John Byrne – Page 8 –

Jonathan Jackson, candidate for the 1st Congressional District, marches in the Bud Billiken Parade on South King Drive on Aug. 13, 2022.

Challengers vie for seats in U.S. House with no incumbent on the ballot

October 10, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

Three empty U.S. House seats in the upcoming midterm elections mean new faces in Illinois' congressional delegation will help decide the national balance of political power and the direction of...

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten with daughters Gwen, 14, left, and Audrey, 11, in the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 4, 2019, in Washington.

US Rep. Sean Casten says his daughter died of sudden cardiac arrhythmia

October 8, 2022 at 1:10 p.m.

Suburban U.S. Rep. Sean Casten's 17-year-old daughter died in June of sudden heart failure in the family's Downers Grove home, the congressman said Friday. In a statement released Friday afternoon...

A campaign sign for 17th Congressional District Democratic candidate Eric Sorensen is posted on 30th Street, Sept. 15, 2022, in Rock Island.

In the fight for the US House, one of the most important battles is in northwest Illinois

October 2, 2022 at 3:23 p.m.

The front line of this year's fierce fight for control of the U.S. House of Representatives cuts straight through the river cities and rural communities of the 17th Congressional District...

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, shown at a July City Council meeting, ultimately needs to convince 26 aldermen to support her 2023 budget before the end of this year.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot will forgo election-year property tax increase that’s tied to inflation

September 29, 2022 at 5:41 p.m.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot won't try to raise property taxes next year, after all. As she prepares to kick off her 2023 budget push Monday, Lightfoot announced Thursday she would...

Ald. Matt O'Shea, left, and Ald. Tom Tunney talk, right, are shown during a City Council meeting last year. O'Shea and Tunney are among those who've said they won't take the 2023 pay raise.

15 Chicago aldermen have turned down inflation-tied pay raises nearing 10% as election looms

September 6, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.

Election year fears about voter anger haven't stopped most members of Chicago's City Council from giving themselves historically huge 2023 pay raises. With inflation running rampant and aldermen's annual salaries...

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces the interim members of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability on Aug. 29, 2022, at City Hall.

Chicago property taxes and aldermanic pay hikes are tied to inflation. Now both issues are coming to a head.

September 1, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot set out early in her first term to chart a path to ease the financial and political turmoil that confronts mayors who try to increase Chicagoans' property...

Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th, and other aldermen watch as the City Council votes for a new map of the city's 50 wards in May.

Chicago aldermen stand to get raises of nearly 10%, unless they turn down the inflation-tied pay hikes by next week

August 24, 2022 at 6:11 p.m.

Chicago aldermen have until next week to decide if they will forgo raises of nearly 10% — otherwise the pay increases will go into effect automatically just weeks before all...

A parking meter near Montrose Harbor on Aug. 10, 2022.

Another Chicago parking meter twist: 1,800 meters added since Mayor Lori Lightfoot took office

August 14, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

Gary Kinsler has a succinct take on the parking meter pay box that popped up one year ago in front of his car repair shop in the North Center neighborhood:...

Ald. Brendan Reilly chairs a special City Council meeting about crime on May 25, 2022, at City Hall.

Alderman calls for repeal of Mayor Lightfoot’s inflation-tied property tax increases

July 27, 2022 at 3:17 p.m.

With inflation soaring, a downtown alderman wants to end Mayor Lori Lightfoot's policy tying Chicago's annual property tax hike to the increase in consumer prices. Days after the Tribune reported...

Pedestrians walk along North Clark Street in Chicago's River North neighborhood on July 14, 2022. Chicagoans are reeling from higher costs at gas pumps and in grocery stores.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision to tie property taxes to inflation may result in mammoth bills next year

July 17, 2022 at 10:17 a.m.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot told Chicagoans nearly two years ago that her decision to tie how much the city of Chicago collects in property taxes to the rate of inflation made...

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