The Latest Breaking News from Rahm Emanuel

As the United States and Japan further strengthen their military alliance, they’ve turned to farmers markets to foster friendlier ties between American military bases and their Japanese neighbors

CHICAGO — Former Teamsters union boss John Coli Sr. once basked in a reputation as a tough-nosed, nationally known organized labor figure, rubbing elbows with the state’s political and business elite, running up $15,000 tabs at Chicago steakhouses, and cruising around the Mediterranean on other people’s yachts.

The salary of Chicago’s mayor hasn’t gone up since Mayor Richard M. Daley held the job in 2005. Also on Wednesday, the council approved a resolution of support for the Jewish community, citing recent antisemitic comments by the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.

A $500,000 donation from prominent GOP donor and golf course magnate Michael Keiser has left an opening for some opponents, including the Chicago Teachers Union, to attack Vallas, a former CPS CEO, as a closet Republican.

With four months to go before she faces Chicago voters, Mayor Lori Lightfoot still hasn’t secured an overwhelming financial advantage over rival candidates seeking to make her a one-termer at City Hall.

The updated spending plan Lightfoot calls “Chicago Works” includes money for 20 new bridges, “green” alleys, replacing 200 blocks of residential street lights and $60 million to replace lead service lines.

The mayor spent $607,449 of the $1 million she raised during the three-month period ending Sept. 30. Insiders call that a “burn rate,” and it could cause problems for her when the race shifts into high gear.

There has been talk for years about the housing strategy here, and now Mayor Lori Lightfoot is proposing a pilot program.

State laws created the police, fire, laborers and municipal employees pension funds, and state lawmakers have a responsibility to consolidate, reform and fund local pension plans, says Civic Federation President Laurence Msall.

Delivering the 2023 budget address that will serve as her reelection platform, Lightfoot’s $16.4 billion spending plan has a laundry list of new and continued investments intended to ease violence, homelessness and poverty.

U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia sent an email asking United Working Families to defer a mayoral endorsement, but the group refused because Garcia was unwilling to give them a timeline for when — or if — he will announce a mayoral run.