Good morning, Chicago.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s role in the debate over legislation that would extend for two years a moratorium on closing public schools in the city — including selective enrollment and magnet schools — has raised questions about the powerful union’s credibility in Springfield for some lawmakers.
The CTU’s biggest ally, Mayor Brandon Johnson, is headed to the state Capitol today to plead for more school funding from the state amid negotiations over a new teachers union contract and on the same day a Senate committee hearing is scheduled on the moratorium extension, which was approved by the House last month.
The legislation is the latest test for a teachers union that exerts tremendous influence in Chicago, where it helped elect a governmental neophyte as mayor, but whose extreme progressivism under President Stacy Davis Gates finds a better fit with the City Council than with the broader geographical and ideological universe of Springfield.
“Springfield is just incredibly different than City Hall,” said state Rep. Margaret Croke, the House sponsor of the school closing moratorium bill.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rick Pearson and Jeremy Gorner.
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Bally’s Casino at the Medinah Temple in Chicago on April 11, 2024. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Bally’s Chicago sees first monthly revenue decline in April
Bally’s Chicago revenue was down 7% to about $10.4 million in adjusted gross receipts in April, the first month-over-month revenue decline since the temporary casino opened at Medinah Temple in September.
Admissions were also down, declining more than 4% to 112,751 visitors for the month, according to data released Tuesday by the Illinois Gaming Board.
Anti-abortion activist Eileen Steffel of Glenview, back to camera, faces a row of pointing pro-abortion rights “handmaids” as several dozen abortion activists and supporters rally during a “Bans Off My Body”protest at the Federal Plaza in Chicago, on Sept. 10, 2021. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Proposal aimed at quieting anti-abortion protests outside Chicago clinic moves forward in City Council
Protesters have targeted the West Loop’s Family Planning Associates clinic at West Washington Boulevard and North Desplaines Street for years, said Ald. Bill Conway, 34th. They rush toward arriving patients and amplify sound so loud that it disrupts work being done inside, he said.
The ordinance Conway sponsored that passed through the City Council’s Public Safety committee Tuesday seeks to block the use of loud noise-making devices directly outside the clinic.
President Joe Biden smiles as he meets with Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis in the Oval Office of the White House, May 7, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Joe Biden heads to Wisconsin to laud a new Microsoft facility, meet voters — and troll Donald Trump
Biden is racing into yet another battleground state today, continuing to push a contrast with Donald Trump on economic policy as his own reelection campaign readies a new $14 million advertising blitz aimed in part at Black, Latino and Asian American voters.
Biden is traveling to Racine, Wisconsin, where he’ll highlight a decision by Microsoft to build a $3.3 billion data center that is expected to create roughly 2,000 jobs.
Gary voters leave the G5-04 polling location at Gary Fire Department Station 13 on Election Day, May 7, 2024. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
2024 Indiana primary day election results
See election results from Indiana primary day, including elections for governor, representatives to the U.S. House and more.
Lake and Porter County primaries draw few voters
Get full election coverage from The Post-Tribune
The former Arlington International Racecourse on Aug. 7, 2023.
If a Bears stadium isn’t built in Arlington Heights, village leaders already listed what can’t be constructed on the site
As the village waits to see if the team’s Chicago dreams get dashed, Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes says he, nevertheless, wants to see development at the site of the former crown jewel venue.
“Our goal is to put that property to its highest and best use, and in a manner that is befitting of the legacy of Arlington Park racetrack — and it was in our community for almost a hundred years,” Hayes told Pioneer Press.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson responds to questions after the second day of the NHL draft on June 29, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Chicago Blackhawks stay put in the NHL draft lottery and retain the No. 2 selection
When Tuesday’s NHL draft lottery whittled down to two teams, and the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks were still on the board, Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson admitted he felt a sense of déjà vu — probably along with the rest of Chicago.
“Yeah, I did. I did,” he said with a smile. “I had a little flashback to last year.”
Lukas Reichel gets a new 2-year deal from the Blackhawks after an uneven season
Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso (10) watches her teammates warm up before their game against New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena on May 7, 2024. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Kamilla Cardoso’s WNBA debut delayed by a shoulder injury
Cardoso exited her preseason debut after taking a hard fall, although the team has not indicated whether that incident was the source of the injury. She will be sidelined for the next four to six weeks and then undergo re-evaluation.
Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, Coby White show support as Angel Reese ushers in new Chicago Sky era: ‘It’s about time’
WNBA to begin full-time charter flights this season, commissioner says
Reporters Bob Herguth, left, and Abdon Pallasch, who host “The Rebel Kind” podcast, outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on May 3, 2024, in Chicago. (Vincent D. Johnson/for the Chicago Tribune)
Column: ‘Underbelly’ podcast offers a most compelling tale of a most unlikely spy and his Chicago connections
There are a lot of fictional spies but none of them can prepare you for Dave Rupert, the compelling real-life centerpiece of a 12-part podcast series called “Underbelly: The Rebel Kind,” currently unfolding on various platforms.
Rick Kogan will do his best to get you to plug into this audio marvel without giving away many of the details that will keep you hooked.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is presented to a crowd of people gathered on the steps of the Museum of Science and Industry, Dec. 1, 2022, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Coming to Chicago museums: SpaceX Dragon at MSI, Georgia O’Keeffe at Art Institute
A SpaceX Dragon and a biofeedback belt worn by astronaut Mae Jemison will go on display May 19 as part of the newly renovated Henry Crown Space Center at the Museum of Science and Industry. Jemison, who was raised in Chicago, was the first Black woman astronaut in space.
