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It’s a new week, Chicago. Start your Monday with these stories from WTTW News.
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Deborah Witzburg appears on “Chicago Tonight” on April 16, 2026. (WTTW News)
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Throughout her four years as Chicago’s inspector general, Deborah Witzburg has repeatedly warned officials that they must work to pay down Chicago’s “deficit of legitimacy” and finally prove the city is truly ready for reform.
But Witzburg told WTTW News’ “Chicago Tonight” on Thursday that she will leave office at the end of next week, after just one term in office, with much of that debt left unpaid.
Chicago has earned “every bit” of its reputation as the most corrupt of corrupt American cities, with much more work to be done, Witzburg said.
“In that world, where there is no finish line in sight, mile markers are hard come by, and so I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and worrying about this question of how we know if we are making progress, how we know if it’s working,” Witzburg said. “I think that we have made progress. I think that we have held people in power to account in a way that historically didn’t happen, and I think that matters to people.”
In her final two months in office, Witzburg published three major audits, including one that blasted the Department of Law for refusing to provide records about the hiring of “high-profile” city employees in violation of city law and a federal court order. Another audit urged Chicago Police Department leaders to stop inconsistently stripping officers accused of serious misconduct of their guns and badges.
“If we are ever going to make any progress in fostering public trust in policing, we need a disciplinary system in which both members of the public and members of the department have reason to be confident,” Witzburg said.
How it ended:
After clashing with Mayor Brandon Johnson throughout his term in office, Witzburg declined to ask him to reappoint her to serve a second, and final, term as inspector general.
“I think there’s a great deal of room for improvement, to say the least, in the city’s cooperation with oversight,” Witzburg said. “If we are not all working in the direction of building a government that more closely resembles the one Chicagoans deserve, then at least some of us are in the wrong line of work.”
Johnson now has until May 12 to select one of the three finalists picked by a five-member search committee to replace Witzburg, and ask the Chicago City Council to confirm his pick.
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Sponsor Message
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Playwright/ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney in rehearsal for Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s world premiere of “Windfall.” (Jeremy Williams)
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A son lost in a clash with the police. A huge cash settlement on the table. And a father torn between staying put in Chicago or starting anew.
That all-too-real dilemma is what underpins the play “Windfall,” a new work by Oscar-winning Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney that began previews last week. It’s the first play written specifically for Steppenwolf’s Ensemble Theater, with the audience seated in the round — an immersive experience that befits the play’s emotional weight.
“I often talk about the spiritual aspects of theater — that we come into a room and we believe together, and therefore an act of faith is happening,” McCraney said. “In this play, we’re interrogating what we believe. And we believe as a society more than anything that money cures more things than we’d like to admit.”
“Windfall” was commissioned as part of Steppenwolf’s 50th anniversary season. Cast member Glenn Davis is Steppenwolf’s co-artistic director, along with Audrey Francis.
“Usually, actors don’t run theater companies,” Davis said. “I think here at Steppenwolf, because it’s an ensemble theater made up mostly of actors — we also have directors and writers — but we started as an acting company and that very much still is our identity today.”
More context:
Steppenwolf has previously staged several of McCraney’s works. He’s also well known as the writer of the Oscar-winning film “Moonlight,” adapted from one of his own plays. Recently, “Sinners” writer-director Ryan Coogler joined McCraney as just a handful of Black artists with a screenplay Academy Award.
Among Davis’ castmates are Alana Arenas and Jon Michael Hill, all three of whom appeared in 2024’s “Purpose,” which opened at Steppenwolf and eventually moved to Broadway, winning the 2025 Tony for best play.
“The secret weapon of Steppenwolf, I often say, is the fact that you have these relationships that have traversed time and space over so many years,” Davis said.
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Home care workers with SEIU Healthcare Illinois and state legislators gathered in Springfield, Ill., on April 16, 2026. (Courtesy of SEIU HCII)
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Advocates say low wages are driving workforce shortages of home care workers in Illinois and are pushing for a proposed bill that would raise wages for workers.
Home care workers with SEIU Healthcare Illinois and state legislators gathered Thursday in front of the Illinois Capitol Building in Springfield to rally in support of a bill that would raise wages for home care workers serving seniors through the state’s Community Care Program.
During the rally, home care workers spoke about their experiences as caregivers. For Jimeka Tia McKandes of Peoria, it’s more than a job — it’s her life, she said.
“At the end of the day, who’s gonna be there?” McKandes said. “There’s gonna be times when their family is not there. We become their family.”
The proposed bill would increase rates for in-home services provided through the state program in order to increase hourly wages for home care workers by $2, making it $20.75 per hour, according to advocates.
The Illinois Department on Aging’s Community Care Program, which was established in 1979, aims to help older adults maintain their independence by providing in-home services as an alternative to nursing home placement.
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More From WTTW News:
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In 1978, as an ardent 23-year-old eager to experience the world, Rick Steves set off with a friend on an eight-week journey from Istanbul to Kathmandu, documenting the experience in a 60,000-word journal. Almost 50 years later, he has published that journal along with some of the photos he
took on the trip as “On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer.”
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Back in the Day: April 20, 1916 - Chicago Cubs Play Their First Game at Wrigley Field
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The baseball park at 1060 West Addison Street on Chicago's North Side has been around since 1914, when it was called Weegham Park and housed the Chicago Federals. When the Federal League disbanded, the National Cubs were persuaded by owner Charles Weegham to make the stadium their permanent home. On this day 110 years ago, the Chicago Cubs played their first game at what would soon be dubbed Wrigley Field. The Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in 11 innings. While Weegham Park changed its name from Cubs Park in 1920, the stadium would be renamed thanks to new owner William Wrigley in 1926. The Cubs play there to this day and have played roughly 8,500 games at the Friendly
Confines.
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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.
WTTW
On May 6, join WTTW and Chicago Votes for a screening and discussion event centered on "Firsthand: Democracy," the acclaimed docuseries produced by WTTW. During this event, we will screen the Firsthand: Democracy episode featuring Camille Williams of Chicago Votes. Prior to the screening, executive producer Dan Protess and Pat Odom, "Firsthand: Democracy" producer, will provide an overview of the series and the filming of Camille’s story. For more information and to RSVP for the free event, click here.
Board of Education
On Thursday, April 23 at 10:30 a.m., the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education will hold a regular meeting at the CPS Loop Office (42 W. Madison Street). Advance registration to speak will open Tuesday, April 21st at 10:30 a.m. and will close on Wednesday, April 22nd at 10:30 a.m. You can also watch the meeting via live stream at cpsboe.org. For more information, click here.
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What would be your advice for someone moving to Chicago?
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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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