SHAREMayor Lori Lightfoot urged the City Council on Monday to “be bold with me ... to continue to right historic wrongs” that have created two Chicagos: one for the haves, the other for the have-nots.“Neglect is not only morally wrong. It is also fiscally foolish. ... We have all been carrying a heavy burden for our decades of neglect, whether we acknowledge it or not. It shows up in the billions that we have spent on policing and incarceration. ... It shows up in the trauma that shrouds too many of our homes and neighborhoods,” Lightfoot told alderpersons.“What I have asked this body to do...…SHAREMayor Lori Lightfoot urged the City Council on Monday to “be bold with me ... to continue to right historic wrongs” that have created two Chicagos: one for the haves, the other for the have-nots.“Neglect is not only morally wrong. It is also fiscally foolish. ... We have all been carrying a heavy burden for our decades of neglect, whether we acknowledge it or not. It shows up in the billions that we have spent on policing and incarceration. ... It shows up in the trauma that shrouds too many of our homes and neighborhoods,” Lightfoot told alderpersons.“What I have asked this body to do...WW…

SHAREAs the number of murders in Chicago soared in June, there was a huge slowdown of police activity that the police union blames on rock-bottom morale and distrust of Mayor Lori Lightfoot.In the first 28 days in June, the number of murders was up 83% compared with numbers from the same period in 2019, Chicago Police Department statistics show.And the number of arrests was down 55%, street stops fell by 74% and traffic stops dropped by 86%.Police Supt. David Brown said Monday that police activity slowed because fewer people have been on the streets But John Catanzara, president of the...…SHAREAs the number of murders in Chicago soared in June, there was a huge slowdown of police activity that the police union blames on rock-bottom morale and distrust of Mayor Lori Lightfoot.In the first 28 days in June, the number of murders was up 83% compared with numbers from the same period in 2019, Chicago Police Department statistics show.And the number of arrests was down 55%, street stops fell by 74% and traffic stops dropped by 86%.Police Supt. David Brown said Monday that police activity slowed because fewer people have been on the streets But John Catanzara, president of the...WW…

SHAREThe Galewood townhome where a packed party was held over the weekend is owned by a Chicago Fire Department commander who also is among several firefighters being investigated over an unrelated online video.That video, made as part of the “Don’t Rush Challenge,” might have violated city policy, fire department spokesman Larry Langford said. Nine female firefighters are in the video; one, identified as “Commander Matthews,” is CFD Cmdr. Christine Matthews, according to Langford.Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) confirmed Matthews also owns the townhome in the 2000 block of North Narragansett...…SHAREThe Galewood townhome where a packed party was held over the weekend is owned by a Chicago Fire Department commander who also is among several firefighters being investigated over an unrelated online video.That video, made as part of the “Don’t Rush Challenge,” might have violated city policy, fire department spokesman Larry Langford said. Nine female firefighters are in the video; one, identified as “Commander Matthews,” is CFD Cmdr. Christine Matthews, according to Langford.Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) confirmed Matthews also owns the townhome in the 2000 block of North Narragansett...WW…

SHARELess than a year removed from its longest labor stoppage in three decades, the Chicago Teachers Union is convening an emergency meeting of its elected delegates early next week to discuss another strike vote that would put pressure on Chicago Public Schools to back off its plan for a partial return to classrooms next month, a source told the Chicago Sun-Times.The timeline for a potential vote is unclear, but as teachers unions across the country play significant roles in the resumption of American education, the CTU appears to be the first major teachers union in the nation to move...…SHARELess than a year removed from its longest labor stoppage in three decades, the Chicago Teachers Union is convening an emergency meeting of its elected delegates early next week to discuss another strike vote that would put pressure on Chicago Public Schools to back off its plan for a partial return to classrooms next month, a source told the Chicago Sun-Times.The timeline for a potential vote is unclear, but as teachers unions across the country play significant roles in the resumption of American education, the CTU appears to be the first major teachers union in the nation to move...WW…

SHAREIllinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday he will not reopen schools for in-person instruction because of the coronavirus, ensuring the unprecedented disruption to the education of the state’s 2.2 million students will continue through the end of the academic year.The governor announced the decision at his daily afternoon press conference, joining 27 states and three U.S. territories that have either ordered or recommended the same action, decisions that have impacted more than 25 million students.“Science says our students can’t go back to their normal routine,” Pritzker said. “To...…SHAREIllinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday he will not reopen schools for in-person instruction because of the coronavirus, ensuring the unprecedented disruption to the education of the state’s 2.2 million students will continue through the end of the academic year.The governor announced the decision at his daily afternoon press conference, joining 27 states and three U.S. territories that have either ordered or recommended the same action, decisions that have impacted more than 25 million students.“Science says our students can’t go back to their normal routine,” Pritzker said. “To...WW…

SHAREA 55-year-old Arizona woman died after she was struck and dragged a half block by a hit-and-run driver Monday night on the Near North Side, and the local alderman has tied the incident to continued looting in the area.She was one of two women about to cross the street in the first block of East Hubbard Street when a male driving a silver-colored Ford Explorer SUV hit her and another woman, Chicago police said. Zoraleigh Ryan, of Chandler, Arizona, was dragged about half a block at 10:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead on the scene, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office...…SHAREA 55-year-old Arizona woman died after she was struck and dragged a half block by a hit-and-run driver Monday night on the Near North Side, and the local alderman has tied the incident to continued looting in the area.She was one of two women about to cross the street in the first block of East Hubbard Street when a male driving a silver-colored Ford Explorer SUV hit her and another woman, Chicago police said. Zoraleigh Ryan, of Chandler, Arizona, was dragged about half a block at 10:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead on the scene, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office...WW…

Filed under:In an interview with the Sun-Times, ex. Supt. Charlie Beck criticized David Brown’s decision to create roving citywide teams of cops to fight crime, although he said he is rooting for Chicago and Brown to “do well.”Former Interim Chicago Police Supt. Charlie Beck attempted to clear the air with the city’s current top cop Friday after David Brown said his predecessor’s de-centralized crime strategy “wasn’t working” and said Beck didn’t take police reform seriously enough.In an interview with the Sun-Times, Beck pushed back on Brown’s claims and criticized his decision to abandon...…Filed under:In an interview with the Sun-Times, ex. Supt. Charlie Beck criticized David Brown’s decision to create roving citywide teams of cops to fight crime, although he said he is rooting for Chicago and Brown to “do well.”Former Interim Chicago Police Supt. Charlie Beck attempted to clear the air with the city’s current top cop Friday after David Brown said his predecessor’s de-centralized crime strategy “wasn’t working” and said Beck didn’t take police reform seriously enough.In an interview with the Sun-Times, Beck pushed back on Brown’s claims and criticized his decision to abandon...WW…

SHARECook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on Thursday condemned the anti-Semitic remark allegedly made by indicted Ald. Edward Burke (14th) in a wiretapped conversation, but she said she’s keeping $30,000 she raised during a 2016 campaign event at Burke’s house.“I don’t ascribe to Alderman Burke’s anti-Semitic remarks or any of the behavior that he engaged in that has found himself where he is right now,” Foxx told the Sun-Times.“I have never supported the criminal behavior of anyone. That’s why I’m a prosecutor.”The anti-Semitic remark that Burke’s attorneys tried to keep secret to a...…SHARECook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on Thursday condemned the anti-Semitic remark allegedly made by indicted Ald. Edward Burke (14th) in a wiretapped conversation, but she said she’s keeping $30,000 she raised during a 2016 campaign event at Burke’s house.“I don’t ascribe to Alderman Burke’s anti-Semitic remarks or any of the behavior that he engaged in that has found himself where he is right now,” Foxx told the Sun-Times.“I have never supported the criminal behavior of anyone. That’s why I’m a prosecutor.”The anti-Semitic remark that Burke’s attorneys tried to keep secret to a...WW…

SHAREMayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to overhaul Chicago’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance to create sorely needed affordable housing sailed through a City Council committee Tuesday despite demands for more family-sized housing.The 14-to-3 vote by the City Council’s Housing Committee sets the stage for final action at the City Council meeting Wednesday. That would allow Lightfoot to deliver on her campaign promise to raise the bar for developers receiving city subsidies, city land or a zoning change.Aldermen voting “no” were Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), Anthony Napolitano (41st) and Maria...…SHAREMayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to overhaul Chicago’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance to create sorely needed affordable housing sailed through a City Council committee Tuesday despite demands for more family-sized housing.The 14-to-3 vote by the City Council’s Housing Committee sets the stage for final action at the City Council meeting Wednesday. That would allow Lightfoot to deliver on her campaign promise to raise the bar for developers receiving city subsidies, city land or a zoning change.Aldermen voting “no” were Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), Anthony Napolitano (41st) and Maria...WW…

Mayor Lori Lightfoot was spared Thursday from a humiliating political defeat at the expense of speeding drivers blamed for a rash of recent accidents, injuries and fatalities on Chicago streets.Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) abruptly recessed the Finance Committee he chairs when it became clear that the votes were there to force the mayor to stop issuing $35 tickets to drivers caught on camera going between six and nine miles an hour over the speed limit.Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), one of Lightfoot’s most outspoken City Council critics, has tried for more than a year to raise the speed-camera...…Mayor Lori Lightfoot was spared Thursday from a humiliating political defeat at the expense of speeding drivers blamed for a rash of recent accidents, injuries and fatalities on Chicago streets.Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) abruptly recessed the Finance Committee he chairs when it became clear that the votes were there to force the mayor to stop issuing $35 tickets to drivers caught on camera going between six and nine miles an hour over the speed limit.Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), one of Lightfoot’s most outspoken City Council critics, has tried for more than a year to raise the speed-camera...WW…