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It’s Tuesday, Chicago. Learn a bit more about your city with these stories from WTTW News.
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(WTTW News)
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A former Chicago Public Schools employee who was classified as ineligible to be rehired after being accused of defrauding the district through a dual employment scheme is now working in a six-figure job at the Chicago Transit Authority.
Records obtained by WTTW News investigative reporter Jared Rutecki identified the former CPS employee whose scheme was first detailed in the annual CPS Office of the Inspector General report from January that described the then unnamed employee’s work as both a full-time CPS staff member and contractor for the district.
Authorities say they are reviewing the evidence for potential criminal charges. Despite her exit during an ongoing investigation, the technology worker was later hired by the CTA.
What happened: The OIG investigation found former district employee Lauren Coleman worked simultaneously for the district and a CPS vendor, logging overlapping hours — including while traveling — triggering improper pay enabled by weak supervisory oversight.
Coleman was employed at RL Canning, a CPS technology services vendor, before and during her concurrent employment by the district. The company provides personnel to CPS to help augment the district’s internal ITS workforce.
Investigators determined Coleman defrauded CPS of between $77,364 and $135,386 by systematically reporting false or grossly inflated work hours to RL Canning, according to the OIG.
Coleman logged hours or sick time for both jobs on 678 of the same days, according to the investigation, racking up more than 12 combined hours on 671 days, and more than 15 hours on 569 days.
Records obtained by the OIG show Coleman reported working while on trips to Medellin, Colombia; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Cape Town, South Africa; Nashville; Houston; and Miami in 2022 and 2023.
Coleman, for her part, faults her supervisors and says she filled out time sheets as instructed and that her dual employment was known.
Why it matters: A public employee’s ability to attain new employment at a government agency despite being designated as ineligible for rehire at another raises questions about how potential hires are screened and how the city and sister agencies communicate about potential hires.
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Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
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A federal judge has agreed to toss out a lawsuit brought by Illinois and Chicago officials last year that sought to bar the Trump administration’s plans to deploy National Guard troops into the state, finding the case is now moot after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to allow such a deployment.
U.S. District Judge April Perry on Monday granted a motion brought by the Trump administration to dismiss the case, even as President Donald Trump has threatened to “come back … perhaps in a much different and stronger form” after withdrawing National Guard troops from Illinois and other states.
“It is undisputed that all federalized Illinois National Guard troops have been de-mobilized, all National Guard troops from other states have been withdrawn from Illinois, and no National Guard troops remain deployed in the state for the Federal Protection Mission,” the Trump administration argued in its motion to dismiss. “Because of those developments, the case is moot.”
Perry agreed, finding the lawsuit is now moot and dismissing it with prejudice.
State and city officials filed suit in October, and Perry blocked the troop deployment — a ruling that remained intact after an appellate court refused to step in and the Supreme Court declined the Trump administration’s emergency request to overturn it.
What local officials say:
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday again called the planned troop deployment a “reckless and illegal abuse of power,” adding that he was “grateful to the court for siding with our communities and slowing the erosion of our democratic norms.”
Chicago’s Department of Law also issued a statement Monday saying it welcomes the court’s ruling “that the Trump Administration’s deployment orders are no longer operational and cannot be used to federalize the National Guard.”
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Cinco De Mayo Parade 2017 in Chicago. (Roberto Galan / iStock)
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The annual Cinco de Mayo Parade in Little Village is being canceled for the second year in a row due to concerns over federal immigration raids, organizers announced.
The Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce and Casa Puebla said in a statement the Mexican community continues to face challenges under the Trump administration, and community members have “understandably withdrawn” from public gatherings and celebrations.
The announcement comes after immigrant communities have been the target of the Trump administration’s aggressive federal immigration enforcement campaign in the Chicago area known as “Operation Midway Blitz,” which peaked in the fall. While operations have scaled back, families remain fearful, organizers say.
“Many families are experiencing fear and uncertainty due to increased immigration enforcement actions and the ongoing threat of raids,” according to the statement.
“There is nothing to celebrate,” the statement continued.
The parade, which typically runs on Cermak Road between Ashland Avenue and Marshall Boulevard, has been held for more than 40 years, according to organizers.
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More From WTTW News:
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A Chicago police officer who used his department-issued radio to strike a man in the head three times in July 2024 should be suspended for 89 days, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling and the agency tasked with investigating police misconduct agreed, records show.
Chicago-based satirical news site The Onion said it has reached an agreement to take over conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ InfoWars company, in a move that could help repay the more than $1 billion he owes the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims.
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Back in the Day: April 21, 1996 - Bulls Close Out Historic 72-10 Season
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Thirty years ago today, the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls recorded the best-ever campaign in NBA history (at the time), closing out the regular season with a record-breaking 72-10. They were the first team to ever reach 70 wins in a single season and added to the tally until the final game when they bested the Washington Bullets 103-93 on April 21, 1996. The last team to come close to this feat was the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers, who won 69 games. The Bulls would go on to win their fourth NBA Championship. While their record stayed unbeaten for 20 years, the Golden State Warriors bested it in 2016 with a 73-9 win-loss record.
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things in Chicago. This week, it’s reporter and "Week in Review" host Nick Blumberg on some essential Chicago reading.
World-class city that it is, you could easily fill a bookshelf with the many fantastic books written about Chicago. More than a few of them are rightly very well-known — works covering everything from the city’s political scene (Mike Royko’s "Boss," Gary Rivlin’s “Fire on the Prairie”) to its cultural contributions (Thomas Dyja’s “The Third Coast”) to its fraught history of segregation (Natalie Moore’s “The South Side”.)
Here are three titles you may not have heard about — but that will go a long way to help you understand Chicago and how it got that way.
“Don’t Make No Waves, Don’t Back No Losers” by Milton Rakove: A look at the powerful Daley political operation from the inside, Rakove’s insightful text will help you understand how the machine gathered and wielded power, and how it still shapes our politics.
“Challenging the Daley Machine” by Leon Despres: If Rakove’s is the ultimate insider look, Despres is the perfect counterbalance. The longtime progressive alderman, advocate and attorney was a constant thorn in the side of the machine. His memoir isn’t just a fascinating trip through decades of Chicago’s political history — it’s also sharp-elbowed and very funny.
“Forever Open, Clear and Free” by Lois Wille: Legendary Pulitzer-winning journalist Lois Wille tells the story of the fight to preserve Chicago’s crown jewel of a lakefront. It’s a story about the power of organizing and the necessity of watchfulness in an ever-changing urban landscape.
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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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