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It’s a surprisingly warm Thursday. Get ready for the rain and mild temperatures with these stories from WTTW News. |
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Mayor Brandon Johnson addresses the news media on June 11, 2025. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News) |
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Mayor Brandon Johnson warned again on Wednesday that the Chicago City Council may have to make emergency cuts if revenue baked into the city’s 2026 spending plan fails to materialize.
Johnson, who neither signed nor vetoed the spending plan approved by the City Council over his objections, allowing it to take effect, has repeatedly warned that the budget is not balanced and left the city facing a $163 million deficit.
“So now I am bracing for what could be midyear layoffs,” Johnson said. “We warned people.”
The city could have no choice but to layoff employees charged with “community safety” tasks, Johnson said.
“As far as individuals who could be laid off, I mean we’re talking about public employees, right? There could be real, serious consequences to workers who are attached to community safety.”
More context:
Chicago’s budget sets aside $2.1 billion for the Chicago Police Department, which accounts for one-third of the city’s $6 billion corporate fund, which the City Council has wide discretion to spend. Budget Director Annette Guzman told the City Council during tense budget negotiations that the only way to make significant cuts to city operations was to reduce CPD’s budget.
“Well, if the revenues do not match the expenses, that’s what’s going to trigger it,” Johnson told reporters after being asked what would trigger layoffs.
The largest chunk of that potential deficit is made up of the additional $89 million in debt the spending plan relies on collecting from Chicagoans who owe payment on overdue utility bills and red-light camera tickets by selling that debt to a private company.
Johnson said those firms would target the poorest residents, including Black and Brown residents, and significant revenue was unlikely to materialize.
Before announcing he would not veto the budget, Johnson signed an executive order preventing the sale of $800 million in medical debt to private collection firms. It is not clear what that will mean for the revenue estimates baked into the city’s spending plan.
The budget also legalizes video poker and slot machines in every Chicago bar or restaurant with a liquor license, and projects that will bring in $6.8 million for the city in 2026. |
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Sponsor Message |
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Steppenwolf Theatre’s 50th Anniversary Season continues with Conor McPherson's wicked take on Strindberg's THE DANCE OF DEATH, a masterclass in marital warfare, where a twisted love triangle waltzes off the edge of a cliff, plunging us all into the deep. Begins Jan 29th. And don't miss Steppenwolf's smash hit AMADEUS, extended again by popular demand, which must close January 25. In its four-star review, The Daily Herald called it "absolutely magnificent." Tickets at www.steppenwolf.org. |
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Roblox offices are pictured in San Mateo, California, on March 22, 2024. (Jason Doiy / iStock) |
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A Cook County father is suing Roblox, the California-based online gaming platform, alleging the company’s reckless and deceptive business tactics led to the sexual exploitation of his 9-year-old son.
The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California where Roblox is based, accuses the gaming company of creating a breeding ground for predators and prioritizing its own profits over user safety.
“The heinous acts against (the child) were committed by dangerous child predators whose actions were possible only because of the egregiously tortious conduct of the defendant,” attorneys with the Dolman Law Group, which represents the plaintiffs, wrote in an 82-page complaint.
In response to the lawsuit, a Roblox spokesperson said the company is “deeply troubled by any incident that endangers any user.”
Some backstory:
The platform has faced repeated criticism in recent years over claims it has failed to protect young users. Multiple arrests have also been made against adult users who have allegedly used the Roblox app to target minors for sex.
According to the lawsuit, the 9-year-old boy was an active user in the Roblox gaming community, which includes some 380 million active monthly users who are able to chat with one another through the platform’s app.
The lawsuit alleges he was targeted by an “adult predator” who posed as a child on the app and exploited the child’s “age and vulnerability” to build a fraudulent emotional connection to begin grooming him.
After building trust, the adult allegedly began sending graphic messages and manipulated the child into sending a sexually explicit image of himself to the adult.
“This case against Roblox is a terrifying reminder of the world we live in where capitalist greed far outweighs humanity,” attorney Matthew Dolman, of the Dolman Law Group, said in a statement. “There have never been sufficient safety measures and protocols in place, putting our youngest and most vulnerable communities into unimaginable harm’s way every second of the day.” |
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(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) |
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A key City Council panel advanced a proposal on Wednesday that is designed to expand the Chicago Police Department’s power to impose a curfew with at least 12 hours’ notice in an effort to stop large gatherings of teens.
The Public Safety Committee voted 10-4 to allow Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling to declare a preemptive curfew, with at least 12 hours’ notice, before a planned mass gathering. A final vote on the proposal by the full City Council could come as soon as Jan. 21.
Shortly before the vote, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he had not decided whether to veto the latest effort by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) to expand the power of the city’s curfew, which starts at 10 p.m. seven days a week and applies to everyone 17 years old and younger.
However, the panel failed to advance a measure that would require social media platforms to take down posts designed to advertise “unlawful teen gatherings” within six hours of being notified by city officials that the posts violate local laws — or explain why they didn’t take action, according to the proposal.
Platforms that do not comply with the ordinance could be subject to fines of $50,000 for each offense, according to the proposal. An effort by Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) to reject that proposal failed, leaving the proposal, drafted by Ald. William Hall (6th Ward), a close ally of the mayor and a member of the Progressive Caucus, in limbo. |
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More From WTTW News:
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Citing increased costs and changes in funding, Chicago’s Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum has announced it will begin charging an add-on fee for its popular Butterfly Haven. Beginning Feb. 2, non-members will have to pay $5 — on top of the price of general admission — to enter the Butterfly Haven. Access remains free for museum members.
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Back in the Day: Jan. 8, 1986 - Megadeth Plays Metro |
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In early 1986, the California metal band Megadeth saw critical success with its debut album, “Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!,” after founding member Dave Mustaine was fired as Metallica’s lead guitarist. On this day 40 years ago, the thrash metal pioneers played a headlining show at Chicago’s Cabaret Metro. It was the band’s second show in Chicago — the first happened the year prior at Metro — and just a month later, they’d record their most acclaimed LP yet, the wildly influential “Peace Sells... but Who’s Buying?” The Jan. 8 Metro gig would be the first of three concerts Megadeth would perform in the city throughout 1986: They’d return to Metro on Aug. 1 and then the Aragon Ballroom on Oct. 26. |
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This Week’s Arts & 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: It’s a new year. If you’re like me, it’s taking longer than expected to exit your holiday-induced hibernation. Maybe you caught an illness over Christmas and New Year’s, or maybe you’re more content to stay on the couch and watch sports. While that’s definitely an understandable impulse, you should start your 2026 on the right foot by being greeted by a wealth of cultural offerings in the city and its surrounding suburbs. Get out of the house and experience some art.
Film: “Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire” — Gene Siskel Film Center
Elie Wiesel, the Romanian-born humanitarian, author and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, survived the Holocaust and documented his experiences in the influential 1957 memoir “Night.” Nearly 10 years after his 2016 death at 87, Wiesel is the subject of a documentary called “Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire.” On Friday, it makes its Chicago premiere at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Over the weekend, producer and editor Michael Chomet will be in attendance for a Q&A following the screenings on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 11, at 4:30 p.m. For more details, click here.
Play: “Eureka Day” — Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
Why are we so divided? How can Americans get anything done when so few people agree on what’s true? These are some of the questions at the heart of “Eureka Day,” Jonathan Spector's Tony Award-winning play that makes its Chicago premiere at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. For more details, click here.
Film: “You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine” — Music Box Theatre
John Prine, the iconic folk and country songwriter, was discovered by Roger Ebert in Chicago during a show at an Old Town bar. Prine would go on to have a career that’d span almost a half-century before his death in 2020. In 2022, a tribute show celebrating his legacy was held at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium featuring Bonnie Raitt, Tyler Childers, Bob Weir, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, Jason Isbell, and more. It was filmed and is now a concert documentary that’s premiering in Chicago at the Music Box. Fiona Whelan Prine, John’s widow, produced the movie and will be giving a Q&A at its Wednesday premiere at the Music Box. Details here.
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What are you most looking forward to in Chicago in 2026?
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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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