Good morning, Chicago.
Aldermen once again aired their distrust of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s work implementing Chicago’s budget yesterday as his top finance leaders revealed the city is once again turning to an outside consulting firm for help in cutting costs.
City revenues are “tracking very closely to budget” so far this year, Budget Director Annette Guzmán told aldermen. But the news of an as-expected performance did little to win over aldermen still doubtful that the administration will fully implement the policies they passed to balance the city’s budget.
And aldermen took particular issue yesterday with the revelation that Guzmán’s Office of Budget and Management had entered last month into a two-year, $6.7 million contract with consulting firm Ernst & Young.
“I think that there are a lot of unanswered questions,” Ald. Samantha Nugent, 39th, said after the meeting.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Jake Sheridan.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: what to know about the CPS and teachers union May Day debate, what’s planned for a Water Tower Place makeover and a review of an elegant and emotional Mexican American restaurant in Pilsen.
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Appeals court upholds corruption conviction of ex-Speaker Michael Madigan, calls evidence ‘overwhelming’
A federal appeals court in Chicago yesterday upheld the sweeping corruption conviction of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan, brushing aside his arguments that schemes to help utility giant ComEd and trade favors with then-Ald. Daniel Solis were just everyday politics and saying the evidence of wrongdoing was “overwhelming.”
‘May 1 is happening.’ What to know about the CPS and teachers union May Day debate.
May 1 is a national day of action, a day for workers to mobilize and gather to advocate for workers’ rights. In the past, rallies and events have been held across Chicago to commemorate the day. This year, a “no work, no school and no shopping” action is being encouraged as a protest to the administration of President Donald Trump while advocating for immigrant and labor rights.
Illinois commission in final stretch of hearings on Operation Midway Blitz as Katie Abraham’s mother testifies
The mother of the woman whose name the Trump administration used to justify the sweeping federal immigration crackdown that swept across Chicagoland last fall told an Illinois commission yesterday that she had “had enough” of officials invoking her daughter’s memory.
In one of her few public comments since the Operation Midway Blitz surge, Denise Lorence, mother of Katie Abraham, testified along with North Side and Evanston residents, who looked back with anger and dismay on federal agents’ often combative efforts in their neighborhoods during the two-month enforcement campaign.
Man pleads guilty to gun charge tied to shots fired near immigration agents in Little Village
An immigrant in the country illegally who has a history of weapons convictions admitted yesterday to firing shots “in the vicinity of” immigration agents as they ran enforcement raids in Little Village near the end of the controversial deportation operation in Chicago last fall.
The guilty plea by Hector Gomez, 46, marked the second felony conviction on federal charges stemming from Operation Midway Blitz.
105-year-old Chicago woman finds herself on century-old Irish census: ‘Those years went by so fast’
One hundred years ago, a few thousand miles away across the Atlantic, a quiet moment in history rippled across northwestern Europe.
The day was April 18, 1926. Ireland was coming off centuries of British rule and a bloody civil war and hadn’t paused to understand where it stood, or how it had changed, in years. But the young nation was dawning a new age. And that spring night, Ireland conducted its first census in more than a decade — its first as a free state.
Today, there are few living testaments to that headcount. But newly revealed records show that one of them is just a few miles outside of Chicago. And she’s a spitfire.
Water Tower Place to get $170 million makeover, accelerating the Magnificent Mile’s recovery
Water Tower Place is about to get a complete $170 million makeover, a big step toward its recovery after years of financial struggle and the loss of several major tenants.
The eight-story vertical indoor mall will be replaced by a three-story retail center with small shops, flagship stores and a collection of new restaurants, according to a statement by its owner. Floors 4 through 8 will be transformed into offices and medical office space.
Column: Can slugger Munetaka Murakami be a real drawing card for the Chicago White Sox?
Can Munetaka Murakami be the big draw the White Sox have been looking for, asks Paul Sullivan?The White Sox drew a crowd of 35,174 for Saturday’s game against the Washington Nationals, their biggest non-opening-day crowd in April since 2007.
- Munetaka Murakami hits go-ahead 3-run home run during 7-run 7th inning as the White Sox rally for win
- White Sox injury report: OF Austin Hays returns as Tanner Murray goes on the IL
Column: It’s not playoffs or bust for Chicago Blackhawks next season — but they need to provide hope
The date was June 15, 2015, when the Blackhawks put an exclamation point on their modern dynasty, writes Kalen Lumpkins.Hall of Famer Duncan Keith broke a scoreless tie when the rebound of his own shot got behind Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop late in the second period at the United Center. Patrick Kane’s slap shot in the third dashed any hopes for the Lightning as the Hawks hoisted the Stanley Cup for the third time in six seasons.
The Hawks haven’t made any notable postseason noise since that fabled summer day.
Column: Of new shows about the Gilgo Beach serial killer, one series also considers the victims
Sick of serial killers, asks Rick Kogan?The most recent member of this crowd is 62-year-old Rex Heuermann. A born and raised native of Long Island, an architect with offices in Manhattan, ex-husband of Asa Ellerup, and the father of daughter Victoria and stepson Christopher, and killer of many young women. Heuermann was a giant of sorts — 6 feet, 4 inches and 280-some pounds — and a monster of a particularly gruesome sort.
