Free Republic

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday that she wants to reopen bars and restaurants “as soon as possible.” Indoor dining has been banned since October in the state and new cases of the coronavirus, deaths, and positivity rates are on the decline, Block Club Chicago reported: All of those metrics remain significantly higher than they were in the summer, when indoor drinking and dining was allowed. For example, Chicago is seeing an average of 13 COVID-19 deaths per day as of Thursday, compared to two or three deaths per day in the summer.

An accused serial burglar and thief has been sentenced to probation for a burglary in Lincoln Park last year — even though he was already on probation for two burglaries at the time of the alleged break-in. Jonathan Hernandez, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of theft in exchange for an 18-month probation sentence in the latest case, according to court records. He has been arrested seventeen times in Chicago since March 2014, according to CPD records. One year before his arrest, Hernandez was charged with threatening to shoot an off-duty police officer who confronted him as he allegedly burglarized...

A veteran police lieutenant was reassigned last week after a one-day trip to Chicago by Attorney General William Barr caught Chicago Police Department leadership and the mayor’s office by surprise. Sources told the Chicago Sun-Times that Lt. Patrick Quinn was pulled from his position in the Crime Prevention and Information Center in police headquarters and sent to the Rogers Park District on the North Side after Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPD brass learned of Barr’s visit during a conference call Nov. 17 — just a day before Barr, the nation’s top law enforcement officer, was scheduled to arrive in Chicago....

Now that the COVID hysteria has seemingly done its job of scaring enough voters to vote against President Trump, a glimpse of its potential for reshaping America is coming into better focus. Although the severity of the virus appears to have diminished since the deadly days of Spring, the number of cases has soared with the dramatic expansion of testing that is now available. More cases are inspiring mayors and governors to impose more infringements on personal liberty. Citing the rise in COVID cases, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has announced new restrictions on travel "to help fight the...

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a stay-at-home order Thursday, telling city residents to cancel their Thanksgiving plans. “While this is tough — this whole year has been tough — you must cancel the normal Thanksgiving plans,” she warned. As per usual, the Chicago mayor is but a handful of left-wing politicians who want you to make sacrifices to your Thanksgiving during this pandemic but can’t seem to follow their own guidelines. On Saturday, a maskless Lightfoot was seen celebrating Joe Biden’s media-declared election victory, shouting into a bullhorn as she was surrounded by other revelers.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) defended her call for city residents to cancel "traditional" Thanksgiving plans on Friday less than a week after she was seen joining the crowded street parties after news outlets declared Democratic nominee Joe Biden the president-elect. The Thanksgiving cancellation was part of a "Stay-at-Home Advisory" for Chicago, which will go into effect on Monday, November 16 at 6:00 a.m.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) on Thursday issued a stay-at-home advisory and called on residents to cancel their “traditional” Thanksgiving plans as part of an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus. Lightfoot announced advisory will take effect on Monday, November 16th, and will late 30 days. The mayor urged residents to avoid traveling, hosting house guests, or leaving their resident for non-essential business.

Between the civil unrest, the corona virus pandemic and a divisive election Tuesday, business owners are weighing the prospect of further unrest in a way they haven’t during past elections. Shoppers may see more stores doing business behind boarded-up windows or closing early Tuesday as businesses take extra safety precautions. “I’ve got four more jobs after this one,” Joe Daniels, an employee of Midlothian-based Cook County Board-Up, said as he wrapped up a job on Clybourn. “We’re headed to the Gold Coast next,” he said. “They’re all worried about the election.” Retailers are used to responding to emergencies like severe...

The time-frame January 1, 2020, through October 31, 2020, saw murders surge 51 percent in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) Chicago compared to the same calendar period in 2019. The Chicago Sun-Times reports, “There have been 655 murders this year through Oct. 31, while the city had 431 during the same period in 2019 — a 51% increase.”

After Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday announced that new coronavirus restrictions will go into effect in the city of Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot called on the governor to reconsider, saying she is concerned that the new mitigations could have dire consequences for already struggling businesses. “I'm not sure that we're reaching the right people with the restrictions that are going to be imposed by the state and that's my concern,” she said. Speaking on PBS’ “NewsHour,” Lightfoot said she was “very concerned” about the new regulations, warning they could have a massive impact on businesses in the city that...

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who campaigned on a pledge to end Chicago’s “addiction” to fines and fees, is counting on a big increase in city collections from speeding tickets and other violations to balance her 2021 budget. And she wants part of the boost to the bottom line to come from speed cameras across Chicago issuing speeding tickets to drivers caught going as little as 6 miles per hour over the posted limit. Under the mayor’s proposal, as part of her 2021 budget package, anyone caught by a camera driving from 6 to 9 mph above the limit would get a...

Mayor Proposes Cutting 614 Positions From Chicago PD If Federal Stimulus Doesn’t Get Approved Holly Matkin Chicago, IL – Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has proposed a budget plan that includes eliminating over 600 positions within the city’s police department as part of an effort to offset the unprecedented $1.2 billion shortfall anticipated for next year. Lightfoot said that eliminating 1,921 vacant positions within city government would save a total of $106 million, WBBM reported. Over half of the jobs she plans to slash would be tied to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), which would see a loss of 614 positions...

CHICAGO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a business curfew will begin Friday in the city of Chicago. Citing a “surge” in coronavirus cases in the city of Chicago, Lightfoot said indoor bar service will be suspended and non-essential business will close nightly at 10 p.m. Liquor sales will end at 9 p.m. Gatherings will be limited to six people or less. The restrictions will be in place for two weeks.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is considering a $94 million property tax increase, layoffs for more than 300 city workers and a gas tax hike as part of her plan to close a $1.2 billion budget deficit, sources told the Tribune. Lightfoot also is considering about $500 million in refinancing city debt to help close the deficit, sources said.

According to Chicago Police records, Hollingsworth has been arrested nine times since 2014. In 2016, he served jail time for a felony gun possession charge. He was also arrested for domestic battery in Will County in September 2019. Hollingsworth faces a jury trial on Nov. 24, according to the Will County Clerk. A July 6 Chicago Tribune profile of Hollingsworth reported that he has worked most recently as a boxer and exotic dancer. He is paid $1,000 per day under the contract with WBC. Hollingsworth, 33, drew the attention of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot after he attended a series of...

As a candidate and then mayor, Lori Lightfoot has spoken often of her ambition to fully reinvent Chicago’s approach to combating its stubborn violence problem. Key to those plans are anti-violence organizations, including those that intervene in disputes or toss lifelines to people likely to kill or die. She said last year that those outreach groups were “fundamentally critical to what we’re doing,” as she seeks to treat violence as a public health crisis. “We will make sure they have the resources they need to be successful,” she said. More than 16 months into her term, however, Lightfoot’s plan to...

Concerned about the use of the word "riot" to describe the property destruction, assaults, and looting that have emerged amid the so-called "mostly peaceful" protests in many of this country's major cities, the Associated Press' "Stylebook" wants reporters to stop using the word. According to the newly revised Stylebook, "the word 'riot' connotes a wild, disorderly, and unfocused violence and mayhem. Use of this word doesn't do justice to the underlying grievances that led to the violence and mayhem. A better word would be to describe these occurrences as 'unrest.' Unrest is a vaguer, milder and less emotional term for...

Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot fired back at President Trump on Tuesday night after he skewered her city as a hotbed of crime and violence during a presidential campaign debate against Joe Biden. The Windy City had 58 shootings and eight deaths during a single recent weekend, the president argued.

https://twitter.com/WGNNews/status/1311738109978173440

I keep seeing on Facebook that the economic carnage is not the fault of Lightfoot or Gov Fat Boy per libs because it was done in the name of "safety". That its the virus that did it. I do not understand that line of thinking nor willing to figure out where they think that is correct. Its insane. I argue back with no luck.