Jake Sheridan

Jake Sheridan covers local politics and the City Council for the Tribune's City Hall team. He previously worked as a general assignment reporter for the Tribune's Metro desk. He is a graduate of Duke University. He welcomes tips on important news, overlooked problems and colorful stories via X and email.

Mayor Brandon Johnson talks in his office at Chicago City Hall on May 14, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Brandon Johnson decries further cuts to CPS in district’s budget plan

May 15, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Asked about proposed cuts to teaching positions in the next school year, Mayor Brandon Johnson said the school district needs to spend more, not less.

Arnold Day attends a news conference in Loevy & Loevy's law office in Chicago's West Town neighborhood on Nov. 5, 2019, to announce his lawsuit against the city of Chicago for his alleged imprisonment and alleged torture by former police Cmdr. Jon Burge. (Camille Fine/Chicago Tribune)

$13 million proposed settlement latest in police torture case tied to ex-Cmdr. Burge

May 14, 2026 at 5:29 p.m.

City lawyers plan to urge the Finance Committee to advance the deal Monday for Arnold Day, who confessed to two 1991 slayings. Day has long alleged Chicago police coerced the...

Ald. Jim Gardiner, 45th, introduces a resolution about political violence during a City Council meeting, Jan. 21, 2026, at Chicago City Hall. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Ald. Jim Gardiner sues Chicago ethics watchdogs for defamation, wants $1 million

May 14, 2026 at 5:49 p.m.

Ald. Jim Gardiner is seeking $1 million in the lawsuit against city, the Board of Ethics, the Office of the Inspector General and former Inspector General Deborah Witzburg.

People cross Wacker Drive at Monroe Street in Chicago on May 13, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago and North Chicago among cities adding residents as municipalities try to regain lost population

May 13, 2026 at 11:01 p.m.

Chicago reversed recent trends by gaining slightly in population, while midsize cities like Plainfield and North Chicago continued fast growth.

Then-mayoral candidate Paul Vallas gives his concession speech at his election night watch party at the Hyatt Regency hotel, April 4, 2023, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Former Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas fined $214,000 by ethics board for campaign finance violations

May 12, 2026 at 6:42 p.m.

The Chicago Board of Ethics says the candidate improperly accepted $202,000 from 12 city contractors, far exceeding the city’s $1,500 annual donation limit.

Ald. Ronnie Mosley, 21st, left, and Ald. Walter “Red” Burnett, 27th, speak after a City Council meeting, Jan. 21, 2026, at Chicago City Hall. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Aldermen advance tipped wage raise delay following Mayor Brandon Johnson veto

May 12, 2026 at 5:17 p.m.

The change to the ordinance would halt raises for two years in larger Chicago restaurants, while giving smaller restaurants a four-year break from the pay bumps for workers.

The $7 billion 1901 Project could eventually bring nearly 10,000 new homes as well as hotels and public space to the United Center, which is now mostly surrounded by parking lots. (Field Operations, RIOS)

Aldermen advance $55 million tax break for United Center development

May 11, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

The Reinsdorf and Wirtz families now argue they need the 12-year property tax cut to jump-start one of the largest developments in the city's history.

Anjanette Young, center, smiles after her nomination to join the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) passed out of the Chicago City Council Committee on Police and Fire on May 6, 2026. Young's home was raided in 2019 in a Chicago Police Department error that sparked reform. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

After botched raid, Anjanette Young a step closer to serving on police oversight board

May 6, 2026 at 5:57 p.m.

Aldermen on Wednesday advanced Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointment of Anjanette Young to the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.

An image of Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele from Chicago Police Department body-camera video footage taken during her arrest on Nov. 10, 2024, on DUI charges in Uptown after a car crash. (Chicago Police Department)

DUI trial for Cook County tax Commissioner Samantha Steele begins

May 5, 2026 at 7:07 a.m.

Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele's long-awaited DUI trial finally began Monday.

Former Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg has taken a job with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office.

Former Chicago inspector general joins Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office

April 30, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.

Former Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg is joining Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office just days after her term as the city’s top watchdog ended.

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