Every Saturday morning, Daily Chicagoan gives you a quick rundown of the WTTW News coverage you need to know. Here are five essential stories that will inform you a bit more about our city.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Oct. 9, 2024. (WTTW News)
The Chicago Board of Education unanimously voted to fire Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez late Friday, capping off a months-long standoff between the district’s leader and Mayor Brandon Johnson. The unusual Friday night meeting saw more than an hour and a half of public comment before board members went into closed session for an hour and 40 minutes to debate Martinez’s fate. In a 6-0 vote, the board dismissed Martinez without cause, which triggers a clause in his contract allowing him to stay on for a six-month transitional period and receive 20 weeks of severance.
Mayor Brandon Johnson presides over the meeting of the Chicago City Council on Dec. 16, 2024. (WTTW News)
The Chicago City Council narrowly approved Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $17.1 billion 2025 spending plan on Monday after nearly two months of sharp debate that left alderpeople bitterly divided and the mayor politically weakened. The budget itself passed 27-23, with just 18 days to spare, averting an unprecedented shutdown of city government. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2025 and does not include a property tax hike.
Apps like Veryable, Clipboard Health and ShiftKey operate in the temporary employment arena. The apps connect people looking for work with companies just as staffing agencies do, but assert they’re tech platforms exempt from regulations aimed at protecting temp workers. These companies have drawn millions in funding, hundreds of thousands of workers, and legal action over their labor practices — including here in Illinois. Lawsuits against several of these companies have been filed on behalf of the Chicago Workers Collaborative.
Mayor Brandon Johnson presides over the meeting of the Chicago City Council on Dec. 16, 2024. (WTTW News)
About 10% of Chicagoans have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine while about 20% of residents have received the annual flu vaccine, according to the latest numbers from the Chicago Department of Public Health. City public health officials are encouraging residents who have not yet received vaccinations to get vaccinated as soon as possible so they can get some protection ahead of holiday gatherings.
Reversible express lanes on the Kennedy Expressway are now expected to reopen the week of Jan. 13, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced Tuesday. The reopening of the express lanes would wrap up the second year out of a three-year project to rehab the I-90/I-94 Kennedy Expressway. Despite starting earlier this year, construction is wrapping up later than expected because IDOT officials say additional time is needed to test and fully integrate the technical components of the reversible lane access control system.
