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Taste of Chicago was long held in July. Here's why it won't be this year
The annual Taste of Chicago food festival was a longheld July tradition in the city, until recently. The festival is now being held in September, largely due to two major events happening in Chicago for July and August -- and it's not the only festival to see changes. The events...
New Illinois laws 2024: More laws in effect July 1, including minimum wage, tax increases
A host of new laws went into effect in Illinois Monday, at the halfway point of the year.Some of the new laws mean you will pay more at the pump and at your favorite Chicago restaurants, but it also means many minimum wage workers are getting a raise.ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watchMinimum wage increaseMinimum wage workers in Chicago and Cook County will be getting a raise July 1.Those workers will now make a base pay of $16.20 per hour.Chicago tipped minimum wage phase-outChicago started the first phase of cutting out tipped wages for workers. The...
NASCAR hosts interactive day for Chicago kids ahead of street race
CHICAGO - Excitement is revving up for NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race, which rolls into town this weekend!. Set for Saturday, July 6 and Sunday, July 7, it will serve as the centerpiece of Chicago’s Fourth of July festivities – but the fun has already begun. In celebration...
THE DANGERS OF THE TOXIC CHEMICAL EMISSIONS FROM THE KOPPERS PLANT IN CICERO, IL
Who’s protecting the residents of Cicero and Stickney, IL, from the tons of toxic chemical emissions migrating from the massive, 36-acre Koppers coal tar plant at the corner of Laramie and Pershing roads? The danger is that these chemicals from Koppers are blowing into nearby residential neighborhoods and that the residents are breathing them. And they don’t even know it.
Gov. Pritzker Signs LGBTQ+ Affirming Bills in Honor of Pride Month
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) — Governor JB Pritzker signed SB2930 and HB5507 in advance of the 2024 Chicago Pride Parade. SB2930 requires nonprofits to publicly report the aggregated demographic information about their boards of directors to encourage nonprofits to reflect the diversity of the communities they support. HB5507 removes barriers...
July means a set of new laws take effect in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WEVV) — Changes are coming for the State of Illinois, as new laws go into effect. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed new bills into law, all this in advance of the 2024 Chicago Pride Parade. House Bill 5507 removes barriers to the process of changing legal gender on...
Son of late World War II veteran receives father's Purple Heart Medal
Ahead of Independence Day, the son of a late World War II veteran accepted a lost Purple Heart medal on his behalf.ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watchIllinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned the medal as part of a mission called "Operation Purple Heart."Jerome "Jerry" Even, survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. On Monday, his son accepted his Puprle Heart Medal.The medal had been abandoned in a bank safe deposit box and turned over to the state's unclaimed property division.10 more Purple Heart medals need to be returned to their owners.READ ALSO | 'Operation Purple Hearts' returns lost medals to rightful owners
Graduate of Northwestern prison program dies at Stateville Correctional
Michael Broadway, 51, walked across the stage at Stateville Correctional Center in November to receive his diploma from Northwestern University. He was one of the first incarcerated students in the country to graduate from a top-10 university, according to Northwestern. Broadway died June 19 while incarcerated at Stateville, the Illinois...
West Side residents still struggling with clean-up one year after major flooding
It has been one year since devastating floods on Chicago's West Side.Last year, torrential rains hit the city, leading to major flooding. Hundreds of homes were damaged, and residents still desperately need help.ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watchA year later, John Carr recalled, his basement had waist-deep water. The water receded, leaving damage and growing mold, still."I just don't have the money. I do little at a time now, but I just don't have the money," Carr said.His story is not unusual. Volunteers with the Westside Long Term Recovery Group said they respond to a resident...
Thousands attend 53rd Chicago Pride Parade to celebrate last day of Pride Month
CHICAGO (CBS)—Tens of thousands of people came out on Sunday to celebrate the final day of Pride Month at Chicago's 53rd annual Pride Parade.The event brought fun and love to a stretch of the city's North Side.It's one of the largest parades in Chicago, and it draws most of the city. This year, the message amongst the crowd was unity.Thousands lined Northalsted with colors, floats, music, and, of course, the fans to celebrate Pride."I just absolutely love Pride because everybody is so inclusive. It's fun to come with my friends and see people all join together," said Trinity Kellogg, parade...
Jamaicans in Chicago brace for Hurricane Beryl's impact on loved ones
As the historically early and strong Hurricane Beryl moves towards potential landfall in Jamaica, Jamaicans in Chicago are preparing for the storm's impact on loved ones. Previously of Category 5 strength, the storm was downgraded to Category 4 earlier Tuesday. Beulah Jones is a native of Kingston who has plans...
Name Changes Could Better Reflect Our City
The Chicago Public Schools are proposing to change the names of three elementary schools named after individuals with racist records: Christopher Columbus, the explorer who enslaved Native Americans; Melville Fuller, the chief justice whose Supreme Court issued Plessy v. Ferguson, ruling that Blacks and whites could have “separate but equal” accommodations; and President James Monroe, who enslaved 178 workers on his Virginia plantation.
Comings and goings in Harlem
The town of Harlem, which was incorporated in 1884, included today’s Forest Park and areas of River Forest. The Harlem Post was a local German weekly newspaper for Harlem’s German population. According to the publisher, a German weekly was necessary because Harlem, based on its population at the time, “is considered one of the most German settlements in Illinois, because the large German papers do not reach this area, and because most residents are not able to understand the English weekly papers.” Its first edition was published on Sept. 12, 1895.
No fireworks for Chicago's annual Winnemac Park event
CHICAGO (CBS) — For the first time ever, Winnemac Park on the northwest side will host an official "Fourth of July" celebration, but the catch is that there won't be any fireworks.It comes after years of illegal and disruptive fireworks shows that have drawn crowds and controversy.Love or hate it; the event has become a longstanding Fourth of July tradition at Winnemac Park: a spontaneous yet unofficial and very illegal fireworks show where amateur pyrotechnics put on a show well into the night.While it has brought in crowds year after year, it's also ruffled feathers with many in the...
OP Public Health Director Theresa Chapple steps down
After about three years in the position, Oak Park’s Public Health Director Theresa Chapple will be officially leaving her role July 12. Chapple is taking a couple weeks of vacation now, according to village officials, and is not expected back by the time her official tenure concludes. For now, Deputy Village Manager Lisa Shelley will oversee the public health department, which celebrated its 75th anniversary this year.
Restrictions on face masks proposed around country, but ACLU of Illinois has concerns
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Just four years ago, a mask requirement for indoor spaces was issued in Illinois at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and masks were still required on the Chicago Transit Authority and other mass transit as recently as the spring of 2022.But now, there is a growing movement of lawmakers and communities who want to ban masks. Civil liberties advocates have some major concerns about that idea.In surveillance videos of crimes being committed, the perpetrators are often wearing masks over their noses and mouths. In many cases, the coverings help hide the faces and identities of those...
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