Get the latest news from around Illinois.
WTVO: Report: Chicago speed cameras issue tickets every 20 seconds, fine motorists over $102M in 2023
Traffic cameras in Chicago fined drivers a total of $102 million in 2023, according to a new report.
The Illinois Policy Institute’s analysis discovered that the automated speed cameras placed throughout the city issued a ticket every 20 seconds, on average.
The Daily Herald: Merge CTA, Metra and Pace? Lawmakers debut fix amid pushback from suburbs, transit agencies
State lawmakers unveiled an ambitious plan Monday to fold Metra, Pace and the CTA into one supersized agency that would replace the Regional Transportation Authority.
Proponents promised benefits such as a universal fare and more efficiency, but the seismic shift will be anything but a smooth ride in Springfield.
The Chicago Tribune: Johnson to shift $80M in ARPA spending, restart guaranteed income program
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration will change how roughly $80 million in federal pandemic dollars get spent in the coming months to ensure the city doesn’t lose any money for not spending it by the 2026 deadline, officials said Monday.
Some programs will also see their American Rescue Plan Act funding scaled back or canceled so other initiatives better aligned with Johnson’s vision can instead get the money, administration officials told reporters in a briefing. That includes starting back up the guaranteed income program launched during Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s tenure, but nixing her administration’s plans for a sobering center and support for low-barrier homeless shelters run by outside agencies.
Chicago Sun-Times: CTU, CPS negotiations open with optimism
Contract negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools kicked off Monday with hopes of a more amicable and transparent process than recent history.
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said the union was happy to see “more people in the first session than we have seen in previous times with direct understanding and clarity about how school works.
CIProud: Potential TIF district in downtown Bloomington has its first public forum
A public meeting was held Monday evening to discuss a potential TIF district in downtown Bloomington.
The location for the TIF for would be in an area known locally as the “buckle,” generally bounded by Locust Street to the north, Gridley Street to the east, the railroad line to the south, and Lee Street to the west.
ABC 7 Chicago: Family of fallen CPD Officer Luis Huesca asked Mayor Brandon Johnson not to attend his funeral
Mayor Brandon Johnson was among those expressing condolences to the family of fallen Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca on Monday.
But the mayor did not attend the funeral after learning that the officer’s grief-stricken mother said he was not welcome.
The Chicago Tribune: Northwestern University reaches agreement with protesters
Northwestern University officials announced Monday that they have reached an agreement with students and faculty protesting against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, outlining a plan intended to allow demonstrations to continue while preventing the chaos and occasional violence that has engulfed other campuses across the country.
The deal — believed to be the first between a major U.S. university and Pro-Palestinian protesters —comes five days after demonstrators established an encampment in Deering Meadow, a popular common area on the Evanston campus. Administrators responded to the protest by banning tents and temporary structures, but they did nothing to enact the new policy as they negotiated with protesters throughout the weekend.