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Are you still recovering from yesterday's Bears game? After a rainy weekend, dry off with the latest local headlines from WTTW News.
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(WTTW News)
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South Side residents are pushing back on plans to build a 24/7 Amtrak maintenance facility in Bridgeport.
The transportation company said a new site is necessary, citing the current South Loop location as “undersized and fragmented.” The proposed Canal Street move would reconstruct the current railyard, which has been dormant since 2019.
Chicago has historically served as one of the nation’s largest hubs for railroad services, making this Midwest Maintenance Facility crucial for travel from coast to coast.
Residents in surrounding areas such as Bridgeport, Chinatown and Armour Square said they understand that the facility has to move, but that other sites should be considered.
According to a website by Bridgeport Environmentalists, nearly 7,000 residents live near the proposed site, more than 200 times the number of residents who live near the current facility.
More context:
Residents are calling for a full environmental review after the project was granted a categorical exclusion from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), meaning the facility is not required to undergo an environmental assessment. Opponents said without the assessment, there is no way to tell what the extent of the environmental impacts would be on the community, leaving residents unable to prepare for them.
The FRA is helping fund the $900 million project, committing up to $659 million in grants for relocation support. The development is also being funded, in part, by Canal Edge LLC, a development and investment firm owned by Chicago White Sox minority owner Justin Ishbia.
Ishbia recently released renderings for a new White Sox stadium proposal. The stadium would be built where the current Amtrak maintenance facility stands, causing the intentions of the new railyard site’s proposal to come into question.
The White Sox have played in Bridgeport for more than 100 years; however, their lease at Rate Field is set to expire in 2029. Ishbia is also set to gain controlling interest of the team as early as 2029 and could become majority owner after the 2034 season.
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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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(WTTW News)
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A Cook County jury is set to decide whether the Chicago Police Department is liable for the death of a 55-year-old woman who was struck and killed by a driver being chased by officers, records show.
The Chicago City Council refused in February to pay $8.25 million to resolve the lawsuit filed by the family of Dominga Flores Gomez, who died in the crash that ended the chase launched by two Chicago Police Department officers just before 9 p.m. Sept. 28, 2022.
The city and its lawyers will now have to convince a jury that the officers did nothing wrong while pursuing a Honda HR-V that had been carjacked when the crash that killed Flores Gomez occurred.
Through July, the city paid three private law firms more than $703,000 to defend the city and the officers involved in the pursuit and the crash that killed Flores Gomez, who was survived by five children and eight grandchildren, according to records obtained by WTTW News.
Some backstory:
The trial set to start Monday will represent a high-stakes gamble for the city that comes amid growing frustration at the financial toll of police misconduct settlements, which have cost Chicago taxpayers more than $245 million since the start of 2026, according to a WTTW News analysis of city records.
That includes $46 million to resolve lawsuits from the families of those killed or seriously injured during a police pursuit that violated CPD policy, records show.
Since 2019, the city has paid a total of $236 million to resolve dozens of lawsuits prompted by police pursuits, while the city’s insurance has paid an additional $80 million since 2025, records show.
The City Council is set to consider paying $6 million to resolve another lawsuit filed by the family of a man killed during a police pursuit.
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(WTTW News)
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Nearly 3 in 10 Chicagoans identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But as the Latino population grows, keeping the Spanish language alive takes effort for the new generations of Latinx parents.
Nationally, the share of Latinos who speak Spanish at home declined from 78% in 2000 to 68% in 2024, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. The decline has been particularly pronounced among U.S.-born Latinos, as English becomes increasingly dominant across generations.
For some Chicago parents, those numbers are prompting a more intentional effort to make Spanish part of their children’s everyday lives. It’s not simply about teaching a second language. It’s about family, culture, identity and making sure a connection to the language isn’t lost from one generation to the next.
Angie Maciel-Wright said Spanish isn’t something she and her husband, Jeremy Wright, want their children to learn only in a classroom.
“I want our children to be able to communicate with my family in Mexico and wherever else they are,” Maciel-Wright said. “I thought that was extremely important. We visit our Mexican family at least three to four times a year, and selfishly, I also didn’t want to be that stereotype of that American family that has a ‘no sabo kid’ and everyone talks crap.”
WTTW News visited the family in their bilingual playroom in Brighton Park. Wright was raised in Mississippi and didn’t grow up speaking Spanish; he has learned to speak it with their boys.
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More From WTTW News:
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Via WTTW Playlist: Some of Chicago's tastiest tacos, which many say are just like those in Mexico City, are hiding in a nondescript corner store in Little Village. The clientele is changing thanks to social media.
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Back in the Day: September 21, 1950 - Bill Murray Born in Evanston
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On this day 76 years ago, the acclaimed actor, comedian and public personality Bill Murray was born at Evanston Hospital. He grew up in suburban Wilmette, attended Loyola Academy and worked as a caddy at Indian Hill Club in Winnetka, an experience that inspired his performance in the film “Caddyshack.” He got his start in comedy at the Second City, but moved to New York City in 1974 to join the National Lampoon Radio Hour and eventually “Saturday Night Live.” He’s since starred in several classic films like “Ghostbusters,” “Groundhog Day,” “What About Bob?,” “Space Jam,” “Lost in Translation” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.” He remains an
avid Chicago sports fan, and you can likely find him at Wrigley Field or a Northwestern Wildcats basketball game.
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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
This week, the City Club of Chicago is hosting two talks. The first starts Tuesday at noon and is titled “Chicago at the Center of Local News Innovation.” Guests include the Joyce Foundation's Kayce Ataiyero, executive director of Press Forward Chicago Tracy Baim, Chicago Public Media’s Tracy Brown and Chalkbeat’s Becky Vevea. Wednesday’s event is at noon and it’s an interview with Marlene Hopkins, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Buildings. For tickets and details for Tuesday’s event, click here. For
Wednesday, try this link.
City Council
On Wednesday at 10 a.m., a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Chicago has been scheduled. On the agenda is a vote on two rival ordinance proposals aimed at helping renters and lowering housing costs. One is backed by Mayor Brandon Johnson and Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th Ward) sponsored the other.
Board of Education
Almost two months before the city’s school board elections, Chicago’s Board of Education will hold a regular meeting Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Advance registration for speakers and observers opens Sept. 22 at 10:30 a.m. For more information, click here.
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What was the best local festival you attended this year? Tell us 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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