Afternoon Briefing: Aldermen confirm mayor's ally to the City Council
Good afternoon, Chicago.
Nine Chicago Housing Authority senior leaders received more than $787,000 collectively in separation agreement payouts over the last five years, including two who had received written warnings from Tracey Scott, the agency's former CEO.
A Tribune analysis of CHA records shows that each of the nine received at least two months of compensation at the salary level they had on their last day of work. Six of the agreements were signed between August 2024 and early March 2025.
Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
Aldermen confirm Mayor Brandon Johnson's ally to the City Council
In a 32-11 vote, City Council members voted to approve Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada as alderman of the 35th Ward after his predecessor, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, resigned last month to lead the Chicago Park District. Read more here.
Backyard chickens might not crack high egg prices, but Chicago-area owners say they're worth it
Though experienced chicken owners caution that the cost of raising chickens might cancel out any egg savings at the supermarket, they encourage the public to give the hobby a try. Read more here.
DePaul mens' basketball coach Chris Holtmann sells Ohio home for $3.5M
$2.5M Lakeview home listed by former Cubs player Kyle Hendricks goes under contract
Roommates in Rockford, these Chicago Blackhawks prospects shared everything — including each other's burdens
Rockford IceHogs forwards Gavin Hayes and Samuel Savoie have to work together on the ice, but the roommates also had to reach an off-ice accord on a very important subject: food. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
3 takeaways as the Chicago Bulls creep closer to 8th place in the Eastern Conference with a win
Column: IHSA addresses issues with multiplier waiver and success factor. The solutions appear to be a win-win.
M'daKhan, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Bridgeview, specializes in great halal smoked and grilled meats, inspired by lifetimes of backyard barbecues in Little Palestine. Read more here.
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U.S. stocks are falling in a manic Monday after President Donald Trump doubled down on his tariffs, despite seeing how much Wall Street wants him to do the opposite.
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Chicago Tribune
26 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Affordable housing development in Batavia gets first green light from city: ‘I think this is something that we need'
A proposed subsidized multi-family housing project in Batavia recently received the first green light from members of the City Council, many of whom are touting the project as filling a gap in affordable housing in the city. On May 19, the Batavia City Council OK'd a request from the project's developer — Fox River Affordable Housing, a nonprofit arm of the Housing Authority of Elgin — to fund $1.2 million in land acquisition and engineering costs using the city's TIF, or tax increment financing, reserves, per a memo from the city's Community and Economic Development Director Scott Buening included in the meeting agenda. The total cost of the project is expected to be just over $24 million. Called The Residence at River Point, the proposed project is set to be built on the 400 block of South River Street, which officials say is a former limestone quarry site. The proposed development would include 72 units, according to a proposal included in the City Council's meeting agenda. Of those, 18 would be set aside for households earning at or below 30% of the area median income, or AMI. In addition, 38 units would be set aside for households earning at or below 60% of the area median income, and 16 for those earning at or below 80%. The area median income is a regional calculation and accounts for the Chicago metropolitan area, according to the Housing Authority of Elgin's Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Martell Armstrong. According to Chicago's Department of Housing, the median family income for the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville metropolitan area was $119,900 for a family of four in 2025. Income limits related to the AMI are adjusted for family size, however. For example, a single individual could qualify under the 80% limit if they made $67,100 or less, and under the 30% limit if they made $25,200 or less, whereas a family of four would qualify under the 80% limit if they made $95,900 or less, or $35,970 for the 30% limit. The project was generally well received by City Council members, who at recent meetings cited a need for more housing of this variety in the area. 'When I got my first apartment, it looked an awful lot like this,' City Council member Dustin Pieper said at a Committee of the Whole meeting in May. 'There's definitely a need for that. Especially in our community, there's a lot of younger folks who want to be working here, want to be living here. This would be great for that, I think.' City Council member Alan Wolff said not enough of this sort of housing is being built in the area, and that restrictions on constructing multi-unit buildings may be partially to blame. 'I think this is something that we need,' he said. According to a 2023 statewide report from the Illinois Housing Development Authority on the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act, Batavia's share of affordable housing — defined as being within the means of homebuyers making 80% of the regional median household income or renters making 60% of the regional median household income, per the authority — was at 23.5%. That's well above the 10% threshold that requires communities with low levels of affordable housing to submit a plan to the state as to how they'll build out a diverse housing supply. In Kane County, for example, Campton Hills, Lily Lake and Geneva all fell below 10%, according to the report. However, the percentage of affordable housing stock in Batavia is still significantly lower than some of its surrounding cities, like Aurora and Elgin, whose affordable housing stock is each over 50%, according to the 2023 report. A shortage of multi-family housing is not unique to Batavia, said Thomas Skuzinski, an associate professor at Northern Illinois University's Department of Public Administration, whose work focuses on local government management and who has previously done research on affordable housing. 'There's not as much multi-family (housing) as there could be,' Skuzinski said. 'There is just overall an imbalance that strongly favors single-family, detached homes. And that's pretty consistent across the U.S.' And an uptick in young adults who deferred moving out of their family homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing population of seniors on fixed incomes has only intensified the demand in the past few years, he said. Local officials' concerns While there was generally support from the city about the project, council members at the recent Committee of the Whole meeting also outlined some of their stipulations related to the project in Batavia. City Council members Kevin Malone and Abby Beck, for example, said they wanted to ensure the final product prioritized biking and pedestrian safety and accessibility. Jim Fahrenbach said he would support the project if it went through, but he thought too few of the units were allocated for those earning 80% of the average median income and noted that none of the proposed units were market-rate. 'We have lost a pipeline, and the question is, 'How do we replace that?'' Fahrenbach said. 'A lot of this neglect of having these apartment complexes for folks to come in in their 20s and enjoy the community and grow into the community and then save for a home, is gone. So we need to replace it.' Fahrenbach told The Beacon-News it's well-known that Batavia needs more affordable housing, and said that this project, while it doesn't provide market-rate units, could increase development activity in the area and spur on market-rate projects. All of the units in the proposed project would have income-related stipulations, though the rent price tenants pay would be determined individually by the tenants' income and number of people in the household, Armstrong told The Beacon-News. The actual costs of the units are based on the size and number of bedrooms — about $315,000 per unit is what they're expecting. In terms of the project's classification, Armstrong also noted that 'affordable housing' is more of an umbrella term, and referred to the project as having an 'income mixing range' of 30% to 80% of the AMI. 'Workforce housing,' he explained, tends to refer to housing for households making 60% to 80% of the AMI. Batavia Mayor Jeffery Schielke noted that the limestone in the area might make the site challenging to build on and add possible unaccounted-for costs. But there have not been many affordable housing projects in Batavia in recent years, he told The Beacon-News, and he believes the demand is there for this sort of project. And the project could put that land to good use, Malone said at the May 19 City Council meeting and 'turn a literal rock field into someplace people can live.' Funding the project But, despite securing an early stage of city approval, the money isn't to be spent yet on the project, City Council members clarified before approving the request for the TIF funding. It's merely a promise of funding down the line, once the project is determined to be feasible. Armstrong said at a meeting with the City Council that Fox River Affordable Housing needed this promise from the city in order to submit its application for the Illinois Housing Development Authority's Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which he said would provide the project with a considerable portion of its total funding. The TIF money that the developers plan to use is also to be paid back to the city, in a way. Assuming the project continues, the city would allocate the $1.2 million, which would go toward the purchase of the land set at about $1 million along with soft costs like engineering and architectural plans, according to Buening. The city's approval is conditional on the proposal being taxable, Buening said, and its proposed location is within the city's TIF District 3, meaning it would generate TIF funding. Essentially, a TIF district freezes the amount of property tax revenue each taxing body receives from an area at the point at which the TIF is instituted. The extra or 'increment' taxes created by the development of the property go into a special fund used to pay for costs related to improving the area. The goal is to secure the land by the end of this year and begin construction immediately after, Armstrong said. But whether the project moves forward at all, he said, is contingent on the project being awarded the Low Income Housing Tax Credit developers are applying for. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit is a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit, according to IHDA's website, that helps move affordable housing projects forward. The maximum rent that can be charged on a property that receives this tax credit is 80% of the AMI — which is why there are no market-rate units in the proposed development. Rents are typically capped for a 30-year period in Illinois. What's next? Armstrong said that Fox River Affordable Housing and Housing Authority of Elgin expect to hear back about whether they've been awarded the tax credit later in June. He said the project would likely not be able to move forward without that funding source. The developers also have to enter into a redevelopment agreement with the city, Buening noted, and go through the zoning process. Should all go as planned, Armstrong said, the project's aim is to close on a deal for the land by the end of the year and immediately begin construction, as long as there are no major obstacles that push back their timeline. There are several factors that can slow down affordable housing projects, Skuzinski noted. In general, gaining public and city support for projects can require overcoming negative perceptions of affordable housing developments. 'There's a perception that property values go down whenever an affordable housing project or even a mixed-income project … go in, and that's just not true,' Skuzinski said. 'It has more to do with the design of the building, sort of what it looks like, how well it's managed.' Additionally, because affordable housing developments tend to have slimmer profit margins and less options for obtaining loans, Skuzinski noted, the loss of one source of funding can slow down or jeopardize the project. Amid discussion of the project at a meeting in May, Malone inquired about the availability of federal funding with regards to the project. Low Income Housing Tax Credit is a federal funding source that's allocated by state agencies, in this case the Illinois Housing Development Authority. But, while President Donald Trump's administration has slashed the budgets of a number of government programs, the housing tax credit appears to be safe for now. It could potentially even see an influx of cash if the Senate leaves that part of the recently passed House of Representatives' budget bill as is. Federal funding aside, Armstrong said the costs of materials and labor and interest rates have all driven up the price of construction since the pandemic, and they've made the Housing Authority of Elgin move more slowly and be more selective with what projects it takes on. And the added uncertainty of possible tariffs could also change their plans or slow progress. And, for the housing authority, unlike developers intending to sell their developments, there's also the added component of managing the property. 'We are generally in it for the … lifespan in the building,' Armstrong said. That's something the Housing Authority of Elgin wants to do more of, he said. It currently manages 164 units of Low Income Housing Tax Credit properties, he noted, but have a third-party entity that manages some of its other properties. They've also co-developed some projects, but intend to be the sole developer on the Batavia units. Armstrong said the authority worked with the city of Batavia to identify this potential project and the proposed location. 'I'm not in the business of going somewhere and telling them what's good for them,' Armstrong said. But the housing authority is willing to work with cities which identify a need for affordable housing, he said. And, with projects like these, he said one of its goals is helping individuals of different income levels live in the same community. 'We're trying to deconcentrate poverty and do this in areas of opportunity,' Armstrong said, 'where people can have pride and lives in areas that provide jobs and education and so on.' These kinds of projects are one way of supporting social mobility for both low-income and working class individuals and families, Skuzinski noted. 'There can be a benefit to allowing for social networking and ties across income classifications,' Skuzinski said. 'One of the best ways to do that is either through affordable housing projects that are in higher-income neighborhoods, or through projects that are themselves mixed-income. And it seems like the one in Batavia's trying to kind of do both.' And, despite the challenges affordable housing projects bring, he said he thinks this project is well-positioned to move forward. 'When you have professionalized local governments working with a developer that's well-known, that's when these can be a recipe for success,' Skuzinski said. 'Why wouldn't you want to go ahead with something like this?'
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
MLB Power Rankings: Tigers remain on top, Pete Alonso powers Mets
Featured in this week's MLB Power Rankings, Pete Alonso climbs the Mets' all-time leaderboard, the Phillies' slide continues, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Christian Encarnacion-Strand are red-hot since coming off the IL, the Rays and Blue Jays are rolling, hope is fading for the Braves, and much more. Let's get started! Advertisement (Please note these power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook) MLB: Spring Training-Chicago White Sox at San Diego Padres Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Nick Kurtz is back, Kyle Teel is here Eric Samulski breaks down some of the top waiver wire adds for the upcoming week of fantasy baseball. Note: Rankings are from the morning of Monday, June 9. 1) Detroit Tigers Last week: 1 Everything is coming up Tigers right now. Nothing signifies this more than this catch by Zach McKinstry, which left him in a state of disbelief. 2) New York Mets ⬆️ Last week: 3 Fresh off a sweep of the lowly Rockies, the Mets have won 12 out of their last 15 games. Pete Alonso has drive in 18 runs in eight games this month and crushed two homers on Sunday to pass David Wright for second on the Mets' all-time home run list. He's just nine away from catching Darryl Strawberry (252) for the No. 1 spot. 3) Chicago Cubs ⬇️ Last week: 2 Advertisement In a possible World Series preview, the Cubs dropped two out of three to the Tigers over the weekend. It was their first series loss in a month. 4) New York Yankees ⬆️ Last week: 6 With his new '70 percent' mindset, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is hitting .381 (8-for-21) with two homers since coming off the injured list. Maybe just stay away from the in-game interviews. 5) Los Angeles Dodgers ⬇️ Last week: 4 It's pretty much history watch every time Clayton Kershaw gets on the mound. The southpaw played the role of stopper on Sunday five innings of one-run ball against the Cardinals and is now just 17 strikeouts away from joining the 3,000 K club. 6) San Diego Padres ⬆️ Last week: 7 Advertisement All eyes are on the Padres and Dodgers to start the week, as the divisional foes will meet for the first time this season. The Padres are just one game behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. This week's three-game set will take place in San Diego and they'll meet again next week in Los Angeles for a four-game series. 7) San Francisco Giants ⬆️ Last week: 8 The Giants will carry a five-game winning streak into the week; all of the victories came by the margin of just one run. They have a chance to stay hot as they square off against the Rockies in Coors Field for three games. 8) Philadelphia Phillies ⬇️ Last week: 5 Advertisement A stunning fall for the Phillies, who have lost nine out of their last 10 games. Bryce Harper hit the injured list on Saturday as he deals with a recurrence of a right wrist injury from last year. Not great. 9) Houston Astros ⬆️ Last week: 11 Jeremy Pena is quietly enjoying the best season of his career. Even with an 0-fer on Sunday to snap his 12-game hitting streak, he's batting .361 with a .975 OPS over his last 30 games. The Astros have gone 19-11 in that time to climb into first place in the AL West. 10) St. Louis Cardinals ⬇️ Last week: 9 After a bit of a stumble, the Cardinals took two out of three from the Dodgers over the weekend. Sonny Gray got the win on Friday and now owns a 13 1/3-inning scoreless streak. 11) Tampa Bay Rays ⬆️ Last week: 18 Advertisement What a turnaround by the Rays, who are 14-4 over their last 18 games. With the exception of Saturday's slugfest against the Marlins, they haven't allowed more than four runs since May 18. 12) Toronto Blue Jays ⬆️ Last week: 15 The Rays aren't the only red-hot team in the AL East, as the Blue Jays have won nine out of their last 11 games. Only the Dodgers, Mets, and the aforementioned Rays have scored more runs over the past two weeks. 13) Minnesota Twins ⬆️ Last week: 14 Big blow to the Twins over the past week, as right-hander Pablo Lopez suffered a Grade 2 teres major muscle strain and is expected to miss 8-to-12 weeks. 14) Milwaukee Brewers ⬇️ Last week: 13 Advertisement The wait continues for Brandon Woodruff, who was hit in the elbow by a 108.2 mph comebacker last Tuesday in what was supposed to be his final minor league rehab start. Fortunately, X-rays came back negative, but he'll need some downtime before starting a new rehab assignment. 15) Cleveland Guardians ⬇️ Last week: 12 The key question for the Guardians is if they can get any semblance of consistent offense from someone outside of José Ramírez and Steven Kwan. Ramírez is currently riding a career-best 34-game on-base streak. 16) Seattle Mariners ⬇️ Last week: 10 George Kirby did what aces are supposed to do, stopping a five-game losing streak on Sunday while notching a career-high 14 strikeouts against the Angels. 17) Kansas City Royals ⬇️ Last week: 16 Advertisement Any time you can get in the same sentence with Bo Jackson is usually a good thing. 18) Cincinnati Reds ⬆️ Last week: 22 Christian Encarnacion-Strand has provided quite the jolt since coming off the injured list, as he homered in all three games during the Reds' weekend sweep over the Diamondbacks. 19) Boston Red Sox ⬆️ Last week: 20 Hey Red Sox? It's time. 20) Texas Rangers ⬆️ Last week: 21 The Rangers' offense has been a massive disappointment this season, but Marcus Semien is finally waking up. The 34-year-old is hitting .517 (15-for-29) with three homers, three doubles and nine RBI over his last nine games. 21) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬇️ Last week: 19 Advertisement With Corbin Burnes needing Tommy John surgery, it's increasingly clear that this isn't going to be the Diamondbacks' year. It will be interesting to see which players end up going on the trade block in the coming weeks. Zac Gallen? Merrill Kelly? Eugenio Suarez? 22) Los Angeles Angels ⬆️ Last week: 24 As someone who is constantly fielding snack requests from my two young children, it's nice to know that it never truly ends. Kudos to Eric Young Sr. as Father's Day approaches this Sunday. 23) Washington Nationals Last week: 23 As James Wood develops into a star, we're also seeing MacKenzie Gore become one of the game's best left-handed starters. Also acquired in the Juan Soto blockbuster with the Padres, Gore holds a 2.87 ERA through 13 starts and currently leads the NL with 108 strikeouts. 24) Atlanta Braves ⬇️ Last week: 17 Advertisement As the kids say, the Braves are crashing out. A seven-game losing streak, including a sweep at the hands of the Giants over the weekend. Spencer Strider is showing diminished stuff with a 5.85 ERA in four starts since coming off the IL last month. 25) Baltimore Orioles ⬆️ Last week: 27 Some recent momentum for the Orioles, who won six straight before dropping two out of three to the lowly Athletics over the weekend. 26) Pittsburgh Pirates ⬆️ Last week: 28 Paul Skenes has one win in his last seven starts despite posting a 1.12 ERA (six ER with a 51/12 K/BB ratio in 48 1/3 innings) during that time. 27) Athletics ⬇️ Last week: 25 Advertisement The A's aren't winning many games these days, but Jacob Wilson can't be stopped. He's hitting .461 over his last 19 games and has amassed at least two hits in five straight games. Also, I'd be remiss to leave out the best catch of the past week. 28) Miami Marlins ⬇️ Last week: 26 The Marlins have lost six out of seven (including a humiliating sweep by the Rockies), but the good news is that stud right-hander Eury Perez is set to make his return from Tommy John surgery on Monday. 29) White Sox Last week: 29 A former top prospect for the Dodgers, Miguel Vargas is beginning to realize his potential. After getting off to a slow start, he's hitting .289 with nine home runs and a .900 OPS over his last 41 games. 30) Colorado Rockies Last week: 30 A rollercoaster week for the Rockies, who managed to pull off a three-game sweep of the Marlins on the road before being swept by the Mets at Coors Field over the weekend.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Colston Loveland Spotted in Uniform as Bears Monitor Injury Comeback
Colston Loveland Spotted in Uniform as Bears Monitor Injury Comeback originally appeared on Athlon Sports. OTAs are rolling along at Halas Hall, and while a handful of Bears are still nursing injuries—T.J. Edwards, Kyler Gordon, Luther Burden III, Shemar Turner, Braxton Jones, and Ryan Bates among them—there was one moment that stood out. A highly-touted rookie, recovering from shoulder surgery, was seen suited up and walking with staff to the practice fields. It wasn't a full return, but it was a clear step in the right direction. Advertisement Colston Loveland, the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and first tight end taken, has been on the mend since undergoing shoulder surgery earlier this year. Out of Michigan, Loveland was known for being a mismatch nightmare and is projected to play a big role in Ben Johnson's offense, especially with Caleb Williams heading into year two. Bears Coach Ben JohnsonGetty Images According to Just Another Year Chicago: Bears, there's reason for optimism. Adam Jahns of The Athletic reported: 'Rookie tight end Colston Loveland could be getting closer to returning after shoulder surgery,' Jahns wrote. 'He was spotted in uniform, accompanying staff members to other practice fields at Halas Hall while the rest of the team practiced on Fields 1 and 2.' Loveland himself sounded encouraged when he spoke during his introductory press conference on April 25: 'Six months was the timetable. We're three out right now. And it feels great. I got full range of motion and everything. I can do really everything but just like super heavy weight. ... We're in a good spot.' Colston Loveland© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Seeing Loveland back out there—even if just in uniform—is a great sign for Chicago. With Ben Johnson building a scheme designed to elevate Williams, having a versatile weapon like Loveland trending toward a return only strengthens what the Bears are putting together on offense. Advertisement Related: Pro Bowl Additions Propel Bears into Top Guard Duo Rankings for 2025 Related: Past Hopeful Bears Draft Pick Facing Roster Battle – Three Threats to His Spot This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
