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Fran Spielman

City Hall reporter

Fran Spielman covers City Hall for the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I don’t talk about all the hard work and dedication it takes to take care of my son and the effort and the hard work that his siblings put in. … This is gonna be the rest of our lives,” Erika Boyd told reporters shortly after the City Council’s Finance Committee authorized a $45 million settlement to cover the medical care her son will need for the rest of his life.
The goal is to raise $100 million a year to fund affordable housing and programs to help end homelessness. Supporters say it is long overdue. Critics have their doubts.
Beginning with 35 individuals Sunday, more than 2,000 people will be evicted by the end of April, the city announced Friday. Families will get a break until the end of the school year.
The April 2021 pursuit that led to the devastating injuries suffered by Nathen Jones was one of a long line of Chicago police chases ending tragically. It also violated a newly-revised CPD policy intended to rein in vehicular pursuits. The payment, one of the largest in Chicago history, will help with the around-the-clock care Jones will need for the rest of his life.
Chicago’s mayor said the 60-day limit on shelter stays would, after previous delays, finally be enforced Saturday, impacting potentially thousands. There would, however, continue to be exemptions.
Among other things, the 25-page analysis questions whether the tax would generate the millions of dollars Mayor Johnson is hoping for and whether there’s sufficient oversight to ensure the money goes for its intended purpose.
Johnson’s decision to borrow so much money for affordable housing and economic development signals a fundamental shift in how such projects will be financed — weaning the city from its long-standing dependence on tax increment financing.
One day after the Bears offered to spend $2 billion in private money to help build a publicly owned dome near where Soldier Field sits now, Friends of the Parks board member Fred Bates was not appeased by the team’s sketchy promise to create nearly 20% more open space.
The Bears confirmed they have shifted plans from building a stadium in Arlington Heights to building one at the Museum Campus.