City briefings: Chicago wants to save taxis in Uber war
Chicago taxi passengers who pay with plastic would take a 50-cent-a-ride hit under a save-the-taxi-industry measure proposed by a city council committee.
One day after cabdrivers warned aldermen that Chicago's taxicab industry is "on the verge of collapse," the chairman of the City Council's Transportation Committee vowed to take dramatic steps to alter an "unlevel playing field" further tilted by letting ride-hailing companies make airport pickups.
"The taxi industry as it stands right now needs some help and some relief," Alderman Anthony Beale said. "We need to find that common ground to get them some help and some relief."
Without more city help, "they may not die but the industry that you see today may not be what we see tomorrow. When you look at the yards right now, they're full of cars that are not moving. They don't have people to drive them. We need to do something to get those cars back on the street," Beale said.
To stop the bleeding that has allowed Uber to siphon business away from cabs, some aldermen want to require ride-hailing drivers to get a city chauffeur's license, just like cabdrivers are required to do.
Smokeless tobacco ban at ballparks?
With a verbal nudge from Senator Dick Durbin of Springfield, the Chicago City Council Finance Committee on Friday recommended a Burke and Thompson's plan to make Chicago the nation's fourth big league city to ban smokeless tobacco at baseball stadiums and other "professional and amateur" sporting events.
Aldermen Edward Burke, who chairs the finance committee, and Patrick Daley Thompson hope to push for adoption of the ordinance in time for the Cubs and Sox home openers next month.
San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles have passed similar bans that take effect this season while New York and Toronto have legislation pending. A Chicago ban, on deck for final approval by the full City Council this week, would be a victory for the so-called "Knock Tobacco Out of the Park" campaign sweeping the nation.
Aldermen question police settlements
African-American aldermen were harshly criticized for signing off on a $5 million settlement to the family of Laquan McDonald - before a lawsuit had even been filed - without asking tough enough questions or seeing the incendiary shooting video.
On Friday, they made amends before the City Council's Finance Committee signed off on a pair of police misconduct settlements for a fraction of that amount.
The $205,000 settlement that generated the most heat - and a demand to see embarrassing cellphone video - goes to two motorists who claim they were unlawfully detained and illegally strip-searched for drugs in broad daylight after a 2013 traffic stop on the South Side.
Among those questioning the settlement, Alderman David Moore demanded to see the video of the incident and was promised he could before the full City Council signs off on the settlement Wednesday. Moore also demanded to know how many complaints registered there were against each of the officers involved in the case.
Principals told to stop spending
Chicago Public School officials told principals Wednesday to stop spending money because the school district is running out of cash to make a giant pension payment on June 30.
And warnings to get ready for a "lean July," the first month of the new fiscal year, left them with many questions about how to plan to open school doors on time in September.
School officials told their principals in a webinar that the district is stockpiling remaining cash to make a $688 million pension payment on June 30 - weeks before new property tax revenue are expected to hit school system bank accounts.
Any expenditures over $5,000 will need the approval of the school's network chief, the next layer of management above principals. And principals who still need to buy supplies are being encouraged to do so out of federal and state funding, according to the presentation.
Ex-con to regain interest in Bulls
Chicago's chief federal judge said Monday he will enforce an appeals court ruling that clears the way for former power broker Michael Segal to recover part of his interest in the Chicago Bulls.
U.S. Chief District Judge Ruben Castillo made the ruling at Segal's request. The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in January that Segal should be allowed to recover his interest after serving prison time on a racketeering conviction.
He spent nearly eight years behind bars for looting millions of dollars out of his company, Near North Insurance, to pay in part for a lavish lifestyle. As part of a 2013 settlement, the government kept half of Segal's $4.175 million interest in the Bulls - made up of a 1.7-percent limited partnership in the franchise, a 1.1-percent interest in the United Center and a 1.1-percent interest in the team's broadcasting company.
• This week's City Briefing was collected in partnership with the Chicago Sun-Times. For complete versions of the items, check chicago.suntimes.com.