🤔 How well do you know Chicago’s Black history?

Union vs. Union?

The Service Employees International Union State Council passed a resolution accusing the Chicago Teachers Union of jeopardizing its members’ bargaining rights. SEIU says a CTU contract proposal would take special education classroom jobs away from the service employee union. The teachers union disagrees. [Tribune 🔒]

• The rift between SEIU and CTU was first reported in December, but union contract negotiations were less than ideal before then. [City Cast Chicago 🎧]

West Side Grocer Struggles Despite City Funds

Neighbors are growing increasingly frustrated with the newly reopened Save A Lot in West Garfield Park, saying the grocery store has a rat infestation and expired food on its shelves. The location is part of a $20 million deal with the city to open grocery stores in underserved areas, but its owners have struggled with finances and unpaid contractors. [Sun-Times]

• Large grocery chains are the only option for many in the city, so what’s up with Chicago’s big grocery problem? [City Cast Chicago 🎧]

Taxpayers On the Hook for Lackluster 311 Response

The city has agreed to pay $3.5 million to a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury when a neglected tree fell on him in 2020, despite multiple calls to 311. In its initial response to the lawsuit, the city said it had no obligation to “engage in systematic inspections of the public way.” [Sun-Times]

• Calling 311 and complaining seems to be the only way to get things done, but Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg thinks there’s a better way. [City Cast Chicago 🎧]

How Can a City Have ‘Bad Credit’?

After one agency put Chicago’s credit rating near “junk” status, we want to know what that even means. We talk to DePaul University professor Amanda Kass about how municipal ratings work and what a bad credit rating says about the city’s financial health. [City Cast Chicago 🎧]

It’s Black History Month, so we’re testing your knowledge of local Black history.

Who was Chicago’s first non-Native permanent settler?

• Jacques Marquette
• Jean Baptiste Point DuSable
• John Jones
• Jesse Binga