Chicago aldermen advance new bid to protect drivers from rogue tow trucks
A key City Council committe backed an ordinance that sponsors said would allow police to impound rule-breaking tow companies' trucks.
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A key City Council committe backed an ordinance that sponsors said would allow police to impound rule-breaking tow companies' trucks.
Chicago's mayor is looking down the financial road and sounding an alarm of sorts for members of the City Council. From the city's own budget deficit, to instability on Wall Street and in Washington, it's setting up to be a challenging budget year for Mayor Brandon Johnson and City Council members.
For years, CBS New Chicago has been investigating rogue towing companies and their schemes to hold Chicagoans' cars hostage for thousands of dollars. On Tuesday, the City Council moved forward with legislation to do something about it.
Chicago aldermen are making another attempt at cracking down on rogue towing companies that victimize drivers, towing their cars from crash scenes and charging exorbitant fees to get them back.
The Chicago City Council approved Mayor Brandon Johnson's pick to be the next 35th Ward alderman at a special meeting Monday.
The Chicago City Council approved Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pick to be the next 35th Ward alderman at a special meeting Monday.
Twice so far this year, large gatherings of teens in the Streeterville neighborhood have ended in gunfire.
An effort to push the curfew up two hours, to 8 p.m., for kids under 18 in downtown Chicago is getting new attention, after two large so-called teen takeovers in Streeterville earlier this year ended in gun violence.
Quezada, a Cook County Commissioner since 2022, previously spent six years as former Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa's constituent service director.
Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th), who chairs the City Council Black Caucus, said banning the sale of new furs would "have such a devastating economic consequence to our city's small businesses."
Aldermen voted 26-19 against the fur ban proposed by Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th), after impassioned pleas from critics who said it would harm Black entrepreneurs, and that a decision on whether or not to buy fur products should be left up to individual consumers. Political Reporter Chris Tye reports.
The Chicago City Council on Wednesday voted down an effort to ban the sale of new fur products in the city.
The city's police oversight agency recommended officer Nicholas Jovanovich be fired for using excessive force against Miracle Boyd, but he resigned before facing any possible disciplinary action.
Under the city ordinance, fur retailers in Chicago could no longer sell real fur coats. They could only sell those made with synthetic materials.
Under the city ordinance, fur retailers in Chicago could no longer sell real fur coats. They could only sell those made with synthetic materials. Marissa Sulek reports.
Critics have called the back-loaded structure of the bond deal financially irresponsible.
Mayor Johnson’s controversial plan to raise $830 million for city improvements through a new bond proposal made it through the City Council. Political Reporter Chris Tye reports.
The City Council on Wednesday narrowly approved an $830 million bond deal to finance infrastructure projects. On the surface, it sounds great for Chicago; new money to repair crumbling streets, rusted light poles, and bad bridges. But critics say, while those fixes need to be made, the way the city plans to pay for it is financially irresponsible.
Young said she's still waiting on Mayor Brandon Johnson to make good on a promise to pass an ordinance creating strict rules on how and when police raids can be executed.
Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st), the chief sponsor of the ordinance, had argued a lower speed limit was necessary to protect public safety.
The mayor's bond plan has sparked intense debate over its potential long-term impact on the city's finances, in particular after recent credit downgrades.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson's plan to issue $830 million in bonds to fund various infrastructure projects – scheduled for a final vote by the Chicago City Council on Wednesday – is facing pushback from some aldermen, especially with the threat of federal funding cuts.
City Council members said they were ready to debate the Dexter Reed settlement and they were shocked when it was passed over — presumably because the votes were not there to pass it. Megan Hickey reports.
Some aldermen say the settlement will send a dangerous message, while others say it will save the city money, and time, in the long run.
The Chicago City Council Finance Committee was ready Monday to battle over a controversial settlement for the family of Dexter Reed, who was killed by Chicago police officers last year in a shootout following a traffic stop on the West Side. But as Megan Hickey reports, the vote was scrapped at the last minute.
DJ Moore scored the game-winning 46-yard touchdown pass from QB Caleb Williams.
The ages of the victims range from 23 to 46, according to Chicago police.
Despite a solid effort, Chicago lost its fifth straight game.
A government shutdown is still possible if Mayor Brandon Johnson decides to veto it.
Chicago police said the victim was walking home when she was grabbed from behind, forced to the ground, sexually abused, and then robbed Saturday morning.
The Justice Department released thousands of new photos and records on Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, but at least 550 pages in the documents were fully redacted.
The alternative budget proposal championed by a group of Chicago aldermen won a crucial first full City Council vote on Friday, setting up a final vote on Saturday
A Bulgarian citizen, whom federal officials say was in the U.S. illegally, was found unresponsive in his cell at a Michigan facility.
Defenders of a Wisconsin judge found guilty of felony obstruction for helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal officers are raising alarms about judicial independence and say they hope the conviction will be overturned on appeal.
Village leaders in Broadview, Illinois, voted down a proposal that would limit the setting up of additional detention centers in the area.
A new report shines a light on electricity shortages that Illinois could face in less than 10 years.
With less than two weeks until Christmas, if you're sending gifts to people far from home, the deadlines to get them there on time are fast approaching.
A condo owner in Country Club Hills says he's forced to sell his home after his condo association failed to reimburse him for repairs to his leaking roof. Edward Hadnott's condo has sat empty since a major roof leak in 2022.
The U.S. stopped minting pennies this week, and some groups have issued a warning about the headaches that can create for some businesses and consumers.
Why is one school in the west Chicago suburb of Lisle paying a water bill three times higher than another? The answer has to do with a private utility company.
Millions of people with an Affordable Care Act health plan face a massive jump in premiums next year — this chart shows just how much.
It's the holiday season, which means it's the most common time of year for norovirus to spread. Here's what you need to know about this winter stomach bug.
A study conducted in part by Chicago's Northwestern Medicine found that tanning beds not only triple the risk of melanoma, but can also damage DNA across nearly the whole skin surface.
An investigation into the case of a Michigan man who contracted rabies after an organ transplant provided more details on the infection's origin.
The newest measles vaccination numbers released by Chicago Public Schools shows immunizations are finally moving in the right direction.
The Chicago Bears are expanding their search for a new stadium to Northwest Indiana, even though they already own land in Arlington Heights and have also proposed a new lakefront stadium in Chicago.
A Culver's is coming to Chicago's South Loop, a real estate broker has confirmed.
A new vision for passenger rail is on track in southeastern Wisconsin. The MARK Passenger Rail Commission held its inaugural meeting on December 5, 2025, at Racine City Hall.
U.S. Steel says it'll resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois amid strengthening demand.
Traffic at O'Hare International Airport is growing faster than expected, and this has Chicago city leaders wanting to make big changes to future construction plans at the airport.
Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre is hosting "The Phantom of the Opera," and staff offered a firsthand look at the iconic chandelier inside the theater this week.
The special features interviews with Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Jerry O'Connell and Mandy Patinkin.
The Oscars ceremony is moving to YouTube starting in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday.
The nearly 100-year-old cinema will close briefly after New Year's Day and reopen on Jan. 9 with a showing of Jim Jarmusch's "Father Mother Sister Brother."
Known as a popular Hollywood director, Rob Reiner also had a lengthy record of political and civic activism, especially in California.
Meteorologist Carl Lam is tracking a cold, but sunny Sunday ahead of next warm up.
Protesters chanted and sang outside of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center, a day after the center for the performing arts added President Trump's name to the outside of the building.
The Chicago native waved to the crowd from his popemobile and blessed children.
It's not the lava like you typically see from a volcano, but instead, rock, mud, and steam.
Tense moments captured the child's father chasing down the tow truck, which sped away despite his protests.
A government shutdown is still possible if Mayor Brandon Johnson decides to veto it.
A teen and six children were charged after a mother was attacked by a group of kids while protecting her children outside a South Side elementary school in November.
DJ Moore scored the game-winning 46-yard touchdown pass from QB Caleb Williams.
The ages of the victims range from 23 to 46, according to Chicago police.
The Justice Department has released records from the Epstein files, the first documents to come to light under a new law. Follow live updates here.
Some Chicago area hospitals are at risk of significant flooding both in and around the buildings, according to new KFF Health News/Fathom models.
Lawmakers in Springfield are looking to address the high water bills being reported in some suburbs from customers of Illinois American Water.
Electric bills in the Chicago area could go up as much as $70 in the next three years because of data centers, according to the Citizens Utility Board.
Advocates and legislators are seeking solutions and and accountability for a pattern of Chicago police arresting Black gun owners on firearms charges despite valid FOID and CCL licenses.
Homeowner and Army veteran Kaliff Chilembwe's property tax bill has seen an increase of 118%.
DJ Moore scored the game-winning 46-yard touchdown pass from QB Caleb Williams.
Despite a solid effort, Chicago lost its fifth straight game.
Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic each score 24 points as the Chicago Bulls pull away in the fourth quarter for a 136-125 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Zachary Bolduc scored twice and Lane Hutson had three assists as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1.
After years of planning, Chicago State University is officially launching its first football team. The school is launching the only NCAA Division 1 football program in the City of Chicago.
A Bulgarian citizen, whom federal officials say was in the U.S. illegally, was found unresponsive in his cell at a Michigan facility.
Defenders of a Wisconsin judge found guilty of felony obstruction for helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal officers are raising alarms about judicial independence and say they hope the conviction will be overturned on appeal.
Village leaders in Broadview, Illinois, voted down a proposal that would limit the setting up of additional detention centers in the area.
A grand jury this week indicted a man on charges of setting a young woman on fire on a Chicago Transit Authority train last month, and also setting a fire outside City Hall.
Three teens have been charged with robbing a person who came to buy items that had been offered for sale in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
