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What better way to start the week than with news that Chicago's favorite bird couple have laid their first egg of the season. Piping plovers Imani and Sea Rocket are officially expecting. |
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City Hall. (WTTW News) |
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Even as Mayor Brandon Johnson continued to question the constitutionality of a proposal to allow Chicago Police Department officials to impose a curfew anywhere in the city with just 30 minutes notice, supporters of the plan will try again Tuesday to send it to the full City Council for a final vote.
The plan, authored by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) and backed by Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling, failed to advance April 30 after five hours of fierce debate. If the measure wins the endorsement of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee at the meeting set for 1 p.m. Tuesday, a final vote could take place as soon as Wednesday.
What it would do:
The measure would allow police to declare a curfew in the event of a gathering of 20 or more people in a way “likely to result in substantial harm to the safety of the community or others, or substantial damage to property, or substantial injuries to a person.”
The debate:
Critics of the proposal contend it would allow police to hold teens criminally responsible without any evidence they violated the law, since this ordinance would give the city the authority to take action before a gathering spiraled out of control and created a public safety threat.
Chicago Police Department Chief of Patrol Jon Heim repeatedly assured members of the Public Safety Committee during the April 30 meeting that CPD would use the expanded curfew “constitutionally.” |
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Leonard Gipson, right, addresses the news media at the at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Nov. 16, 2017, after being exonerated. (Matt Masterson/WTTW News) |
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The Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee on Monday is set to consider multiple proposed settlements focused on police misconduct. Here's a look at three potential settlements and what is at stake in each case:
Another Lawsuit Tied to Convicted Ex-Sgt. Ronald Watts: Chicago taxpayers should pay $1.2 million to a man who was framed three times by convicted former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts, city lawyers recommended. Leonard Gipson spent two years in jail and pleaded guilty in three cases based on evidence gathered by Watts, who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes. Gipson was one of 15 men convicted by Watts to be exonerated by a judge in 2017 as part of the only mass exoneration in Cook County history.
Woman Who Lost Both Legs to Frostbite After CPD Ignored Pleas for Help: Chicago taxpayers should pay $5 million to a woman who lost both legs to frostbite after Chicago police officers ignored her pleas for help after getting locked out of her apartment in 2021, city lawyers recommended.
3 Men Wrongfully Convicted of Setting 1986 Fire That Killed 2 Brothers: Chicago taxpayers should pay $48 million to three men who were wrongfully convicted of setting a 1986 apartment fire that killed two brothers and spent a combined 102 years in prison, city lawyers recommended. |
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Members of the Chicago arts community gather at a Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation event on May 13, 2025. (Marc Vitali / WTTW News) |
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Leaders from more than 100 Chicago arts groups met last week to discuss the state of the arts, new collaborations and how to fight back when creativity is under attack. They came from small theaters, galleries, dance companies and music venues — all of the many places we encounter culture in Chicago.
Afterward, WTTW News spoke with the program director of Chicago Art & Collections for the Donnelley Foundation, Ellen Placey Wadey.
On arts funding:
"I’m not going to sugarcoat it, the arts are devastated. Not in terms of the work. The work is still incredible but the money. Unfortunately, the arts had to learn how to operate without a ton of money for years ... But in terms of where we go from here, the arts have always survived. It’s part of the human spirit. It is the human spirit." |
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Back in the Day: May 19, 1970 - ISU Flagpole Incident |
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The Vietnam War was a flashpoint for campus activism across the country. Illinois universities were not immune to tense protests and clashes between students, campus administration and local authorities. This played out in 1970 at Illinois State University in several ways. Following the escalation of the Vietnam War and the Kent State massacre, where National Guardsmen shot and killed four students, ISU activists occupied Hovey Hall, the school’s administration building. To defuse the conflict, school president Samuel Braden agreed to the protestors’ demands to fly the ISU flag at half-mast for six days to honor Kent State victims, and for Mark Clark and Fred Hampton, the Black Panther leaders killed in 1969. Braden also agreed to lower the flag again on May 19 for the birthday of slain black leader Malcolm X, but on this day, 55 years ago, construction workers at ISU raised the flag, enraging students. A student climbed the flagpole and put the flag back at half-staff, where it remained and state police were called to the scene. Following a standoff between protestors and police, a barricade was formed around the flagpole and no arrests or incidents occurred. |
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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.
City Club of Chicago
At noon on Monday, a Q&A with Chicago Department of Housing Commissioner Lissette Castañeda. She's "tasked with streamlining the affordable housing development process as per Mayor Brandon Johnson’s recent executive order and expanding homeownership to Chicagoans in historically disinvested communities." Tickets and details here.
City Council's Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards
At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards will weigh the approval of a zoning map amendment for a cannabis business at West Madison Street and South Clark Street. Details and location here.
City Council
At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, a regular meeting of Chicago's City Council has been scheduled. Details and location here.
DePaul's 30th Annual H. Woods Bowman Public Service Lecture
At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, join DePaul's School of Public Service for their 30th annual lecture, featuring Ald. Maria Hadden. Details and location here. |
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What’s your favorite Chicago-area farmers market? Let us know and tell us why. |
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
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5:30 PM | 10:00 PM |
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Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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