance the city's next budget. But he's been on the other side of the ShotSpotter debate.

partner publisher · 18.9K followers

Chalkbeat

After Google warns schools about disabling AI feature, Chicago protesters say ‘we don’t want your Gemini’

Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. Pushback on the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom is seeing renewed fervor after tensions flared this month between some U.S. school districts and one of the biggest tech giants in the world. Protests popped up Wednesday in Cambridge, Massachusetts and in Chicago, where the city’s school district recently blocked student access to generative AI , which includes ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini. The backlash comes at a critical flashpoint for the future of AI in education. Google sparked an uproar earlier this month when it said that schools that ban AI won’t be able to use search because AI is so embedded in the technology. Chicago Public Schools has yet to plan its response to Google’s announcement, but a CPS spokesperson said in a statement that the district was “actively exploring all options to independently suppress” the AI overview that appears at the top of Google searches. If CPS cannot provide students access to the search engine without its AI feature, the

Chicago, IL · 4d

oakpark.com

Democrats, media finally see through Chris Welch’s polite posturing

“Riding high in April, shot down in May,” Frank Sinatra sang in 1966. “That’s life.” . Chris Welch can certainly relate. He was riding high last April, having just been elected to the Democratic State Central Committee, the powerful party policy making group. Two months later, he was appointed one of four Executive Vice-Chairs to Chairman and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

Cook County, IL · 2d

suburbanchicagoland.com

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas highlights expanded exemptions and benefits available to veterans and their surviving spouses

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas highlights expanded exemptions and benefits available to veterans and their surviving spouses. This Veterans Day, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is reminding veterans and their families about expanded Illinois property tax exemptions that provide financial relief in recognition of their service. Recent changes to the...

Cook County, IL · 4d

hoodline.com

Mitts Seeks Eighth 37th Ward Term as Petitions Draw Objections

Ald. Emma Mitts is asking for an eighth City Council term, and four challengers have filed for the 37th Ward seat she has held since January 2000. The ward takes in parts of Austin, West Garfield Park and West Humboldt Park. Before anyone debates the next four years, the nominating petitions are already in a fight.

cfodive.com

Chicago’s new CFO abruptly quits

Chicago CFO Ashlee Gabrysh has quit, just three months after she was appointed, with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s press office stating that her resignation was accepted Friday effective immediately. Gabrysch stepped into the role in August after Chicago’s financial leadership was shaken by a series of high profile departures. She...

fox32chicago.com

Chicago budget battle: Aldermen respond to Mayor Johnson's claims of dishonesty

CHICAGO - Chicago’s budget fight is getting personal. Mayor Brandon Johnson says aldermen who accused his office of failing to reach out are "being dishonest." He said that in an exclusive one-on-one with Fox Political Reporter and Editor Brandon Pope. Now, some aldermen are responding. Chicago's budget battle. The...

publisher · 67.1K followers

Fox 32 Chicago

Park Forest annexation leaves Will County homeowners fearing tax hikes

Homeowners in unincorporated Will County are fighting the Village of Park Forest's effort to annex their properties, warning their property tax bills could nearly double. Village leaders say the move is about fairness, arguing Park Forest taxpayers have spent decades maintaining roads and water infrastructure that also benefits those properties.

Will County, IL · 1d

chronicleillinois.com

partner publisher · 99.3K followers

Cook County finalizing plan for Prairie Path improvements

One of the missing links on the Illinois Prairie Path will soon be addressed. Cook County is finalizing a plan to provide a full-fledged connection between Maywood and Forest Park. Joe Seymour, lead planning specialist with the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, told members of the Illinois Prairie...

Cook County, IL · 2d

WGN News

New 24/7 mental health center launches on Chicago’s South Side

The Thresholds Center for Mental Wellbeing celebrated the grand opening of The Living Room, a new 24/7 nonclinical crisis center on Chicago's South Side.

partner publisher · 99.3K followers

WGN News

Individual becomes temporarily trapped inside city’s first self-cleaning public restroom shortly after opening

CHICAGO — The City of Chicago unveiled its first automated self-cleaning public restroom this week, but one of its first users found themselves trapped inside. The new restroom was unveiled on Wednesday morning at the Polish Triangle near Milwaukee Avenue, Ashland Avenue and Division Street in West Town. The facility features an integrated self-cleaning system […]