The City of Chicago has placed on hold the permit that would allow General Iron to relocate a scrap metal shredding plant to the Southeast Side. Environmental and community organizations, with the support of LWV Chicago, have been working for months to shine a light on the dangers of relocating the facility.

Three University of Illinois at Chicago professors make a strong case for taking Chicago ward redistricting out of the hands of politicians. In the past, maps drawn by the City Council were the norm.

There are no major statues of women historical figures in Chicago. The Mother Jones Chicago Statue Campaign wants to change that by honoring the iconic Irish immigrant and founder of the American labor movement—the Mother of the working class—with a statue in the city she called home.

Chicagoans interested in serving on an independent commission to redraw the city’s ward map need to submit an application online by April 9. The commission will create a map to compete with the one aldermen are expected to draw.

Check out some of the highlights of our interview with Ald. Leslie Hairston of the 5th Ward.

Having an independent commission redraw the city’s ward map—as a coalition led by CHANGE Illinois is promoting in Chicago—is unusual but not unheard of in this country. It worked in 2013 for Austin, Texas, which is about to repeat the process.

Check out some of the highlights of our interview with Ald. Roderick T. Sawyer of the 6th Ward.

In cooperation with neighborhood organizations and good government groups, CHANGE Illinois will be creating the Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission. “Our goal is to see an independent remapping commission that will reflect the core rich diversity of the city.”

Check out some of the highlights of our interview with Ald. Daniel La Spata of the 1st Ward.

Ann Williams (D-Chicago), Illinois General Assembly Representative for the 11th District, has been actively involved in environmental work and legislation for more than a decade. In this interview with LWV Chicago, Rep. Williams discusses her involvement in environmental issues and CEJA.

Check out some of the highlights of our interview with Ald. Brian Hopkins of the 2nd Ward.

No Chicago neighborhood has suffered more from municipal gerrymandering than Englewood. The largely African American community on the South Side has been divided among six wards since the 1970s and has never had a single alderman.

“Opaque,” “confusing,” “obscure”: the descriptions of Chicago’s decennial ward remapping tell how the process has appeared to the average citizen. Since knowing the rules may lessen confusion, we’ll try to explain the procedure.

CHANGE Illinois and other groups are planning to create an independent commission to draw the next Chicago ward map even if aldermen draw their own map.

With schools turning to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to look at how schools were dealing with online education, comparing traditional and charter schools.

CHANGE Illinois is spearheading the development of the Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission, whose goal is to create a transparent ward map centered on and drawn by residents.

Chicago’s 50 wards are stretched and twisted into tortured shapes, a not-surprising result of being drawn by politicians to serve their interests. If we have our way, the next map will be drawn by an independent citizens’ commission.

Check out some of the highlights of our interview with Ald. Michele Smith of the 43rd Ward.

Under state law, 25% of revenues collected from recreational marijuana sales are slated for communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the justice system. As a result, more than $25 million from cannabis sales are expected to fund organizations that operate in historically underserved Illinois communities.

Chicago Department of Public Health officials rejected a plan that would allow the General Iron metal recycling plant to move and expand on the East Side. Public comments on RMG’s application are still being accepted.