Happy Friday! Get a jump on the weekend with the latest updates from WTTW News.
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Alds. William Hall (6th Ward) and Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward) appear on “Chicago Tonight” on July 20, 2026. (WTTW News)
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Mayor Brandon Johnson said Chicago is staring down a midyear budget deficit, and he’s pointing the finger at City Council.
City officials said last week Chicago is grappling with an $89 million shortfall — revised down from the $130 million figure the mayor announced earlier this month.
Last year, alderpeople rejected Johnson’s proposed head tax on the city’s largest companies and instead approved a budget that relied on alternative revenue sources, including selling city debt to private collectors and licensing advertising on city light poles. So far, Johnson said, much of that expected revenue hasn’t materialized.
“Corporate-aligned members of the City Council chose a different direction and adopted their so-called alternative budget,” Johnson said at a news conference earlier this month. “Throughout that process, we raised concerns about the assumptions in that plan. Not to oppose for the sake of opposing, but because Chicagoans deserve honesty about the risks of budgets that rely on fines and fees.”
Alderpeople had expected to collect $89.6 million by selling city debt to private collectors, $29.3 million by selling advertising spots on city light poles and kiosks and $6.8 million in video gaming fees. So far, Chicago has collected none of that money.
Johnson was initially skeptical of City Council’s measure to sell debt to private collectors, calling it “immoral” and saying the majority of debts would be extracted from working-class Chicagoans. Earlier this month, Johnson said his administration has tried to find a buyer for city debt to no avail.
Alds. William Hall (6th Ward) and Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward) joined “Chicago Tonight” to discuss the shortfall. Here’s a snapshot of where they stand:
On what’s behind the midyear deficit:
Waguespack: “It’s $100 million short because the mayor didn’t implement the budget that was passed.”
On why Chicagoans’ debt hasn’t been sold yet:
Hall: “The reason why the debt did not sell is because people know in the debt market that Chicagoans are broke. People are hurting. The average income in my ward is only $38,000 a year.”
On Johnson’s accusations that City Council members are aligned with corporations:
Waguespack: “That’s just not the case. If you look at what he is billing for the small businesses medium and large in this city — it’s hundreds of millions more than when he came in.”
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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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CPS board members Jennifer Custer and Jitu Brown appear on “Chicago Tonight” on July 22, 2026. (WTTW News)
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Chicago Public Schools is facing a $732 million budget shortfall — and hundreds of layoffs for teachers and school support staff.
Last week, CPS CEO Macquline King unveiled a proposed $9.88 billion budget to close the district’s funding gap. The plan calls for $200 million in Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, funds from the city, the layoff of 760 teachers and 801 support staff, and five unpaid furlough days for CPS employees.
King told reporters last week that her budget focuses on cuts away from the classroom and students.
“We are not budgeting for the district we had yesterday,” King said. “It is imperative we are budgeting for the students we serve today and the futures of tomorrow.”
CPS board members, who have until Aug. 31 to approve a final budget, disagree over how the district’s deficit grew so large and how to close it.
More context:
Jennifer Custer, a board member representing District 1B, is pointing the finger at Cook County officials who she says have dragged their feet on disbursing revenue from local property taxes.
“We are having some issues with our short-term cash flow because the county hasn’t delivered some of that money to us,” Custer said.
The majority of CPS funding flows from local property taxes, but recent payments to the district have been late. As a result, CPS has been forced to borrow money through tax anticipation notes (TANs) to cover short-term costs.
Custer said board members must vote to approve King’s proposal by the end of July or the district will not be able to continue borrowing.
Meanwhile, some board members have called for a special session in Springfield to close the shortfall. Jitu Brown, a board member representing District 5A, said lawmakers at the state level have not done enough to fund CPS.
“It’s also important to remember that for decades, Illinois, despite having an international city in its midst, was 49th in education funding. … It is time for the state to do some get-right by its children,” Brown said.
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Gov. JB Pritzker joins legislators and community members at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago on July 23, 2026, to designate July 25 as Emmett Till Day in Illinois. (Courtesy of the State of Illinois)
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A new statewide day of reflection and remembrance aims to honor the life and legacy of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.
Gov. JB Pritzker joined legislators and community members Thursday at the location of Till’s funeral, Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Bronzeville, to sign legislation designating July 25, Till’s birthday, as a statewide day of reflection and remembrance for Till and his mother.
Till was a Black teenager from Chicago who was abducted, tortured and killed in 1955 after he was accused of whistling at a White woman in Mississippi. Till was 14 years old.
Following Till’s murder, his mother insisted on an open casket funeral to show his mutilated body. “Let the people see what they did to my boy,” Till-Mobley said at the time. The funeral at Roberts Temple Church in Chicago was attended by thousands of mourners.
It was Till-Mobley’s insistence of an open casket, along with the photos of the funeral published by African American publications Jet Magazine and Chicago Defender, that helped propel the Civil Rights Movement.
Till-Mobley died from heart failure in 2003. She was 81.
“If she was here, she’d be one happy soul,” the Rev. Wheeler Parker said about Till-Mobley during Thursday’s event. Parker traveled with his cousin Till from Chicago to Mississippi and was with him the night he was abducted. “Time went on and every time I saw his mother, I felt like I had a survivor’s guilt,” Parker said. “I came back and he didn’t come back.”
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Back in the Day: July 24, 1981 - Federal Jury in Chicago Convicts Puerto Rican Nationalist Óscar López Rivera
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On this day 45 years ago, a federal jury in Chicago convicted Puerto Rican nationalist Óscar López Rivera on all counts of a federal conspiracy indictment, which included seditious conspiracy, armed robbery, weapons violations and other related charges. López Rivera, a member and reputed leader of the far-left paramilitary organization Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional Puertorriqueña (FALN), had been a fugitive for years and was allegedly behind a string of bombings during the
1970s. He was arrested during a traffic stop in 1981 and faced 70 years in prison. He was sentenced to 55 years but only served 35 before President Barack Obama commuted his sentence in 2017. At his July 24, 1981, conviction, López Rivera said, “I stand here because I have the courage to fight. I affirm this: that Puerto Rico will be free and a socialist country.” The United States seized Puerto Rico from Spain during the Spanish-American War. While its residents are citizens and can serve in the military, they cannot vote in elections and have no congressional representation.
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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. Here's what you had to say:
“I like the smaller local neighborhoody ones. We just went to Ravenswood (on Malt Row) this last weekend: the beer choices were excellent, the music was GREAT, and something fun they did was have a comedian (Megan McMurtry) do a set in between bands and was hilarious!” — @nastyrobin.bsky.social
“[Q101's] PIQNIQ” — Jackie W.
“It used to be Pitchfork Music Festival or the Hideout Block Party & A.V. Fest: both of which are gone too soon. Now, I’d have to say one of the many well-organized and well-curated neighborhood fests like West Fest, Wicker Park Fest and Square Roots.” — Josh Terry, newsletter producer for WTTW News.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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