Good afternoon! Bought a catchy identify for a snowplow? The town is taking solutions for its annual contest. Right here’s what else you want to know in the present day.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $17.1 billion price range for subsequent yr handed by a skinny 27-23 margin after he made vital compromises throughout weeks of stalemate, Mariah Woelfel writes for WBEZ. (Scroll to the underside of the story to see how your alderperson voted.)
The ultimate price range avoids layoffs, furloughs or cuts to fundamental metropolis companies reminiscent of rubbish assortment and tree-trimming, but it surely nixes some progressive applications funded by one-time federal pandemic reduction funding. A coverage to make a complicated fee on the town’s underfunded pensions will proceed. The price range depends on a number of elevated taxes and fines, a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands in “efficiencies” and cuts to vacant positions, and the restructuring of a number of the metropolis’s debt.
Johnson throughout yesterday’s vote confronted stinging critiques a couple of messy and protracted price range course of that Ald. Maria Hadden, forty ninth Ward, argued has fractured relationships in Metropolis Council and additional eroded belief in authorities.
In an interview with WBEZ after the vote, Johnson touted what he has referred to as one of many “most collaborative” price range processes within the metropolis’s historical past — and blamed this yr’s problem on an absence of progressive income choices on the native and state ranges. [WBEZ]
The hospital system hopes to shut the town’s 30-year life expectancy hole between residents on the South and North sides, my colleague Kaitlin Washburn stories for the Chicago Solar-Instances.
“Over the subsequent 10 years, we hope to vary the trajectory of well being outcomes on the South Facet,” Advocate Trinity Hospital President Michelle Blakely mentioned. “We’re striving to create well being and wellness alternatives in a neighborhood that has been underserved and suffers from well being disparities.”
The brand new, 52-bed facility will exchange Advocate Trinity Hospital, a 263-bed constructing that’s been on the South Facet since 1895. There will probably be 36 surgical procedure beds, 4 ICU beds, eight statement beds, a four-bed dialysis unit and an emergency room with 16 bays.
The $300 million challenge will sit on 23 acres on the outdated U.S. Metal South Works website south and west of Lake Shore Drive and north of 81st Avenue. [Chicago Sun-Times]
3. Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed new members to fill the CPS faculty board
In a set of appointments that spherical out Chicago’s new 21-member Board of Schooling, Johnson tapped a bunch largely composed of neighborhood organizers and activists and saved all however two of his present faculty board members, my colleagues Sarah Karp and Nader Issa report.
The mayor’s 11 seats characterize a majority of the varsity board and solidify his sturdy affect over Chicago Public Faculties for the subsequent two years. The brand new members be a part of the ten who have been chosen by voters in Chicago’s first-ever faculty board elections final month. 4 of these elected members have been endorsed by the Chicago Lecturers Union — the mayor’s staunch ally that helped vault him into workplace.
Johnson named 10 members yesterday and mentioned an eleventh continues to be being vetted. [WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times]
4. The Chicago Movie Workplace’s chief is out of a job on the metropolis’s cultural division
Deputy Commissioner Jonah Zeiger’s departure is the newest in a sequence of high-profile workers adjustments in current months on the division, Courtney Kueppers stories for WBEZ.
Zeiger — who typically greeted the general public at occasions like Millennium Park’s film sequence and different movie festivals — is a minimum of the fourth DCASE deputy commissioner to exit since Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Clinée Hedspeth to steer the division in March.
A DCASE spokeswoman declined to handle the circumstances of Zeiger’s departure and wouldn’t say whether or not or not the Movie Workplace emptiness has been crammed internally. However the management change comes at a key time: The town is grappling with learn how to drum up extra income, and through a contentious price range season, a number of alderpersons mentioned they want to see the movie business convey in additional {dollars}. [WBEZ]
The favored Daley Plaza custom was the market with essentially the most Yelp critiques mentioning the phrases “overcrowded” or “busy,” Block Membership Chicago stories.
Simply over 38 p.c of Christkindlmarket’s 780 Yelp critiques point out it being too crowded, in accordance with a survey carried out by CanadaSportsBetting.
Along with the downtown location, satellite tv for pc occasions are held at Wrigley Subject and in suburban Oak Brook, Naperville and Aurora. The Wrigley Subject market wasn’t held this yr due to the NHL Winter Traditional.
The Daley Plaza Christkindlmarket typically has a protracted entrance line on weekends, and attendees typically stand shoulder to shoulder as soon as inside. [Block Club Chicago]
Right here’s what else is occurring
- Police are investigating the motive in yesterday’s Wisconsin faculty capturing. [AP]
- Right here’s learn how to maintain your textual content messages protected because the FBI warns of Chinese language hackers. [NPR]
- Amazon staff in Skokie approved a possible strike. [Chicago Sun-Times]
- Grubhub settled for $25 million for allegedly deceiving clients, eating places and drivers. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Oh, and yet one more factor …
The top of 2024 is right here, and with it comes a parade of best-of lists. My colleagues are providing one thing completely different: From science fiction to romantasy, right here’s an unpretentious listing of books we’re recommending to family and friends.
Whether or not you speed-read 100 books a yr or take your time with a particular few, these are 18 of Chicago Public Media’s favourite reads of 2024, with quoted suggestions from the staffer who advised it. [WBEZ]
Inform me one thing good …
What’s your favourite Chicago-specific present to provide household and associates who don’t reside within the space?
Marsha writes:
“Everybody loves the present packages from Tastes of Chicago: Lou Malnati’s pizza, Garrett popcorn, Frango Mints and far more. I began utilizing them when my daughter went to school in California years in the past.”
Be at liberty to e-mail me, and your response could also be included within the e-newsletter this week.
