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It’s already the middle of the work week. Keep your momentum strong with these stories from WTTW News.
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(WTTW News)
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Tipped workers in Chicago are getting caught in a back-and-forth at City Hall.
Last week, the City Council reversed its own 2023 vote that would phase out the tipped minimum wage. Mayor Brandon Johnson is set to veto that reversal measure.
The original ordinance marked a compromise between the Illinois Restaurant Association and the mayor’s office — giving restaurants five years to prepare for the end of the tipped minimum wage in 2028, while giving workers annual 8% raises.
The goal of the original ordinance was to end the 24% tip credit afforded to restaurants. For years, this meant owners would pay their tipped service workers below the minimum wage, with the idea being that tips would make up the rest of the margin.
Supporters of keeping the lower tipped minimum wage argue tips are non-taxable income for earners making under $25,000 a year in tip revenue. They say it’s a win for restaurant owners who have seen an increase in product costs over the last few years in an unstable economy.
Though critics believe the practice is unfair and leaves workers with unlivable wages, stripping them of protections in an unstable economy. Restaurant groups say the raises have cut into their already thin margins, while others say it helps the city’s lowest-paid workers.
Support for the reversal:
Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, believes this reversal will alleviate the economic burden faced by Chicago restaurants.
When the measure initially passed in 2023, it was supposed to have been a compromise between his organization and the Johnson administration to give restaurants a five-year grace period. Despite the compromise, Toia was and remains against the elimination of the tip minimum wage, citing the growing costs on restaurants.
Support for the veto:
Molly Pachay, a tipped worker of nearly a decade and current director of strategic partnerships with the Chicago Hospitality Accountability and Advocacy Database, ays the same struggle restaurants face with costs are being felt by workers trying to buy groceries, acknowledging that it is difficult for everyone including mom-and-pop shops.
“I do not think the solution is to reach into the pockets of the worst to try and subsidize that risk of owning and operating. I don’t think it has to be either or,” Pachay said. “I think there are a lot of solutions that I wish the Illinois Restaurant Association would invest their considerable resources into exploring.”
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Sponsor Message
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Make your plans to celebrate this April with the Poetry Foundation, offering a full roster of FREE public programs, including:
- a poetry reading with Chicago’s own National Book Award winner Patricia Smith;
- a live performance by chamber music collective D+Composed;
- a library packed with more than 40,000 books of poetry for readers of all ages.
Visiting Hours: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 11 AM–5 PM; Thursday 11 AM–6 PM
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A Border Patrol agent’s badge is seen near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo / Erin Hooley, File)
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Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke says her office doesn’t have the legal authority to initiate criminal investigations into alleged misconduct by federal immigration agents, claiming that by doing so she would be “willfully violat(ing) the law.”
That comes in response to a petition filed by a local coalition of elected officials, community organizations and attorneys who are calling for a special prosecutor to investigate misconduct allegations levied against Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement in Illinois last fall.
They claim that despite “overwhelming evidence” of criminal misconduct carried out by federal agents during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts known as “Operation Midway Blitz,” O’Neill Burke’s office has taken no action to investigate or prosecute those alleged crimes.
Some backstory:
Attorneys with the law firm of Loevy and Loevy, which filed the petition, argued this represents a conflict of interest and an “abandonment” by the state’s attorney’s office of its duties.
In her reply, filed Tuesday, O’Neill Burke denied any such conflict exists and claimed her office can only launch investigations when a law enforcement agency’s own investigation is inadequate or if such an agency asks for assistance in its own investigation. She said neither such case apply here.
Instead, O’Neill Burke argued, the coalition has asked the court to “ignore the law” and appoint a special prosecutor based solely on “public outrage and the will of multiple political figures as support for their position.”
“They want federal immigration officers prosecuted based on information gleaned from newspaper accounts rather than properly collected and analyzed evidence … And they are willing to present baseless allegations and gross misrepresentations of law to this Court to advance their agenda,” the state’s attorney’s response states.
The parties will return to court early next month.
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A rendering of a redeveloped United Center area. (Provided by 1901 Project)
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Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday defended his support for a $55 million property tax break that would help the owners of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks redevelop the parking lots around the West Side’s United Center into an entertainment district and new neighborhood.
The $7 billion real estate redevelopment known as the 1901 Project would transform the surface parking lots that surround the home of the Bulls and Blackhawks with a 6,000-seat music hall, 233-room hotel, public parks and as many as 9,463 residential units.
Johnson said the project will bring “economic vibrancy” to the West Side of Chicago.
“This is a project that is going to create thousands of jobs and opportunities for the people across the city, but particularly for development on the West Side,” Johnson said at a City Hall news conference. “This is a clear indication that the city of Chicago remains open for business, but we’re just not for sale.”
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More From WTTW News:
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The Trump administration must temporarily unfreeze about $2 billion in federal funds for Chicago Transit Authority projects, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
The Chicago Police Department does not need to craft and implement a new policy to allow officers to investigate federal agents for their actions during immigration enforcement raids, Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday, nearly two months after he ordered police brass to do exactly that.
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Back in the Day: March 25, 1931 - Ida B. Wells Dies In Chicago
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On this day, 95 years ago, the civil rights and suffragist pioneer Ida B. Wells died from kidney disease in Chicago. Born enslaved in 1862 Mississippi, Wells’ family was freed six months after her birth. She became an educator, prolific writer, publisher and activist. During her illustrious career, she was a staunch opponent of lynchings, co-founded the NAACP and the National Association of Colored Women, opened the first black kindergarten in Chicago, championed the cause of universal
suffrage and wrote several influential articles documenting racism and misogyny. She was a posthumous Pulitzer Prize winner. In 2019, Chicago renamed Congress Drive in honor of Wells, who became the first Black woman to have a downtown street named after her.
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations
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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 25:
Hannah Cohen, mmeadows at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
Psychedelic and soulful folk rock from a charismatic crooner.
Thursday, March 26:
FKA twigs, Tokischa at Wintrust Arena. Tickets.
The enigmatic experimental pop artist makes a stop where the city’s WNBA team plays.
John Moreland, Patterson Hood at SPACE. Tickets.
Two veteran singer-songwriters team up in Evanston.
Vincent Neil Emerson, Kade Hoffman at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
Austere, clear-eyed country from a rising Texas songwriter.
Friday, March 27:
Eliza McLamb, Oldstar at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
Get there early for the rowdy country-punk of the Florida opening band.
Serengeti at Schubas. Tickets.
A Chicago rapper with clever, character-based rhymes that highlight his city’s eccentricities.
Ulrika Spacek, Discus, Marital Bed at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
An innovative U.K. band at the intersection of electronic and psychedelic caps off this stacked bill.
Saturday, March 28:
Cass McCombs, Danny Arakaki at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
Your favorite songwriter’s favorite songwriter hits Lincoln Park with a full band.
Geordie Greep at Metro. Tickets.
The former Black Midi frontman takes his sophisticated, Steely Dan-inspired lounge rock to Lakeview.
Sunday, March 29:
Shabaka Hutchings, Joy Guidry at Constellation. Tickets.
Expansive jazz at an intimate venue known for that kind of music.
Monday, March 30:
Mirah at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
See why this Brooklyn via Olympia songwriter has experienced such deserved longevity in her career.
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What’s your favorite museum in the Chicago area? Tell us
why.
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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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