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It’s Wednesday. Get over the midweek hump with these stories from WTTW News. |
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(WTTW News) |
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Members of the Chicago City Council vehemently opposed to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to bridge a portion of the city’s massive budget gap by taxing large firms had hoped a consultant’s report could give them a way to reject the tax — while avoiding deeply unpopular cuts.
But a marathon session before the City Council’s Budget and Government Operations Committee Monday made it clear there is no easy way to bridge the city’s $1.19 billion projected shortfall, leaving alderpeople across the political spectrum frustrated as the budget debate hits a tipping point.
Even as departmental budget hearings are set to wrap up Thursday, there is no clear consensus on the bulk of Johnson’s proposal to impose $617 million in new taxes on the wealthiest Chicagoans and largest firms. That makes it likely negotiations over the city’s spending plan will once again stretch past Thanksgiving, forcing alderpeople to scramble to meet a Dec. 31 deadline.
More context:
An effort to put the mayor’s finance team on the hot seat fizzled Monday as Adam Chepenik, the principal author of a report from consulting firm Ernst & Young designed to help Chicago officials root out inefficiencies, declined to tell committee members that the Johnson administration had failed to implement the bulk of the cuts and efficiencies recommended by the report.
Budget Director Annette Guzman, sitting beside Chepenik, fielded most of the questions about the mayor’s budget proposal and repeatedly assured alderpeople that she and Chief Financial Officer Jill Jaworski were using the report as a “roadmap to structural balance for the city.” Guzman reminded alderpeople that the city’s financial woes have been decades in the making and cannot be solved in a single year.
“The city didn’t get here overnight, and the structural reform won’t happen overnight, but you have to begin somewhere,” Guzman said.
The Ernst & Young report, which cost the city $3.2 million, identified between $530 million and $1.4 billion in potential savings and new revenue.
But Johnson’s spending plan details just $80 million in cuts identified by the report, with the bulk of those savings coming from a year-long hiring freeze to be imposed on every city department except for those focused on public safety or revenue collection.
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(WTTW News) |
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Overnight travel expenses within Chicago Public Schools have skyrocketed in recent years, an internal watchdog investigation found, as employees of the cash-strapped school district spent millions on overseas trips, spa getaways and flights to Las Vegas and Hawaii.
CPS Inspector General Philip Wagenknecht’s office on Wednesday published a new report on the district’s travel and overnight spending, which jumped from around $300,000 in fiscal year 2021 to nearly $8 million in 2024.
According to his report, some employees allegedly took advantage of the district’s “lax, vague, inadequate and unenforced” travel rules and procedures, leading to the “exorbitant” post-pandemic travel spending of taxpayer funds.
“Rather than spend millions on professional development at resort spas, luxury hotels and overseas destinations,” the report states, “CPS should keep its educational seminars as close to home as possible.”
Wagenknecht’s office found that over the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, CPS spent around $14.5 million in travel expenses, mostly for out-of-town professional development seminars or overnight student outings.
A CPS spokesperson said the district takes seriously the findings and recommendations included in the report.
“Chicago Public Schools remains unwavering in its commitment to fiscal responsibility and the success of our students,” the district spokesperson said. “As a District, CPS takes seriously our responsibility to protect the safety of our staff, students and families and to serve our CPS community with integrity, and protect our investments and resources.”
Some backstory:
The investigation began, according to the report, when an elementary school paid more than $20,000 to a vendor for a staff trip to Egypt, despite not receiving the district’s sign-off on those plans. That trip was then canceled by CPS one day before it was set to begin, as were two other planned trips arranged through the same vendor. |
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Aurora borealis, seen in the U.S. in 2023. (Jonah Lange / iStock) |
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Chicagoans — and folks across the country — were treated to a dazzling display of the aurora borealis (northern lights) Tuesday night and there could be an encore in the works Wednesday.
Eruptions from the sun, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), passed by Earth late Tuesday and caused a major disturbance in the planet's magnetic fields, resulting in a spectacular aurora visible at latitudes far south of the poles.
Another fast-moving and even more energetic CME is hurtling toward Earth and is expected to arrive midday Wednesday, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.
People reported seeing Tuesday night's aurora with the naked eye, even in Chicago.
Here's what's know:
There are a number of ways for the public to track the incoming storm and any potential for aurora viewing.
Apps such as My Aurora Forecast (iOS and Android) do just what they say; the website spaceweather.com issues aurora text alerts (for a subscription fee); and the Space Weather Prediction Center continually updates its forecast, and has been doing so even during the government shutdown. |
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Back in the Day: Nov. 12, 1968 - Chicago Cubs Star Sammy Sosa Born |
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Throughout his 18-year career in Major League Baseball, outfielder and slugger Sammy Sosa played in Chicago from 1989 through 2004, first for the White Sox for two seasons and then with the Cubs for 14. He currently holds the all-time home record for the North Siders with 545. He’s the only player in MLB history to hit 60 or more home runs in a single season three times, a seven-time All-Star and the 1998 NL MVP. On this day in 1968, Sosa was born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. This year, the 57-year-old made his return to Wrigley Field for the first time in 21 years and in September, he was inducted into the Chicago Cubs Team Hall of Fame alongside infielder Derrek Lee.
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Chicago-Area Live Music Recommendations for Nov. 12-18 |
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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, Nov. 12:
Die Spitz, Babe Haven at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
This might be your last chance to see this rising punk band in a local venue this tiny.
Robert Plant’s Saving Grace ft. Suzi Dian at the Vic Theatre. Tickets.
Yes, the Led Zeppelin singer is playing a small theater and tickets are still available.
Thursday, Nov. 13:
Tom Morello & Friends at the Vic Theatre. Tickets.
Likely the best guitarist to ever come from Libertyville, Illinois.
Friday, Nov. 14:
Pixel Grip, The Serfs, Justin Aulis Long at Metro. Tickets.
Danceable synth-pop with a palpable edge headlined by a talented Chicago trio.
Alta Vista, Lia Kohl at Constellation. Tickets.
Two experimental and talented locals are celebrating record releases.
Saturday, Nov. 15:
Beach Bunny, CRASHprez, Free Range, Living Thing at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
Expect solo sets and a great time benefiting the Midwestern Immigration Bond Fund.
The Wood Brothers, Dug at Riviera Theatre. Tickets.
Folk veterans make another stop in Uptown.
Sunday, Nov. 16:
Dari Bay, Graham Hunt, Feller at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
The Vermont rock group teams up with a Wisconsin rock stalwart.
Danny Brown, underscores, Femtanyl at The Vic Theatre. Tickets.
The Detroit rapper released a well-received new album this month.
Monday, Nov. 17:
Patti Smith & Her Band at Chicago Theatre. Tickets.
The New York icon celebrates 50 years of her classic album “Horses.” The first of two shows.
Wednesday, Daffo at Riviera Theatre. Tickets.
“Bleeds,” the new album from this North Carolina band, is one of 2025’s most acclaimed LPs.
Tuesday, Nov. 18:
Patti Smith & Her Band at Chicago Theatre. Tickets.
The New York icon celebrates 50 years of her classic album “Horses.” The second of two shows.
Wyatt Waddell at Beat Kitchen. Tickets.
Go see one of Chicago’s most talented rising singers in Roscoe Village. |
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What’s your favorite place for tavern-style pizza in the Chicago area? Tell us where and why.
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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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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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