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This Wednesday, read up on what’s happening in your city with these stories from WTTW News.
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A row of coach houses on Meyer Avenue in Chicago. (Eric Allix Rogers / Flickr) |
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A key City Council committee voted 13-7 on Tuesday to advance a proposal to allow people to build basement, attic and coach house dwellings on their property across the city without obtaining special permission from city officials.
The vote by the City Council’s Zoning Committee sends the proposal to the full City Council for a final vote today. It has the support of Mayor Brandon Johnson as a way to chip away at Chicago’s massive shortage of affordable housing.
If approved, the measure would weaken the decades-old tradition known as aldermanic prerogative that gives a City Council member the final authority over housing developments in their own wards.
Some backstory:
First proposed two years ago by Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th Ward), the ordinance would reverse the city’s 68-year ban on tiny homes, officially known as additional dwelling units, in an effort to add “gentle density to begin to address Chicago’s housing crisis.”
Although Lawson touted the measure that won the approval of the Zoning Committee as a “compromise,” it was fiercely condemned by supporters of aldermanic prerogative, who tout it as the best way to ensure that Chicago residents live in neighborhoods governed by one of their own: someone who lives near them, understands their issues and is not only accessible — but also accountable to them on Election Day.
Also happening:
The Chicago City Council is poised to green-light a 590-unit apartment complex in Lincoln Park after a monthslong fight over the tradition that gives City Council members the final authority over housing developments in their own wards.
After the project won the unanimous endorsement of the Zoning Committee on Tuesday, the City Council is set to take a final vote Wednesday on Sterling Bay’s $350 million plan to build two 16- and 19-story apartment towers across the north branch of the Chicago River from the planned Lincoln Yards megadevelopment, which has yet to get off the ground. |
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Federal immigration agents in Chicago in a file photo. (WTTW News via CNN) |
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Some local officials want Chicago to ban federal immigration agents from wearing masks — and require them to provide some identification. The call comes as some Illinois members of Congress are pushing for national legislation along those same lines.
Immigrant rights advocates have reported seeing some Immigration Customs and Enforcement, or ICE, agents wearing masks and refusing to identify themselves during raids. Advocates say that creates fear and hinders accountability.
Leonardo Quintero, chair of the 12th District Police Council, said he’s heard from community members that ICE agents are coming into neighborhoods without any identifying material, arriving in unmarked cars and without badges.
“They (ICE) pull up in tinted cars — usually vans or trucks and they just come in and don’t say anything to anyone,” Quintero said. “People ask them who they are, what they’re representing, what organization, what their name is, and they just refuse or are aggressive towards people — pushing them and refusing to answer.”
Quintero and some other members of the 12th District Police Council wrote a letter last month to Mayor Brandon Johnson and Supt. Larry Snelling calling for a citywide ban on masked federal agents. They haven’t gotten a response yet.
Meanwhile, U.S. Reps. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Chicago) and several others are co-sponsoring a federal bill called the “No Secret Police Act” that would amend the 2002 Homeland Security Act. The legislation calls for a nationwide ban on ICE agents wearing masks, as well as requirements for uniforms and insignias that would make them identifiable.
While politicians are pushing for accountability at the national level, Quintero said there should be rules at the local level to protect communities being targeted by deportations and raids. |
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(Patty Wetli / WTTW News) |
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The Chicago Park District has released the preliminary findings of an internal review into a June 26 shooting at the Douglass Park pool in North Lawndale, which left one teenager dead and another one injured, and a veteran lifeguard accused of the crime.
Charles Leto, 55, has alleged he acted in self-defense against the boys — 15-year-old Marjay Dotson and 14-year-old Jeremy Herred — who he said were attempting to steal his bike. Marjay died and Jeremy is recovering from his wounds. Leto is being held on various charges, including first-degree murder.
According to the Park District, Leto passed all background checks before being hired as a lifeguard.
“To date, the Park District’s review has not identified a specific warning that Leto would commit such a violent act,” officials said in statement.
At the same time, the internal investigation “identified gaps in employee oversight, communication and documentation,” according to the statement.
Several emails, texts and incident reports relevant to the investigation have been posted online by the Park District for the public to access.
These documents show that at least two patrons lodged complaints about Leto in the past, both involving verbal altercations. But the documents also detail a pattern of disturbances at Douglass Park, where Leto was a lifeguard in 2024 as well.
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Back in the Day: July 16, 1995 - Heat Wave Claims 739 Lives
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Thirty years ago this week, Chicago was hit with a horrific and deadly heat wave. A long-lasting heat dome enveloped the Midwest, resulting in blistering temperatures that ranked among Chicago’s hottest since the 1934 Dust Bowl. Chicago's Midway Airport reported seven straight days with highs at least in the 90s from July 10-16, peaking on July 13 and 14 with highs of 106 and 102 degrees. The heat index peaked in the mid-120s. As Eric Klinenberg's "Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago,” points out, "there were no uniform standards for determining a ‘heat-related death,’ so officials had to develop them.” Cook County’s chief medical examiner, Edmund Donoghue, eventually reported 465 heat-related deaths for the heat wave week and 521 heat deaths for all of July. These numbers were disputed by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, who said, “It’s hot, but let’s not blow it out of proportion.” Using the excess deaths of the time period, 739 people lost their lives due to the 1995 Heat Wave. The disaster also led to the 1995 creation of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), which streamlined communications between residents and emergency services.
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Chicago-Area Live Music Recommendations for July 16-22
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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, July 16:
Graham Hunt, National Photo Committee, 2w33dy, Randal Bravery at Schubas. Tickets.
A Wisconsin songwriter who can pen an infectious, rockin’ and memorable tune.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday July 17-19:
Drive-By Truckers, Deer Tick at Fitzgerald's. Tickets available for Thursday and Friday, but Saturday is sold out.
Two iconic rock bands team up for career-spanning sets, stellar songwriting and onstage rowdiness for three nights.
Thursday, July 17:
Father John Misty, Lucinda Williams, Hamilton Leithauser at Salt Shed. Tickets.
A gold-voiced crooner who channels Randy Newman, Warren Zevon and more is joined on the bill by the iconic alt-country songwriter and the Walkmen frontman.
Digable Planets, Mother Nature at Millennium Park. Free.
The hip-hop legends play a free show at Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 18-20:
Phish at United Center. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
See you at the lot, Chicago. The iconic jam band makes a three-night return to the United Center.
Les Savy Fav, Narrow Head, Derrick Carter and more at West Fest. $10 suggested donation.
One of the best street festivals has a stellar lineup. Three nights.
Friday, July 18:
The Swell Season at Auditorium Theatre. Tickets.
The 2008 Oscar winners have a new album out.
Finom, Senite at Kilbourn Park. Free.
The most chill and best-booked outdoor music event returns for another Friday.
Saturday, July 19:
Lizzie No at Judson and Moore. Tickets.
Charming, genre-blending songs by a charismatic talent.
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What's the best place to get Italian ice 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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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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