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It’s Thursday, and WTTW News has stories on the city’s budget, health care subsidies, and how the legacies of two local arts icons will be celebrated with a monthlong tribute. |
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(WTTW News) |
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Mayor Brandon Johnson called Thursday for more than $617 million in new taxes on the wealthiest Chicagoans and largest firms in order to blunt cuts imposed by the Trump administration while avoiding drastic cuts in city services and thousands of layoffs.
The mayor’s spending plan does not include a property tax hike and would allow the state’s 1% tax on groceries to expire at the end of the year, according to the proposal presented Thursday to the Chicago City Council.
Instead, it would close the city’s massive shortfall in part by imposing a $21 per employee tax on large companies to generate $100 million to fund violence prevention and youth employment programs. Johnson also proposed a first-of-its-kind tax on social media companies to generate $31 million to fuel the city’s public mental health clinics and crisis response programs, according to the proposal.
“The line to draw here is that we either are going to protect working people in Chicago from Trump’s cuts, or we are going to open up the floodgates and allow these individuals to be hurt and harmed further,” Johnson told reporters during a Tuesday afternoon news conference on the budget.
More context:
Johnson’s $16.6 billion proposed spending plan for 2026 eliminates a $1.19 billion projected shortfall. Officials also closed a $146 million deficit the city was facing this year by declaring $1 billion in property taxes earmarked to fight blight to be “surplus,” sending more than $500 million to the Chicago Public Schools. CPS will use those funds to make a required pension payment, easing the city’s financial crunch, officials said.
The plan proposes just $80 million in cuts, with the bulk of those savings coming from a year-long hiring freeze to be imposed on every city department except for those focused on public safety or revenue collection, officials said.
The city will also borrow to cover the cost of “extraordinary and one-time” expenses, including the massive cost of resolving police misconduct lawsuits and paying Chicago firefighters and paramedics the retroactive pay they are owed after working without a contract for four years, officials said.
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(iStock / Jacob Wackerhausen) |
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About 4.8 million people are expected to lose their Affordable Care Act coverage in 2026 if Congress does not extend a set of enhanced subsidies created under the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. That includes 100,000 people in Illinois, about 60,000 of whom live in Chicago.
What this means:
Without the subsidies, the average premium paid by an enrollee is expected to more than double — from $888 per month in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026.
People enrolled in ACA plans could lose $30 billion in subsidies that now help cover their health insurance costs, according to Anuj Gangopadhyaya, a professor of economics at Loyola University.
“You just took out a bunch of federal subsidies that cost on the order of $30 billion a year,” Gangopadhyaya said. “So that’s $30 billion out of the system, and people are going to either have to pay for it or they’re gonna have to choose not to take the insurance coverage up at all.”
The subsidies lowered premium costs — in some cases to zero for low-income enrollees — and eliminated the 400% of the federal poverty level cap on eligibility, causing enrollment in the ACA marketplace to double from about 12 million in 2021 to 24 million in 2025.
“What those dollars did is for people who currently had plans, they got even more subsidies, all else equal,” Gangopadhyaya said. “But it also impacted new families who were previously ineligible who earned too much money before to be eligible for these discounts, these subsidies, have now become eligible as well. Those are the folks who are on the hook for not benefiting anymore if these aren’t extended.” |
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Film critics Gene Siskel, left, and Roger Ebert during an episode of “Sneak Previews” in 1978. (Courtesy of WTTW) |
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The iconic film critic duo Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert will be honored during a month-long celebration in November, the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events announced this week.
The event series, hosted by DCASE and the Chicago Film Office, includes weekly film screenings with post-screening conversations featuring acclaimed guest speakers, along with a live performance, that aims to honor two of Chicago’s most iconic voices in film criticism.
More about the tribute:
The “Siskel & Ebert at 50” programming celebrates the 50th anniversary of when the two first appeared on camera together on the WTTW television show “Opening Soon at a Theater Near You,” later known as "Sneak Previews.” Along with their television programs “At the Movies” and “Siskel & Ebert," the duo helped transform the landscape of film criticism and how audiences discuss movies.
The celebration kicks off Nov. 5 with a screening of the southern gothic drama “Eve’s Bayou,” directed by Kasi Lemmons, and selected by Chaz Ebert, who will be in attendance for a post-screening discussion. The film was named Roger Ebert’s best film of 1997. |
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Back in the Day: October 16, 1992 - Chicago-Set Horror Film 'Candyman' Released |
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On this day 33 years ago, a Southern gothic horror film called “Candyman,” which was set in Chicago and centered around mysterious murders in the Cabrini-Green public housing projects, premiered in U.S. theaters nationwide. Directed by Bernard Rose, the movie was an adaptation of Clive Barker's short story “The Forbidden,” which focused on class differences and urban poverty in Liverpool. Rose moved the setting to Chicago to highlight race and segregation and was likely inspired by Steve Bogira’s 1987 longform investigation for The Chicago Reader on a horrific murder in the Grace Abbott Homes called “They Came in Through the Bathroom Mirror.” “Candyman” starred Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley and Vanessa Estelle Williams. In a three-star review, Roger Ebert said, “What I liked was a horror movie that was scaring me with ideas and gore, instead of simply with gore.” |
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This Week’s Arts and Culture Events |
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Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.
Josh Terry: Good news: WTTW News has a small but mighty sliver of what’s happening near you. From local premieres of critically acclaimed films from around the world, strollable fine arts expos, a new symphony and a buzzy play with music and lyrics from a Libertyville-born rock star, you’ll have fun no matter what you’re into.
Theatre: "Revolution(s)" — Goodman Theatre
You may recognize Tom Morello from his work as the guitarist for iconic rock bands like Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave and Prophets of Rage, but the Libertyville-born artist and political activist is taking his talents to the stage for “Revolution(s).” Written by playwright Zayd Ayers Cohn with music and lyrics by Morello, this Goodman Theatre production finds itself at the intersection of protest and performance, weaving a tale of rebellion and resistance through musical numbers from Morello’s career. It runs through Nov. 16. Tickets can be found here.
Art: The Fall West Loop Contemporary Fine Art Expo — Stephen M. Bailey Auditorium, Plumbers Hall
Stroll through the West Loop’s Plumber’s Hall this weekend to see the works of 40 invited artists from seven states for the Fall West Loop Contemporary Fine Art Expo. With an opening event on Friday evening and 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. showcases on Saturday and Sunday, witness the rising artists tackle multiple mediums from sculpture, painting and more. Tickets can be found here.
Comedy: The Best Show with Tom Scharpling — Thalia Hall
For 25 years, host Tom Scharpling and musician Jon Wurster have earned a cult following for their long-running talk show “The Best Show.” Expect hilarious inside jokes, esoteric rock’n’roll factoids, expertly executed bits, zany characters and maybe some special guests. They’re celebrating the show’s anniversary at Thalia Hall on Tuesday. Tickets can be found here. |
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What's your favorite fall activity in the Chicago area? Tell us what, where and why. |
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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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