Don’t be spooked. It’s Halloween but you’re informed on what’s happening in Chicago thanks to these local stories.
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(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
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Mayor Brandon Johnson called Wednesday for a $300 million property tax hike, the largest increase since 2016, saying he had no choice but to break one of his central campaign promises in order to avoid draconian cuts to city services and thousands of layoffs.
Johnson blamed the city’s dire financial condition on mismanagement by his predecessors in a briefing with reporters. “We have just had irresponsible administration after administration that has kicked the can down the road and now it is in front of my door,” Johnson said. “The alternative is just not acceptable, reducing services and compromising overall safety.”
If approved, city officials say owners of a property worth $250,000 will likely pay approximately $222 more a year.
Some backstory:
Johnson’s proposed tax hike is the second largest in modern Chicago history after the $588 million property tax hike pushed through by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2016.
Chicagoans’ property taxes last jumped in 2021, when former Mayor Lori Lightfoot raised property taxes by $93.9 million and passed a budget that automatically hiked property taxes to keep pace with inflation.
Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th Ward), one of the mayor’s closest allies, told reporters he would vote against any spending plan that included a property tax hike, saying it was certain to fuel displacement in Pilsen
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A CTA Purple Line train is pictured in a file photo. (Albert Pego / iStock)
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The Chicago City Council confirmed four of the five Chicagoans picked by Mayor Brandon Johnson to serve on the board of the Regional Transportation Authority, which is facing a $730 million deficit in 2026. Natasha Jenkins, Thomas Kotarac, Dennis J. Mondero and Nora Cay Ryan were confirmed unanimously by the City Council.
But the City Council voted 18-25 to reject the nomination of Jarixon Medina, who is now the second of Johnson’s picks to serve on the RTA to fail to be confirmed by the City Council. Medina, the pastor of New Life Covenant Church’s Spanish Campus in Humboldt Park, told a City Council committee that he does not rely on the CTA, but has two cars. He also did not directly answer questions about the financial crisis facing Chicago’s public transportation system
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Back in the Day: October 31, 1942: The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t (Kinda)
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Nick Blumberg: Everyone knows tricks are as much a part of Halloween as treats. I recall many a year where I arrived at my grade school on Nov. 1 to see windows covered in eggs and tree branches covered in toilet paper. But back in the day, Halloween pranks used to be a lot more disruptive, destructive, and even dangerous.
By 1942, the Chicago City Council had had enough. Warning of “destructive marauders” running wild in the streets, aldermen adopted a resolution calling on Mayor Edward Kelly to instead Oct. 31 as “Conservation Day” – the idea being that, with World War II raging, it was important to conserve useful building materials for the nation’s war effort rather than waste them on repairing damaged property. 4th Ward Ald. Abraham Cohen, the resolution’s sponsor, told the Chicago Daily Times he hoped “properties may be saved from molestation by these merriment-seeking children.”
Unfortunately for Cohen, Kelly doesn’t seem to have been all that interested. The Conservation Day idea never went anywhere – though Police Commissioner James Allman did warn officers to be ready, as the Chicago Daily Tribune wrote, “to prevent pranks where injury or discomfort are inflicted. Persons damaging property or annoying others are to be arrested.” Police were also ordered to provide lists of school children who were arrested to the Commissioner Allman’s office – and as we all know, there’s nothing scarier to a kid than the threat of something going on your permanent record.
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Arts and Culture Events Recommendations from Marc Vitali
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Each Thursday, WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali runs down the can't miss cultural events around town.
Every four years it’s helpful to remember that arts and culture are a fine way to distract us from presidential elections. Here are five delightful diversions that will feed your head instead of drain your brain.
“Havana Blue” – Chicago Jazz Philharmonic
Dynamic live music from the awesome Orbert Davis and friends, and tickets are $1. Yes, a buck gets you a seat in an acoustically splendid venue you may not have been to – the Kehrein Center for the Arts in Austin. Sat, Nov. 2.
“Milo Imagines the World” – Chicago Children’s Theatre
Families with kids age 6 and up will dig this musical journey about a child who uses art to process challenging times (kind of a theme this week). On Saturday, author Matt de la Peña signs copies of his acclaimed children’s book which inspired the show. Through Nov. 10.
Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition – Athenaeum Center
Check this one out if you’ve enjoyed the cinematography of “Fargo” or “No Country for Old Men.” The Coen Brothers' go-to director of photography, Roger Deakins, is of course a skilled still photographer. This exhibition spans five decades of photos. Through April 30, 2025
"Elementos del Alma" – Urban Theater Chicago
This “Día de los Muertos Experience” is a theatrical show that uses humor to explore elements of the soul. Blending the rituals of the Day of the Dead with sketch comedy and improv, it’s a celebration that aims to make you laugh as well as reflect and connect. Nov. 1–2.
Chicago Paris Cabaret Connexion – various locations
French singers perform at intimate venues along with vocalists from Brazil, England and Chicago. Two dozen cabaret headliners populate this international exchange of song and esprit de corps, including shows dedicated to Cole Porter, Kurt Weill and Edith Piaf. Oct. 31–Nov. 9
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Other News From Around Town
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With Halloween this week, what’s your best Chicago memory of the
holiday?
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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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