It’s Tuesday. Take a minute to catch up on the latest stories about your city from WTTW News.
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Larry Snelling is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)
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Chicago Supt. Larry Snelling’s retirement began Wednesday after a nearly three-year tenure leading the nation’s second largest police department. He leaves behind a city that’s seen significant declines in violent crime but has not completed federally mandated reforms.
Mayor Brandon Johnson named First Deputy Supt. Fred Waller as interim top cop while the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) begins its search for Snelling’s permanent successor.
Though Snelling mostly avoided the high-profile controversies that plagued some of his predecessors, his legacy has garnered mixed reviews.
Chicago experienced substantial reductions in homicides and shootings over the past two years. Through the first half of 2026, the city remained on pace for one of its lowest homicide totals in decades, continuing a downward trend that began in 2023. At the same time, the department is only in full compliance with 25% of the federal consent decree, and questions remain about officer accountability, immigration enforcement and the role policing should play in violence prevention work.
How four Chicagoans who worked with or closely followed Snelling’s administration view his legacy:
“He was always very squared away, always very sharp,” Former First Deputy Supt. John Escalante said. “I think during the time that he was a superintendent, I think he did a very good job. Difficult position to be in, but I think he did the best he could.”
“Statistically, it’s the safest period of time in Chicago that we’ve seen in recent memory,” Dion McGill, who represents the 7th Police District Council, said. “But I think under his tenure, the progress on the consent decree, in my opinion, in the opinions of many, was slow.”
“In 2024, we had over 150 community conversations where we came up with some collective recommendations,” Artinese Thomas, deputy director of Live Free Illinois, said. “We did see some of them come into fruition while Supt. Snelling has been in his position.”
“We would love to see more transparency,” Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council, said. “We would love to see a superintendent that could walk the streets, come to the neighborhoods that have high crime.”
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Sponsor Message
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Bring the family and enjoy the fun!
July 25 & 26, 2026 | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago
Railroad Days is Chicago's premier railroad celebration! This year, we mark 100 years of electric rail. Join us for:
- Tour historic 1926 Pullman-built electric commuter cars
- Free STEAM Fair: From Rails to Rocketships
- WTTW’s Geoffrey Baer presents in historic Greenstone Church
- Walking tours, great food, mini steam train rides, face painting, live music, and more!
Grab a friend, and we’ll see you there! Kids 12 & under free. Tickets & info: friendsofpullman.com/special-events
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Members of the Chicago Teachers Union gather ahead of a public hearing on Chicago Public Schools' proposed budget on July 20, 2026. (WTTW News)
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With a vote scheduled for next week on Chicago Public Schools’ $9.88 billion budget plan, members of the city’s Board of Education on Monday shared concerns over proposed cuts, a lack of state funding and their voting timeline.
During the first of two public hearings Monday on the district’s spending plan, board members peppered CPS officials with questions about possible ways to avoid five furlough days and the layoffs of 760 teachers and 801 support personnel as part of the budget before an expected vote on the proposal July 30.
Board member Jitu Brown called those “catastrophic cuts” and urged district leaders to look into alternatives “so that this board is not backed into a corner” ahead of next week’s vote.
The board must approve the district’s budget by Aug. 29, meaning that it does not have to finalize the spending plan next week. But CPS budget officials repeatedly stressed that a failure to do so could threaten the district’s ability to cover its expenses, including staffing payroll.
“I don’t want to be in a position where I can’t make the resources to make payroll, right?” acting Chief Financial Officer Walter Stock told board members Monday. “We still have a mission, we still have a mandate to keep school open and educate and not disrupt services, but I think there would be trouble in the water that we’d have to navigate and I can’t tell you what that crystal ball looks like until we get to that point.”
Some backstory:
Last year the board approved the district’s budget on the final day possible before a state-mandated deadline at the end of August, but Stock said Monday it’s “not unusual” for the board to vote instead in July.
In addition to staffing cuts, CPS is counting on $200 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funding from the city, and is planning to shift five professional development days into unpaid furlough days and rely on a mid-year, districtwide spending freeze to plug its $732 million budget gap.
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This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. (CDC via AP)
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The Illinois Department of Public Health said Monday there have been 355 confirmed and probable cases of cyclosporiasis reported in the state amid an ongoing outbreak of the diarrhea-causing infection that is impacting much of the country.
In Chicago, 76 confirmed and probable cases of cyclosporiasis were reported as of Monday, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. An additional 12 cases are pending investigation. About half of the city’s cases had no known international travel, making it more likely the illness was acquired locally.
More context:
Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal disease caused by the parasite cyclospora, which can cause frequent and watery diarrhea. The disease is spread by consuming contaminated food or water. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.
State and local health officials have still not identified a definitive cause or source behind the higher number of cyclosporiasis cases the state and the city is seeing compared to previous years.
The cyclosporiasis outbreak has spread to 34 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hardest-hit Michigan recently surpassed 6,000 total cases after more than 1,000 more cases were reported over the weekend, according to local news outlets.
The Food and Drug Administration announced Sunday that a laboratory result showing cyclospora contamination in a sample of shredded lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico was a false positive, but the federal agency said it still has “very strong” evidence that the shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms is a likely source,
CNN reports.
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Back in the Day: July 21, 1951 - Robin Williams Born in Chicago
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On this day 75 years ago, the beloved comedian and actor Robin Williams was born in Chicago at St. Luke’s Hospital. He spent his formative years on the North Shore in Lake Bluff and Lake Forest and would go on to tell interviewers that his role in “Mrs. Doubtfire” was inspired by the matrons he grew up around. The son of a Ford executive father and a mother who worked as a model, he attended Gorton Elementary School and Deer Path Junior High School before his family moved to the
Detroit suburbs when he was 12. At 16, his family moved again to California, where he discovered a love for acting and would later attend Juilliard on a full scholarship. In the mid-70s, he became a stand-up comic and later a TV star before becoming one of film’s go-to comedic actors. He won an Oscar in 1997 for his serious role in “Good Will Hunting,” and would star in countless beloved classics. In 2014, Williams died at 63.
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations
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Every Tuesday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things in Chicago. This week, it's associate producer Shelby Hawkins on her new neighborhood.
Shelby Hawkins: I moved to North Center from Andersonville last month, and, admittedly, I’d never visited or known this North Side neighborhood existed until recently. (Don't get mad at me: I moved from D.C. to Chicago to work at WTTW News two years ago). Per the North Center Neighbors Association, it’s bordered by Montrose to the north, Addison to the south, Chicago River to the west, and Ravenswood to the east.
Here are the places I’ve flocked to the most as a newly minted North Centerian (Centerite, NCer maybe?) and how I’d spend an ideal day:
Dulce de Leche Cafecito
This space is as sweet as it sounds. I’d start my day here with a sugary breakfast, sitting outside on the shady patio facing Belle Plaine Ave with either a novel or journal in tow. 4054 N. Western Ave.
Horner (Henry) Park
I’d follow up breakfast with a leisurely walk through the park, which often hosts events and live music pop-ups during the warmer months. Horner Park is one of the largest parks on the North Side, serving as a border between North Center, Irving Park and Ravenswood Manor communities. I personally love walking along the North Branch of the Chicago River and seeing the ducks float by. 2741 W. Montrose Ave.
Bughouse Theater
A perfect midday activity would be going to see a show at this community performing arts theater. Its lineup has such a diverse array of mediums and topics that appeals to a wide audience, so you could see a music show, a standup set, a play or musical. Be prepared for audience interaction, though, because the space is incredibly intimate. 1910 W. Irving Park Rd.
Cho Sun Ok
Then I’d grab dinner at what’s easily becoming one of my favorite restaurants, a decades-old Korean barbecue spot. Long lines and wait times are common even during the weekday. 4200 N. Lincoln Ave.
Bloop Bloop
And I’d end my perfect day at Bloop Bloop for some boba tea because I love to start and end my days with something sweet. 2205 W. Montrose Ave.
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What's your favorite local festival to attend during a Chicago summer?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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