😩 Why does parking in Chicago suck?

A Year After Brandon Johnson Was Elected …

The first-term mayor reflects on the last 12 months since he was elected including how he has handled the tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived in the city and criticism from opponents and supporters. [Block Club]

More Elected School Board Questions

With Chicago’s first school board elections in November, will school board members ever be paid for their service? Currently, state law says no. [City Cast Chicago 🎧]

Chicago’s Role in Hair Relaxer Lawsuit

Thirty years ago, Chicago was home to the Black-owned, Black hair industry. More recently, thousands of lawsuits have been filed over hair relaxers, including in Chicago. Plaintiffs allege chemicals in hair relaxer products have caused cancer and other health problems. [WBEZ]

This Week’s Must-See

ICYMI: There was a car driving on the riverwalk. How did it get there? Where was it going? Your guess is as good as mine. [Twitter — or, uh, X]

We asked for your parking complaints with the arrival of street sweeping season, and Hey Chicago readers sure delivered. Here were some of your biggest gripes.

Caroline C.: “Some street cleaning notices are metal signs, others are papers tied around trees. I need consistency in my life.”

Mary T.: “When people park in two spots, I think they should be fined.”

Erik L.: “The parking meter deal. Part of me was broken the day I learned a mayor could sell off public goods to private companies.”

Dea B-A.: “What I like is being able to pay through the Parking Chicago app. What I DON’T like is that you have to create an account and load at least $20.”

Allison L.: “Empty parking lots with aggressive tow trucks.”

Elizabeth L.: “Permit parking signs that are hard to find. I've seen them at one end of a long block, but not the other, or rotated 90 degrees so you can't see them when you're actually parking!”

Liz L.: “Street parking when there’s a lot of snow on the ground is the worst!”

Lisa P.: “No parking on side streets on the North Side, specifically in Edgewater. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is.”

Diana C.: “Getting a ticket on a residential street where one wheel was more than 12 inches from the curb. I wish I could have measured it — probably not even 13 inches.”

Should School Board Get Paid?

Tribune reporter Gregory Royal Pratt and Northwestern University professor Arionne Nettles discuss whether school board members should be paid, NASCAR’s street race, and downtown offices being converted into apartments. Plus, they both have new books out this month:

• “The City is Up for Grabs: How Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Led and Lost a City in Crisis”
• “We Are The Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything”