25th Ward Ald. Danny Solis, who also heads City Council's Hispanic Caucus, is suggesting rather loudly that Chicago should have 14 Hispanic wards in the upcoming ward redistricting to reflect the population gains of Hispanic Americans in Chicago between the 2000 and 2010 Censuses. more ›

The City Council's Black and Hispanic Caucuses are pushing for a Chicago casino and slot machines at the city's airports, despite the effect easy access to gambling may have on the communities they represent. more ›

We've got some updates on the standoff at Whittier Elementary for you. more ›

The sit-in at Whittier Elementary's fieldhouse is back on after Chciago Public Schools set up construction barriers and reneged on their February agreement with the parents to rehab the fieldhouse. more ›

After a three year standoff with 25th Ward Ald. Danny Solis, businesses and residents, a judge ruled that Express Grill owner Alex Lazarevski has a right to open an Express Grill hot dog stand at the northwest corner of 18th and Halsted in Pilsen. more ›

For voters in 14 wards, it's Election Day again as the polls are now open for the ward runoffs. The city Board of Elections is predicting a low voter turnout - fewer than one in four voters are expected to cast ballots - and that tends to favor incumbents. So if you're wanting to get rid of Danny Solis in the 25th Ward because he took campaign donations from the companies responsible for the elevated lead levels in the air around Perez Elementary in Pilsen; or if you want to Rhymefest to be your alderman in the 20th Ward because he may have some ideas to improve the ward you agree with (and/or because he co-wrote "Jesus Walks"); or if you want to hand old and crotchety Bernard Stone his walking papers in the 50th, today is your opportunity. more ›

Lead. In the tiniest amounts, studies show it damages brain development in children. That's why we have taken it out of our gasoline and paint. And it is why the news from Pilsen particularly bad. Monitoring data shows dangerous levels of lead in the air around Perez elementary school at or above federal limits with spikes more than 10 times higher. The Trib’s crack environmental reporter Michael Hawthorne exposed the numbers that “alarm even veteran investigators” in a front-page story which could have significant political impact both locally and nationally. Officials are unsure of exactly where the lead is coming from, but a quick look around the neighborhood points to two likely cluprits. The school is just blocks from the H. Kramer and Co. smelter and the Fisk Generating Station (one of two ancient coal plants in Chicago owned by Midwest Generation, LLC); both have been cited by the US EPA for significant Clean Air Act violations in recent years. more ›

The sit-in at Whittier Elementary continues, now reaching it's 10th day despite warnings from the parents' own inspector the building may not be safe to occupy may need roof repairs to make it safe to occupy though his inspection was based only on a visual assessment and not a full, technical assessment. Meanwhile, parents of students also protested outside the office of Ald. Danny Solis (25th) after Solis promised the building, planned to be torn down to make way for a soccer field to be used by a private school located next door, would not be demolished until a third assessment has been completed. Progress Illinois and Revision Street's Anne Elizabeth Moore have more on the ongoing situation. more ›

The sit-in by parents and students at Pilsen's Whittier Elementary School is in its seventh day now but a resolution could soon be at hand. Ald. Danny Solis (25th) and his chief-of-staff are in the midst of arranging a meeting between the parents and CPS CEO Ron Huberman to discuss the plans for the fieldhouse, which is at the center of the controversy. The CPS planned to use more than $300,000 of $1.5 million in TIF money set aside for the school to level the fieldhouse and put in a soccer field but parents want the field house to be renovated into a library; the CPS insists the building is structurally unsound. Meanwhile, WBEZ Revision Street's Anne Elizabeth Moore talks to Evelin Santos, a 23-year-old DePaul student who's currently involved in the sit-in as a support member for the parents. more ›

The Chicago Federation of Labor announced a deal earlier this morning with Wal-Mart that would clear the way for a new store at Pullman Park. The deal, which would only apply to the new store and not other future stores, will pay new workers at least $8.75/hour, a rate that will be bumped to $9.50/hour for workers after they've been at the store for a year. Wal-Mart also agreed to hire union workers to build the Pullman Park stores as well as stores throughout Northeast Illinois. Ald. Danny Soliz (25th), chairman of the Chicago City Council's zoning committee, indicated the deal would mean today's vote on the store would go forward as planned as opposed to another delay. more ›

The Battle Over Wal-Mart in the City of Chicago has been delayed. For a few weeks, anyway. A vote by the City Council's Zoning Committee over a proposed new Wal-Mart in Pullman Park that was to happen today has been postponed until May 7. The vote was slated as a follow-up to last week's approval of the store by the City's Plan Commission but was postponed by Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) and Zoning Committee Chairman Danny Solis (25th). Beale has been an ardent supporter of the new Wal-Mart, saying last week, "We want to get people out of their homes and back to work. And if we don't find a new source of revenue here in the City of Chicago, we're going to be forced to lay more people off in the years to come." Beale claimed that he has the necessary votes to pass the plan, so why ask for a delay? He told the Sun-Times earlier this week: more ›

Ald. Danny Solis (25th) may have to face a runoff in Pilsen if a federal appeals court decides to overturn his 2007 election to the office. The election two years ago hinged on 178 votes originally cast for disgraced candidate Ambrosio Medrano, who was disqualified by the Illinois Supreme Court for his felony conviction a mere four days before the late February vote. Solis won, but by a tally of only 49.95 percent. more ›

Anonymous Democratic officials are telling the Associated Press that Obama's transition team is looking to tap Patti Solis Doyle to become Cabinet secretary in the Obamistration. Solis Doyle, sister of 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis, was fired from Hillary Clinton's failed presidential campaign in February, and went on to join the Obama campaign as Joe Biden's chief of staff. Solis Doyle is reportedly interested, but is "[worried] about the effect it would have on her two young children." Now we love Chicago as much as anybody (naturally), but we're still thinking perhaps our President-Elect should expand his Cabinet pool a bit to include people more than 1 degree of separation from a Daley. more ›

As promised, the city council's Human Rights Committee held a hearing Tuesday to investigate who has been "tipping off" the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, leading to the arrest of nearly 60 people with Spanish surnames. "We will not tolerate this in Chicago...We want to know where it's coming from and who is filing these reports," said 26th Ward Alderman Billy Ocasio, chairman of the City Council's Human Relations Committee. more ›

Led by 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis, immigration rights activists and several aldermen announced that they will hold hearings next week to investigate claims that city and county officials allegedly violated immigrants civil rights. "We understand the value that immigrants hold in our society, whether documented or undocumented," said Solis. The allegations include charges that undocumented immigrants are being held in custody longer than the 48 hours required by law, and that city police have been pulling over Latino drivers to inquire about their immigration status. Such profiling is prohibited by a 2006 city ordinance. "This is a very serious issue," said County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado. more ›

Patty Solis Doyle, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager and sister of 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis, stepped down Sunday after a string of primary losses to Barack Obama. She will be replaced by Maggie Williams, who had been working in an informal top role on the campaign since Obama won Iowa. Solis Doyle cited the extraordinary length of the campaign, and the toll that it was taking on her and her family. Shortly after Solis Doyle sent an email to campaign staff announcing her departure, Clinton issued a statement that read, in part, "this already has been the longest presidential campaign in history and one that has required enormous sacrifices of everyone and our families. I look forward to her continued advice in the months ahead." more ›

The big news from the campaign trail yesterday evening was an emotional moment with Hillary Clinton and a group of sympathetic, yet undecided, New Hampshire voters. When asked "how do you do it? How do you keep up ... and who does your hair?", Hillary Clinton choked up as she responded, tears welling up in her eyes. Less widely reported, however, was an incident of two men who heckled her in Salem, NH, holding signs that read "Iron My Shirt", and chanting the same slogan. As the hecklers were removed, Clinton responded "ah, the remnants of sexism" to cheers from the crowd. “I’m also running to break through the highest and hardest glass ceiling,” she told the audience. more ›

Aldermen Helen Schiller and Danny Solis introduced a measure yesterday that would make feeding pigeons illegal. And the punishment would be up to $1,000 fine and six months in jail. more ›

As Luis Gutierrez makes the rounds for Barack Obama, Latino politicians around the city are jockeying for the opportunity to run for his soon-to-be vacated Congressional seat. Gutierrez has announced that he will "retire" in 2008, but makes no mention of what he will do after that. Last week, Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado (D - 8th) announced that he had created a campaign committee to raise funds for an '08 congressional bid. City Alderman... more ›

If you had just arrived in Chicago yesterday, with no knowledge of the political history of this town for the last 100 years or so, you might think that the mayor here was some kind of forward-thinking good-government type. With the Tribune's headline announcing that the city had agreed to ban patronage, it would seem that Daley was taking corruption by the horns and stamping it out, once and for all. Not likely. In fact,... more ›

So much has happened in politics this week, all across our little city. From the ministers in the West Loop, to construction and development on the South Side, to Top Cops Downtown getting notice in DC, it's like Chicago is just one big happy village, people. Let's take a look: Blago's Budget Puts Him in Touch With God. Governor Rod Blagojevich is on a "crusade," bringing tax fairness, education and health care to all of... more ›

While the rest of the city was preparing to get sauced this past weekend, and the media was running after Conrad Black, DNC Chairman Howard Dean made a trip to Chicago for a series of fund raisers last week. And Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd) took the opportunity to make some connections, working the Howard Dean crowd for volunteers. He also went ahead and filed the paperwork to form a congressional campaign committee. He also held... more ›

With most of Tuesday's election settled around the city, 24 candidates are gearing up for the special election April 17. The big story that is coming out of this vote is the role that unions played in this election. Of the twelve runoffs, five were candidates that were endorsed by the Chicago Federation of Labor. Two are union members; Leroy Jones in the 21st is a member of SEIU Local 73, and Toni Foulkes is... more ›

Well, another municipal election has come in Chicago, and in many wards (but not all) it's gone. As expected, Richard M. Daley sailed to re-election, set to eclipse his father as the Chicago's longest-serving mayor, in spite of Ben Joravsky's best efforts. At the time of this writing, a few things are clear: there will be a few runoffs this year, including Madeline Haithcock - Bob Fioretti (2nd), Dorothy Tillman - Pat Dowell (3rd), Shirley... more ›

The story of hope and redemption on the South Side continued Friday, as the news that the Illinois State Supreme Court had ruled that both Ambrosio Medrano and Virgil Jones are ineligible to run for alderman. Even more bizarre is that because the court's ruling makes no mention of Wallace Davis, a former 27th Ward alderman and candidate in the 2nd Ward, and Percy Giles in the 37th Ward, the city election board has no... more ›

The race in the 25th Ward has been making the news a lot lately, with both Danny Solis and Ambrosio Medrano taking shots at one another, and each camp doing the backstage maneuvering that goes on in Chicago politics. This is what happens when two experienced politicians take each other on for an important seat in the city council. Although largely associated with Pilsen, the 25th Ward encompasses parts of Chinatown, Tri-Taylor, and Heart of Chicago, and the six challengers to Danny Solis reflect more on the power struggle going on in the Mexican community in that ward (and to a lesser extent in the 22nd Ward) than any specific discontent by residents. more ›

Much has been made about this being the year of change here in Chicago. In November Democrats took control of Congress, harnessing voter dissatisfaction and promising change. And while the main attractions on the reform ticket, Tony Peraica and Jesse Jackson Jr either lost or decided not to run, many pundits are predicting that as much as 30% of the City Council could change in late February. It seems that some candidates believe in miracles,... more ›