Chicago Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) says he thinks he has solved the city’s budget for next year.
“We’ll just add an additional tax on every item that the Cubs sell this season,” Waguespack joked Thursday during a City Club of Chicago panel discussion on the city’s 2017 budget.
“I’ve never seen so many people wearing Cubs gear, not only in Chicago but just nationwide,” the alderman said. “It’s a good thing to see a team doing so well, because it does add to the bottom line. It adds to Chicago’s stature at a time when things are pretty difficult, when we see so much increase in crime and violence throughout our city, that we can have one thing to look at and say this is a good thing.”
Chicagoans are protesting Thursday morning on the North Side near Lake Shore Drive viaducts “to call attention to the mounting problems of homelessness and the lack of affordable housing” in the city.
A coalition of Chicago parents and community groups is backing the Chicago Teachers Union’s decision to strike next Tuesday if the union and school district fail to reach a contract agreement by then.
A proposal designed to protect immigrants from threats by police and other city employees based on their race or immigration status is moving forward in the City Council.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s governing body approved an October 11 strike date Wednesday, putting the union one step closer toward its second walkout since 2012.
“If we cannot reach an agreement by then, we will withhold our labor,” CTU President Karen Lewis told reporters Wednesday evening after a special meeting of the union’s House of Delegates.
CTU and school district officials have yet to agree on a new labor contract to replace the one that expired in June 2015.
The number of people seeking sanctuary in the Chicago area is growing significantly, according to a local agency that helps refugees resettle in the city.
“Right now, we are experiencing a really crazy surge in arrivals,” Lea Tienou told an audience of college students as well as immigrant and refugee service providers and advocates.
Tienou is associate director of refugee family adjustment and employment services at the Heartland Alliance. She spoke Monday afternoon at DePaul University’s Loop campus as part of a panel discussion about the global refugee crisis.
The Heartland Alliance typically sees about 20 refugees per month, Tienou explained. Just in the last month, however, 100 refugees came to the agency, and 90 more are expected to seek assistance from the Heartland Alliance in September.
“It’s been a really busy time, and this is throughout the country that we’re seeing a really large influx of arrivals,” she said.
The Emanuel administration’s plan to give people the ability to contest almost 1.5 million red-light camera tickets is expected to go before the Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee on Monday.
Chicago Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) says he thinks he has solved the city’s budget for next year.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s governing body approved an October 11 strike date Wednesday, putting the union one step closer toward its second walkout since 2012. 
The number of people seeking sanctuary in the Chicago area is growing significantly, according to a local agency that helps refugees resettle in the city.