Latest news with #Alderman
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘There's no one in the bean!' City forced to deny man is trapped inside iconic landmark after hoax protests go viral
A CITY official has declared that there is no man trapped inside the Chicago Bean - despite a viral online hoax claiming otherwise. The fictitious rumour claims there is a human being trapped inside the Cloud Gate sculpture - which has sparked a movement of protesters rallying his alleged capture. 7 7 7 7 Brendan Reilly, a Chicago alderman, said the conspiracy about the city's sculpture had left his office flooded with calls from alarmed citizens. Earlier this month, a small group of protesters started gathering at the iconic stainless steel artwork. Demonstrators were heard chanting: 'There is a man in the Bean' and 'What do we want? The man to get out.' Enthusiastic demonstrators even handed out leaflets claiming the man's existence was a cover-up - kept secret from locals for more than two decades. They waved banners calling for officials to "unlock Cloud Gate" so that they could recover the trapped individual. Unbelievable footage showed the movement congregate in front of the landmark, holding up pieces of cardboard with messages like: "GET HIM OUT NOW!" The conspiracy, which also has an Instagram page dedicated to it, claims that bystanders can see a faint outline of the trapped man when the angle of the sun is "just right". The social media account uploaded a poster which says: WE CANNOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE MAN INSIDE THE BEAN. "However, when the sun hits the Bean just right, YOU CAN SEE A FAINT OUTLINE OF THE MAN." The poster ends with a prompt to citizens that they should contact Reilly's office - with his name spelled incorrectly - to demand that he take "immediate action" to free the man. Watch Netfix's documentary Trainwreck Storm Area 51 where nurds take on the government's top secret Alien base Local city councillor Reilly said the rumours were becoming a distraction from his work. The official said: 'I am happy to confirm that a man has not been trapped inside Cloud Gate (aka 'the Bean') for the past 21 years." He continued: 'I appreciate light-hearted parody as much as the next guy, and I've always welcomed public engagement. 'However, this online hoax has led to a heavy uptick in calls to my office. 'Unfortunately, answering the heavy volume of calls regarding this hoax is ultimately a distraction for my office from the real work we do for the 42nd Ward and City of Chicago each day." 7 The silver sculpture was created in the mid-2000s by Indian-born Brit artist Anish Kapoor. The aforementioned poster which calls for the councillor to release the imprisoned man claims that he was put in there when he was a baby after Kapoor kidnapped him. The poster reads: "When construction began on the Bean in 2004, Anish Kapoor, the artist and chief architect behind The Bean (Cloud Gate) STOLE A BABY and put that baby inside of The Bean. "THE MAN has been held captive there ever since - LIVING IN COMPLETE ISOLATION." Baffled social media users flooded the comments section with questions. While another joked: "Is he okay with bean in there?" 7
CBS News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
City Council honors outgoing Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. as he prepares to step down
The Chicago City Council on Wednesday spent nearly two hours singing the praises of Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th), the council's elder statesman, as he attended his final meeting before stepping down at the end of the month. Burnett, 61, is the dean of the City Council, having represented the 27th Ward on the West Side since 1995, and the longest-serving African American ever on the Chicago City Council. He's also the vice mayor and chairman of the Zoning Committee, and received a standing ovation from his colleagues after presenting his final committee report. Convicted for his role in an armed robbery in the 1980s, Burnett got his first job in politics working for Cook County government in the 1980s before first being elected to the City Council in 1995, and later receiving a pardon which he said allowed him to continue serving in elected office. "Thank you for the honor to allow me to be the vice mayor of the City of Chicago. Thank you for the honor to allow me to be the Zoning chair. Thank you for the honor for a young kid who made a mistake, grew up in the projects, to be where I am today. Thank you. God bless you," a tearful Burnett told his colleagues from the council's rostrum at City Hall. Burnett has worked in city or county government roles for more than 40 years, starting as a draftsman for the Cook County Highway Department – meaning he's spent his entire political career working in the building that houses both Chicago City Hall and the Cook County Building. "I love everyone in this building. I've been in this building for 41 years," Burnett said. "I know just about everybody on the county side, from the janitors to the executives, because I love people. I know everybody here." Despite being one of the more moderate members of the City Council, Burnett has been a staunch ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson, a political progressive. Johnson called Burnett "a true example of what it means to be a public servant." "You have given so much to so many people," Johnson said. "We love you, and we know that God is not done with you yet, but we certainly are grateful. We give God the glory for the things that he has done through you." Burnett's colleagues repeatedly hailed him as a bridge builder who consistently worked to find consensus in debates between the council's progressives and moderates, which have grown more heated in recent years. "What I'm grateful for is that Walter has always helped simmer down the room. When tensions are high, when people are upset, he reminds us why we're here, he reminds us what we're fighting for, and he reminds us that there is a middle that we can achieve," said Ald. Jessie Fuenes (26th). Ald. David Moore (17th) praised Burnett for never taking political disagreements personally, regardless of the issue. "We can argue, we can disagree, and then tomorrow we laugh and we're shaking hands," Moore said. Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) said Burnett regularly urged his colleagues "not just to be showhorses, but to be workhorses." "It's remarkable to think of what we're losing as you turn the chapter. This body will never be the same. Whether people love you or hate you, they cannot deny it," Lopez said. "You've always been able to see the best and the craziest of us, and make us understand about ourselves as well." Burnett grew up in the CHA's Rockwell Gardens and Cabrini-Green housing complexes. As a teen, Burnett served two years in prison in the early 1980s for his role in an armed bank robbery in Kankakee. While in prison, he earned an associate's degree in political science as well as certificates as a draftsman and an emergency medical technician. A month after his release from prison, Burnett got his first job in Cook County government, working under then-Board President George Dunne. He later went on to work for 11 years for then-Cook County Recorder of Deeds Jesse White, his political mentor, before managing White's successful 1998 campaign for Illinois Secretary of State. Burnett was first elected to the City Council in 1995, and in 1998 Gov. Jim Edgar pardoned him for his bank robbery conviction, and Burnett said without that, he wouldn't have been able to run for re-election. Since his release from prison, Burnett has been a staunch advocate for programs that provide second chances to convicted felons. "I never underestimate everyone, and I believe everybody is a human being and they're important, and you never know where they're going to be in life," Burnett said. During his time in office, his ward hosted two Democratic National Conventions – in 1996 and 2024 – and has undergone a dramatic transformation from a hub of manufacturing and meatpacking businesses into one of the trendiest residential neighborhoods in Chicago with a booming restaurant scene. The ward will also be home to Chicago's first permanent casino, which is currently under construction. Several members of the City Council said they've looked to Burnett as an example of how to successfully develop their own wards. "I think we've all learned from you in one way or another, and there's so much more that we can learn from you. When it comes down to building a ward, I quietly watched what you do, and I tried to emulate that in my ward. You've done a great job at it, and I don't think anyone can say anything different," Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) said. The Sun-Times reports Mayor Brandon Johnson is seriously considering appointing Burnett as the new CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority. The CHA has been led by interim CEO Angela Hurlock since November, when former CEO Tracey Scott stepped down. The CHA board is scheduled to meet Tuesday, when they could vote on a new CEO. With Burnett stepping down from the City Council, Johnson will be tasked with choosing his successor, and the Sun-Times reports Burnett is hoping the mayor will pick his son, Walter R. Burnett, to fill his seat. Johnson also would have to pick someone to replace Burnett as vice mayor and Zoning Committee chair.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Deputies: Two men arrested for animal neglect after 6 dogs rescued from Polk County Home
On May 30, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said they arrested two men on multiple counts of animal neglect after discovering six dogs living in awful conditions inside a home that had no power or ventilation. Deputies said when they arrived at the scene, they were unable to contact anyone at the residence but could hear multiple dogs inside. The temperature inside the home was measured at 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The dogs were visibly panting, and the interior of the house was littered with trash, feces, and urine, according to PCSO. In one of the bedrooms, deputies said they found trash piled up to the ceiling, making it difficult to navigate through the house, forcing them to climb over items and through excrement to move around. Deputies said when they found the dogs, their temperatures reached as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit. During the investigation, 29-year-old Alan Alderman and 65-year-old Thornton Arnold arrived at the property where they claimed only two of the dogs belonged to them, stating that three belonged to Alderman's girlfriend, who is currently in jail, and they were unaware of the existence of the sixth dog. Both men were arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail. All dogs were taken to Polk County Animal Control for medical evaluation and treatment. Deputiesa said Alderman and Arnold were both charged with six counts of animal neglect, a first degree misdemeanor. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City council follow-up on Enmarket Arena parking lot
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — After a heated city council meeting yesterday over the new Enmarket arena parking lot that, if completed, will be the most expensive parking lot in Georgia's history. 29 million dollars. That's how much money the City of Savannah would spend on the flat surface Enmarket Arena parking lot if the new 14-million-dollar proposal gets approved at the workshop set to take place in two weeks. 'Council members have a right to be outraged right now, and the public has a right to be outraged because we burned through $15 million so far,' Nick Palumbo District 4 Alderman said. 'The same contractor has billed us for an additional $1.9 million, which we have not paid. And the city is now recommending that we continue with the same contractor for another $14 million. I think, honestly, we need to ask whether or not they're going to be able to finish the job. What has changed on the site to render this recommendation?' According to the cities contract, they are required to remediate the site due to the soil in the area being contaminated. Palumbo said there are a lot of other less expensive ways to fulfill their obligations. 'The alternatives include we don't have a sidewalk that runs east to west from the arena to the site,' Palumbo said. 'We don't have a bike lane that runs east to west, from the arena to the site, you know, where all of the hotels and parking are downtown. We don't have a safe mobility connection that runs east to west that's there.' Palumbo said other council members agree with him that the parking lot is not needed and would add no value to the city or the patrons who call it home. 'It is in the 100-year flood plain adjacent to the Springfield Canal, surface parking produces the heat island effect, making our environment worse. And it really doesn't add any value to the community whatsoever, outside of just more convenient parking for the arena and for those arena patrons, perhaps,' Palumbo said. The workshop is set for May 22, and they will be taking a deep dive into the budget and other options available instead. We will keep you updated as we learn more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
14-04-2025
- Health
- Axios
Looming federal cuts spark confusion and worries among Denver nonprofits
The executive director for the mental health nonprofit Caring for Denver says slashed federal funding could lead to higher demand for its already-scarce grant dollars. Why it matters: As local nonprofits scramble to determine how cuts will affect their ability to provide services, those that don't rely on federal dollars, like Caring for Denver, are trying to see how they can step in. By the numbers: The nonprofit, which generates its grant money through local sales tax, provided $43.7 million in 103 grants to 98 organizations supporting mental health programs last year, documents show. State of play: Colorado is home to 34,251 nonprofits contributing roughly $62 billion in total economic impact, including supporting 262,000 jobs, per a 2024 report from the Colorado Nonprofit Association. "We're already seeing the strain across the sector, but it's the Coloradans who depend on these services who stand to lose the most," Paul Lhevine, Colorado Nonprofit Association president & CEO, said in a statement. Context: Cuts from the Department of Health and Human Services are worrying some Caring for Denver grantees, the nonprofit's executive director Lorez Meinhold says. "We're all trying to understand how we can best support, but we also cannot replace all the dollars that have been lost, or still may be lost," Meinhold tells us. Caveat: Meinhold emphasizes Caring For Denver's money can only be used for programs supporting mental health and substance use treatments. Zoom in: The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless last year received just over $300,000 from Caring For Denver to provide recovery and housing support for its Native American services program. Already, the Coalition this year lost federal money that paid for two staffers who helped families get housing and a FEMA grant that provided hotel and motel vouchers for homeless families, spokesperson Cathy Alderman tells us. Those were relatively low-cost line items — roughly $240,000 total — but still impactful, Alderman says. Threat level:"What we are anticipating, and it's very worrisome, is the upcoming potential cuts to Medicaid and potential cuts to HUD," Alderman tells us. That could put some people's housing at risk, Alderman says, because it could mean losing money for direct rental payments. Losing Medicaid would be interrelated, she says: "If people don't have Medicaid coverage, they're less likely to pay for housing." What's next: Nonprofits serving the local LGBTQ+ community are also bracing for blowback.
