Brother of RUC constable shot dead 30 years ago will "never stop fighting" for justice 21-year-old changed his shift so he could meet a girl Belfast Live · Jan 6, 2023
More transparency is needed on soccer facility plan Chicago housing officials have yet to disclose key details of the plan to lease valuable land to the Chicago Fire for a soccer practice facility, according to a new ProPublica report. Chicago Sun-Times · Nov 21, 2022
City Council member warns about possibility of fraud in gas, Ventra card giveaways Ald. Brendan Reilly said a constituent who had received one of the gas cards told him he was able to overcharge the card by “$50 or $60” and sent him the receipts. Reilly now wants to know “how many others are out there.” Chicago Sun-Times · Oct 18, 2022
Ald. Matt Martin urges City Council to shake off rubber-stamp reputation Last month, the 47th Ward Council member introduced a resolution calling for making himself chair of the Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight, replacing retired chair Michele Smith. Chicago Sun-Times · Oct 13, 2022
Is City Council really ready to show its independence? Chicago City Council members can select who they want on committees and who should lead them. State law and the city’s own rules clearly spell out they have that power. They just have always opted out and have given the mayor their blessing to do their bidding. Chicago Sun-Times · Sep 27, 2022
12 cops face discipline for misconduct after George Floyd protests On May 31, 2020 — six days after Floyd died — dozens of protesters were pushed and hit with batons as officers struggled with two people in the 400 block of North Clark Street, according to a report released publicly Thursday. Chicago Sun-Times · Sep 23, 2022
Hostile work environment in Chicago’s Department of Water Management triggers $950K settlement Dilan Abreu, a 40-year veteran bricklayer, claims he was harassed, physically abused and retaliated against by the son of former Ald. Bernard Hansen due to an “unrestricted culture of overtly racist behavior and attitudes.” Chicago Sun-Times · Sep 19, 2022
Mayoral challenger Ray Lopez wants to curb mayoral power, cut City Council by half The most dramatic and controversial of Lopez’s proposals is to reduce the size of the City Council from 50 members to just 25. Alderpersons and mayors have talked about it for decades. Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 29, 2022
Vallas pokes holes in Lightfoot’s claims of fiscal stability “What has changed in four years? Nothing. She’s basically handing off what she inherited from Rahm Emanuel,” mayoral challenger Paul Vallas said. Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 24, 2022
Minis delight at Brands Hatch as Castle Combe hosts frantic TCR UK battles The 10th Mini Festival took place at Brands Hatch last weekend, which as ever produced close and dramatic racing. Tight battles until the chequered flag also featured in two highly competitive TCR UK races at Castle Combe. Autosport · Aug 10, 2022
World Athletics Championships 2022: Keely Hodgkinson, Laura Muir and Dina Asher-Smith headline British team Great Britain have named a 64-strong provisional team for this summer’s World Athletics Championships in Oregon, headlined by Olympic silver medalists Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir, and defending world champions Dina Asher-Smith and Katarina Johnson-Thompson. Evening Standard · Jun 28, 2022
UK Athletics Championships: Daryll Neita and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake claim 200m success in Manchester Daryll Neita and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake won their respective 200m finals at the UK Athletics Championships. Evening Standard · Jun 26, 2022
‘I’m here to stay:’ Daryll Neita looks to stay on top after beating Dina Asher-Smith in Manchester Neita and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake took the women and men’s 200m titles The Independent UK · Jun 26, 2022
Beale: Lightfoot’s ‘dictatorship’ over City Council must end “We need to have a true speaker of the city, where the speaker presides over the City Council and not the mayor. You don’t see the governor presiding over … the General Assembly,” Ald. Anthony Beale said. Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 24, 2022
Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 15, 2022 From turkeys and trash cans to gas cards and guaranteed income? Freebie frenzy dominates election season Decades ago, Chicago politicians curried favor with voters by distributing Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas hams. Garbage cans with an office-holder’s name on it were also a frequent freebie. But, the avalanche of federal stimulus funds has allowed Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Cook County Board President…
Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 11, 2022 Ferguson’s plan to shake up city politics is needed to keep elected leaders in check Any initiative that aims to fix Chicago’s faulty political landscape and the uncontrollable rubber-stamp monster it nurtures with morsels of corruption is essential.
Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 10, 2022 Lightfoot not the reformer she promised to be, former inspector general says It might sound like sour grapes from a man who was pushed out. But former Inspector General Joe Ferguson says “relative to the rhetoric of the campaign, certainly performance has not lived up to” what she promised.
Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 9, 2022 Former watchdog launches venture to study Chicago’s government structure Joe Ferguson’s 12-year run made him Chicago’s longest-serving watchdog. Now he wants to take a deeper look at the mayor’s office, city departments, the City Council, local government agencies under the mayor’s control — all to show it is “different from everywhere else” and how those differences…
Chicago Sun-Times · Apr 28, 2022 Chicago’s new inspector general has no intention of ‘staying in her lane’ “If city officials feel warm and fuzzy about the watchdog, the watchdog is probably not entirely doing their job,” Deborah Witzburg told the Sun-Times.
Chicago Sun-Times · Apr 27, 2022 City Council unanimously approves Deborah Witzburg as Chicago’s new inspector general Now locked into a four-year term, Witzburg is free to confront what she calls the “debt of legitimacy” created by scandals involving two indicted pols: Ald. Edward Burke and former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Chicago Sun-Times · Apr 26, 2022 Chicago Fire Department makes progress, but not enough, toward ending racial, sexual discrimination Last year, the city’s inspector general demanded changes in policy, training and employee protection. A follow-up report has found only one of five corrective actions recommended in that audit has been fully-implemented.
Chicago Sun-Times · Apr 13, 2022 Newly appointed IG vows to make down payment on ‘debt of legitimacy’ created by corruption scandals “People suffer from a sort of lack of confidence that the city of Chicago and its government are working in their best interests,” Deborah Witzburg said.
Chicago Sun-Times · Mar 30, 2022 Lightfoot chooses Deborah Witzburg as new city inspector general The overriding question was whether Lightfoot was willing to appoint Deborah Witzburg even though she was chosen by former Inspector General Joe Ferguson, with whom the mayor clashed repeatedly and ultimately forced out.
Chicago Sun-Times · Mar 10, 2022 Search for Chicago’s next inspector general is down to two One finalist is Deborah Witzburg, former deputy inspector general for public safety. But Witzburg was chosen by and worked closely with former Inspector General Joe Ferguson, with whom the mayor clashed repeatedly.
Chicago Sun-Times · Jan 18, 2022 Lightfoot escalates war of words with former watchdog she inherited, then pushed out The mayor criticized Joe Ferguson’s surprise decision to write a letter to senators considering the appointment of former Mayor Rahm Emanuel as U.S. ambassador to Japan emphatically stating that there is no evidence that Emanuel covered up the police shooting of Laquan McDonald.