Good morning, Chicago.
Cook County voters are staring down more than a dozen referendums to raise taxes in the March 19 primary, including the Bring Chicago Home question championed by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
But if recent history is any indication, very few residents will decide the outcome.
A new report from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas — whose office mails out property tax bills — found that in 75 binding property tax-related referendums put on ballots between 2020 and 2023, the average turnout was 32% of all registered voters. That number always fell below the overall election turnout, meaning that some voters skipped those questions entirely. In all, 70% of the referendums were approved.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s A.D. Quig.
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Two more cases of measles at migrant shelter in Pilsen
The Chicago Department of Public Health said late Monday afternoon that two adults at the quarantined facility on Cermak Road and Halsted have tested positive, bringing the total number of cases at the shelter to four. The first case in the shelter was confirmed Friday. That child has recovered and is no longer infectious. A second child with measles was announced Sunday.
Chicago Bears’ domed stadium proposal sparks excitement, questions and early opposition
The Bears stirred excitement and alarm after carefully unveiling a piece of its plans for a new stadium and promising to spend more than $2 billion to help build a new publicly owned domed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront.
Strike averted after nurses and UChicago Medicine reach agreement
Nurses had been set to walk off the job for a one-day strike Thursday. But their union, National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, and the health system reached a tentative agreement, the union announced Monday. The union represents about 2,800 nurses at UChicago Medicine.
Realtors appeal Bring Chicago Home to Illinois Supreme Court
The filing marks yet another installment in the legal feud over the referendum that would hike transfer taxes on real estate value over $1 million to raise what proponents estimate as $100 million in revenue earmarked for fighting homelessness.
Chicago getting $75 million for DNC security from federal budget deal
The city of Chicago will receive $75 million to help offset security costs for this summer’s Democratic National Convention as part of a $460 billion spending measure President Joe Biden signed into law over the weekend to avert a government shutdown.
Candidates make final push in Illinois Supreme Court race that raised diversity issues
With Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joy Cunningham leading the way in both party endorsements and fundraising going into the campaign’s final week, her Democratic primary challenger is staking his bid on the argument that the election is a once-in-a generation chance to put a Latino on the high court.
Ex-Ald. Ed Burke to keep law license after Supreme Court fails to act on petition from disciplinary commission
It’s not clear which members of the Supreme Court recused themselves, and the order did not outline any reasoning. Recusal is at justices’ discretion, and they don’t have to provide a reason, spokesperson Christopher Bojean said.
The former alderman’s wife, Anne Burke, was previously on the Supreme Court and served as its chief justice for three years, ending in 2022.
Chicago Ridge Mall sold to firm pledging ‘substantial’ cosmetic, staff investment
A real estate investment firm based in Boca Raton, Florida, has bought the Chicago Ridge Mall from the Miami-based Starwood Capital Group in the latest change for a south suburban shopping center.
Justin Fields’ future with the Bears remains unclear
As the winds of NFL free agency intensified Monday, Justin Fields’ future continued swirling in the air. The fourth-year quarterback remains under contract with the Chicago Bears until further notice.
Oswego East’s Noah Schultz faces an Oswego batter during a Southwest Prairie Conference game on May 12, 2022. (H. Rick Bamman/The Beacon-News)
For Noah Schultz, the 6-9 White Sox prospect from Oswego, preparation for 2024 includes working on off-speed pitches — and eating lots of steak
Noah Schultz, 20, is ranked the No. 2 prospect in the organization by MLB.com. He doesn’t pay much attention to the listings or the expectations that come with it.
Goodman Theatre’s house staff files petition to unionize
Chicago’s Local 2 branch of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees has filed a petition to organize the front-of-house, box office and concession staff at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre. The unionization push at the Goodman follows similar, successful efforts at the Steppenwolf Theatre and other nonprofit arts organizations.
With Bond’s gizmos now at the MSI, a pause to remember Ian Fleming
This book, “Casino Royale,” was the birth of James Bond and paved the best-selling path for more books, a movie franchise that has made billions and, as of last week, the Museum of Science and Industry’s “007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond,” touted as the “first-ever official exhibition to focus on the science and technology behind the world’s longest-running movie franchise.”
