🩵 1,000 things we love about Chicago

RTA Pushes Lawmakers to Help Fill Budget Gap

The Regional Transportation Authority faces a $770 million budget shortfall, potentially resulting in a 40% reduction in services. RTA warns that without intervention from the Illinois General Assembly, one in five Chicagoans could lose access to public transit services next year. [Block Club]

Chicago Traffic Stops: Fewer but More Violent

After the 2024 fatal shooting of Dexter Reed, the city promised more police reform. While traffic stops have decreased, the use of force has risen. A joint report from the Chicago Sun-Times and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity reveals that force was used 787 times during stops, the highest since 2018. [Sun-Times]

How Trump Could Impact Illinois Schools

President Donald Trump signed an order last week aimed at dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, which could put federal financial aid for college students, the monitoring of special education services, and civil rights laws at risk. Here’s how Chicago may feel these effects. [WBEZ]

On today’s podcast, we test the knowledge of some of our City Cast Chicago members to see how well they know Chicago. Play along with the quiz below!

How the quiz works: The quiz is broken up into five different categories: Getting Around, Chicago Poetry, Chicago Jingles, Chicago Politics, and The Great Chicago Fire. The first question of each category is on the easier side and is worth one point. The second question of each category is more difficult and is worth five points.

Here's the first question: