Mayor Lightfoot names Nicole Lee as new 11th Ward alderman
If confirmed by the City Council, Lee would become only the second Asian American alderman in the city's history.
Watch CBS News
If confirmed by the City Council, Lee would become only the second Asian American alderman in the city's history.
The payout had been stalled for a month by a group of aldermen, despite city attorneys' repeated assertions Wright and her companions had done nothing wrong to warrant being detained by police.
There were a few hiccups with the electronic voting system on the first day, as some aldermen needed help getting their iPods connected to the City Hall network, or with going through the steps to cast and verify their votes.
Several aldermen criticized the makeup of the special committee, saying it should include council members whose wards might end up calling the casino home.
Chicago will have to wait a bit longer to find out who the next 11th Ward alderman will be.
Critics of the mayor had wanted to use a special City Council meeting to demand changes to the vaccine mandate for city workers, but couldn't get a quorum to show up.
They need eight more votes to avert a referendum in June.
"They're going to do whatever they're going to do tomorrow, but I'm not going to continue to be involved in political charades and stunts, I'm just not," Lightfoot said.
Chicago's vaccine mandate for city employees remains in place, and with the deadline having come and gone, thousands of city workers could be put on no-pay status.
Chicago's vaccine mandate for city employees remains in place, and with the deadline having come and gone, thousands of city workers could be put on no-pay status. CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reports on an impending showdown.
As a protest against Russia's aggression in Ukraine, some Chicago aldermen have taken action.
The City Council approved a $31.5 million basic income pilot program as part of Mayor Lightfoot's $16.7 billion budget plan for 2022.
"I'd like to be able to present a new person to the City Council in time to be confirmed by the March meeting. That's certainly the goal," Lightfoot said.
A final vote on the mayor's proposal to allow the city to file civil lawsuits in order to seize assets from Chicago's street gangs was delayed by her own allies, a likely signal she didn't have the votes to approve the ordinance on Wednesday.
After her nomination was stalled for months, interim Civilian Office of Police Accountability chief Andrea Kersten was confirmed for the permanent job on Wednesday, despite opposition from aldermen infuriated by the police watchdog agency's disciplinary recommendation for slain Police Officer Ella French.
The ordinance approved by the City Council would give the Lightfoot administration leverage to buy the shuttered Aldi store n the 3800 block of West Madison Street if the company can't sell the site to another grocer.
Four aldermen used a parliamentary maneuver to delay a final vote on the settlement until the next City Council meeting.
Chicago's City Council will vote on a new strategy to crack down on gangs on Wednesday.
Mayor Lightfoot wants to give city attorneys the authority to sue gang leaders in a bid to seize their assets, but many aldermen fear it will be an ineffective and costly waste of resources.
13-month-old Dillan Harris was sitting in a stroller as he and his mother waited at a bus stop near 63rd Street and Ellis Avenue on July 11, 2015, when 21-year-old Antoine Watkins jumped the curb while fleeing police, and ran over the toddler.
Following an unusually heated debate, aldermen on Thursday agreed to pay $1.675 million to settle a lawsuit filed by five people who were violently assaulted by police officers at the Brickyard Mall during widespread looting in May 2020, despite no evidence the group was involved in any criminal activity.
Thompson was automatically disqualified from holding office as alderman after he was convicted of a felony, so a letter of resignation was not necessary to vacate his seat in the 11th Ward on the South Side.
The City Council Finance Committee on Thursday will vote on a $1.675 million payout to Mia Wright, who was left blind in one eye after being dragged from her car in the parking lot of the Brickyard Mall on May 31, 2020.
In a major victory for Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the City Council Public Safety Committee on Wednesday supported her pick to lead the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, despite opposition from aldermen infuriated by the police watchdog agency's disciplinary recommendation for slain Police Officer Ella French.
The Chicago City Council has designated the Little Village arch as an official city landmark.
A man was killed and a teenage boy was wounded in a shooting on Thursday evening in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.
A man and a woman were found shot and killed inside a car on Thursday evening on the University of Chicago campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
The biggest stars of the WNBA are arriving in Chicago for this weekend's All-Star Game, but before that, dozens of kids took to the court to learn from some former pros on the South Side.
The Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission voted on Thursday to publish a report outlining details of the investigation that led to state Rep. Harry Benton (D-Chicago) to resign his post earlier this month.
Mexico has requested criminal charges in the deaths of 17 Mexicans who died either in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations by the Trump administration.
The Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission voted on Thursday to publish a report outlining details of the investigation that led to state Rep. Harry Benton (D-Chicago) to resign his post earlier this month.
Voters in Chicago will have a chance to decide in November if the city should go after the federal government for money spent dealing with the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown and Operation Midway Blitz.
The Secret Service said a member of Vice President JD Vance's detail is under investigation for "compromising operational and information security."
The House on Thursday voted to direct President Trump to end the war with Iran, after four Republicans joined Democrats to rebuke the president over his handling of the conflict.
The Illinois Legislative Ethics Commission on Thursday will decide whether to release a report that led to the resignation of state Rep. Harry Benton (D-Plainfield) over reported allegations of sexual harassment.
The Trump administration is taking aim at power grid operator PJM Interconnection over rising electricity bills that affect Illinois and Indiana residents.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
A new Northwestern Medicine study on long COVID shows women show more neurological symptoms than men.
A lettuce supplier to fast-food giant Taco Bell has been linked to a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people, the CDC said.
Chicago just barely made the top 20 in the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 ranking of the country's fittest cities.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
The north Chicago suburb of Glenview became the latest Illinois municipality this week to confirm mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus this year.
The food deserts on Chicago's South and West sides could spread even wider if seven Save A Lot grocery stores close.
Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois are both seeking rate increases that would raise monthly bills by as much as $28, while their parent companies seek regulatory approval to merge — a deal a consumer watchdog says would give one company control of nearly all regulated water customers in the state.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
Chicago Soul Café opened Monday at 6248 S. St. Lawrence Ave.
The Chicago Bears this weekend said they are assessing land at Wolf Lake Terminals in Hammond, Indiana, for a possible new stadium.
Iowa announced a fall exhibition game against Kansas at the Field of Dreams ballpark, where major and minor league games have been played since 2021.
Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is the first film shot entirely on 70mm IMAX cameras, and Cinemark Seven Bridges in Woodridge is 1 of roughly 30 theaters nationwide equipped to show it that way.
Brenda Fricker won an Academy Award for 1989's "My Left Foot," played the Pigeon Lady in "Home Alone 2" and appeared in "A Time to Kill" and "So I Married an Axe Murderer."
The actor's agent said he was providing more information following news reports "which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehoods."
New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for "Jurassic Park" and "The Piano," died Monday at 78, his family says.
The biggest stars of the WNBA are arriving in Chicago for this weekend's All-Star Game, but before that, dozens of kids took to the court to learn from some former pros on the South Side.
Partly cloudy and cool Thursday night with lows in the low 60s.
The Independence Cup, one of the oldest adaptive sailing regattas in the country, returns to Chicago and Lake Michigan this weekend. CBS News Chicago went along with one of the teams as they got ready to race.
FedEx workers curious about a live iguana shipped to its new owner got a bit more than they bargained for when the owner obliged their request to open the box in-store. While iguanas usually are stiff from cold when they are shipped, this one, named Titan, was ready to make his escape.
Spider-Man (that is, a local trampoline park employee who plays the superhero at work and was in costume) swooped in to help a man in a wheelchair cross the street in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Mexico has requested criminal charges in the deaths of 17 Mexicans who died either in ICE custody or during immigration enforcement operations by the Trump administration.
Friends have started a fundraiser for a pet store in Fox Lake, Illinois, after a 2,000 gallon fish tank burst suddenly, flooding their business.
Two children were hurt when a car crashed in Chicago after a Lake County, Indiana police chase early Thursday morning.
A man was killed and a teenage boy was wounded in a shooting on Thursday evening in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.
Des Plaines police and fire officials said an explosion and fire at a condo building in May that injured 15 people was arson, and the suspected arsonist died from injuries he got during the incident.
Record heat and major air quality issues created by wildfire smoke were key topics as some of the top climate leaders from around the world gathered in Chicago this week for the Aspen Institute's annual climate summit.
Police say a man and a woman were last seen speaking with the victim before the shooting.
Neighbors in the Avalon Park neighborhood said their community has been plagued by squatters, weeds, rats, and water leaks – all thanks to an abandoned home that's been sitting vacant for years.
Chicago has been feeling the heat this week, with highs in the 90s the past five days, but officials are making moves to cool off some of the hottest parts of the city, specifically Chicago Park District fieldhouses where many turn to keep cool.
Gene Rush survived throat cancer, but he didn't survive a trip to the Porter County Jail over 4th of July weekend. His family said jail staff failed to provide lifesaving medical care.
The biggest stars of the WNBA are arriving in Chicago for this weekend's All-Star Game, but before that, dozens of kids took to the court to learn from some former pros on the South Side.
Patrick Kane, 37, signed a two-year, $16 million contract to return to the Blackhawks on Thursday, according to the team.
Chicago's Colin Rea (7-7) allowed four runs on six hits while striking out five in five innings.
Chase Meidroth went 4 for 4 while he and Andrew Benintendi had a pair of run-scoring singles apiece and Anthony Kay pushed through five innings for his first win in more than a month as the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 4-2.
The Liberty erased a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes.
A man was killed and a teenage boy was wounded in a shooting on Thursday evening in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.
A man and a woman were found shot and killed inside a car on Thursday evening on the University of Chicago campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
Madison's chief of police says an officer in Wisconsin's capital city shot and killed a man who had injured him with a knife while resisting arrest.
Three men have been convicted of a string of violent robberies targeting liquor stores, convenience stores, and bars in Chicago in 2023 and 2024.
Chicago police this week warned of a pattern of robberies in which the thieves approach the victims in public and rip away their gold necklaces.