Today’s Daily Chicagoan is brought to you, in part, by:
|
|
|
|
We’ve made it to the middle of the week. Take a minute to catch up on all the local headlines from WTTW News.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
CPS board members Michilla Blaise and Jessica Biggs appear on “Chicago Tonight” on Aug. 3, 2026. (WTTW News)
|
A divided Chicago Board of Education at a meeting last week approved a nearly $10 billion budget that relies on an additional $150 million in state funding.
The spending plan comes after weeks of debate among Chicago Public Schools officials, board members and labor unions over how the district should close a $732 million budget gap.
CPS CEO Macquline King had hoped board members would approve a plan that avoided furlough days by increasing the district’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) assumption from $200 million to $285 million, but still included more than 1,600 layoffs to teachers, service personnel and assistant principals to balance the budget.
But her proposal caught the ire of the Chicago Teachers Union and CTU-aligned board members, who amended King’s budget to assume more state funding and avoid around 1,000 layoffs.
More context:
Michilla Blaise, a CPS board member representing District 5B, introduced the amendment. Blaise said she couldn’t accept the layoffs included in King’s budget.
“I have 64 schools in my district,” Blaise said. “I’ve never been to one of them where they said, ‘There’s way too many teachers around here.’ I feel I have a mandate from my folks to make sure that our schools have what they need.”
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch last week said he was “committed” to supporting a bill that would provide supplemental school funding during the upcoming fall veto session.
But any effort to pass funding that would be available in time for CPS to avoid midyear cuts would require a three-fifths supermajority in both houses, a difficult bar for any legislation.
Jessica Biggs, a CPS board member representing District 6B, voted against the amended budget. She said the additional state revenue adopted by her colleagues on the board shouldn’t be considered a “reasonable source of revenue.”
“We’re in a moment where we have to live within our means,” Biggs said. “We were presented with a balanced budget that assumed reasonable sources of revenue. Additional money from the state is not a reasonable source of revenue.”
CPS made a similar funding assumption in 2017, when district officials assumed around $215 million in funding from the state to cover teacher pension costs. That money ultimately never materialized, forcing CPS to make deep midyear cuts to school budgets and staff. Biggs added that CPS was forced to borrow to cover costs that came with unrealized state funding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sponsor Message
|
|
Four Decades of restoring lives through justice. We believe justice is about more than just a verdict; it’s about restoring lives, protecting futures, and holding wrongdoers accountable. Since 1984, our Chicago-founded firm has been dedicated to serving the needs of clients facing unimaginable suffering and loss in the Chicago area and throughout the nation. Whether you or a loved one has been impacted by a preventable aviation disaster, auto accident, or medical malpractice, our attorneys have built a reputation for Righting the Heaviest Wrongs® when the stakes are highest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Chicago budget director Annette Guzman appears on “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices” on Dec. 18, 2024. (WTTW News)
|
Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed confidence that he’ll be able to present a balanced budget in October after Budget Director Annette Guzman abruptly resigned this week.
Johnson on Tuesday stressed that, despite a recent spate of high-profile exits from his administration, he believes he’ll be able to maintain stability amid a difficult budgeting season ahead of next year’s mayoral election.
“One person does not run the operation around here, it’s a collection,” he told reporters. “And even after, you know, others have transitioned out, it has not stopped us from building the safest, most affordable big city in America.”
Some backstory:
Guzman, the latest person to transition away from Johnson’s administration, stepped down to focus on caring for her family, according to the mayor’s office.
Johnson on Tuesday called Guzman — who served as the city’s budget director since 2023 — a “committed partner” and thanked her for her “extraordinary leadership and dedicated service to the people of Chicago.”
“Ten years of public service, at the City and at Cook County, has been the greatest honor of my career,” she said in a statement. “As I step away to focus on my family, I am confident that the talented team we have built and prepared at the Office of Budget & Management will continue carrying out this important work and advancing the Mayor’s vision for our City.”
The mayor’s office said it is working with Guzman to ensure a “seamless transition and maintain continuity” ahead of the 2027 budget season. Jonathan Ernst, who has served as the city’s first deputy budget director under Guzman, will now take over as acting budget director on an interim basis, Johnson’s office announced.
Guzman’s exit comes days after the city’s Acting Chief Financial Officer Steven Mahr also stepped away. Johnson’s administration has also recently lost Chicago Police Department Supt. Larry Snelling and Human Resources Commissioner Sandra Blakemore.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
(WTTW News)
|
One week after the American Red Cross declared its second ever blood supply crisis, donations are increasing. But the agency still needs more donors to roll up their sleeves before the crisis can end.
The crisis declaration came as type O positive blood, which is typically used in trauma care, dropped below a one-day supply nationwide. And while hospitals have so far not reported major disruptions to services, more frequent supply shortages show the need for contingency plans.
“Increased need, and a decrease of folks donating, are sort of a perfect storm,” said Kellie O’Connell, the CEO of American Red Cross of Illinois.
“We’re trying to run as fast as we can to make sure we keep up with the demand,” O’Connell said.
Blood donations typically drop in the summer, as vacations and school breaks disrupt the regular flow of blood drives. At the same time, demand typically rises alongside traumatic injuries. This summer, extreme heat, poor air quality and natural disasters are likely contributors to the decrease in donations.
All blood supplies dropped by 25% this June, causing the Red Cross to declare an “emergency shortage” in mid-July. The “crisis” declaration came just two weeks later.
Beyond trauma care, hospitals use blood for surgery, as well as treating premature babies, anemia and chronic illnesses. And before this summer, declining blood supply was part of a longer trend.
“Over the past few decades, the number of donors has decreased,” said Dr. Constantine Kanakis, the incoming medical director of blood bank transfusion services at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
If the trend continues, hospitals will increasingly be confronted with tough ethical dilemmas.
Click here for more info on donating blood.
|
|
|
|
|
|
More From WTTW News:
|
As of Tuesday, Illinois reported 58 hospitalizations as a result of the cyclospora outbreak. In Chicago, 209 confirmed and probable cases of cyclosporiasis were reported as of Monday, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
|
 |
|
|
|
Back in the Day: August 5, 1966 - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Struck With Rock at Marquette Park Rally
|
Less than a week after 54 civil rights activists were injured and hospitalized at a Marquette Park rally that was ambushed by White rioters, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led another delegation to the same park to protest housing segregation. Though he brought a crowd of roughly 600 people, “a special force of 960 policemen” was needed to protect the group from 4,000-plus raging counterprotesters who waved “Confederate flags” and “wore Nazi-style helmets.” They threw
bottles and projectiles at the peaceful assembly, and 28 people needed to be hospitalized. Though he was being escorted by 25 policemen following the rally, “a stone struck Dr. King, leaving a visible knot just above his right ear.” “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” King said of the violent response on Chicago’s Southwest Side. “I think the people from Mississippi ought to come to Chicago to learn how to hate.”
|
|
|
|
|
Chicago-Area Live Music Recommendations for Aug. 5-11
|
Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.
Wednesday, Aug. 5:
Dari Bay, Villagerrr, Options at GMan Tavern. Tickets.
Vermont and Ohio’s finest rock bands play the Lakeview dive.
Thursday, Aug. 6:
Ira Glass, Zastava, Daundry, mail. at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Loud and largely local punk. Get there early for Detroit’s Zastava.
Al Scorch, Orillia at Hideout. Tickets.
The roots musician and Chicago-centric social media personality continues his “fantastical residency” at the iconic club.
Friday, Aug. 7:
Toadvine, Glass-Beagle, Dogcatcher at GMan Tavern. Tickets.
Catch some of the rising acts in the city’s burgeoning country rock scene.
Daniel Villarreal, V.V. Lightbody at Judson and Moore. Tickets.
While these two songwriters play in a stellar duo called Valebol, this Friday they’re playing two separate solo sets on the same bill.
Young the Giant, Cold War Kids at Northerly Island. Tickets.
Radio-ready alt-rock on the lakefront.
Saturday, Aug. 8:
Chance the Rapper at Ravinia. Tickets.
The local rapper takes the Metra north for a big headlining show.
Motel Breakfast, Fellow Kinsman, Shannon Baker at Thalia Hall. Tickets.
The charming Chicago folk-rock band calls it quits with a big farewell bash.
Sunday, Aug. 9:
NA HF, TV-Union, Adam Schubert, Free Range (solo), Mass Text, Jason Balla & Brian Case Duo at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Your favorite local indie rock act will be playing, if not attending, this excellent benefit show for the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center.
Zoh Amba at Schubas. Tickets.
This jazz-trained songwriter has been making twangy, heartfelt and powerful indie rock lately.
Tuesday, Aug. 11:
Akenya at Museum of Contemporary Art. Free.
The Streeterville museum's "Tuesdays on the Terrace" series continues with another local talent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What’s your favorite bookstore in Chicago? Tell us why.
|
|
|
Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
|
|
|
|
|
5:30 PM | 10:00 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
|
|
|
|
|
