Illinois Politics

After a lot of back and forth, Chicago Public School leaders and the teachers union have agreed school will be in session on May 1. But there's a catch.  Starting at 1 p.m. CPS will provide about 100 buses and students will have an excused absence for the afternoon if they want to be chaperoned and attend the May Day protests.  They have to get a permission slip. No student will be retaliated against if they choose to stay in school and not attend. Brittany Preston is a CPS parent. She has 4 children in the district, and she's here to weigh in.

 With rising costs and economic uncertainty hitting close to home, a lot of people say they’re living paycheck to paycheck.  Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Black Business School is joining us tonight to break down what’s really going on and what families can do to stay afloat.

After a lot of back and forth, Chicago Public School leaders and the teachers union have agreed school will be in session on May 1. But there's a catch.  Starting at 1 p.m. CPS will provide about 100 buses and students will have an excused absence for the afternoon if they want to be chaperoned and attend the May Day protests.  They have to get a permission slip. No student will be retaliated against if they choose to stay in school and not attend. Brittany Preston is a CPS parent. She has 4 children in the district, and she's here to weigh in.

Barbara Flynn Currie, a longtime Illinois lawmaker and the first woman to serve as House Democratic Leader, has died at 85.

Measure banning extremist ties among officers advances, and Hyde Park residents respond to recent teen trend. All this and more on "The Chicago Report."

 Cancer rates are rising among younger people in particular, cases of colorectal cancer are increasing in adults under 50, a group not traditionally considered high risk.  Doctor Caitlin Murphy is professor of pediatrics and public health.  She joins us with now with more on prevention, detection, and long-term health.

We begin tonight with a new ordinance that is advancing through City Hall.  It's aimed at rooting out extremism within the Chicago Police Department  The measure bans officers from engaging in so-called “Extremist activity,” allows COPA to investigate potential ties, and requires additional screening of new recruits.  Alderman Matt Martin is a sponsor of the ordinance--- and he's joining us now to explain more.

Illinois lawmakers continue to debate a bill that would ban cellphone use in the classroom.

New Illinois bill would ban police quotas on stops and arrests amid lawsuit and bias concerns. Illinois Rep. Patrick Sheehan and FOP President John Catanzara joined The Chicago Report.

A new Illinois bill would bar police departments from evaluating officers based on stops and arrests. It comes as Chicago recently paid nearly $1 million to settle a quota-related lawsuit.

Cook County Board Commissioner Bill Lowry was a friend of the Deer family and is joining us now on The Chicago Report.

Chicago aldermen failed Wednesday to override Mayor Brandon Johnson’s veto, clearing the way for tipped workers’ wages to continue rising toward the city’s full minimum wage.

Chicago aldermen failed Wednesday to override Mayor Brandon Johnson’s veto, clearing the way for tipped workers’ wages to continue rising toward the city’s full minimum wage.

The Trump administration and Illinois continue their back-and-forth over the vital Asian carp Great Lakes project. A child psychologist discusses the rise in viral teen takeovers. And we hear from Yusef Jackson as he takes over his father's organization, Rainbow PUSH.

Yusef Jackson, the new president and CEO of RainbowPUSH, joined the show to give his vision for the organization after the death of his father, Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr.

Why are the viral teen takeovers seeming to become more violent in Chicago? We asked a UIC psychology professor to explain what may be happening and how to address the issue.