|
Happy Friday. WTTW News has stories on the big votes the Chicago City Council took yesterday, plus news on education, reproductive health and more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
City Hall (WTTW News) |
|
Chicago's City Council met for the first time since July on Thursday, and several orders of business were on the docket. Here’s what you need to know.
A Monumental Misconduct Settlement:
Alderpeople voted unanimously to resolve 176 federal lawsuits tied to former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts and his team, bringing the total cost of settling 185 lawsuits naming the convicted felon to $126.8 million, records show.
Taxpayers will pay $90 million in the first-ever global settlement of lawsuits tied to a single Chicago police officer, under the approved agreement, to 180 people who spent nearly 200 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted based on what they allege was fabricated evidence gathered by Watts, who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes, and other officers.
A New Alderperson
They voted unanimously to confirm Walter Redmond Burnett as 27th Ward alderperson, replacing his father, former Ald. Walter Burnett, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pick to lead the Chicago Housing Authority. The 29-year-old, better known as Red, was immediately sworn in to office on a Bible held by his father, who represented parts of the West Side and the West Loop for 30 years on the Chicago City Council before he stepped down in July.
'Tiny Home Ban' Lifted
They also voted unanimously to allow Chicagoans to build basement, attic and coach house dwellings across the city — but still give alderpeople the final say over whether the tiny homes could be built in their wards. The new ordinance requires homeowners to use contractors that participate in apprenticeship programs recognized by labor organizations. That requirement does not apply to the construction of any other type of housing in Chicago. The measure reverses the city’s 68-year ban on tiny homes but creates a patchwork of regulations that could significantly differ from ward to ward in order to uphold the decades-old tradition known as aldermanic prerogative.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learn about sponsorship opportunities. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
(WTTW News) |
|
Chicago Public Schools’ interim leader affirmed she will not do away with its Black Student Success Plan or policies protecting transgender students after the Trump administration confirmed it will eliminate millions in funding for the district.
Interim CPS CEO Macquline King on Thursday stood by the district’s commitment to its existing policies after the Department of Education threatened to withhold the district’s Magnet Schools Assistance Program and other grants, claiming the Black Student Success Plan and transgender protections are discriminatory.
“CPS will not back away from our commitment to Black, transgender or any other student groups,” King said at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting. “We will continue to consider diversity among our district’s greatest strengths and will move forward with uplifting and protecting the rights of all students.”
The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights last week demanded CPS eliminate those plans and policies by Tuesday in order to still receive the grant funding. But the department has confirmed CPS — as well as New York City Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools — failed to meet that deadline and will lose the federal funds. For CPS, that means the department will withhold approximately $5.8 million in magnet school grant funding for the next year and around $17.5 million over the remaining duration of the grants.
King on Thursday reiterated that those district policies do not violate any federal laws and called the Department of Education’s decision “deeply disappointing.”
“For now,” King said, “what I can tell you is that our district will not back away from doing what we know is right. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Planned Parenthood of Illinois President and CEO Adrienne White-Faines speaks during a news conference on Sept. 25, 2025, in light of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin pausing abortion services. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News) |
|
Abortion providers in Chicago and across Illinois anticipate a “large influx of patients” from Wisconsin after Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin announced it would stop scheduling patients for abortions, advocates said during a Thursday news conference.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s decision to pause abortions starting next week is in response to federal Medicaid funding cuts from President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill, which pulls back federal funds to large nonprofit health care organizations that offer the procedure.
More context:
Federal law has long prohibited the use of federal funds for abortions. Planned Parenthood patients use Medicaid, however, to cover the cost of health care services like cancer screenings, birth control and STI testing and treatment.
Illinois, a haven for reproductive health, serves more out-of-state abortion patients than any other state since the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, which in 2022 eliminated the constitutional right to abortion and opened the door to state bans and restrictions. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
Sister Jean, the 106-year-old chaplain of the men’s basketball team at Loyola University Chicago who gained national attention for cheering on the Ramblers during their 2018 NCAA March Madness tournament run, is retiring.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learn about sponsorship opportunities. |
|
|
Back in the Day: September 26, 1960 - Chicago Hosts Historic Nixon and Kennedy TV Debate |
|
For the first time in history, Americans witnessed a pre-election presidential debate on television and it happened on this date 65 years ago in Chicago. The leading candidates were Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard Nixon, who met at CBS' WBBM-TV studio downtown. The hour-long broadcast was the first of four televised debates leading up to the 1960 election. For the first installment, most critics and viewers agreed Kennedy came off better and some suggested Nixon’s poor performance is ultimately why he lost. As the Smithsonian points out, Kennedy biographer Theodore Sorenson said of the first debate, “Between the bleak gray walls and the bright floodlights of the television studio, [vice President Nixon’s] gray suit and heavily powdered jowls looked flabby and pallid beside Kennedy’s dark suit and healthy tan.” |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Each Friday, WTTW News highlights the festivals, events, activities and neighborhood gatherings to help you make the most of your city. Read the full list here.
Sept. 26-28: Oktoberfest Chicago (Lakeview) | Map
Want to drink a German beer in Lakeview? You’re in luck.
Sept. 26-28: Hyde Park Jazz Festival | Map
Hyde Park's free jazz festival has been a destination for music lovers over the past two decades. Scan the schedule for all the shows, stages and tips for how to make the most of this gem of a multi-day event.
Sept. 26-Oct. 5: World Music Festival Chicago | Various locations
A globetrotting, multi-venue showcase highlighting obvious talent, several genres, and more.
Sept. 28: Meet Me on Milwaukee (Wicker Park) | Map
Want to walk around Milwaukee Avenue without worrying about traffic? You can thanks to this pilot series of “pedestrianization” events. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., you can stroll stress-free through the neighborhood. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What's your favorite neighborhood bar in the Chicago area?
|
|
|
|
Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. Here's what you had to say:
“I have to hand that title to Cunneen’s. Met my wife there 50 years ago.” — J. Mark Stanley
“Ten Cat Tavern” — @capt_rach
"Delilah's in Lakeview." — @queen_madame_x
“Hopleaf” — @bossa_iv
“The Hi-Lo in Humboldt” — @claire___yvonne
"Big Chicks in Uptown. Best bar ever!" — @sophiafishkin |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
5:30 PM | 7:00 PM |
|
|
|
|
Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
|
Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
|
|
|
|
