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1. Mayor Lightfoot and alderpeople bid farewell

Wednesday’s final City Council meeting of the term marked the end of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s and twelve alders’ time in office. Council members spent the afternoon telling stories, reading haikus, and toasting to their retiring colleagues, who were all presented with framed Chicago flags. Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson and the new slate of alderpeople will be sworn in on May 15.

2. Expanding worker co-operatives in Chicago

The Chicago Solidarity Collective — a group of organizations including Community Ventures Program (CVP) partner ChiFresh Kitchen — was awarded $2.25 million to help formerly incarcerated Chicagoans build wealth through worker-owned cooperatives.

ChiFresh will be able to recruit and train more employees, helping formerly incarcerated people get back on their feet with a living wage. Board member Colette Payne said “with this investment, we look forward to this incredible opportunity to shift the narrative from ‘why can’t you just get a job?’ to ‘I got the damn job.’”

3. Search for new CPD superintendent continues

The second of four community forums on the search for CPD’s new superintendent took place Wednesday in Auburn Gresham, led by Commissioners Anthony Driver and Remel Terry of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA).

Thanks to ECPS, this is the first time Chicagoans have had a central role in the selection process. After two more forums, the CCPSA will nominate three candidates for Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson to select.

4. Chicago’s newest historical landmark

City Council voted to make Promontory Point a historic landmark after a decades-long organizing effort. Hyde Park residents have been fighting throughout outgoing Ald. Leslie Hairston’s City Council tenure to save the original limestone along the lakefront from 53rd to 57th streets.

Promontory Point is notably the only location along the lakefront that still has the original limestone steps, the rest of which has been replaced with concrete. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is investigating solutions to maintain the existing lakefront while prioritizing protection from storm damage and erosion.

5. “We Teach Us Safe” event on Monday

This Monday, April 24, JCUA is co-hosting a digital event with our partners in the Collaborative for Jewish Organizing, including Jewish Community Action (JCA), Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ), The Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), and Carolina Jews for Justice (CJJ).

“We Teach Us Safe” brings together Jewish creators from across the U.S. who have been using their platforms to collaboratively educate viewers. You’ll hear from author Sim Kern, journalist Isa Segalovich, and digital educator (and Kol Or Caucus member) Raven Schwam-Curtis! Register here.