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It’s Monday and the week always starts easier after the Bears score a whole bunch of points on a Sunday afternoon.
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Mayor Brandon Johnson launches his campaign for a second term on Sept. 13, 2026. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)
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Mayor Brandon Johnson launched a bid for reelection on Sunday, asking Chicago voters to send him back to City Hall for another four years after he spent his first term battered by outside events and suffering from self-inflicted wounds.
Ahead of his announcement, Johnson told WTTW News that deciding to run for reelection was not a tough decision, saying he is determined to build on what he called the considerable accomplishments of his first term.
“We can’t go backward,” Johnson said, accusing his rivals of wanting to close schools and “militarize our streets.”
Johnson said the mayoral contest would pit the “corporate class” and billionaires against the “working class” — and that he was proud to fight on the side of Chicago residents struggling to make ends meet at a time when everything from rent and gas to healthcare and groceries are growing more expensive by the day.
Plans for a second term:
“By 2031, I want Chicago to be a city where a job pays enough to raise a family in this city,” Johnson said. “I’m talking about a city where the schools that were closed are transformed into assets for the communities that were harmed when they closed them in the first place. These are not just dreams, you all. This is what our organizing is for. This is what we are building for.”
The competition:
Seven major challengers have already announced bids to challenge Johnson’s reelection bid: Illinois Secretary of State Giannoulias, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, businessman and philanthropist Willie Wilson, Chicago Housing Authority Board Member Matt Brewer, lobbyist John Kelly Jr. and Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas.
Watch:
Johnson is scheduled to appear this evening on “Chicago Tonight.” Watch the interview live at 5:30 p.m. or on our website and YouTube.
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Sponsor Message
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On Tuesday, September 22nd, 5 pm to 8 pm, join Full Spectrum Education, Northeastern Illinois University’s Goodwin College of Education, and NEIU Libraries for the launch of “Reckoning with Redress,” a cinematic digital history project on the Japanese American Redress Movement.
The event also commemorates the 45th anniversary of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians hearings held on Northeastern Illinois University’s Main Campus. Refreshments, Taiko drumming performance, film screenings of “Enough” and “Reckonings,” and a panel discussion are scheduled.
This free event is part of the “Reckoning with Redress” exhibition, ongoing through October 31st.
RSVP at NEIU.edu/reckoning-redress.
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Saxophonist and Englewood Jazz Festival founder Ernest Dawkins, right, performs during the festival. Since starting the festival, Dawkins said there’s been an increase in arts and cultural programming in the neighborhood. “It's been instrumental in reawakening the artistic renaissance in the community,” Dawkins said. (Courtesy of Englewood Jazz Festival)
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Saxophonist and Englewood Jazz Festival founder Ernest Dawkins wants people who attend the festival to be assured: “The music is in good hands and the legacy continues.”
It's in that spirit that the festival will make its return to Hamilton Park from Thursday to Saturday.
The 27th annual festival will feature performances honoring the legacies of Oscar Brown Jr., John Coltrane and Miles Davis while also celebrating the next generation of musicians.
Some backstory:
Dawkins, who grew up in Washington Park, recalled listening to his father’s extensive record collection as a child and going with his father to see jazz pianists Count Basie and Duke Ellington perform.
“I saw the passing of the old guard, in terms of all the clubs, when I was young,” Dawkins said. “I would see a lot of the old clubs on 47th Street, 43rd Street, 63rd Street, and then the Regal was still going on, so there was music all in the community. I saw all of that when I was coming up.”
Since starting the Englewood Jazz Festival in 1999, Dawkins said there’s been an increase in arts and cultural programming in the neighborhood. “It’s been instrumental in reawakening the artistic renaissance in the community,” Dawkins said.
Dawkins is executive director of the Spirit Residency, which produces the festival and has a program for young jazz musicians to receive mentorship and opportunities to produce, perform and record their own compositions.
Want to attend?
The free festival comprises nine sets across three days, with performances happening indoors and outdoors. Some seating will be provided, but attendees are recommended to bring their own chairs, blankets and picnics.
The festival features all original compositions. View the full schedule and lineup here.
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(Thomas Ulrich / Pixabay)
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A tech industry trade association sued the state of Illinois Friday afternoon in an effort to block new taxes on social media companies and digital advertisements, records show.
NetChoice, a trade association representing the tech industry, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court to block the taxes approved as part of the state’s 2026-27 spending plan set to take effect Jan. 1, records show.
The city of Chicago is also facing a similar pending suit.
A spokesperson for Gov. JB Pritzker said asking social media companies and large corporations “to pay their fair share is a commonsense step to level the playing field to maintain fiscal stability” in Illinois at a time when those firms are posting record profits and the Trump administration has slashed federal funding for health care and food assistance.
The taxes violate the Internet Tax Freedom Act, a federal law that prohibits state and local governments from imposing “multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce,” according to the lawsuits.
The state’s social media tax would require the largest social media firms, with 1 million Illinois users or more, to pay $165,000 per month and an additional 50 cents per month for each user over the 1 million user mark, records show.
That is expected to generate $200 million annually, records show.
A separate lawsuit challenges lawmakers’ decision to impose a tax on digital advertisements seen by Illinois residents. Maryland is the only other state to impose a similar tax, which is also the subject of litigation.
Under the tax, companies with more than $1 million in gross receipts from digital advertising services provided in Illinois would be charged 10% on those receipts. Lawmakers say the move could bring in $200 million to $800 million a year.
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More From WTTW News:
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While the Chicago Fire Department has seen increased diversity among its applicant pool in recent years, those who are promoted within the department remain overwhelmingly White and male, according to a report from the city’s watchdog.
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Back in the Day: September 14, 1986 - Walter Payton Rushes For 100th Touchdown
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During his 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears, running back Walter Payton broke many records. The nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XX winner nicknamed “Sweetness” is still widely considered one of the greatest NFL players of all time. On this day 40 years ago, he boosted his legacy even more in a Bears’ 13-10 overtime win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Payton’s 177-yard, one-touchdown performance in the victory also achieved two milestones: he rushed for his 100th career touchdown and reached 15,000 total rushing yards. He’d go on to rush for 10 more touchdowns before his retirement in 1987.
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This Week’s Civic Events and Meetings
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Every Monday, WTTW News highlights the best ways to get involved with local government.
The Chicago School Board President Forum: A WTTW News Town Hall
On Tuesday, Sept. 15 at WTTW Studios, join WTTW News and community partners Kids First Chicago, The Chicago Public Education Fund, Mikva Challenge
and the Chicago Education Alliance for “The Chicago School Board President Forum: A WTTW News Special Town Hall.”
“Chicago Tonight” anchor Brandis Friedman, with a live studio audience of Chicago residents, will moderate a panel that includes Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez, Victor P. Henderson and Sendhil Revuluri, who will discuss issues such as improving the district's financial situation and enrollment challenges.
This event is free, but you have to RSVP here.
WTTW
You’re invited to go behind the scenes of “Chicago Stories” and explore four new episodes before they premiere. Join us on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. at the WTTW Studios for the “Chicago Stories Season 6 Sneak Peek & Discussion.”
Geoffrey Baer will host an intimate conversation with the filmmakers of the series. You’ll enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the inspirations, research, and surprising discoveries that shaped the new season. You'll have the opportunity to engage directly with the creative team and learn how they bring Chicago’s rich past to life on screen. To make the evening even sweeter, enjoy delicious confection treats while you take part in this special preview event. Get tickets today!
City Council
On Thursday at 10 a.m., Chicago’s City Council will hold a special meeting. Among the orders of business is hearing testimony taken by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability regarding the nationwide search for a new Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. For more details, click here.
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What's your favorite spot to grab coffee in the city?
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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