City workers owe millions in fines
Good morning, Chicago. ✶
???? Below: Chicago city workers, mostly CTA and CPS employees, owe more than $19 million in traffic tickets, water bills and various fines — and Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration has done little to make them pay up.
????️ Plus: Local officials warn of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests at domestic violence court, Loyola University students' safety concerns, and more news you need to know.
???? Keeping score: The Blackhawks lost to the Oilers, 3-1, officially eliminating themselves from playoff contention.
???? Subscribe: Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.
⏱️: An 8-minute read
TODAY’S WEATHER ⛅
Mostly cloudy with a high near 62.
TODAY’S TOP STORY ????
City workers owe millions in fines but remain on the payroll
By Tim Novak, Sophie Sherry, Alden Loury and Amy Qin
Fine mess: More than 12,700 people who work for the city of Chicago or its sister agencies owe City Hall more than $19.5 million for delinquent water bills, parking violations, speeding tickets, building code violations and various other infractions, according to data from the mayor’s finance department.
CPS and CTA: Nearly 80% of those scofflaws have jobs with the Chicago Board of Education or the Chicago Transit Authority, owing nearly $15.7 million, city finance records show. When it comes to hiring, Chicago Public Schools and the CTA say they don’t turn away applicants who owe money to City Hall even though they may later have their paychecks garnished.
Key context: These employees owe a fraction of the $8 billion of unpaid debt that Chicago officials have failed to collect over the past 30 years, including $1 billion that has been added since Mayor Johnson took office in 2023.
PUBLIC SAFETY ????
After freshman’s murder, Loyola students share safety concerns
By Mary Norkol and Jon Seidel
Fatal shooting: It took hours for Loyola University Chicago students to get the first notification about the March 19 shooting death of Sheridan Gorman. The 18-year-old was with a group of friends taking pictures of the skyline at Tobey Prinz Beach Park when Jose Medina fatally shot her, officials said. Students say in the wake of the shooting, communication has been lacking.
Questions raised: Many students are questioning why Loyola didn’t step up security or take other safety precautions as students grieved the loss of their classmate. Some students said they would like to see scaled-up campus police patrols at the beach where Gorman was killed and faster alerts when violent crimes happen near campus. The shooting has raised questions about Loyola's level of responsibility to protect its students.
Federal charges: Chicago’s top federal prosecutor said he’s taking "no chances" that Medina will be released, filing an illegal gun possession charge for the 25-year-old already charged with murdering Gorman. Medina, who immigrated from Venezuela, is now charged with possessing a gun while being unlawfully present in the U.S.
IMMIGRATION ✶
Local officials warn of ICE arrests at domestic violence courthouse
By Violet Miller
Accusations against feds: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are violating Illinois law and making arrests at Chicago-area courthouses, local officials alleged at a press conference Thursday. The Cook County Public Defender’s office said since late February, agents have been spotted entering the downtown Domestic Violence Courthouse or waiting directly outside. In at least two instances, someone was arrested. Agents had returned to the courthouse Thursday.
Key context: Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law in December banning federal agents from conducting civil immigration enforcement at state courthouses after the chief judge’s office barred civil arrests at county courthouses in October. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle also signed an executive order prohibiting the feds from staging on county property as Chicago, Evanston and others did the same. The law doesn't carry criminal penalties; it requires a person, if detained, to file a civil lawsuit.
More on immigration:
- Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling on Thursday joined the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability for a “special hearing” to discuss his department’s interactions with federal immigration agents. Some of his comments prompted boos from the audience.
- Cook County’s top prosecutor abruptly dropped a felony case against a DePaul University student accused of spitting on an ICE agent over the weekend at O’Hare Airport.
MORE NEWS YOU NEED ????️
- ‘Hostile to oversight’: Mayor Johnson has shown himself to be "reflexively hostile to oversight" and has "not lived up to" his campaign promise to govern as a reformer, outgoing Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said Thursday.
- 55 years for police murder: Joseph Brooks, 22, was sentenced to 55 years in prison Thursday after he pleaded guilty to the 2023 murder of off-duty Chicago Police Officer Aréanah Preson in Avalon Park.
- Man charged after bomb threat: A man was charged with making a fake bomb threat that diverted a Chicago-bound American Airlines flight to Detroit, where it made an emergency landing over the weekend. He told authorities he had been having problems with his medication.
- Bondi out: President Donald Trump said Thursday that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is out of the role, and named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting attorney general.
- Abughazaleh’s Midwest advocacy: After a second-place finish, former congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh is scaling up her political network to help purple and progressive candidates in the Midwest, while keeping her Rogers Park campaign office open as a mutual aid hub.
WEEKEND PLANS ????
???? Trinket Fest
12-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
????Artifact Events Center, 4325 N Ravenswood Ave.
Shop from more than 100 vendors and pop-up markets selling thrifted clothes, house decor, flower bouquets, Labubu accessories, desserts and more.
Admission $5 or free entry with a pet food donation for PAWS Chicago
????️ Spend in the Black: Resurrecting the Black Dollar
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday
????75th and King Drive
Dozens of Black-owned vendors will line 75th Street in Great Grand Crossing, where shoppers can buy from booths and businesses.
Admission: Free
???? Vinyl & Vittles
1-6 p.m. Saturday
????First Church of the Brethren, 425 S. Central Park Blvd.
Enjoy DJs, food vendors and local booksellers.
Admission: Free
???? Springtime flower shows
Through May 10
????Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave.; Lincoln Park Conservatory, 2391 N. Stockton Drive
"Showers of Flowers" at Garfield Park Conservatory features more than 80 hanging baskets filled with trailing vines, ferns and colorful flowers. "Jewels of Spring" at Lincoln Park Conservatory showcases the Tower of Jewels, a colorful plant up to 3 feet tall.
Admission: Free with registration required
FROM THE PRESS BOX ????⚾
- Fighting words: Illini great Deon Thomas says former basketball coach Bruce Pearl doesn't belong on TV — and he's right, writes Jeff Agrest.
- NU coach: Carla Berube brings March expertise to Northwestern women's basketball. Will the university meet her there?
- Community tournament: A Trans Day of Visibility basketball tournament last week created a space for trans athletes amid sports bans.
- 10 years later: Steve Greenberg looks back on how the Cubs went from lovable losers to 2016 World Series champions.
- Beyond Banana ball: Former Savannah Banana Tristan Peters is lining up his shot in the White Sox' outfield.
- New MLB rules: Third-base coaches can no longer stand beyond the outer boundary of the box, which is just 90 feet from home plate, and many fear their jobs have become more dangerous.
CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD ????
Today's clue: 1A: Restaurants like JB's and Sam & Gertie's
BRIGHT ONE ????
Marshall High School boys basketball team’s state championship brings pride to West Side
By Cindy Hernandez
When the boys’ basketball team at John Marshall Metropolitan High School took home the Class 1A state title last month, it was bigger than just one school.
"This championship wasn’t just for us, it was for the West Side of Chicago," head coach Darrin Laye said Thursday, when the squad was honored with a celebration at the school.
Laye credited the victory, the school’s first basketball championship since 2008, to the players’ hard work and dedication. Marshall won the 3A title in 2008 and also captured state championships in 1958 and 1960.
"These kids deserve it," Laye said.
Students, faculty, parents and even alumni packed the auditorium of the East Garfield Park school, welcoming the team with applause and cheers.
"When that buzzer rang it was a great feeling," senior and team member Quinton Gibson said before the celebration. Gibson said his teammates kept each other motivated to continue to put in the work to succeed.
"We’re a family," Gibson said. "We all got each other. They’re like my brothers."
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Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia
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