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It's Tuesday and a few degrees warmer today. Catch up on the latest headlines from WTTW News. |
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Mayor Brandon Johnson addresses the news media on Oct. 7, 2025. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News) |
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Mayor Brandon Johnson warned Monday that Chicago was headed for its first-ever government shutdown after a marathon weekend meeting failed to break the budget deadlock gripping the city.
In a letter to the 26 members of the Chicago City Council who have signed on to a plan to bridge Chicago’s $1.19 billion budget gap without hiking taxes on large firms, Johnson said he was open to new ideas and continuing negotiations but said he would not allow the city’s budget to be balanced “on the backs of working people.”
“These proposals by some members of the Council are not ‘shared sacrifice’; it is only the poor who are sharing the sacrifice,” Johnson wrote. “Doubling garbage fees, cutting youth employment, and selling Chicagoans’ debt to the highest bidder puts significant additional financial strain on those with the least ability to afford it.”
More context:
The latest back-and-forth between the mayor’s office and Johnson’s critics leaves no clear path to a deal with just three weeks left before the deadline to avoid an unprecedented shutdown of city government.
Officials said they cannot pass a short-term ordinance to keep City Hall functioning while negotiations continue. That means without a budget agreement, more than 30,000 workers will not be paid and city services will stop.
Much of the debate over Johnson’s 2026 budget has centered on his call to reimpose the head tax to generate $100 million to fund violence prevention and youth employment programs. Opponents say the tax will kill jobs and stifle economic growth.
An alderperson reacts:
Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th Ward), who participated in the weekend sessions, said in a letter to her colleagues that the mayor’s office “has no interest in working collaboratively to pass a responsible budget that better positions Chicago’s financial future.”
“Instead, they doubled down on their own budget proposal, which borrows to pay for operations, shorts our pensions, is absent critical efficiencies, and pushes a tax on jobs that will kill economic growth,” Nugent said.
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(WTTW News) |
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A group of alderpeople led by 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn is pushing an ordinance to ban the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products in Chicago.
Quinn criticized the recent meteoric rise of hemp products and smokeshops, calling them “shady storefronts” that “prey on kids” with products that look like candy.
The ordinance passed out of the Licensure and Consumer Protection Committee last Wednesday on a 10-6 vote, drawing sharp criticism from Chicago manufacturers and distributors of hemp-derived cannabis.
Some perspective:
The 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act — known as the Farm Bill — legalized hemp but limited harvested plants to no more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, according to University of Illinois Chicago social work professor James Swartz.
But “enterprising chemists” have found ways to modify hemp-infused products to increase the amount of THC after the fact, Swartz said.
“There just is no regulation of these products at all, at any level," Swartz said.
Not all manufacturers and distributors of intoxicating hemp products take advantage of this loophole, though.
Josh Deth, the owner of Revolution Brewing Company, a Chicago-based craft brewery, sells hemp-infused sparkling water beverages at 5mg and 10mg dosages — in line with individual serving size caps for marijuana-derived products.
Deth has called for proper regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoids in lieu of complete prohibition, which could put a dent in hundreds of small businesses across Chicago and outright shutter others. He said the three-tier alcohol system — made up of licensed producers, wholesalers and retailers — is a useful model for lawmakers weighing how to regulate hemp products.
“That’s (the three-tier system) the kind of system that we need to put in place,” Deth said. “In the cannabis sector there’s a similar type of regulatory framework to regulate everything and that’s the kind of framework you have in place that has safeguards in there to make sure stores aren’t selling to anyone under 21.” |
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Winter is off to a snowy start in Chicago. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) |
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Winter in Chicago is off to a very snowy start.
Just how snowy? Well, the season’s total snowfall already stands at 17.1 inches. That’s almost as much as Chicago notched in all of 2024-25 — when 17.6 inches fell — and the traditionally snowiest months still lie ahead.
According to the National Weather Service, it’s been the quickest start to snowfall season in Chicago since 1978, when 24.1 inches had fallen by Dec. 7.
We could even add more to the total if a “clipper system” from Canada swings into the Chicago region.
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Dec. 9, 1935 - First Heisman Trophy Winner Awarded to Univ. of Chicago’s Jay Berwanger
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In 2025, the University of Chicago is more known for its elite academics, its hospital or its influential economic school of thought than athletics. The school temporarily lost its football team in 1939 when then-President Robert Maynard Hutchins thought that sports conflicted with learning and students’ education. (The team returned at the club level in 1963 and entered Division III competition in 1973, where it remains to this day). But did you know that the first-ever Heisman Trophy winner was given to a University of Chicago running back named Jay Berwanger 90 years ago today? It’s true. Originally, the Downtown Athletic Club Award, the trophy was renamed the Heisman Trophy the following year after Downtown Athletic Club director John Heisman died in 1936. |
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations |
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things in Chicago. This week, it's managing editor for WTTW News Dan Lambert on local escapes from the winter blues.
Dan Lambert: As I write this, piles of already dirty snow line the street and the furnace is working overtime to prevent the cold chill of Chicago’s winter air from enveloping everything. Winter came fast and with a vengeance this year, a sudden reminder of the long slog that awaits us all. It is in times like these that it’s best to remember the joys of escaping the cold in spaces that can transport you to another place (or at least another climate). Here are my picks for the best spots to forget about winter, if only for a few hours.
Garfield Park Conservatory – A classic for a reason. The lush greenery of the glass-enclosed getaway is the perfect escape — a reminder of the summer that eventually will return. It’s also a historic connection to the generations of Chicagoans who came before and likewise needed a few hours to commune with nature in the coldest months. 300 N. Central Park Ave., Chicago
Hala Kahiki Lounge – Nothing transports you to another place like a tiki bar. Sure, sipping a tropical cocktail is a nice summer activity. But it is in winter where the magic of pineapple, coconut and a little (or probably a lot) of rum can truly work its most magic. This River Grove spot, open since 1964, is the perfect combination of kitschy and classic. 2834 River Road, River Grove
Hyde Park Museums – While the Art Institute, Field Museum and the Shedd are all great places to spend a few hours, further south in Hyde Park is a pair of museums worthy of their own trip. The Smart Museum of Art, which also boasts a nice sculpture garden, currently has the first solo show of Theaster Gates, a Chicago “keeper of objects.” Just blocks away is the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures and its ancient and at times overwhelming artifacts. 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. and 1155 E. 58th St.
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What’s your best advice for recent Chicagoans on how to deal with the cold weather?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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