Stories by paris schutz

Lightfoot Outlines Memorial Day Weekend Safety Plan

We trail Mayor Lori Lightfoot as she outlines her safety plan for the holiday weekend and addresses the controversy over her security detail.

Spotlight Politics: Mayor Lightfoot vs. the Council Machine

Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a stern warning to City Council members in her inaugural address. Our politics team tackles that story and other headlines in our weekly roundtable.

Lightfoot Recounts Ancestor’s Tragedy in the Jim Crow South

The little-known story of Lori Lightfoot’s grandfather who was murdered in the Jim Crow South nearly 100 years ago.

In this file photo, Lori Lightfoot, then a candidate for Chicago mayor, speaks to “Chicago Tonight” on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018.

Lightfoot Rewards ‘Reform’ and ‘Old Guard’ Alderman in Council Shake-Up

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot releases her picks for committee chairmanships, proposing that Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) lead the Finance Committee that was led for decades by Ald. Ed Burke (14th).

Spotlight Politics: Lightfoot, New City Council Prepare to Take Over

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot and some Chicago aldermen are already in a stare down over aldermanic power. Our politics team tackles that story and other headlines in our weekly roundtable.

In this March 24, 2019 photo, Chicago mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot participates in a candidate forum sponsored by One Chicago For All Alliance at Daley College in Chicago. (AP Photo / Teresa Crawford)

Lightfoot, Aldermen Battle Over Aldermanic Prerogative

Lori Lightfoot campaigned on forcing change in the City Council, and now she is looking to take away the unilateral power aldermen have to influence decisions in their wards. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Sept. 5, 2018. He is scheduled to appear for a final time as mayor on the show Monday, May 13, 2019.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel Joins ‘Chicago Tonight’ for Exit Interview

To his supporters, Rahm Emanuel was the brash, bright, big-city mayor who unapologetically raised Chicago’s profile as a global city. To his critics, he was a heavy-handed, top-down leader. On Monday evening, the outgoing mayor joins us in discussion.

Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam speaks at St. Sabina Church on Thursday night, May 9, 2019. (Ashlee Rezin / Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Controversial Minister Louis Farrakhan Speaks at St. Sabina

The Nation of Islam leader who was recently banned from Facebook spoke Thursday in a wide-ranging sermon that hit upon some of the anti-Semitic and black nationalist themes he has come to be known for.

Spotlight Politics: Illinois Finds $1.5 Billion in Budget Money

A new wrinkle on the age-old tale of Illinois’ pension mess. Our politics team digests the top stories of the week.

Amara Enyia appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Aug. 30, 2018.

Former Mayoral Candidate Faces New Questions About Campaign Spending

A WTTW News exclusive

Amara Enyia received big donations from some music superstars during her bid for mayor. But state election officials are now looking into exactly how that money is accounted for.

In this July 31, 2015 file photo, Ald. Ed Burke chairs a meeting of the City Council’s Finance Committee. (AP Photo / M. Spencer Green, File)

Chicago Developer Linked to Ald. Burke Faces Bribery Charge from US Attorney

Federal prosecutors allege a Chicago developer steered business to 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke in exchange for Burke’s help getting a City Hall permit.

Ald. Ed Burke, 14th Ward, addresses Mayor Rahm Emanuel at the mayor’s final City Council meeting on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

Spotlight Politics: Warm Send-Off for Mayor Emanuel

Mayor Rahm Emanuel gets a warm send-off from his colleagues at his final City Council meeting. Our politics team tackles that and some of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering over Lincoln Yards.

A rendering of the Lincoln Yards development.

City Council Approves Massive TIFs for Lincoln Yards, The 78

After months of debate, the controversial $1 billion public subsidy for Lincoln Yards is now law. City Council approved the measure hours after Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot softened her opposition to the project.

An artist’s rendering of the Lincoln Yards master plan released in January 2019. (Courtesy Sterling Bay)

Emanuel, Lightfoot Strike Deal on Lincoln Yards Vote, Rankling Aldermen

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot cut a deal on Lincoln Yards, confusing aldermen who were set to make a key vote Monday.

In this May 4, 2011 file photo, Ald. Ed Burke speaks at a Chicago City Council meeting. (AP Photo / M. Spencer Green, File)

Burke’s Finance Committee Paid Aldermen’s Phone Bills, Travel Expenses, Records Show

Ald. Ed Burke, arguably City Council’s most powerful member for much of his 50-year reign, had various ways of dishing out perks and favors to colleagues. One of those, apparently, was to help some aldermen pay their bills.

Chicago Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot smiles during a press conference at the Rainbow PUSH organization on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. (AP Photo / Nuccio DiNuzzo)

Mayor-Elect Lightfoot Mends Fences on Day One of Transition

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot wasted no time getting ready for her new job. Just hours after her historic victory, Lighftoot met with city leaders and talked about plans for a transition of power.

Lori Lightfoot celebrates at her election night rally at the Hilton Chicago after defeating Toni Preckwinkle in the Chicago mayoral election, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (Ashlee Rezin / Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Lori Lightfoot Makes History as Chicago Mayor-Elect

Lori Lightfoot has become the first African-American woman elected mayor of Chicago, defeating her opponent, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, in a landslide.

Mayoral, Aldermanic Candidates Try to Close the Deal

Chicago’s historic 2019 election will soon be over, ushering in big changes to city government. 

Gloria Schmidt, the former attorney for the Osundairo brothers.

Osundairo Brothers’ Former Attorney Speaks Out

Many people were surprised by the abrupt dismissal of charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett. Among them, Gloria Schmidt, the former attorney for the brothers whose testimony was key to the case.

The Choice for Mayor 2019: Lori Lightfoot

From humble beginnings in Massillon, Ohio, to a high-powered federal prosecutor. We bring you an in-depth profile of mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot.

President Donald Trump listens in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington on Monday, March 25, 2019, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks. Trump signed an official proclamation formally recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. (AP Photo / Susan Walsh)

Mueller Report Summary Finds No Trump Collusion With Russia

Political fallout over the report’s findings is just beginning. Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti joins us with legal analysis of the document.

 Mayoral candidates Lori Lightfoot, left, and Toni Preckwinkle appear on “Chicago Tonight” on March 21, 2019.

Lightfoot, Preckwinkle Clash on Campaign Cash

The back-and-forth over political donations during Thursday’s forum was the latest in a series of contentious public appearances between Chicago mayoral candidates Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle.

In this July 31, 2015 file photo, Chicago Ald. Ed Burke chairs a meeting of the City Council’s Finance Committee. (AP Photo / M. Spencer Green, File)

Aldermen Seek to Curb Burke ‘Staff-Loaning’ Habit

The former chair of the City Council Committee on Finance is no stranger to scrutiny. But now, Ald. Ed Burke’s practice of loaning out employees to work for aldermen is coming under fire.

In this May 4, 2011 file photo, Ald. Ed Burke speaks at a Chicago City Council meeting. (AP Photo / M. Spencer Green, File)

Why Aldermen Who Need Extra Help Call Ed Burke

A WTTW News Exclusive

For years, Ald. Ed Burke ran what amounts to an employee loan-out program from his perch as head of City Council’s powerful Finance Committee. “It’s a way of exercising control,” said one City Hall staffer.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks to the press following City Council’s approval of two controversial developments on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. (Chicago Tonight)

City Council OKs Lincoln Yards, Police Academy

Two major projects – both of them controversial – got the full City Council vote Wednesday in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s second-to-last meeting.

Lincoln Yards Project Passes Another Hurdle

The massive $6 billion Lincoln Yards development has nearly passed through all of its regulatory hurdles.