Under an expected measure, Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace would combine into a single system in hopes of resolving funding issues, as well as providing more reliable and safer services.
When Mayor Brandon Johnson took office last May, he was praised for his notion of bringing “the people” into City Hall. But progress has been rocky as Johnson must contend with the realities of legislating with 50 different aldermen.
Chicago’s main metro transit system will purchase eight of the two-car trains for $154 million, and may spend up to $181.4 million extra for more. The trains will run during off-peak times.
The city will sever its ties with the gunshot alert system after September. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s political supporters applauded the decision, but many officers are opposed.
There’s a big audience for it. But people listening to police radio creates serious privacy challenges. They can also hamper law enforcement.
More than $5.8 billion of the $7.8 billion in federal funds awarded to Illinois schools since March 2020 has been spent. In Chicago, the school system faces a $391 million shortfall for the 2024-25 school year.
Mary Otts-Rubenstein, who has her own child with disabilities, is helping migrant families with medically complex children enroll in Chicago’s Public Schools. But it doesn’t get easier once the kids are enrolled because the system is overwhelmed.
Brandon Johnson had previously critiqued how the city has used a tax structure that relies on property taxes, fines and fees, and yet his 2024 proposed budget counts on $46 million more in fines and fees than this year.
Police stations have long served as entry points for Chicagoans in need of social services. As the city tries to maneuver the influx of thousands of migrants, some homeless residents are also using the city’s police stations as shelters.
Questions linger about the city's other public health crises as federal pandemic dollars begin to dry up. But Brandon Johnson is boosting mental health spending by $15 million.
For the past 30 years, state attorneys general have successfully sued major businesses across the country. Now cities and counties want to get in on the action.
Researchers found about 20 different species of wildlife across the city through the use of camera traps. For many animals, cities with lots of green spaces are havens from the urban heat island effect.
Most Read
