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We’re already at the midpoint of the workweek, Chicago. Take a moment to catch up with these stories from WTTW News. |
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(WTTW News) |
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The Chicago City Council should automatically hike property taxes annually to keep pace with inflation to help close a projected $1.15 billion gap in next year’s budget and keep the city solvent, according to the first report from a task force charged by Mayor Brandon Johnson with finding solutions to the city’s fiscal crisis.
Unless the city’s largest revenue source starts to keep pace with inflation over time, officials will have no choice but to cut city services or hike other taxes, according to the interim report from the Chicago Financial Future Task Force released Tuesday.
More context:
The report offers “89 preliminary options to improve operations, generate new revenue, and pursue strategic opportunities, all while preserving city services” that could add between $1 billion and $2.1 billion to the city’s bottom line.
“If decisive action is not taken now to resolve this deficit, the consequences for city services — and for Chicago’s overall civic health — could be profound,” according to the report.
The report’s recommendations include long-discussed proposals that have proven to be either impossible for city officials to implement or deeply unpopular with elected officials and voters, like property tax hikes.
Other options presented by the task force would only chip away at the city’s massive shortfall, making those recommendations of little use to City Council members who must close the budget gap by the end of the year.
In all, the report identifies between $372.4 million and $455 million in cuts. Tax hikes, new fees and fines could generate between $630 million and $1.65 billion in new revenue, according to the report.
Read the full report. |
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Learn about sponsorship opportunities. |
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People protest outside of an immigration facility guarded by federal agents Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Broadview, Ill. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld) |
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As federal immigration agents and officials continue expanded operations in Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker brushed aside President Donald Trump’s latest threat to deploy National Guard troops into Chicago, suggesting the president may be suffering from dementia.
Pritzker — a Democrat and potential 2028 presidential candidate — said Tuesday he can’t take “anything that (Trump) says seriously” and said he thinks Trump is “losing it” following yet another threat of a military deployment.
“I think he might be suffering from some dementia,” Pritzker said during a press availability in Oak Park. “The next day he’ll wake up on the other side of the bed and stop talking about Chicago. So I’ve never really counted on anything that he said as real.”
Some backstory:
After appearing to back off his threat and opting instead to send National Guard troops to Memphis, Trump on Tuesday said “I’m going to go to Chicago,” over the objections of Pritzker and other elected officials.
“Pritzker’s nothing,” the president told reporters outside the White House. “If Pritzker was smart, he’d say, ‘Please come in.’”
What else happened?
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol agent who spearheaded the immigration crackdown that sparked widespread protests in Los Angeles, announced Tuesday that he was in Chicago. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday said she too was “on the ground in Chicago,” days after an ICE agent fatally shot a man during a traffic stop in suburban Franklin Park.
Pritzker on Monday said ICE had thus far been unwilling to share any additional details of that encounter, which left 38-year-old Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez dead. The agency has claimed Villegas-Gonzalez attempted to flee the traffic stop. |
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“Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies” is at the Art Institute of Chicago through Jan. 4, 2026. (Marc Vitali / WTTW News) |
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In 2003, the 85-year-old artist Elizabeth Catlett told NPR: “I, a Black woman artist, have been invisible in the art world for years.”
Over a long career, Catlett depicted the character and strength of Black women. Her prints and sculptures addressed social injustice, and she championed domestic workers, nurses and sharecroppers. Early on, she portrayed Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman and 18th century poet Phillis Wheatley. Years later, she depicted Rosa Parks and Angela Davis.
Catlett created artwork despite intimidation from the U.S. government. During the Cold War, she was declared an “undesirable alien.”
Now, the Art Institute of Chicago is giving the artist her due with a solo show that surveys 75 years of the artist’s work. It is called “Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies.”
WTTW News spoke with curator Sarah Kelly Oehler and asked about the title of the exhibition. |
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Learn about sponsorship opportunities. |
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Back in the Day: September 17, 1973 - Illinois Becomes First State to Recognize MLK Day |
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For the past 39 years, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January each year to commemorate the Jan. 15 birthday of the Civil Rights leader who was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Four days later, John Conyers, then a Democratic congressman from Michigan, took to the floor of Congress to insist on a federal holiday in King’s honor — but his request fell on deaf ears and it wouldn't be until 1986 that Congress took action. But Illinois became the first state in the Union to honor King in 1973 after a state representative (and future Chicago mayor) named Harold Washington Jr. introduced a proposal to the new Democratic Gov. Dan Walker. Washington had previously failed to get a bill signed in 1971, which passed the House and the Senate but stalled thanks to Republican Gov. Richard Ogilvie. On Sept. 17, 1973, Walker signed the bill that made Illinois the first state to make Martin Luther King Day a legal holiday. In a bizarre turn, that day Walker also signed a bill that banned busing to achieve better racial balance in schools, a desegregation goal that King staunchly supported.
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Chicago-Area Live Music Recommendations for Sept. 17-23 |
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Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.
Wednesday, Sept. 17:
Lawn, Discus, Blue Beam at Subterranean. Tickets.
The best under-the-radar indie rock band from New Orleans makes a stop in Wicker Park.
Foxwarren, Allegra Krieger at Thalia Hall. Tickets.
Andy Shauf’s first band, before singer-songwriter indie stardom, is back with a sample-heavy and excellent album.
Alex G, Nilüfer Yanya at Salt Shed. Tickets.
One of the past decade's most influential artists for underground music is back at a big venue with major label backing.
Thursday, Sept. 18:
The Cactus Blossoms, Michael Gay at FitzGerald’s. Tickets.
Like classic folk and country? Try this one.
Yaya Bey, Bathe, Gayun Cannon at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
A night of forward-thinking and undeniable R&B.
Friday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 21:
“Weird Al” Yankovic, Green Day, Blink-182, Weezer, The Pogues, more at Riot Fest. Tickets.
Three days of the long-running Douglass Park punk festival.
Friday, Sept. 19
Ada Lea, Ava Brennan at Judson and Moore. Tickets.
This newsletter producer loves the Montreal songwriter’s latest LP.
Lorde, the Japanese House, Chanel Beads at United Center. Tickets.
An arena show of cutting-edge pop fare, especially in the first act.
Saturday, Sept. 20:
Goose at Northerly Island. Tickets.
Beneath this adventurous rock band's extensive jams are great sturdy songs, as recently shown on their latest full-length “Chain Yer Dragon.” They recently sold out Madison Square Garden, too.
Monday, Sept. 22:
Nourished By Time, Zsela at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
Another night of cutting-edge R&B in Lincoln Park.
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Where's the best place to get an Italian beef in Chicago? Tell us how you order one.
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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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