WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: Oct 15, 2021
Historian and civil rights leader Timuel Black dies at 102. First lady Jill Biden visits Chicago. Plus, Park District CEO Mike Kelly resigns.
Politics
With one of Illinois’ largest political reporting teams, WBEZ’s Government & Politics desk holds elected officials and government bodies accountable. We cover the policy debates and political machinations happening at the state Capitol in Springfield, in Cook County government and at Chicago’s City Hall.
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Democrats remap Adam Kinzinger, GOP anti-Trumper, into a left-leaning congressional district
The draft map released Friday could pad the Democratic party’s lead in Congress, but may push Kinzinger to seek another office.
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Chicago Police are investigating alleged sexual misconduct by at least two ex-lifeguards
Police interviewed a “person of interest” this week following accusations of sexual misconduct by an older employee against an underage lifeguard at Humboldt Park.
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A North Side state lawmaker reports spending legal fees on Michael Madigan investigation
Illinois Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a frequent Madigan critic, spent more than $11,000 on legal fees tied to the federal probe of the ex-speaker, but later deleted the MJM reference.
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New long-awaited Illinois congressional map could give Democrats wider margins
The Democratic-drawn map expected Friday may offer the party a net gain of three seats over Republicans, but who’s out remains to be seen.
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Chicago’s Inspector General Issues Warnings for Fire Department and City Council
Inspector General Joe Ferguson is sounding the alarms on the Fire Department and City Council committees during his last week in office.
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First lady Jill Biden stops in Chicago to honor Hispanic Heritage Month
Chicago is preparing for a second White House visit this week — this time from first lady Jill Biden to honor Hispanic Heritage Month.
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Chicago’s park district CEO resigned, but critics want more changes to address sex abuse scandal
“We know that sexual abuse is endemic at the park district and to fully remove it, we need to go through and clean up the whole system at the park district,” said Ald. Scott Waguespack.
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Chicago’s park district chief resigns over a lifeguard sex abuse scandal
Longtime parks CEO Michael Kelly quit hours after Mayor Lori Lightfoot pushed for his firing.
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‘Garbage juice’ leaking from city trucks is creating a stink in Albany Park
The smelly problem is due to a broken “plug” in the garbage trucks, officials say, and they’re working to replace them.
