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It’s Tuesday. We hope you had a long and restful holiday weekend. Start the short week on the right foot with these stories from WTTW News.
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(WTTW News) |
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Chicago taxpayers spent at least $231.2 million to resolve lawsuits alleging Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct — including wrongful convictions and improper pursuits — during the first seven months of 2025, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.
Even as the financial toll of decades of police misconduct is likely to grow in the coming months, Chicago exhausted its annual budget of $82.2 million months ago and had spent nearly triple that amount by July 31, according to WTTW News’ analysis of reports released by the Chicago Department of Law.
More context:
Chicago taxpayers spent a total of $107.5 million to resolve police misconduct lawsuits in 2024, 43% more than in 2023, according to the analysis.
Facing a likely deficit of $1.15 billion in 2026, city officials have yet to disclose to the City Council or members of the public how the city will cover the mounting cost of police misconduct.
Since 2019, while the Chicago Police Department has been subject to a federal court order to change the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers, taxpayers have spent at least $703.6 million to resolve police misconduct lawsuits, according to the WTTW News analysis.
WTTW News’ analysis of settlements and verdicts reached during the first seven months of 2025 included all cases identified by the Chicago Law Department as caused by some form of police misconduct, including false arrest, excessive force, extended detention, malicious prosecution and illegal search or seizure, that resulted in a jury verdict against the city or that the Chicago City Council agreed to resolve with a payment.
It does not include cases involving motor vehicle collisions other than crashes caused by pursuits launched by officers.
Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson Lowry told WTTW News in July that she has directed the Law Department to take a more aggressive approach to resolving lawsuits than her predecessors to save taxpayers’ money.
Between Jan. 1 and July 31, city officials resolved at least 79 lawsuits alleging police misconduct, according to WTTW News’ data analysis.
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Learn about sponsorship opportunities. |
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Leighton Criminal Court Building (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) |
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week aimed at ending cashless bail nationwide. Illinois in 2023 became the first state to fully eliminate the use of cash bail with the Pretrial Fairness Act. Proponents said the law is intended to address equity issues. However, the president claims such policies allow “dangerous individuals to immediately return to the streets and further endanger law-abiding Americans.” The administration said cities and states that do not comply with the order risk losing federal funds.
“I like the fact that it’s bringing national attention in that at least maybe some more eyes will be on it, which could lead to potential lawsuits where it ends up in the U.S. Supreme Court instead of where it ended up last time when we as state’s attorneys initially filed suit against the SAFE-T Act,” said Clay County State’s Attorney Phillip Givens.
Specifically, the executive order directs U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to compile a list of state and local jurisdictions that employ cashless bail policies. The Trump administration plans to then identify which federal funds are currently provided to those jurisdictions that can be suspended or terminated.
“I think it’s ridiculous; I think this is a political stunt,” former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said. “I think the cash bail system that we now have in Illinois mirrors what the federal system has, which does not generally require cash bond. The president right now is doing anything and everything to cause chaos and really highlighting Democratic-led cities. This is political theater.” |
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(Provided) |
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As NASA’s Artemis mission prepares to return humans to the moon and establish a permanent lunar base, three University of Illinois Chicago students are playing their own small part to make that happen. The three have just completed a summer internship program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, helping to lay the groundwork for humans to have an enduring presence on the moon and maybe, one day, even Mars. Raguez Taha is a Ph.D. student working in the civil, materials, and environmental engineering department at UIC. Taha said she was initially reluctant about interning at NASA.
“I was a bit hesitant,” said Taha. “I come from a civil structural background. So before joining the Ph.D. program (at UIC), I was actually a bridge engineer and so I didn’t know how my bridge experience could relate to work at NASA.”
It was Taha’s experience using lidar, which can create very accurate 3D models of real objects and spaces, that was attractive to NASA. For NASA, Taha was creating 3D models of lava tubes. Lava tubes on the moon may one day be used to provide the basis for lunar habitats, shielding astronauts from harmful radiation. Despite her initial skepticism, Taha said her NASA experience was “amazing.” |
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Chicago has more lead service lines than any other city in the U.S., with more than 400,000 lead water service lines still active in the city. A new documentary that you can watch here highlights how community advocates say local officials are not moving fast enough to address the cascading disparities and environmental injustices.
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Back in the Day: September 2, 1970 - Cubs Billy Williams Sets Record For Most Consecutive Games Played With 1,117 |
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Imagine going to work more than 1,000 days in a row without calling in sick or taking a vacation day. From September 1963 to Sept. 2, 1970 — on this date 55 years ago — Chicago Cubs outfielder Billy Williams played in 1,117 consecutive games, which at the time was a National League record. Considering the likelihood of injury, sickness or fatigue, it’s an incredible feat. His streak ended the following day, when Cubs manager Leo Durocher benched Williams after the star finally asked for a day off. Thirteen years later, Williams' record would be eclipsed by Steve Garvey, a first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres (and recent congressional candidate) who played 1,207 games from 1975 to 1983 and still holds the NL Record.
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things in Chicago. This week, it’s video producer Nicole Cardos on fall-themed local coffee drinks.
Nicole Cardos: It’s officially September, which, in my book, qualifies the start of pumpkin season: visiting apple orchards, carving pumpkins and wearing cozy sweaters, all whilst sipping on a pumpkin spice latte. (I’ll ignore that eyeroll!) But instead of heading to nationwide coffee chains for your fall-centric beverage, how about exploring some Chicago-area coffee shops that offer up their own take on the PSL? Here are some of my picks:
October Cafe: It’s always pumpkin season inside this coffee shop. This Norwood Park cafe offers specialty fall drinks year-round. Their lineup includes a house-made Pumpkin Spice Latte; the Maple Forest, which blends maple syrup, cinnamon and cardamom; and Cozy VP, which whips together subtle pumpkin and spicy chai flavors. Can’t decide on one? Try them all in a flight of 4-ounce samples. 6046 N. Avondale Ave.
Tala Coffee Roasters: Starting Sept. 15, this North Shore-based coffee roaster will offer a fall-inspired drink menu that includes: a Pumpkin Spice Latte; the Baklava Latte, featuring a mix of pistachio, honey, walnut; and Hayride, which combines apple cider with caramel and heavy cream – yum! Each of Tala’s three locations will also offer their own signature drink: the Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Latte (Libertyville), the Brown Butter Sage Latte (Highwood), and the Bourbon Maple Molasses Latte (Winnetka). Multiple locations.
Two Mile Coffee Bar: In late September, this family-owned Beverly specialty shop will serve up a house-made Pumpkin Spice Latte and the South Cider, a longstanding fall favorite that blends together apple cider and masala chai, topped with dehydrated orange and cinnamon. Operators with the coffee shop say two additional fall drinks will hit its menu later this month, but stay tuned as they add their finishing touches. 9907 S. Walden Pkwy.
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What's been the best part of your Chicago summer so far? |
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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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