Aldermen almost unanimously fell in line behind the mayor, with Ald. “Proco” Joe Moreno (1st) saying the Chicago Teachers Union was “hell-bent on striking,” and Ald. Michele Smith (43rd) warning a protracted strike could send middle-class families fleeing to the suburbs. But as the strike began, the majority of parents and students at school gates across the city seemed to be taking the teachers’ side.
Looking to find a cure for the many vacant storefronts that have popped up since the housing crisis began, City Council’s Zoning Committee yesterday approved a zoning change allowing up to half of work space in low-intensity business districts to be used for living space.
Ten days after bragging about going 24 hours without a homicide in Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday confronted a more sobering statistic: the murder rate is up 53.8 percent from the same period a year ago.
Now Chicago aldermen are live-tweeting. Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) and Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) started live-tweeting last Thursday during the first hearings for Emanuel's 2012 budget proposal.
City Council's Finance Committee is once again considering legislation to raise the cost of city parking stickers.
First Ward Alderman Joe Moreno's bill would bring in $21 million a year, and also cut sticker fees for hybrid vehicles. Read more...
