Chicago mayors: A mixed legacy on the environment

By Dwight A. Weingarten Medill Reports When Chicago’s first Mayor William B. Ogden took office in 1837, he along with two alderman crafted the city seal. The city’s motto, “Urbs in Horto,” or City in a Garden, that appears at the bottom of the seal, quickly lost much of its literal meaning even with huge […]

Down to the wire: Chicago teachers strike narrowly avoided with tentative agreement

By Emily Olsen and Meredith Francis Minutes before the midnight deadline, the Chicago Teachers Union and school board reached a tentative agreement to avoid a strike that would have sent some 20,000 teachers to picket lines. “It wasn’t easy,” CTU President Karen Lewis told reporters at 11:55 p.m. Monday. “Clearly, there are some issues, and […]

President Barack Obama visits Chicago weeks before the election

President Obama arrives in Chicago on Air Force One

By Christen Gall President Barack Obama visited Chicago over the Oct. 7-9 weekend in what could be his last visit before the general election on Nov. 8. After being greeted by Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama voted downtown, attended campaign events for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Illinois senate candidate Tammy Duckworth and spoke […]

Rep. Mike Quigley calls for Wrigleyville street closures

Wrigleyville

By Caroline Kenny Due to national security concerns worldwide, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) is proposing the City of Chicago close Clark and Addison streets during all Chicago Cubs games this baseball season. Quigley, who sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, brought up the concept when discussing the Paris and Brussels terror attacks […]

Unlike Trump, Sanders’ Chicago rally gave peace a chance

Sanders Chicago

By Caroline Kenny Despite four-hour lines and thousands of supporters being turned away, the Bernie Sanders rally on Monday night was a much more peaceful event than a Donald Trump rally that shook Chicago on Friday night. Speaking at the Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Theatre in the Loop just eight hours before polls opened, Sanders invoked […]

City Colleges, Chicago Public Schools teachers push for elected boards

City Colleges of Chicago Headquarter Flags

By Branden Hampton Faculty at City Colleges of Chicago are banding together with their counterparts in Chicago Public Schools to push for legislation that would bring elected boards to both districts. Both groups want to curb Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s power by ending his ability to hand-pick board members, as well as the chief executive officer […]

Chicago ministers say no to King breakfast with the mayor

Hyatt Regency

By Hannah Gebresilassie Who wants breakfast? Not ministers and activists in Chicago. In light of the controversy surrounding the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald and Cedrick Chatman, also 17, religious leaders say they will join activists in a protest on Friday morning outside of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s planned private commemorative breakfast of Dr. Martin […]