Nearly $2 million of that toll went to pay private lawyers to defend the conduct of CPD officers from late May until mid-August 2020, one of the most tumultuous periods in Chicago history, according to records obtained by WTTW News.
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Taxpayers Spent at Least $5.6M to Settle, Defend Lawsuits Accusing CPD Officers of Misconduct During Protests, Unrest in 2020: Analysis
Apr 22, 2024 0 CommentsIllinois Sees Lowest Presidential Primary Voter Turnout in Decades: State Election Officials
Apr 22, 2024 0 CommentsVoter turnout for the March 19 Illinois primary election was 19.07%, the lowest in at least the last 50 years, according to official vote totals certified Friday by state election officials.
The Enduring Spirit of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Review
Apr 22, 2024 0 CommentsFor WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s recent Chicago run brought back vivid memories. She first saw the company in New York City in 1972.
Get Ready to Clean Out the Garage. Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site Coming to South Suburbs
Apr 22, 2024 0 CommentsFor the second year in a row, the Cook County government has celebrated Earth Day by announcing a new south suburban recycling facility aimed at taking some of the nastiest garbage out of the waste stream.
‘Vigilance’ Showcases Diverse Environmental Leaders With Work From Local, National Artists
Apr 22, 2024 0 Comments“Vigilance: Learning From the Legacies of BIPOC Environmental Leaders” is inspired by the work of Hazel Johnson, a Black Chicagoan known as the mother of the environmental justice movement.
Police Union Appeals Ruling Requiring Serious CPD Discipline Hearings to Take Place in Public
Apr 22, 2024 0 CommentsJudge Michael Mullen’s decision upheld the effort backed by the city’s largest police union to upend the system used for 60 years to punish officers for serious misconduct, but “split the baby,” said Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara.
Trump Tried to ‘Corrupt’ the 2016 Election, Prosecutor Alleges as Hush Money Trial Gets Underway
Apr 22, 2024 0 CommentsThe commencement of the proceedings set the stage for weeks of unsavory and salacious testimony about Trump's personal life and placed his legal troubles at the center of his closely contested campaign against President Joe Biden.
‘Our City is Grieving’: Off-Duty Police Officer Among at Least 3 Killed by Gunfire Across Chicago Over Weekend
Apr 22, 2024 0 CommentsChicago police Officer Luis M. Huesca, who was fatally shot as he returned to his Gage Park home following his shift early Sunday, was among three people killed by gunfire across Chicago over the weekend.
‘Kids Need to Breathe Just Like Adults Do’: $35 Price Caps Don’t Apply to Asthma Meds Young Children Need, Doctors Say
Apr 20, 2024 0 CommentsAsthma drugs can be pricy, so much so that the U.S. Senate health committee opened an investigation into the situation in January. Shortly afterward, three of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some U.S. patients at $35.
Pritzker’s Health Insurance Reforms Clear House, Move to Senate
Apr 20, 2024 0 CommentsGov. J.B. Pritzker’s initiative targets many of the “utilization management” practices insurance companies use to hold down costs by either denying claims or steering patients toward lower-cost options.
Pritzker Says State ‘Obviously’ Needs to Change 2010 Law That Shrunk Pension Benefits
Apr 20, 2024 0 CommentsWith a month and a half left in the General Assembly’s spring session, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration is readying its proposal to address Illinois’ chronically underfunded pension system.
The EPA is Again Allowing Summer Sales of Higher Ethanol Gasoline Blend, Citing Global Conflicts
Apr 19, 2024 0 CommentsGasoline with 10% ethanol is already sold nationwide, but the higher blend has been prohibited in the summer because of concerns it could worsen smog during warm weather.
Week in Review: Pritzker Calls for CTA Changes; City Council Approves $70M More for Migrant Care
Apr 19, 2024 0 CommentsGov. J.B. Pritzker puts his foot on the gas pedal calling for changes at the CTA. And what’s in store for the Chicago Sky as WNBA ticket sales soar.
City Council Votes 32-17 to Borrow $1.25B to Fund Economic Development, Affordable Housing Projects
Apr 19, 2024 0 CommentsThe approval represents a major win for Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has touted the proposal as a way to make Chicago a more equitable place to live by “investing in people” and expanding the city’s economic capacity — without raising taxes on Chicago property owners.
City Council Votes 30-18 to Spend $70M More to Care for Migrants in Chicago
Apr 19, 2024 0 CommentsOfficials expect it will cost an additional $321 million through the end of 2024 to care for the migrants. The Chicago City Council and the Cook County Board of Commissioners have approved plans to contribute $70 million each. State lawmakers are expected to set aside $182 million as part of the state’s budget for the next fiscal year.
The Bluebells Are Here. Catch These Short-Lived Beauties Before They’re Gone
Apr 19, 2024 0 CommentsThese gorgeous spring ephemerals love woodland habitats near creeks, and they’ll spread like a carpet on the forest floor. But only for a couple of weeks, and then they’re gone.
Mural on the 94th Floor: Chicago Artist Spotlights City Neighborhoods and Her Heritage at the Top of a Skyscraper
Apr 19, 2024 0 CommentsHigh above Michigan Avenue, artist Katie Chung pays tribute to the neighborhoods below. She uses many colors while keeping in mind Obangsaek, a color scheme known as the five cardinal colors of Korean culture.