City Hall

The most thorough coverage of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago’s City Council, including analysis and news from veteran City Hall reporter Fran Spielman.

Crosetti Brand, 37, changed his story when he testified before parole officials, who ultimately decided to release him on March 12, a day before the attack at his ex-girlfriend’s North Side apartment.
In all, 129,000 children, 68% of those 5 or younger, had lead in their home drinking water, a study found.
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“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.
Madigan is accused of leading a criminal enterprise for nearly a decade designed to enhance his political power and generate income for his allies and associates. The Southwest Side Democrat left office in 2021 and was indicted in March 2022.
Two cars were traveling in opposite directions in the 1500 block of West Augusta Avenue about 1:53 a.m. Sunday when one of the vehicles swerved into the path of the other. Two people were sent to hospitals.
A 20-year-old man was stopped in his vehicle in the first block of West 79th Street about 3:06 p.m. Sunday when a ‘known offender’ came up on foot and shot at the man, hitting him three times in the body, police said.
The incidents started in the 9100 block of South Woodlawn Avenue in June, with more fires occurring in July, September and October, police said. The most recent fire was reported March 2. Police have issued a suspect description.
On the final weekend of campaigning before Illinois polls open, candidates treaded two well-worn campaign paths: St. Patrick’s Day parades and churches across the city.
Dozens of adults were expected to be evicted Sunday, amid an outbreak of measles, but just three were. They will be able to reapply for shelter at the city’s designated ‘landing zone.’
Gustavo Suarez, 27, was in an alley in the 5200 block of South Central Avenue about 2:30 a.m. Sunday when someone in a black truck opened fire, striking him in the chest.
Ricardo Rodriguez was released from prison in 2018, after saying he was framed by CPD detective Reynaldo Guevara. A year later, prosecutors claim, he joined a bungled ransom plot.
What does former mayoral candidate Paul Vallas, who battled a serious childhood stutter, have to say about Donald Trump’s “B-B-B-Biden” ridicule at a political rally last weekend? “Call my mother,” Vallas advised.
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 daughter of one mayor and sister to another, Mrs. Martino “had extraordinary experiences,” Monsignor Kenneth Velo said. “And yet ... she was ordinary. She was down to earth.”
An untold number of migrants are expected to have to leave shelters Saturday, and what comes next is a mystery to many — perhaps “la calle,” one man said, gesturing toward Halsted Street.
The officer who shot and killed 19-year-old Roshad McIntosh in 2014 was cleared of wrongdoing twice by Chicago police oversight agencies.
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.
Earlier this week, Chicago Public Schools learned of a positive measles case involving a student at Philip D. Armour Elementary School, and the Chicago Department of Public Health confirmed another case at Cooper Dual Language Elementary Academy.
The Phillips boys basketball team won the Class 2A state championship Saturday. At a celebration held in the school’s gym Wednesday, players from the 1975 championship team joined this year’s squad.
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.
The Illinois Supreme Court denied an effort to block the ballot question regarding tax rates on property sales.