Ald. Michelle Harris is Mayor Lightfoot's floor leader

 You might have seen this on last night's news Ald. Gilbert Villegas (Ward 36) resigned his role for the mayor's office on the city council and will be replaced by Ald. Michelle Harris (Ward 8).

The Sun-Times writes about it:

Dreadhead Cowboy's horse is fine

I just wanted to share this update with you all, if you're at all concerned about the condition of his horse who authorities suggested could be euthanized due to her grave condition. Here's what Sun-Times' Michael Sneed states in her column

Where is NuNu?

Sneed has learned the injured horse nearly ridden to death by the “Dread Head Cowboy” in an anti-violence protest on the Dan Ryan Expressway, is safely on the mend and on her way to recovery since being moved to a horse farm in the south suburbs.

“She’s rallied,” said Ald. Ray Lopez (15th), a strong advocate of humane animal care who works closely with the city’s Animal Care and Control Department.

“But I’m told it should never be ridden again,” he said.

Also and this is more shocking:

But Sneed also hears Hollingsworth — who has been seen at protests riding horses around the city this summer — was “already on the city’s Animal Care radar months ago for riding a horse near the expressway,” Lopez said.

“This is not the first time,” Lopez said, even before Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office tapped the cowboy to do outreach for the U.S. Census. “We had videos and pictures of him multiple times before the mayor hired him to be her census outreach person/cowboy.

“We were trying to find out where he lived before the mayor hired him,” said Lopez, who has frequently sparred with Lightfoot during her administration. “We were actually on the hunt for him due to concern about how his horse was being kept.”

The city might send an invoice for the cost of NuNu’s care to Hollingsworth. A GoFundMe Hollingsworth launched earlier this year — with the goal of opening a horse barn in the city — has raised more than $88,000 as of Friday, with many donations pouring in since his highway ride.

I wanted to share this with you from 2nd City Cop. They were on the case of a horse being kept in an Englewood backyard. I wonder if Ald. Lopez had this on his radar.

Sneed notes that Hollingsworth keeps his other horses at a farm in Dyer, Indiana

Ward 15 Alderman reports another incident of vandalism

[VIDEO] This incident happened on Sunday Alderman Raymond Lopez's (Ward 15) offices were hit with bricks by vandals:

Chicago Alderman tests positive for coronavirus #Pandemic

Ald. Carrie Austin (Ward 34) revealed that she tested positive for coronavirus. It's an odd story, however, I will admit this virus is a bit tricky however the Alderman found out about it.

JUST IN: Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) has tested positive for the coronavirus — after testing negative at a different hospital on the same day. https://t.co/ZwXgFpRQSI

— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) July 13, 2020

Chicago’s second-most-senior alderman has tested positive for the coronavirus — after testing negative at a different hospital on the same day.

Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) tested positive last month after what sources described as a bleeding episode that initially appeared to signal complications from the surgery she had five years ago to repair a torn aorta that nearly killed her.

Sources said the 71-year-old Austin was taken by ambulance to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, where she tested negative for COVID-19. She was then transported by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where the original surgery to repair the torn aorta had been conducted.

There, Austin was tested again. This time, the test came back positive, sources said. The veteran alderman, second in seniority only to indicted Ald. Edward Burke (14th), was then transferred to a floor at Northwestern reserved for coronavirus patients in isolation.

She apparently remained there for awhile, and has missed the last two City Council meetings, both conducted online.

The source of the bleeding was not known.

Austin could not be reached for comment. It was not known whether she remains hospitalized or is recuperating at home.

I wish Ald. Austin a speedy recovery if she is in fact ill. 

Does CPS need police at schools? #6WardChicago

[VIDEO] Alderman Roderick Sawyer (Ward 6) speaks with WGN on a proposal to remove Chicago Police (CPD) from CPS schools.

A couple of things that resonate with me from this discussion. First, should students be concerned that some minor mischievous actions could quickly turn into a police situation. Ald. Sawyer noted that a student spent a night in jail for mouthing off to a police officer. One shouldn't get smart with police anyway, however, was it worth a night in jail?

Second, while police were stationed at schools initially to keep out bad influences could the schools find other resources to help students. Let's say CPD or CPS ended the contract for police at the schools, perhaps they could find a way to bring in resource officers. We've heard a lot about bringing in nurses, psychologists, social workers, etc into our schools. So let's say we do take police out of our schools, we can replace them with resources for our students.

What do you think?

ABC 7: Plans to revitalize historic Pullman corridor on South Side into major tourist destination take shape

[VIDEO] While it seems that the newly freed Rod Blagojevich is in the news a lot right now, let's check out the revitalization taking place in Pullman. New projects for the national monument in addition to new businesses coming into that historic neighborhood.

We got former Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaking with a few nice words about the work of Pullman residents in their care of their community. We also see 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale speaking to WLS-TV's Karen Jordan about the positive developments in Pullman.

CBS 2 Chicago on the bus shelter at 79th/Cottage Grove

[VIDEO] You might have seen this on our fb page over the weekend. CBS 2 Chicago news picked up the story regarding the missing bench at a bus shelter at 79th & Cottage Grove. Nothing really new to report here, just that the story gained more traction.

CTA, Chicago Police, Alderman Michelle Harris (Ward 8), and Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) all want to address the issue of any loitering at this bus shelter.

What's going on with this bus shelter at 79th/Cottage Grove

79th/Cottage Grove bus shelter loitering

You might have seen this photograph circulating on Facebook and I've been trying to determine where at 79th/Cottage Grove this was located. I see in a recent article from Block Club Chi that this was probably in front of the currency exchange on the north east corner of 79th & Cottage.

A bench was removed from this shelter and people who want to just hang out here simply bring their own chairs. I've even seen reports online that although these loiterers may seem menacing at first glance have been courteous enough to offer their chairs to those waiting for a bus. Certainly a plus for any senior citizen who are taking public transit.

However, this is an issue that the police and the 8th Ward Ald. Michelle Harris are looking to take care of the loitering and have taken steps:

Administrators of the Concerned Citizens of Chatham, a popular neighborhood Facebook page, said there were requests to remove the bus shelter bench, as well as one on 71st Street and Indiana Ave., due to the robberies and other “dangerous activities” at both locations.

The shelter bench at 71st Street remained in place as of Sunday.

Harris and 6th District Police Cmdr. Rahman Muhammad said they believe the removals are a good way to combat loitering. But when asked about how the removal affects elderly riders and passengers with disabilities, Harris said the move removal was only temporary.

“Once we get things under control, it will return,” Harris said. “I and Cmdr. Muhammad will be monitoring the intersection for the next week or so, and going from there.”

Muhammad said he is taking a “three-pronged approach” to tackle the problem.

“Firstly, offering those individuals a warning to leave the area, while at the same time giving them job fliers for employment opportunities,” Muhammad said.

Harris and Muhammad are planning to meet with CTA leadership “in the near future” about the issue and possible solutions.

“There will be weekly updates,” said Harris, who added that she hopes to have a meeting with the owner of the nearby currency exchange to persuade them to hire security.

Here's an update with the above photo from Worlee Glover's Concerned Citizens of Chatham

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Benajmin E. Mays Elementary School building now an Englewood community center

Benjamin E. Mays Elementary School (838 W. Marquette Road) had been among those 50 schools on the south and west sides (or in "minority" communities) which had been closed by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel's school board back in 2013. It's unfortunate that the school named for the illustrious former President of Morehouse College is now closed. However, it's great that the building that housed the school will now have a new use as community center operated by Shepherd's Hope.

Read more about it at Block Club Chi.

Block Club Chi: After City Cuts Funding For Englewood Preschool, Alderman Says He’s Trying To Get It Back #6WardChicago

6th Ward Alderman Roderick Sawyer is trying to get funding back for an Englewood learning center (preschool). Something that was evidently promised last year by former mayor Rahm Emanuel:

Last year, former mayor Rahm Emanuel praised Little Angels Learning Center, pledging $1.4 million to turn a vacant lot near the Englewood church from which it currently operates into an early learning center.

Emanuel has since left office, and the city just this month sent a letter to center founder Nashone Greer-Adams telling her the funding is being cut.

Chalkbeat Chicago reported this week that Greer-Adams got a letter from the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services Commissioner Lisa Morrison-Butler with the bad news for her center, which operates out of a church at 6701 S. Emerald Ave.

Sawyer says he wants the city to reverse the cuts.

“We’ve been a big supporter of Little Angels. They’ve been doing a phenomenal job with our children in the Englewood community,” said Sawyer, who had worked to get funding for the preschool program.

“A lot of their grant dollars were based on the programming they’d been doing over the years. They were held up as a model of what a preschool should be. How could they do that? It’s unheard of,” said Sawyer. “[Greer-Adams] came to me today in tears. She works so hard.”

“We’re not finished. There’s are going to be more conversations about this.”

Sexual assaults in Greater Grand Crossing #6WardChicago

[VIDEO] The report you see above is Jim Williams of CBS 2 in Greater Grand Crossing at 77th & Langley talking about a string of sexual assualts in the area. Here's more from the Tribune:

Investigators believe one man may be responsible for all of the attacks, said Cmdr. Ozzie Valdez of the Area Central detective division. In each attack, the man lured the women to a secluded area. There was a conversation between the assailant and each woman before the assaults took place, Valdez said. During each assault, the assailant took out either a gun or a knife and stole the woman’s personal property.

“What we do ask is that everyone be cautious when they are out in that area … if they have to be out that they should be out with others and not be alone," Valdez said. They should try to be in areas that are well lit, and just be cognizant of their surroundings.

The attacks occurred on the:

• 7700 block of South Langley Avenue about 2 p.m. Friday.
• 7400 block of South King Drive about midnight Aug. 6.
• 7400 block of South Vernon Avenue about 5:30 a.m. July 25.
• 7600 block of South Evans Avenue around 5 a.m. July 12.

The man was described as African American, with black hair, 20 to 30 years old, 5-foot-8 to 6-foot-3 and 130 to 160 pounds. The man was last seen in the 6700 block of South Prairie Avenue, wearing a white T-shirt, blue shorts and gym shoes, according to police, who did not specify when he was seen on that block.

The first time I got wind of these assaults was from the instagram page for Alderman Sawyer. Great way of getting some necessary immediate updates.

View this post on Instagram

Please be alert & stay safe 🚨

A post shared by 6 Ward Chicago (@6wardchicago) on Aug 27, 2019 at 10:33am PDT

NHS Chicago ribbon cutting/grand opening of new south side housing services hub #6WardChicago

I saw this via Nextdoor over the weekend. Sorry to have not been able to advertise this in advance. There were posts from NHS Chicago and Ald. Sawyer on their respective ig pages. The new NHS office is located on the first floor of the Seaway National Bank building on 645 E. 87th Street or actually the office is given an address of 639 E. 87th Street.

The interesting part about the space that NHS now takes up is that for many old timers it used to be the offices for ComEd where customers can pay their electric bill and get a few complimentary light bulbs. It also had been the offices of Seaway National Bank's loan department once ComEd moved out of this space.

Open house #6WardChicago

Sorry for the late notice on this, however, for those of you who live in Ward 6 there is an open house with Ald. Roderick Sawyer tomorrow Saturday, July 13, 2019. Here's an ig post from 6 Ward Chicago

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 6 Ward Chicago (@6wardchicago) on Jul 11, 2019 at 1:13pm PDT

Mayor Lori Lightfoot

[VIDEO] As of Monday Chicago has a new mayor in Lori Lightfoot. Last month she defeated county board president Toni Preckwinkle to occupy city hall's fifth floor as mayor of Chicago succeeding Rahm Emanuel.

Emanuel I hear already has a new gig as a contributing editor to The Atlantic and a contributor to ABC News.

Meanwhile we're already two days into Lightfoot's mayorality and is already busy putting her staff into place. She also attempting to chip away at Aldermanic prerogative.

Above is her inaugural address from Monday, which is one speech I never had a chance to fully follow. It's just about 40 minutes so it's a long haul to follow. I'm curious about her agenda as mayor for the next four years.

Runoff #6WardChicago

You might have seen this on Concerned Citizens of Chatham, as the count had continued from last week's election it appears that there will be a runoff in the 6th Ward between incumbent Roderick T. Sawyer and Deborah Foster Bonner.

Capitol Fax: Because… Burke! #ChiMayor19

Well yeah because obviously, we're still talking about Ald. Ed Burke and the current federal indictments of him. And of course mayoral candidates hitting each other over their relationships with Burke.

You can read about it from Rich Miller

Because… Burke! https://t.co/qESVNqIhcB

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) February 11, 2019

As Miller states correctly

But even if Burke wins reelection he’ll be a shell of his former self. And there’s nobody in the city council who can easily fill those shoes.

Agreed! 

The plot thickens with Ald. Burke #ChiMayor19

[VIDEO] So Ald. Danny Solis (Ward 25) was wearing a wire for the feds and that helped them get search warrants and an indictment for Ald. Ed. Burke (Ward 14). Even worse Ald. Solis was on Chicago Tonight last year and wondered aloud if Burke should run for re-election. I'll quote an article where I saw this but you'll see the segment itself later.

Capitol Fax: Burke finally busted cold

Yesterday after returning from his holiday break Rich Miller of Capitol Fax takes a look at the feds finally busted ward 14 Alderman Ed Burke. He resigned from his longtime chairmanship of the city council committee on finance after the feds finally charged the longtime alderman with extortion.

Burke finally busted cold https://t.co/Vi5qkfzKRQ

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) January 7, 2019

Also I wanted to share this video with you, I think you might have seen jokes about the charges involving some Burger King franchises. Specifically if you remember what happened with LaQuan McDonald what happened with that young man over four years ago happened not far from a Burger King on Pulaski near the Stevenson Expressway. [VIDEO]

What's going on with Ald. Burke?

I wanted to cover the events of this week as I saw this on twitter from Carol Marin

Confirmed! FBI re-raided Alderman Ed Burke’s office in City Hall this afternoon!

— Carol Marin (@CarolMarin) December 14, 2018

If you want to know what's up here's an article we still don't know why the feds are interested in the long-time chairman of the city council's finance committee.

Federal agents returned to the City Hall offices of Ald. Ed Burke on Thursday, two weeks after they carried out unprecedented raids on the longtime alderman’s downtown and ward offices, sources said.

Federal investigators were looking for information they didn’t find during the first raid, sources said. The nature of the information sought was unknown.

On Nov. 29, federal investigators descended on Burke’s ward and City Hall offices and covered the windows with brown butcher paper. At City Hall, investigators spent at least five hours inside and left with boxes of records and computers.
They also showed up at the home of political operative Peter Andrews Jr., the longtime head of Burke’s ward organization. They seized Burke’s cellphone.

Sources at the time told the Sun-Times that the initial raid was not triggered by Burke’s administration of the city’s $100 million workers compensation program, nor was it tied to Burke’s property tax appeals work for the Trump Tower.

Speaking of which there were moves to take away the administration of worker's comp away from Burke's finance committee.

A plan introduced before the City Council on Wednesday would strip Ald. Edward Burke of his control of the city workers’ compensation system, nearly two weeks after federal agents raided his offices.

The ordinance sponsored by Ald. John Arena and other progressive aldermen would place the $100 million-per-year program under the control of the corporation counsel, who is appointed by the mayor. The corporation counsel would have the power to designate people to oversee the fund and to approve payment vouchers.

If you want to watch a video talking about this from CBS 2 [VIDEO]

 

What's this? An allegation against Ald. Burke? He's using his political muscle with regards to the dealings of a city department?

Former Chicago Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans is laying out a bill of particulars against Ald. Edward Burke (14th), alleging that he worked repeatedly behind the scenes to inappropriately pressure her and her staff on airport business.

In a memo to the Sun-Times, Evans, who resigned earlier this year, gave five examples of Burke or his staff allegedly interfering or overstepping.

 Well, time will tell what the feds are looking into with the powerful Alderman.

Capitol Fax: Ald. Edward Burke's offices raided by Feds

If you're not familiar with Ald Ed. Burke (Ward 14) he's the longtime chairman of the committee on finance. He was also an important figure of the "council wars" back when the mayor's name was Harold Washington. Also when Rahm first became mayor, there was a debate over whether or not Burke should keep his police protection detail which stems from those council wars.

Anyway, there was a search warrant executed by federal authorities on Burke's offices at City Hall and in his ward offices as well.

This may not end well https://t.co/OBYyypifBy

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) November 29, 2018

The next question, what is going on? What are the feds looking for? Is another Chicago alderman going down for corruption?

And CBS Chicago did a quick story on this also [VIDEO]

Also I knew the Newsalert blog will look into this. They've been following Ald. Burke for years.