From a settlement over the actions of two former Chicago police detectives to video gambling, Thursday was set to be a busy day for some Chicago City Council committees.

From a settlement over the actions of a former Chicago police officer to video gambling, Thursday was set to be a busy day for some Chicago City Council committees.

The City Council Committee on License and Consumer Protection advanced an ordinance last month that would lift the ban on video gambling in Chicago.

An amended version of the ordinance is back on the agenda and up for a vote before the committee Thursday, with new regulation rules.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has come out against the proposed ordinance, saying it does not help the city.

Meanwhile, the same committee was expected to vote Thursday on a proposal that would allow dogs inside restaurants.

Restaurants already are allowed to establish "dog-friendly areas" in outdoor patios, but the proposal would allow dogs inside as well. No restaurant would be required to permit dogs inside.

Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) said only one dog would be allowed per table, and dogs would need to be kept on a leash and have their shots.

The dogs would not be allowed to be given food or table scraps, but they could be given water.

The City Council Finance Committee will vote Thursday on an $18.5 million settlement in the Francisco Benitez case.

Benitez was 18 years old when he was arrested in 1989, and charged with the murders of two teenagers, William Sanchez and Prudencio Cruz, but Benitez has said he was innocent all these years.

In August 2023, he was released after presenting substantial evidence proving his innocence. Two eyewitnesses now say they saw who actually committed the murders, and it wasn't Benitez.

Benitez sued the city, accusing former CPD detectives Jerome Bogucki and Raymond Schalk of framing him for murder. Bogucki and Schalk are no longer on the force.

The lawsuit accuses Bogucki and Schalk of coercing witnesses into falsely implicating Benitez in the murders. The lawsuit claims those witnesses "got only a fleeting glimpse of a person running by their window after the shooting."

The City Council committees on Health and Human Relations and Economic, Capital and Technology Development also met Thursday.