|
It’s a new week, today we have stories on criminal justice, wetland protection and a handy explainer on TIF districts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
(WTTW News) |
|
Several family members and advocates with loved ones across prisons in Illinois told WTTW News that their in-person visits have been canceled by the Illinois Department of Corrections due to short staffing or lockdowns. Those visits are crucial for those inside and their loved ones, serving as a reminder to the outside world and relationships, they say.
The Illinois Department of Corrections spokesperson Naomi Puzzello said they “recognize concerns around cancellations and continually work to minimize disruptions to visitations and keep loved ones informed.”
“IDOC is committed to providing the seven in-person visits per month that individuals in custody are entitled to, and works diligently to restore visiting opportunities as soon as conditions allow,” she said in a statement.
What's behind it?
Cut visits are one impact of the “staffing crisis” IDOC is facing, as the prison watchdog group, John Howard Association, reported in the fall.
That understaffing has led to an increase in lockdowns, typically meaning facility-wide restrictions consistent with solitary confinement or restrictive housing. Lockdowns have risen 285% from the financial year 2019 to 2024, according to that John Howard report. When a facility is on lockdown, visits can be limited or eliminated, the report states.
“This is really problematic, and we cannot continue to function this way if the staffing levels can’t increase,” said Jennifer Vollen-Katz of the John Howard Association.
Each facility’s specific operational requirements determine visitation cancellations on a case-by-case basis, Puzzello said. A minimum number of staff are required to supervise visitation areas, bu it varies by facility size and layout.
Since October 2023, Menard Correctional Center has been on lockdown nearly every day, according to IDOC data. Those restrictions can limit incarcerated people’s access to programming, work, recreation, phone calls, visitation and other activities for significant periods of time. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Shedd Aquarium research biologist Melissa Youngquist (r) and intern Donovan Capet wade through Big Marsh Park looking for tadpoles and other signs of amphibian life, May 5, 2025. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) |
|
Here in the Calumet region at Big Marsh Park and nearby Indian Ridge and Hegewisch Marsh, biologist Melissa Youngquist has found evidence of more than a half-dozen species of frogs and salamanders. It's nearly a half-dozen more than the bullfrogs Youngquist thought she’d be limited to studying when she joined the Shedd Aquarium’s freshwater research team five years ago. (No shade against bullfrogs, Youngquist said. She did her PhD on bullfrogs.)
“These Southeast Side parks give me so much hope,” said Youngquist, who specializes in amphibians.
For such abundance to exist on the fringe of the third-largest city in the U.S. is one thing. To come across it in Calumet — where the scarred land suffered from decades of abuse and pollution during the heyday of the steel industry — is remarkable.
“These sites were dumped on and trashed. And somehow, some bits of marsh stayed wet long enough,” she said. “If all these frogs can survive here … there's never no hope.”
Today, hundreds of acres of what were once slag heaps — a by-product of steel manufacturing — have been reclaimed as natural and recreational areas managed by the Chicago Park District. Partners including Friends of the Chicago River, The Wetlands Initiative and Audubon Great Lakes have poured resources, both in terms of funding and manpower, into restoration projects.
Youngquist is monitoring some 30 wetland sites, mostly in Cook County. Some are in woodlands and others, like in Calumet, are in marshes, but they all have one thing in common: They're ephemeral, as in not-always-wet wetlands. She's measuring the effectiveness of those efforts: Are amphibian populations growing? Are fussier species moving in? And if progress is being made, does climate change threaten to undo it all? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
A graphic that says "What is a TIF District?" (WTTW News) |
|
Tax-increment financing, a financial tool better known as TIF, wasn’t invented in Chicago, but former Mayor Richard M. Daley perfected it. Basically, it makes a giant pool of taxpayer dollars appear — as long as they promise to use that money to make the city a better place to live.
Here’s how this deceptively simple tool works: City officials determine an area is particularly blighted — maybe its roads and sidewalks are in bad shape, or its air is rife with pollution, or it’s strewn with vacant buildings. They declare it a TIF district, a distinction which stays in place for 23 years and is there to promote public and private projects. Watch our animated breakdown of how it happens.
The latest in TIF:
The share of property taxes collected by the city and then claimed by Chicago’s tax-increment finance districts grew 47% between 2019 and 2023, according to a WTTW News analysis.
That massive growth funneled $5.84 billion into the special districts designed to spur redevelopment and eradicate blight, according to five years of reports on TIF districts published by the Cook County Clerk’s Office examined by WTTW News. The report for 2024 is not set to be published until July. |
|
|
|
|
|
More From WTTW News |
-
Among the list of programs at risk under President Donald Trump’s so-called “skinny budget” proposal is Head Start, which parents who otherwise would not be able to afford child care rely on when they work or go to school. Advocates say the disruption and uncertainty are already having devastating consequences.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back in the Day: May 12, 1970 - Ernie Banks Hits 500th Home Run |
|
On this day 55 years ago, a then-39-year-old Ernie Banks hit his way into Major League Baseball history by smashing his 500th career home run in a game against the Atlanta Braves. The Cubs legend was in his 18th season when he caught a fastball in the second inning from Braves starter Pat Jarvis and launched it into Wrigley Field’s left field bleachers. “I was looking for an inside pitch because that’s mostly what I’ve been getting this year — and I haven’t been getting around on them,” Banks told the Associated Press. “But I want to say I got some satisfaction of hitting it off such an established pitcher as Pat Jarvis. He is a real pro and has been around for a time — and hitting one off a fellow like that adds to the satisfaction and gives you a lift.” Banks retired the following year and his final career numbers were 1,636 RBIs and 512 home runs. In 2003, Sammy Sosa would be the next Cubs player to reach that milestone. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
This Week’s Civic Events and Meetings
|
|
Every Monday, WTTW News highlights the best ways to get involved with local government.
City Club of Chicago
On Monday at noon, the City Club of Chicago will interview host a conversation with U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly who just announced a Senate campaign to replace Dick Durbin in 2027. Tickets and details here.
Show Up Chicago
On Monday at 7 p.m. at the Hideout, a panel and happy discussion featuring local activists like Swing Left Chicago's Anu Sarda from Swing Left Chicago, the Progressive Turnout Project's Reid McCollum and Indivisible Chicago's Kevin Naglich. RSVP here.
City Council's Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety
On Tuesday at 12:30 p.m., the City Council's Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety will hold a subject matter hearing on Chicago's Speed Limit Camera Network. Details and agenda can be found here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What was your reaction when you heard the new pope is from Chicago?
|
|
|
|
Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
5:30 PM | 10:00 PM |
|
|
|
|
Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
|
Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
|
|
|
|
