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It’s Chicago’s 189th birthday today. Celebrate by reading these local stories from WTTW News.
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From left: Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward) and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle appear on “Chicago Tonight” on March 3, 2026. (WTTW News)
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With the Cook County hospitals and health system facing a bleak future after the Trump administration slashed health care for low- and moderate-income Americans, the Democratic candidates for Cook County Board president vowed to make sure the poorest residents don’t go without care.
Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle should have done more to prepare for the all-but-certain cuts imposed by the Trump administration during a WTTW News forum hosted on “Chicago Tonight” with just two weeks to go until Election Day.
The cuts will hit the county’s bottom line next year, threatening the ability of more than 400,000 Cook County residents to get necessary health care.
Preckwinkle said she will rely on partnerships with the University of Illinois, Rush University and the University of Chicago.
What the candidates said:
“We’ll use those partnerships to enhance our own patient care delivery,” Preckwinkle said, noting that the county’s 2026 budget sets aside $320 million from its reserves as well as another $65 million earmarked for Medicaid to offset cuts imposed by the federal government. “We have a well-functioning system. And we put aside reserves to meet the challenges that are ahead of us.”
Reilly said Preckwinkle should have done more to prepare to withstand Trump’s onslaught. The cuts could open a $400 million hole in the systems’ budgets during the next two years, said Reilly, 54, who has represented the city’s 42nd Ward on the Chicago City Council since 2007.
“While I’ll give my opponent some credit for the $65 million set aside for Medicaid stabilization, I would argue that that number needs to be much larger,” Reilly said. “My concern is that they haven’t done enough to batten down the hatches knowing that this assault on Medicaid is coming our way.”
The county may need to restructure its debt, dip further into its reserves or ask state lawmakers for help, Reilly said.
“We certainly can’t allow Trump’s assault on blue states, counties and cities to tear apart that important safety method so many people depend upon,” Reilly said.
No Republican candidate is running for the GOP nomination. The winner of the March 17 Democratic primary will face Michael Murphy, who is running unopposed for the Libertarian Party nomination.
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Sponsor Message
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The Poetry Foundation, the publisher of Poetry magazine, welcomes you to experience it for yourself with FREE public programs and resources! On March 12, Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle will perform alongside Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte. Later in the month, straight out of the pages of Poetry, Frank X Walker will read with Affrilachian poets Kelly Norman Ellis, Nikky Finney, and Parneshia Jones.
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The Chicago Fire holds a groundbreaking ceremony for the team’s new stadium at The 78 in the South Loop on March 3, 2026. (Blake Thor / WTTW News)
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The Chicago Fire broke ground on a new stadium development site Tuesday at The 78 in Chicago’s 3rd Ward. The stadium is expected to open before the 2028 Major League Soccer season following a $750 million private investment from the club’s owner, Joe Mansueto.
“Our vision for the Fire is to have a world-class soccer organization, and an integral part of that is to have our own stadium,” Mansueto said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Since the team’s founding in 1997, the Fire have played home games in multiple stadiums around Chicago, spending 13 years at SeatGeek stadium in Bridgeview before moving to Soldier Field for the 2020 season.
Mansueto said owning a stadium, rather than renting at Soldier Field and sharing with the Bears, will create a stronger team and community identity.
“You don’t wash a rental car. You just have a totally different view,” Mansueto said. “Last year we got pushed out three times to the suburbs due to conflicts with the Bears and concerts. Not ideal.”
Some backstory:
The Fire stadium would be Chicago’s first new stadium in more than three decades, following the United Center, home to the Bulls and Blackhawks, which opened in 1994.
The Fire estimate the project will generate an $8 billion economic impact for the surrounding area, creating jobs and attracting small businesses, while serving as the anchor tenant for continued development at The 78.
Real estate developer Related Midwest purchased The 78, a 62-acre site in the South Loop, in 2016 with plans to build Chicago’s 78th neighborhood from the ground up. Development of the site has been slow, largely due to the lack of an anchor tenant, with construction partners pulling out of the site.
While Mansueto’s private investment will fund the stadium’s construction, public tax increment financing, or TIF, funds are expected to drive the creation of surrounding infrastructure. As it stands, the stadium site is largely empty, with few bus and train stops, roads and sidewalks.
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(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
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A key City Council panel voted 10-5 on Tuesday to reject a proposal designed to hold parents accountable if their children violate Chicago’s curfew or a host of other laws.
The City Council’s Public Safety Committee rejected the measure crafted by Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) after a brief debate about whether the city should seek to jail people whose teens “violate curfew, engage in drag racing, flipping of cars, intoxication or use of paintball guns.”
With the support of Alds. Marty Quinn (13th Ward), Matt O’Shea (19th Ward) and Silvana Tabares (23rd Ward), Lopez first introduced the measure in October 2023, only to have it languish without a hearing or vote for more than two and a half years.
More context:
The measure would have held parents responsible for the actions of their children “as if they committed the acts themselves, with all charges to be pursued by the Chicago Police Department.”
The measure would have also increased the fines for a host of violations to between $1,000 and $5,000, and require those younger than 18 to perform community service and “undergo licensed family counseling.”
Lopez, one of the most conservative members of the City Council, said the city must act to ensure that parents take a more active role in their children’s lives and prevent them from committing crimes that degrade the quality of life for all residents of Chicago.
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More From WTTW News:
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Back in the Day: March 4, 2021 - Lori Lightfoot Flubs Chicago Birthday Message
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Five years ago today, the world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Capitol Police requested that the National Guard stay deployed at the U.S. Capitol Building for another 60 days following the attack on Jan. 6, and Lori Lightfoot was mayor of Chicago. It was Chicago’s 184th birthday on March 4, 2021, and the mayor commemorated the occasion with a tweet: “Happy Birthday, Chicago! Though the city was formally founded 185 years ago, its origins can be traced back 50 years earlier thanks to Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, who settled in what is now Pioneer Court in 1779.” When the Chicago Sun-Times asked about the mistake, the tweet was removed and deleted. As the paper notes, “Lightfoot’s office got it right last year, when, in a March 4 news release, it acknowledged the city’s 183rd birthday. But with that many candles, who’s really counting?”
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Chicago-Area Live Music Recommendations for March 4-10
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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, March 4:
Glitterer, Graham Hunt, Prize Horse at Subterranean. Tickets.
A stacked lineup of anthemic indie rock. Get there early for Wisconsin’s Graham Hunt: There’s a chance you’ll hear an electric kazoo.
Oyeme, Preston Woolsey at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
This rising Chicago artist plays her first full band show of 2026.
Thursday, March 5, through Sunday, March 8:
LCD Soundsystem, Automatic at Aragon Ballroom. Tickets for Thursday, Friday
, Saturday and Sunday: The dance-punk legends return to the city with a weekend residency in Uptown.
Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit at Salt Shed. Tickets for Friday and Saturday.
Your dad’s favorite songwriter plays two nights at this indoor venue.
Friday, March 6
Hudson Freeman, Brian Gerald Bulger at SPACE. Tickets.
This folk singer had a massive breakthrough in 2025. See why in Evanston this weekend.
Saturday, March 7:
Natural Information Society, Glyders, Shravan Raghuram at Hideout. Tickets.
The second night of Chicago Psych Fest has a killer lineup.
The Dead Bolts, Good Looks at Metro. Tickets.
Get there early for the charming and resilient rock of these Texas openers.
Feeble Little Horse, Squirrel Flower, Sleeper's Bell, Dan English, Astrachan, Alta Vista, more at Thalia Hall. Free.
Throughout the day, this Pilsen venue is hosting a totally free, multi-building festival.
Monday, March 9:
Mx Lonely, bloodsports, Feller, Chaepter at Empty Bottle. Free.
Another Free Monday show at Chicago’s best small venue.
Tuesday, March 10:
Advance Base, Lilly Miller, Tall Tall Trees at Hideout. Tickets.
Chicago music staple Owen Ashworth plays a cozy venue for his cozy music.
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What’s your favorite Chicago-set TV show?
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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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