Key City Panel Advances Push to Rid CPD of Officers With Ties to Extremist Groups The City Council’s Workforce Development Committee advanced the measure after a lengthy debate over whether all city employees, not just CPD members, should be banned from “actively participating” in ...

BREAKING: A key City Council panel voted 6-3 on Monday to advance a proposal designed to rid the Chicago Police Department of officers with ties to hate groups and far-right extremist organizations. @wttw.bsky.social news.wttw.com/2026/04/13/k...

DHS Paying Local Police Millions in Quieter Approach to Immigration Enforcement Facing public backlash, the Trump administration is outsourcing more immigration enforcement to local agencies and politically connected contractors.

Markwayne Mullin appears to be scaling back the visibility of ICE agents in enforcement, saying he’d “love to see” ICE spend more time doing “transport” and less on the “front line.”

One way to do that is by paying local police to take on more of the investigations and arrests of immigrants.

Pritzker rhetorically threw school districts under the bus, but a funding solution is out there which may not require a constitutional change

South Shore Line opens Monon Corridor branch USA: Chicago inter-urban commuter railway South Shore Line opens its Monon Corridor branch from Hammond Gateway to Munster/Dyer, after inauguration ceremonies which were briefly disrupted by bad weather.

South Shore Line opens Monon Corridor branch www.railwaygazette.com/suburban-and-commuter-ra...

Sound & Gravity 2026 Lineup: Grouper · Son Lux · Lee Ranaldo & Leah Singer, Contre Jour · Marc Ribot · Hailu Mergia · The American Analog Set · Alabaster DePlume · Lucrecia Dalt · Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas · Mary Halvorson & Sylvie Courvoisier · Yellow Swans · Tyondai Braxton · Jim White Trio with Guy Picciotto & Colleen Burke · Joan Shelley · Tomeka Reid Quartet · Keith Fullerton Whitman · Sir Richard Bishop · Josh Johnson · Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark & Chris Corsano · Capatosta (Tim Berne, Tom Rainey, Gregg Belisle-Chi) · Resavoir · Uhlmann, Johnson, Wilkes · Gregory Uhlmann Extra Stars · Kassa Overall · Kalia Vandever · My New Band Believe · Eliana Glass · A Hawk and A Hacksaw · Sam Wilkes · Ana Roxanne · Dos Santos · Otto Benson · Patrick Shiroishi · Jon Irabagon & Dan Oestreicher · Russ Johnson · Tomas Fujiwara: 7 Poets Trio · Twin Talk · Water Damage · David Moore · Advance Base · Adam O'Farrill’s Elephant · Ami Dang · Chris Ryan Williams Vibration Trio · Eli Winter Ensemble · Jessica Risker · Leroy the Poet · Walt McClements · Official Claire · Setting · TV Buddha · Uniflora · Microplastique

Sound & Gravity lineup is out, the fest returns September 3

US Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Illinois’ law barring concealed carry of guns on public transit

US Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Illinois’ law barring concealed carry of guns on public transit

BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls have dismissed executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, sources tell ESPN.

UPDATE: More than 130 ex-Chicago federal prosecutors have signed on to a comment opposing a proposed rule that could block states from investigating DOJ lawyers for ethics violations.

Among those on the list are former U.S. attorneys Dan Webb, Scott Lassar, Patrick Fitzgerald and Zach Fardon:

New Trial Ordered in Lawsuit Brought by Family of Harith Augustus, Who Was Killed in 2018 Chicago Police Shooting The appellate ruling comes nearly three years after a Cook County jury ruled in favor of the police officers in deciding the civil suit. But in its ruling, the appellate court found that attorneys rep...

BREAKING: Lawyers representing the city of Chicago improperly used pretrial challenges to exclude two Black potential jurors, an appellate court ruled, @bymattmasterson.bsky.social reports for @wttw.bsky.social

A student who inspired the city with runs through every neighborhood is being forced to leave the U.S. blockclubchi.co/4bWBNER

Ann Sather is closing on Belmont Avenue after 81 years, but aims to remain in the neighborhood. blockclubchi.co/4sDlLqG

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported at O'Hare International Airport U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived at O'Hare International Airport Monday morning, CBS News Chicago confirmed.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were spotted at O'Hare International Airport Monday morning, CBS News Chicago has learned.

Bike Grid Now Applauds Introduction of Landmark Legislation to Advance Regional Safe Cycling Network Chicago, Bike Grid Now! is pleased to announce the introduction of new state legislation to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive regional bike grid. The bill SB3478, introduced by Illinois State Senator Mike Simmons (IL-07), amends the Illinois Highway Code to direct the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to develop a blueprint for a bike and pedestrian-prioritized street network including 450 miles of safe, slow streets in Chicago with additional infrastructure in bordering municipalities. The proposed Safe Cycling Network Plan would prioritize connections between community areas, retail corridors, major attractions, institutions, as well as existing and planned infrastructure to create a cohesive system for all ages and abilities across 10% of city streets and neighboring suburbs. Under the proposed framework, at least 35% of the network would be located in community areas experiencing economic hardship,1 with additional prioritization given to high-crash corridors and areas lacking existing safe streets infrastructure. “We know how dangerous and inequitable a patchwork system is,” said Bike Grid Now organizer Nik Hunder. “Fragmentation means cyclists, pedestrians, and people on scooters or other micromobility devices are forced to navigate life-threatening gaps in protective road treatments that are not equitably distributed economically and racially across the city. It’s time to make our streets safer for all Chicagoans – not just those in the most privileged and politically responsive neighborhoods.” The benefi ts also reach across the state. Safer city roads drive state-wide economic growth, advance environmental goals, boost tourism, and decrease costs associated with traffi c crashes and deaths. State legislators leading on this issue understand that strategic investment in urban infrastructure is a life-saving measure that supports the intere…

HUGE NEWS. We have a state bill; SB3478 - SCA1. Under the bill, CMAP will develop a blueprint for a bike and pedestrian-prioritized street network including 450 miles of safe, slow streets in Chicago and surrounding communities. WE NEED YOU TO SUBMIT WITNESS SLIPS. ilga.gov/Senate/heari... (1/3)

It's time to build, Illinois.

New TimeLine Theatre marquee illuminates Uptown, at the end of long search for a home TimeLine artistic director PJ Powers and executive director Mica Cole led a ceremony to illuminate their new theater in the Uptown neighborhood, a moment decades in the making.

TimeLine Theatre artistic director PJ Powers and executive director Mica Cole led a ceremony to illuminate their new theater in the Uptown neighborhood, a moment decades in the making.

Joliet CC passes 795-acre AI data center dev. project The Joliet City Council is set to decide the fate of a proposed 795-acre A.I. data center, which would use up to 150,000 gallons of water per day and 1.8 gigawatts of electricity, despite concerns …

the joliet city council last night approved a plan to build the largest data center in illinois. it’s projected to use up to 150k gallons of water a day and a whopping 1.8 gigawatts of power.

Chicago Appeals Order Requiring Officials to Destroy Millions of Police Body-Worn Camera Videos Destroying those videos will lead “to the permanent loss of evidence that may be essential for lawsuits and other challenges to police practices,” according to the city's Department of Law.

NEW: Chicago lawyers appealed a ruling from a Cook County judge that ordered officials to delete millions of body-worn camera videos that have not been flagged for further review, records show. @wttw.bsky.social

The Hideout is sold to a new owner, who pledges to keep it the same old Hideout The new owner is Teri O’Brien, a former employee. She says she doesn’t plan to change a thing about the Hideout, which has long nurtured an eclectic mix of country singers, rock bands, comedy and civics classes.

The new owner is Teri O’Brien, a former Hideout employee who splits her time between Chicago and Nashville, where she launched a music career, performing as Americana artist Bronte Falls.

The Hideout has been sold to a new owner who pledges to "continue the legacy."
blockclubchi.co/4bvdVI8

The Hideout gets a new owner, testing the future of a Chicago institution The Hideout, a cornerstone of Chicago’s music and political scene, has been sold to a former insider with ties to a prominent trading family, as major redevelopment looms around the club.

Mark Guarino’s story for Crain’s Chicago Business: The Hideout gets a new owner, testing the future of a Chicago institution www.chicagobusiness.com/restaurants/...

www.instagram.com/p/DWEHyLnDZAV

Mayor Johnson says he is discouraged by this vote, slamming "the self-proclaimed Democrats" who voted for the roll back.
"It's shameful," Johnson says.
"We will continue to stand with working people," Johnson says, promising to use "every single tool available to me" to stop it from taking effect.

BREAKING: It is time for the percolator at Stratton’s party

Incumbent Fritz Kaegi is conceding to Pat Hynes in the Cook County assessor race.

The cryptocurrency industry super PACs dumped $14.2 million into the Illinois primaries. 90% of that – $12.8 million – was wasted, in that it went to opposing Democratic candidates who won their primaries (Stratton in the Senate race, Ford in H-07) or supporting their opponents.

"This does not mean that this last year has been for nothing," @katmabu.bsky.social speaks to the crowd for the first time in Andersonville tonight, conceding her race for Democratic nominee for U.S. Congress to Evanston mayor Daniel Biss.

Illinois will see its fourth Black senator in the Senate if Stratton wins the reliably blue seat in November. She would also become the sixth Black woman to serve in the Senate.

Preckwinkle Wins Democratic Nomination for Cook County Board President Incumbent Toni Preckwinkle has spent the past 16 years as board president. Running against her was Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly, who has represented the city’s 42nd Ward since 2007.

“We’re going to protect what we built,” Cook County Board president Toni Preckwinkle said to a crowd of supporters Tuesday night. “We’re going to make sure the county remains a place where people feel safe, supported and included.”

CHA Board Picks Head of Washington, D.C. Public Housing Agency as CEO Over Mayor’s Objections The board’s decision comes after Mayor Brandon Johnson pushed for nearly a year to name former Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) to lead the CHA, only to run into a brick wall of opposition from board m...

FULL STORY: The Chicago Housing Authority board voted Wednesday to appoint Keith Pettigrew, the head of Washington, D.C.’s Housing Authority, to lead the third largest public housing agency in the nation, over the objections of Mayor Brandon Johnson. @wttw.bsky.social