Harmon still waiting for “clear direction” from mayor on elected school board https://t.co/cWftLG4IqJ
— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) January 17, 2024
Past Elections
Current Temperature
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
CapFax: (state senate president) Harmon still waiting for “clear direction” from mayor on elected school board
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Elected Chicago Board of Education district map
The Illinois State Senate Democrat Caucus puts out new map for an elected Chicago School Board. This is the map below
You can also click here for an interactive map
Over at CapFax there is a demographic background. According to this tweet from Ben Szalinski the breakdown is 7 latino, 6 Black, and 5 white districts throughout the city. A vote in Springfield could come as soon as next week.
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
CapFax: MAA grills the mayor on the CTU, CPD and Arwady
NBC Chicago's Mary Ann Ahern speaks with Mayor Johnson and when you click through to the Capitol Fax blog be prepared for the evasive answers.
MAA grills the mayor on the CTU, CPD and Arwady https://t.co/5Y493Eyegf
— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) August 22, 2023
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
2nd City Cop blog is back!
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2nd City Cop |
On July 1st they returned to service, if you want to see the perspective of anonymous sworn Chicago Police officers check out 2nd City Cop. They stopped posting and made their blog private on January 13, 2021 due to concerns with using the Google-owned Blogger platform. I only wonder what changed by July of this year.
How many of you out there read that blog?
Monday, July 10, 2023
Op-ed: Gun violence dominates the news, but is crime out of control in Chicago
Something for you to read regarding Chicago crime, if you can get past the Chicago Tribune paywall perhaps it's worth reading.
h/t CapFax that provides an excerpt if you can't get poast the paywall.
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Capitol Fax: Chicago and crime #ChicagoElections
The mayoral candidates in Chicago and hopefully those who want to join the City Council have crime on their minds right now. On the CapFax we hear about some historical states with regards to crime. Will these stats be on your mind when you vote next month?
Chicago and crime https://t.co/6bDLNNjbjP
— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) January 25, 2023
Thursday, October 6, 2022
We have a debate tonight
Democrat Gov. Pritzker & Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey will have a debate tonight which will air on WGN. If you aren't able to be in front of TV for whatever reason then you can watch online.
Rich Miller offers a preview for tonight's debate. And bear in mind soon it will be time for early voting in the General Election in November.
Try to keep in mind that tonight’s televised gubernatorial debate is not a presidential debate. Most voters won’t watch. Some will get their information from the news media, others will see clips and commentary online. So, when someone tells you that a gubernatorial debate can change the trajectory of the race, you might wanna take that with a grain of salt. Gov. Pritkzer would have to perform well below expectations for that to happen and Bailey would have to perform well above. Not saying it won’t happen. Just sayin.
I want to add that Darren Bailey made an appearance on CAN-TVs Political Forum earlier this week that I will share with you here. I watched his conversation with Sylvia Snowden for about 20 mins and it seemed like a great discussion. However, if you have about 30 mins to spare you an decide that for yourself. [VIDEO]
Friday, August 5, 2022
Capitol Fax: Duckworth and Pritzker take different paths on Lightfoot endorsement
US Sen. Tammy Duckworth made a robocall endorsing the re-election bid of Mayor Lightfoot in 2023, however, Gov. Pritzker who's going through his re-election for Governor (actually Sen. Duckworth is running for re-election herself) wants to focus on his race before making any endorsements.
ALSO, I might add in that posting someone wrote in the comments that Gov. Pritzker won't endorse the first Black mayor of Chicago. Someone doesn't know Chicago history now do they. Perhaps they weren't yet born in 1983 or they slept through most of the 1980s in Chicago....Duckworth and Pritzker take different paths on Lightfoot endorsement https://t.co/YHY8iKqPq2
— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) August 5, 2022
Thursday, January 14, 2021
#tbt Chicago History Today: Then and Now, Torrence-112th
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112th & Torrence in 1947 |
A bit outside of the scope of this blog, however, this shows a different scene from what's at this same location just last year. This photo and the 2020 photo is seen at Chicago History Today blog which shares:
In 1947 the Wisconsin Steel plant dominated this section of Torrence Avenue. Here, at paper-112th Street, was the southern terminal of the South Deering streetcar line. By then an off-street turn-around loop was already in place—the tracks are visible at the bottom of the older photo. However, most of the double-ended cars still changed directions the old-fashioned way, parked in the middle of the street while the seats and trolley poles were flipped.
Buses replaced streetcars on Torrence Avenue soon after the 1947 photo was taken. Today those buses use that off-street loop. Wisconsin Steel closed in 1980. The drinking fountain that guy in the older photo was using is gone, too,
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Heard about the case of Anjanette Young
She was a social worker who's home was hit wrongfully by a police search warrant. Capitol Fax shared a press release from an organization of social workers & Black legislators on this subject. Also in that post are a number of links to stories with regards to Ms. Young.
From the Black legislators' press release:
What we see play out in the video of Anjanette Young is an act of racism, gendered violence and yet another violation of a Black woman’s dignity and safety. She told police 43 times that they had the wrong house, yet they stood there while she remained handcuffed and unclothed. Ms. Young had the courage to pursue the release of CPD bodycam footage in the face of legal threats from the City’s top leaders. Now it’s our turn to pursue justice and accountability for the wrongful trauma Ms. Young experienced, all rooted in the same systemic racism that plagues Black people throughout our state and country. We will not let Ms. Young stand alone without answers from the City.
Also this story was shared to a more nationwide audience at Instapundit noting:
As Ed Driscoll first raised here, Democratic Mayor of Chicago’s Lori Lightfoot actually directed her personally-appointed city lawyers to block CBS’ Chicago TV station from airing police body cam footage of them arresting and cuffing the wrong woman.
FFS, how can this woman say she believes “Black Lives Matter” when she tries to suppress footage showing potential police misconduct or incompetence? How can any Democrat say they support her and the idea of BLM? She was rightly laughed out of court. Worth noting:
“This isn’t the first time CPD attempted to shield body camera video from public view. Last year, police denied CBS 2’s FOIA request for video that would show how officers handcuffed 8-year-old Royal Wilson during a bad raid. The department said it would be “unduly burdensome” for police to collect, review and redact 16 hours of video.”
I think it's in our best interest to insure police has the correct information so that they won't execute a search warrant on the wrong house.
Friday, September 4, 2020
98th & Cottage Grove #fbf
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Via Chicago History Today |
It's amazing to see how this part of Cottage Grove which is basically Pullman looked in 1954. As you check out the blog Chicago History Today you see how much differently this part of the city looks today. Of course we no longer have a streetcar running in the city at all just about 70 years later. And there's a lot more brush and trees covering up the railroad right-of-way these days.
Seeing old photographs of this city just blows me away...
Monday, August 10, 2020
The Mayor breaks up a gathering on the north lakefront this past weekend
It's called a pandemic, people. This reckless behavior on Montrose Beach is what will cause us to shut down the parks and lakefront. Don't make us take steps backwards. pic.twitter.com/FHxeYfH7Wf— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) August 8, 2020
Furthermore Ed Driscoll at Instapundit noted: "Curiously, none of the articles this weekend by the Chicago Sun Times, ABC’s Chicago affiliate, CBS’s Chicago affiliate, and NBC’s Chicago affiliate mention the July protests or Lightfoot’s blessings."
I admitted to an out of state friend that I miss Rahm Emanuel. He was unpopular as time went on but some of what's been going on in the city it wouldn't have been tolerated with him as mayor. However, the crisis going on he wouldn't let go to waste.
In addition, 2nd City Cop has an interesting post if you go to the bottom of the post about the various machines that exists in Chicago. In a fit of perhaps disrespect they refer to the mayor as Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, perhaps the Mayor will only have one term. We have a while before '23.
Friday, June 26, 2020
Chicago Board of Ed. continues CPD contract
Then Wednesday's Board of Education votes and the contract continues [VIDEO]
And 2nd City Cop discusses this some more
The obvious answer is that the four votes don't want to face the political fallout when schools become uninhabitable for the good kids along with the three or four hundred teachers who would resign instantly should their last modicum of safety was removed. That makes them reasonably intelligent....for public school employees that is.Also from the above video, Miguel del Valle noted that LSCs can make the decision as far as whether they want police officers or school resource officers in their individual schools. I suppose if each school can make that choice then so be it as opposed to making this a system wide mandate. It was noted in this article that Minneapolis' schools made their decision to end their contraction with Minneapolis police. They also voted to abolish their police department.
I wanted to show you this video of the protest on Wednesday in downtown Chicago. I drove right through it at least before Dearborn Street got shut down. Even saw a car with "Defund the police" in big letters and a huge figure of a pig on top of it - fill in the blank on that one though no need in this case I know their point. In this 1 min 30 sec video I don't see that car but we do see the protest. [VIDEO]
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Black Chicago at mid-century - Chicago History Today
At least during the first half of the 20th Century for the most part Blacks were restricted to a particular part of the south side and housing increasingly was becoming an issue. These days Blacks have spread out to the point that many are leaving the city.
Either they're living in the suburbs or they're moving back to the south since during the first half of the 20th century many came from the south looking for better opportunities north. Of course if there is a reverse migration back to the south, perhaps the reasons are somewhat different.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Capitol Fax: CPS receiving about three adult sexual misconduct complaints per day
CPS receiving about three adult sexual misconduct complaints per day https://t.co/raOqJ3b5cT— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) November 21, 2019
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
CTA Red Line extension update
Rendering 103rd Street Red Line station - CTA |
Monday, October 28, 2019
Capitol Fax: Must-see CPS strike videos
Must-see CPS strike videos https://t.co/T1IP3tuIXz— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 25, 2019
Friday, October 25, 2019
Chicago Teacher's strike updates
This first item from earlier this week involved the negotiations between the Mayor and the teachers. Funny thing about this is the notion that if you want to frustrate the process just bring more people to the table. Main thing is there is a real strategy to doing so if you know the other side has something to lose in this.
Pick a lane, please https://t.co/dUIUxtQn1C— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 22, 2019
Pressure intensifies on both sides as legislators stand with CTU https://t.co/bW3ySccRUx— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 24, 2019
Finally here are a couple of Instagram posts shared on Thursday from CPS with regards to their teachers union offer.
Monday, October 21, 2019
No resolution to the teacher's strike yet...
CTU to Lightfoot: Nope https://t.co/Ahlx0zDSOw— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 21, 2019
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Teacher's strike: Small number of Chicago voters oppose strike
Poll: Just 38 percent of Chicago voters oppose CTU strike https://t.co/A14GZCDUq4— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) October 15, 2019