约翰逊对最新参选者不屑一顾
作者：Alice Yin
市长布兰登·约翰逊在周一试图回避一个显而易见的问题——2027年市长选举——但与此同时，他在抨击最新参选人的时候，发表了一场带有竞选色彩的演说。
在马尔科姆-X学院与芝加哥教师工会共同举行的新闻发布会上，市长在亚历克西·吉安诺利亚斯周日宣布竞选约翰逊的席位后，克制地没有点名提及这位伊利诺伊州州务卿。但在宣布扩建 15 所可持续社区学校后，他仍然对他潜在的最新对手及其捐赠者发起了 thinly veiled（含蓄但明显）的攻击。
“我的工作是在当前时刻继续治理和领导。至于芝加哥的政治，我们称这里为风之城 (芝加哥别称) 是有原因的，对吧？”当被问及吉安诺利亚斯的候选资格时，约翰逊告诉记者。“你会看到不同波次的人在这里进进出出。但最恒定、最静止且至今依然存在的是约翰逊政府。”
在接任者的竞争之势日益激烈的背景下，这是市长再次在是否承诺寻求连任的问题上含糊其辞。针对即将到来的决定，约翰逊为潜在的竞选筹集的资金寥寥，并始终坚持一套关于专注于“建设美国最安全、最实惠的大城市”的措辞。
作者：Evgenia Anastasakos, A.D. Quig 和 Alice Yin 《芝加哥论坛报》
但随着吉安诺利亚斯参选，如果现任市长决定参选，约翰逊及其进步派联盟将迎来迄今为止资金最充足的对手。周一，约翰逊充分展现其反建制的根源，试图将这位预期的领先者与拉姆·伊曼纽尔政府联系起来。
“现在，有些人一边宣布竞选公职，一边已经在放风说他们要关闭学校，”约翰逊说。“那些关闭学校的同样利益集团，那些关闭心理健康诊所的同样利益集团，那些在这座城市解雇劳动人民的同样利益集团——正是这些同样的利益集团想要把我们带回那个充满创伤、折磨和痛苦的时代。”
他接着进一步攻击这些“利益集团”，指责他们支持总统唐纳德·特朗普的减税政策，或者在去年秋天面对其在芝加哥开展的联邦移民行动时没有应对计划，随后抨击了一些听命于“公司利益”的未具名政治人物。
[图注] 小熊队新援救援投手 Ryan Zeferjahn。BAILEY HILLESHEIM / AP
作者：Allison Kiehl 《芝加哥论坛报》
投手 Kevin Gausman、Clay Holmes 和上述的 Ryan Zeferjahn 是小熊队在交易截止日的重点引援；而白袜队则加入了接手者 Joey Bart、外野手 Brenton Doyle 等人。
芝加哥体育
[图注] 周一，工作人员在芝加哥格兰特公园南端的哈钦逊球场泥泞区域收拾卢拉帕卢扎音乐节的舞台和帐篷。BRIAN CASSELLA / 《芝加哥论坛报》
卢拉帕卢扎音乐节的承办方 C3 演艺公司目前负责清理工作，其中包括可能成本高昂的格兰特公园草坪修复，由于在音乐节第三天时人群密集，草坪已完全被覆盖。
周一早晨，因工作访问芝加哥的朱莉·拉达科维奇和莎拉·阿尔斯兰尼安在格兰特公园漫步。此时距离 2026 年卢拉帕卢扎音乐节最后一名表演者离开舞台仅过去几个小时。这次为期四天的活动吸引了估计 400,000 名粉丝涌入公园，场地被雨水浸透，并留下了数英亩被踩踏损毁的草草坪。
“这确实是一个标志性的存在，”来自太平洋西北地区的 36 岁拉达科维奇谈到这个在格兰特公园举办了 20 年以上的音乐节。她和来自加拿大的 56 岁阿尔斯兰尼安与遛狗者和跑步者一起，在路障和清理人员之间穿行，而附近长凳上的一位艺术家正在写生公园的景象——包括音乐节后的狼藉。
根据市应急管理与通信办公室的数据，此次音乐节也给城市留下了典型的轻微混乱记录：10 起逮捕，零张罚单，以及 67 次就医记录——这些数字与近年来基本持平。
拉达科维奇注意到这次活动
[图注] 7 月 24 日，在芝加哥富尔顿市场区，玛丽亚 6 岁的孩子站在兰多夫街和格林街的街角卖花。CHRIS SWEDA / 《芝加哥论坛报》
在最近一个夏季周六的傍晚，玛丽亚和她 6 岁的女儿坐在西环区一个繁忙的十字路口，身边放着一个装满用丝带和装饰纸包裹的花束的大桶。玛丽亚留在街角，而小女孩则独自在短距离内走动。
当食客们匆忙赶往西兰多夫街沿线时髦餐厅的预约时，小女孩在人行道上来回行走。她一言不发，但其面部表情仿佛能诉说 1,000 个故事，她向路过的人举起手中的花，希望有人能停下脚步。
几乎同一时间，附近的每个十字路口几乎都在上演同样的场景。务工儿童在拥挤的街角之间穿梭，向上递出花朵，一次只能赚到 $5 或 $10。
特朗普通过干预制造了自己的麻烦
作者：Alan Feuer 《纽约时报》
从唐纳德·特朗普总统再次当选的那一刻起，他就强行掌控了司法部的主导权。通过要求并有时直接指示对他敌对者的调查，他在该部门长期以来保持的独立于白宫的传统上留下了深深的印记。
然而，他对方向盘的紧握经常威胁到要将该部门带向悬崖。
上周生动地描绘了特朗普干预的后果。在短短几天内，这种干预危及了一起刑事案件，为第二起案件的制裁埋下伏笔，并阻碍了他的司法部长人选获得参议院确认的机会。
[图注] 周六，节日参与者在格兰特公园的 Lollapalooza 音乐节中艰难地走在泥泞中。ARTHUR MAIORELLA / CHICAGO TRIBUNE
订阅
从 8 月 7 日至 8 月 16 日的 5% 州销售税减免通常适用于 $125 以下的服装和学校用品。流向地方政府的部分销售税仍适用。临时税收假期将适用于服装和用品。作者：Olivia Olander，《芝加哥论坛报》。JB 普利兹克州长目前正在竞选连任，并被广泛视为 2028 年总统大选潜在的民主党竞争者；他将此次折扣定义为其努力的一部分，旨在为那些在通货膨胀以及中东战争导致成本上升而苦苦挣扎的家庭提供缓解。
在州政府通过的年度预算中，一项临时的返校销售税假期将为购买彩色笔记本、超级英雄背包和大号运动鞋的伊利诺伊州家庭在结账时提供一定的缓解。周一，家庭日托中心所有者 Parish Banks 在位于 Avondale 的 Acero 特许学校网络旗下 Carlos Fuentes 小学的后方垃圾箱中收集书籍和学校用品。摄影：EILEEN T. MESLAR / 《芝加哥论坛报》。作者：Kate Perez，《芝加哥论坛报》。
周一，在为开设家庭日托中心做最后的准备工作时，所有者 Parish Banks 还在思考她如何才能负担得起启动新学年并充分发挥学生潜能所需的所有用品。她的答案是通过一条出现在她动态中的 Facebook 帖子，该帖子通知社区成员，在 Avondale 社区的 Carlos Fuentes 小学外有一个装满学校用品的垃圾箱。
这篇帖子在周日晚上出现，告知人们 Fuentes 小学外的垃圾箱里装满了被丢弃的物品，包括教室装饰品、章节书、美术用品、玩具、教科书等。Fuentes 小学是五所从 Acero 特许学校网络过渡到芝加哥公立学校 (CPS) 学区的学校之一。这些物品未被触动且装满了整个垃圾箱。
在夏季假期期间，大量材料被丢弃，而新学年即将开始。目前尚不清楚这些材料被丢弃的原因。CPS 未回应评论请求。
这些用品正是 Banks 为她的 Pristine Leadership 学院（位于 Grand Crossing，计划于周二首次开业的日托中心）所需要的。在驱车 30 分钟前往北区学校并翻找丢弃的用品后，Banks 带走了书籍、工艺美术用品、桌面整理架、储物箱等，并称之为一种“祝福”。
多条评论称丢弃这些用品是一种“浪费”，它们本可以被教育工作者捐赠或重复利用，而不是被扔掉，尤其是考虑到《芝加哥论坛报》此前报道，自 2023, 7 月以来，学校用品价格上涨了 10% 以上。丢弃学校用品的现象出现之机……
由于州政府计划在 8 月 7 日至 8 月 16 日期间提供 5% 的学校用品销售税减免以帮助降低开支。美国国家零售联合会估计，K-12 阶段的家庭计划在今年花费约 $863.86 购买返校用品，略高于 2025. 年预计的 $858.07。这些高昂的价格也影响到了像 Banks 这样试图为教室和设施筹集资金的教育工作者和社区成员。“这是很有必要的。很多东西我之前不得不去 Facebook Marketplace 上买，”Banks 告诉《芝加哥论坛报》。“我今天早上 6 点起床时看到这个消息，立刻就冲到这里来了，因为我觉得我需要所有这些……我要拿很多东西。我确实需要很多东西。这太完美了。”
该帖子和垃圾桶引发了关于家长和监护人在每学年初购买新学校用品所面临压力的在线讨论。对于 Banks 来说，这些成本来自芝加哥地区的各个方面，从组织用品到支持基于游戏的课程。
P A G E 3 / S E C T I O N A / T U E S D A Y, A U G U S T 4 , 2 0 2 6 / C H I C A G O T R I B U N E . C O M 返校销售税折扣周五开始
以及其他因素。
手机或相机不在此列。外套、围巾、领带、腰带、泳衣、校服、裤子、连衣裙和衬衫均包含在销售税假期内，只要每件商品的售价低于 $125。符合条件的学校用品包括彩色铅笔、笔、文件夹、计算器、索引卡和午餐盒。根据州税务局的说法，通常不符合条件但包含在 $125 以下套装中（且套装主要由学校用品或符合条件的服装组成）的商品也将获得减税率。
阿灵顿高地的民主党州参议员 Mark Walker 周一指出，这次减免将降低除家长外，还必须自费购买用品的教师的成本。而家长们可以将该折扣与任何……叠加。
化妆品、发饰、手提包、足球鞋和许多类型的艺术用品不包含在销售税减免之列。笔记本电脑也不在其中。
社区成员在废弃的学校用品中寻宝 周一，卡洛斯-富恩特斯小学背后的一个垃圾桶中出现了被丢弃的学校用品和书籍，其中包括“神奇树屋”系列丛书。
在 Facebook 的一个“无需购买”社区页面上。Di Bella 告诉《芝加哥论坛报》，垃圾桶里不仅仅是垃圾，还有人们可以使用真正的用品，包括玩具、科学烧杯、Play-Doh 橡皮泥、“神奇树屋”系列丛书等。
“现在要开展基于游戏的活动并在该水平上制定课程是非常昂贵的。用基于游戏的方式教学很难，因为可以用来玩的东西很贵，”Banks 说道。“收纳箱，仅仅是用来存储的东西，就要 $10 到 $15。这些（放在桌子中间的）组织器也要 $10 到 $15。”
她补充说，现在看到用品被丢弃是一个令人难过的时刻，虽然人们会对这些材料被扔掉感到不快，但她仍然认为发布公开帖子很重要。她补充说，挖掘这些废弃材料是 Banks 为社区及其未来做出贡献的另一种方式。
“我宁愿发帖告诉大家‘嘿，快来拿这些’，也不愿现在感到担忧和难过，”Di Bella 说。“……直接来拿吧。让我们尽量减少进入垃圾填埋场的东西，看看我们能做些什么。”
“我在这里为了这些书在翻垃圾桶。我在这里为了这些东西在翻垃圾桶……为了芝加哥南区的黑人和棕色肤色年轻人拿这些东西，”Banks 说。
“我对此非常感激，我正需要这些。如果早知道，他们直接打电话告诉我就行了。”与此同时，班克斯（Banks）表示，她将给所有她认识的、能够从这些物资中获益的人打电话，并在寻找自己所需物品的同时开始拨打电话。“姑娘，你得赶紧过来，”班克斯在视频通话中对一位朋友说道，她用一只手在物资中翻找，然后将手机转向垃圾箱的方向，“看，有课程资料、颜料、Play-Doh 黏土，（这里）什么都有。”当艾什莉·迪·贝拉（Ashley Di Bella）发布这张垃圾箱及其内容的照片时，她的希望就是能减少浪费，并帮助像班克斯这样的教育工作者和社区成员。
《芝加哥论坛报》 / A 节 / Tuesday, August 4, 2026 3
伊利诺伊州零售商协会（Illinois Retail Merchants Association）总裁兼首席执行官罗伯·卡尔（Rob Karr）表示，这不同于其他返校季促销活动。对于那些在决定是支付账单还是购买运动制服或教室用品之间纠结的伊利诺伊州居民来说，“这些不仅仅是图表上的数字，”普利兹克在周一早上于西北郊区帕拉廷（Palatine）的一家学校用品店推广此次税收减免时说道。
在该州立法会议期间，批评者将此次销售税假期定义为选举年的一种政治手段，认为从长期来看，这不足以减轻家庭的税收负担。而州长则利用价格上涨，再次批评总统唐纳德·特朗普的经济和外交政策议程，因为美国人已经“多年面对明显的高通胀”。
他说：“我们无法控制经济中更广泛的通货膨胀，但有些事情我们可以做，以让生活变得更轻松，而这正是我们今天尝试去做的事情。”
CPS 将 15 所学校纳入其可持续社区模式计划扩展，或将资助 $150 million 的资金缺口
作者：凯特·佩雷斯 (Kate Perez) 《芝加哥论坛报》
另有 15 所学校将加入芝加哥公立学校 (CPS) 的“可持续社区学校”计划。这是一个已有 8 年历史的模式，旨在将社区的声音纳入邻里学校的结构中，包括教育和计划。该计划在 2018, 年启动时包含 20 所学校，在 2025- 26 学年期间，又有 16 所来自南区和西区的学校加入了名单。
该模式是教育委员会近年来的重点，该委员会在其 2023 年战略五年计划中将“可持续社区学校”列为优先事项。2025 年芝加哥教师工会 (CTU) 的合同中也包含了创建和资助更多可持续社区学校的内容，每所学校每年获得 $500,000。
目前，全市共有 51 所学校拥有“可持续社区学校”称号。该称号将社区组织和非营利机构的声音与学校领导层、家长、教育工作者及其他社区成员结合在一起。他们共同决定每所学校的课程、文化、计划等事项。
除此之外，芝加哥教师工会的合同中还包括计划在 2027-28 学年前指定并实施至少 70 所可持续社区学校，这意味着明年将有另外 19 所学校加入该计划。
这 15 所新学校分布在全市各处，包括洪堡公园 (Humboldt Park)、阿彻高地 (Archer Heights)、盖奇公园 (Gage Park)、罗斯兰 (Roseland) 等社区。
市长布兰登·约翰逊在周一的一次新闻发布会上表示，该计划的扩展创建了一个“全方位学术帮助和社会支持的中心”，涵盖了邻里学校的整个社区。
在周一的新闻发布会上，芝加哥教师工会及伊利诺伊教师联合会主席斯泰西·戴维斯·盖茨 (Stacy Davis Gates) 表示，此次扩展标志着进步。
“我很荣幸能为我们社区的……”
“集体谈判协议，”戴维斯·盖茨表示。“我很荣幸能让这一斗争的象征成为芝加哥公立学校的一部分，并以此赋予我们的学生、教育工作者、他们的家庭以及社区居民权力与优先权。”
“我们专注于扩大可持续社区学校的规模，以及那些在历史上被剥夺投资和被遗忘的社区，因为这是我们消除不平等，并为年轻人在安全且有支持的社区中学习、成长和繁荣提供机会的一种强有力方式，”布兰登·约翰逊说道。
十五所新指定的学校包括：位于洪堡公园的芝加哥艺术高中、位于阿瓦隆公园的芝加哥职业高中、位于乌克兰村的罗伯托·克莱门特社区学院、位于西岭的德威特·克林顿小学、位于上城的玛丽·E·考特尼小学语言艺术中心、位于阿彻高地的高级中学玛丽·斯克洛多夫斯卡-居里都市高中、位于大林荫道的詹姆斯·法默二世小学、位于奥本格雷舍姆的福斯特公园小学、位于盖奇公园的盖奇公园高中、位于罗斯兰的米尔德里德·I·拉维佐小学、位于小村庄的小村庄小学、位于北隆代尔的罗斯威尔·B·梅森小学、位于英格尔伍德的本杰明·E·梅斯小学学院、位于南岸的公园边小学社区学院，以及位于奥尔巴尼公园的西奥多·罗斯福高中。
此次扩建正值学区继续与资金困境作斗争之际。虽然芝加哥教育委员会在上月下旬通过了其 99.6 亿美元 billion 预算，但该预算依赖于一项尚未落实的预计 $150 million 州政府追加资金，以及 JB 普利兹克州长表示无法提供的收入。
当被问及扩建资金时，布兰登·约翰逊回答说，这是州长和州议会的责任。
“我已经向我们的公立学校投入了超过 10 亿美金。在这座城市的历史上，没有哪届政府为我们的公共教育系统贡献之多，原因就在于：我坚信它。”
在周一于芝加哥近西区的马尔科姆-X学院，当布兰登·约翰逊市长宣布扩大“可持续社区学校”计划时，芝加哥教师工会主席斯塔西·戴维斯·盖茨在向人们打招呼。CPS 未对《芝加哥论坛报》关于此事的评论请求做出回应。
BRIAN CASSELLA / CHICAGO TRIBUNE
作者：Jake Sheridan
芝加哥进步派市议员拜伦·西格乔-洛佩兹 (Byron Sigcho-López) 已对伊利诺伊州选举委员会及其成员提起诉讼，试图在最后关头争取进入第 4 国会选区选票名单。这起胜算较低的诉讼于周五提交，此前该委员会在上月下旬判定，西格乔-洛佩兹以及另一位寻求以独立候选人身份参选的进步派人士梅拉·马西亚斯 (Mayra Macías) 未能收集到足够数量的签名，无法出现在 11 月的选票上。但西格乔-洛佩兹在周一辩称，该决定基于不公平的规则，必须予以废除。
“我们花了几周时间收集数千名选民的签名，结果这些签名在一个匆忙的过程中被逐一质疑，而我们基本上没有时间进行辩护。这不是在保护选举，”西格乔-洛佩兹在的一份声明中表示，“这是在保护现状，并为政党头目操纵系统。”
该诉讼要求将西格乔-洛佩兹列入选票，并宣布管理独立候选人参选的州法律违宪。这仅仅是这场目前被定义为充满幕后政治手段的异常竞选中的最新篇章。
这场竞选始于帕蒂·加西亚 (Patty García) 获得民主党提名，此前即将离任的美国众议员赫苏斯·“丘伊”·加西亚 (Jesús “Chuy” García) 在提交初选选票签名的截止日期前宣布退休。曾担任该议员幕僚长但与其并无亲属关系的帕蒂·加西亚是唯一一名在足够时间内获悉其决定并能收集签名的候选人。
这些操作引发了批评，并促使包括西格乔-洛佩兹、马西亚斯和莱昂斯市的马里莎·卡萨克兰格 (Marissa Casaclang) 在内的人士尝试独立参选。随后，与该议员及帕蒂·加西亚有关联的人员对马西亚斯和西格乔-洛佩兹的请愿签名提出了质疑。州选举当局在上月下旬判定，尽管两人都提交了允许的最高签名数量（超过 17,000 份），但两人均不被允许进入选票名单。
马西亚斯告诉《芝加哥论坛报》，她正与律师审查西格乔-洛佩兹的诉讼，并考虑提交请愿书以加入其中。但她承认，这起联邦诉讼让她能够将名字列入选票的机会非常渺茫。
这两位进步派独立候选人面临着艰巨的挑战：他们需要收集近 11,000 份有效签名——远多于帕蒂·加西亚在民主党初选中进入选票所需的 697 份签名——且必须在短短几天内对加西亚支持的、旨在使已提交签名失效的质疑做出回应。
“在某种可能的状况下这或许可行，但可能性不大，”她说。
尽管如此，马西亚斯表示，在法庭上挑战伊利诺伊州选举委员会的决定，可以为未来的独立候选人参选扫清障碍。
“因为我们在这一过程中看到，给独立候选人设定如此不同的门槛从根本上是不公平的，”她说。
周一，西格乔-洛佩兹表示，他与第 4 国会选区居民及支持者何塞·格雷拉 (José Guerra) 共同提起的诉讼，“不仅仅是为了一次竞选”。
“这关乎第 4 选区的民众在这次选举中是否拥有真正的选择，还是由政治圈内人决定选举结果，而无需投出一票，”他在声明中写道。“我们的民主属于人民，而不是政党头目。数千名选民支持我们，他们理应听到自己的声音。”
伊利诺伊州选举委员会发言人马特·迪特里希 (Matt Dietrich) 拒绝就该诉讼发表评论。帕蒂·加西亚的竞选发言人凯特·斯威尼 (Kait Sweeney) 同样拒绝评论。
[图注] 7 月 21 日，在芝加哥举行的一场伊利诺伊州选举委员会听证会上，律师安德鲁·芬科 (Andrew Finco) 代表其客户市议员拜伦·西格乔-洛佩兹就候选人梅拉·马西亚斯和拜伦·西格乔-洛佩兹的选票异议发表讲话。照片来源：ANTONIO PEREZ / CHICAGO TRIBUNE
在附近的千禧公园，观光计划变得复杂起来。“我昨天没能走到‘豆子’（云门）那里，”她说道。社交媒体的帖子和新闻照片显示，在周末的降雨后，参加节日的人们在水洼中跋涉，哀悼被毁的鞋子，并在深泥中挣扎。组织者在节日场地最潮湿的区域铺设了木屑覆盖层，以防止人们滑倒。
根据芝加哥警察局的消息，逮捕行动大多是因为非法侵入。其中三起涉及殴打或袭击，一起涉及“无人驾驶飞行器”，可能是一架无人机。
在周一的一次不相关的新闻发布会上，市长布兰登·约翰逊宣布，无论是否混乱，这个周末都是一次成功。
“在四天的时间里，有 400,000 人来到我们的城市，作为芝加哥历史上访客人数最多时期的补充，这难道不值得吗？”约翰逊反问道。“而在这里的这些年轻人，他们只是在为即将到来的一切做序曲。大学毕业生的首选目的地就是芝加哥市。所以，大家最好习惯这一点。”
根据 2022, 年 11 月签署的现行 10 年合同，C3 演艺公司负责节日场地、哥伦布大道沿线的人行道和灌木丛，以及巴金汉姆喷泉周围区域和最靠近杜萨布湖滨大道的人行道的整体清理和垃圾清除。这家演唱会推广公司还必须清理由游击营销人员贴在哥伦布大道和国会大道沿线灯柱上的海报和贴纸。
不过，卢拉帕卢扎音乐节后清理工作中最耗时的部分通常是将格兰特公园恢复到“装载前”的状态——重新种植灌木、树木和花卉，修复网状围栏，并为节日场地播种或铺设草皮。芝加哥公园区和卢拉帕卢扎音乐节的组织者被要求在节日最后一天后的一周内评估损失，并就修复计划达成一致。
这些成本因天气而异。2011 年的音乐节被认为是近期记忆中最泥泞的一次，当时的清理费用为 $1 million。公园区发言人艾琳·托斯塔多在周一的一份书面声明中表示，她预计将在 8 月 10 日那一周进行实地走访以评估损失。“在走访完成后，我们将能更好地掌握修复的时间表，”她说。
目前的公园区合同中没有包含一些公园和社区倡导者在约翰逊自己的政纲中提出的要求：对富人征收更高的税。格兰特公园咨询委员会主席莱斯利·雷希特表示，下哈钦森区域“需要严重的排水工程”，但为了实现这一点，公园区必须“提高部分地势”，这一提议需要时间，并可能威胁到未来的节日举办。如果真的实施，她希望该区考虑增加人造草坪而非天然草。无论是播种还是铺草皮，生长都需要时间，这将限制公众进入公园。
考虑到年复一年修复场地的成本和停用时间，有些人曾希望该音乐节能帮助支付上哈钦森球场和下哈钦森球场及其周边地区的废水和洪水管理费用，因为大多数大型活动都在那里举行。但这并没有进入由前市长洛里·莱特签署的合同中。C3 演艺公司确实同意重新铺设格兰特公园的网球场并建设新的皮克球场。
C3 发言人桑迪·芬顿拒绝就该公司是否会支持或出资进行可能降低修复成本的场地改善工程发表评论。
“我们刚刚结束了又一次成功的卢拉帕卢扎音乐节，在格兰特公园接待了近 50 万名音乐迷，”她在电子邮件中写道。“本周我们需要一些时间进行设备拆卸，并与公园区共同制定补救计划。这是我们目前的重点。”
[图注] Marissa Casaclang dances in standing water at Lollapalooza in Grant Park on Saturday. ARTHUR MAIORELLA / CHICAGO TRIBUNE PHOTOS
[图注] 周六，在格兰特公园举行的卢拉帕卢扎音乐节上，参加者们在泥泞中起舞。
在周一的一次无关新闻发布会上，市长布兰登·约翰逊宣布该周末取得了成功，无论是否混乱。“他们利用这些职位来填满超级富翁的口袋，”约翰逊说道，“他们正在延续特朗普政府的同一套议程。”
亚历克西·吉安诺利亚斯的主要捐赠者之一、资产管理专家以及拉姆·伊曼纽尔的亲密盟友迈克尔·萨克斯，已成为约翰逊及其左翼盟友攻击的目标。作为前芝加哥教师工会组织者，约翰逊在地方政治中崛起时，一直反对伊曼纽尔的教育议程，其中包括争议巨大的关闭近 50 所学校的计划，这是芝加哥历史上规模最大的一次关闭行动。
约翰逊试图通过强调他在贸易工会中的盟友，来预先化解针对他与企业关系过于亲近的攻击；而吉安诺利亚斯于周日启动了他的竞选活动，试图将其履历与前任伊利诺伊州司库丹·卢瑟福（Dan Rutherford）进行对比，后者一直深陷丑闻。
但吉安诺利亚斯在接受《太阳时报》采访时也承认，现在是时候“做出艰难决定”并探讨关闭学校的可能性了。芝加哥教师工会主席斯泰西·戴维斯·盖茨在宣布计划期间，试图将现状与伊曼纽尔担任市长的两个任期进行对比。
“我记得 2013 年，当时我们恳求不要关闭我们的学校，”戴维斯·盖茨说，“我记得那时候每年都会出现一份学校名单，而今年出现的学校名单是为了给它们提供更多资源。”
周一，在芝加哥近西区的马尔科姆-X学院，布兰登·约翰逊市长在宣布扩大“可持续社区学校”计划后回答问题。BRIAN CASSELLA / TRIBUNE
周一，约翰逊与芝加哥教师工会主席斯泰西·戴维斯·盖茨共同站在台上，明确反对关闭学校的可能性。“学校关闭、合并和私有化的日子已经正式结束了，”他说，“无论是不是亿万富翁，任何认为可以将我们带回那种折磨和痛苦模式的人，都将面临严峻的挑战。”
约翰逊拒绝就学区将如何资助此次扩张发表评论，称关于斯普林菲尔德（Springfield）如何实现这一目标的问题应由州长 JB 普利兹克回答——而普利兹克已断然表示没有资金——而非由他回答。如果州政府不能提供支持，学区将面临更深程度的削减或短期借贷风险。
“可持续社区学校”模式源于与芝加哥公立学校和芝加哥教师工会的合作，由社区组织在传统的学校课后时间提供全方位的学术、健康和社会支持。然而，在学区预算危机的背景下要进一步扩大该计划，将需要完成一项在政治上很困难的任务：说服州议员提供 1.5 亿美元 ($150 million) 的额外资金。
诸如全市普及学前教育、未具体说明的最低工资上调，甚至关键租户等进步理念
Par Ridder 出版商 Chris Jones，编辑页编辑
在接下来的几年里，电费本将大幅上涨，但由于服务于联邦爱迪生公司（Commonwealth Edison）领地以及另外 12 个全部或部分州的区域电网管理机构对发电厂在高峰需求时承诺供电的价格设定了人为上限，上涨得以缓解。这项成本反映在我们每个人支付的电费账单中，是由 PJM 互联网络（PJM Interconnection）提前通过拍卖确定的，该公司是包含伊利诺伊州北部的该区域电网运营商。
PJM（几个向联邦能源监管委员会报告的美国区域电网监管机构之一）就在上个月为其交付年度进行了拍卖，该年度始于 2028 年 6 月 1 日，终于 2029 年 5 月 31 日。结果为芝加哥地区发出了一个严峻——但很大程度上被忽视的——警告。
根据 ComEd 的数据，如果允许该价格生效，仅由于这一原因，单户住宅居民的每月电费从 2028 年中期开始将增加 $35 到 $77。公寓住户则将多支付 $17 到 $38。
该期间的“容量”成本被上限设定为每兆瓦-日 $325，与目前用户支付的费用大致相同。但根据 PJM 从发电厂和其他供应商处获得的竞标，如果没有价格上限，仅在 ComEd 领地内的容量费用就将翻倍，达到近每兆瓦-日 $777，远高于 PJM 记录的任何同类价格。
你可能会好奇，如果监管机构和政治家已经努力防止这种灾难性结果发生，你为什么还要关心。原因在于（我们将在下文进一步解释），此类价格管制会减少供应并增加未来短缺的风险。换句话说，哪种情况更糟糕？是电价飙升，还是在气温高涨时遭遇滚动停电？
在 PJM 覆盖范围的其他所有地区（从这里向东延伸至中大西洋地区），如果没有上限，成本同样会更高。但那里“仅”约为每兆瓦-日 $555。
话虽如此，为什么伊利诺伊州北部如此极端？PJM 在其拍卖发布中没有说明。但 PJM 地区的独立市场监督员约瑟夫·鲍林（Joseph Bowring，他充当市场的裁判，评估竞标者行为等）则没有那么含蓄。他告诉贸易刊物《RTO Insider》，该州的清洁能源法——2021 年的《气候与公平就业法》（Climate & Equitable Jobs Act）对此负有责任。
他说，该法律规定虚拟所有化石燃料发电机组必须在 2045 年前关闭，这使得在伊利诺伊州建设新天然气发电厂的成本高于 PJM 的其他地区，并反映在容量价格中。容量市场的目的是向开发商发送价格信号，激励他们建设新电厂，以满足更高需求或弥补关闭旧电厂造成的损失。
在伊利诺伊州，得益于 CEJA，现有的电厂被鼓励关闭，而新化石燃料电厂的建设则受到抑制。由于 PJM 管理拍卖的方式，旨在填补伊利诺伊州缺口的风电场和太阳能设施，在被认定为能够在需求最高时发电的能力上，其权重低于核能或化石燃料，因为它们取决于天气条件，并非始终可用。
容量价格的人为上限是与包括伊利诺伊州的 JB 普利兹克在内的整个覆盖范围内的州长们达成的一项妥协，它暂时压制了电费的上涨，但是以冒未来短缺的风险为代价的。
因此，由于实施了比 PJM 覆盖范围内其他所有州更激进的清洁能源政策，该州承受着市场惩罚。
我们此前曾写道，有必要对《气候与公平就业法案》（CEJA）进行调整。这是一项出于好意的法律，但自颁布以来，由于能耗巨大的数据中心所带来的需求，该法律在应对剧烈的市场变化时遇到了困难。普利兹克和春菲尔德的民主党人去年修改了该法令，赋予州监管机构灵活性，允许那些本应在 2030 年前关闭的燃气电厂在有需求的情况下延长运行时间——我们对这些变化表示赞赏。
但在 PJM 最新的容量拍卖中，对于伊利诺伊州北部来说，坏消息并未结束。尽管我们拥有全美规模最大的核电站群，但目前我们产生的电量已不足以满足境内的峰值需求。因此，在用电高峰期，我们必须从邻近州进口电力——而这些电力主要来源于我们政策旨在逐步淘汰的碳排放化石燃料。
但在我们看来，这还不够。春菲尔德需要对市场发出的警报做出更强有力的回应。
这是一个新现象。几十年来，ComEd 辖区产生的电量远超其需求，从而保持了低电价，并确保在热浪和极地涡旋期间灯火通明。但部分由于 CEJA 导致的电厂关闭，正在大幅降低我们地区的容量。
目前，太多伊利诺伊州的电厂所有者面临着不必要的波动。他们必须决定是否投资以维持电厂运行，而目前他们只能听凭州和联邦官僚所做的短期决定。他们有机会在没有这些障碍的其他州进行投资。无论伊利诺伊州的民主党人是否愿意接受，我们并非生活在一个电力孤岛上。
在 2028-29 年的容量拍卖中，有 20,919 兆瓦通过竞标，并将在该年被要求调用时进行生产。根据 ComEd 的数据，目前的峰值需求约为 22,000 兆瓦。就在不久前可对比的 2024-25 年期间，ComEd 辖区内根据 PJM 流程承诺交付的电量为 25,152 兆瓦——远高于峰值需求。
修改伊利诺伊州法律，允许受影响的燃气电厂在 2030 年截止日期之后至少再运行五年，将向行业发出一个重要信号，并帮助该州度过潜在的危机期。
事实上，在整个多州的 PJM 区域，电网
[图注] 2023年，高压电塔沿着南北方向穿过巴林顿山地。STACEY WESCOTT / 《芝加哥论坛报》
管理部门在采购未来热浪和寒流期间的交付承诺方面不足，未能满足其最低要求。
无论你如何看待纽约所谓的“度假屋”（pied-à-terre）税——一项旨在通过对在市中心拥有高价值房产但未将其作为主要住所的人员征收财产税，从而填补 $500$ million 城市预算缺口的计划——毫无疑问，市长佐赫兰·马姆达尼（Zohran Mamdani）的政府在推行该计划时搞砸了。
（要求）受影响的房产，或可能受影响的房产，通过证明其不符合条件来反驳，可以这么说。
约 17,000 名纽约人收到了市政府的信函，随后必须提供证据证明其房屋为永久居所。而且必须迅速完成。建议的证明方式是提交一份最近提交给美国国税局（IRS）的申报表以证明居住资质，这对大多数人来说绝非五分钟内能完成的任务。
而且，在这样做的时候，他们触动了人们对民主社会主义政府最大且最合理的恐惧之一。
简单来说，市政府选择向一个远比实际纳税范围更广泛的群体发送催缴函，其中包括许多没有其他住所的人（因此根本不是“度假屋”所有者）、房产价值低于该税收适用门槛的人，以及其他各种不符合纳税条件的情况。在许多案例中，房产记录已经过时。
该项目暴露了一系列裂痕，包括评估价值与房产实际价值之间的差距（我们在芝加哥对此非常熟悉），以及确定公寓真实价值的困难，因为这实际上只能通过某人在特定时刻愿意支付的价格来衡量，并且在三个月后可能会完全不同（同理）。
纽约还拥有合作公寓（co-op buildings），这给这次税收攫取增加了另一个层面的复杂性。
但最让许多纽约人感到愤怒的是，政府要求他们证明政府犯了错，否则就得交钱。一些人开始担心，纽约这种对待产权的方式最终会走向何方。
（政府本可以）告知人们他们有可能需要缴纳此类税款。但这并不是这里采取的选择。相反，政府撒了一张大网，以尽可能多地获取新税收。
自然，这对一些过着平静生活的年长者来说尤为艰难。但这对多个世代的人来说都是焦虑的根源。当然，这也给散布恐惧和欺诈创造了机会，包括一些可疑之徒提供付费证明豁免的服务。
随着时间的推移，更明智的地方政府已经意识到，要求人们证明那些政府已知且长期属实的情况是不公平的负担，其可能的结果就是激怒选民。
如果我们自己在纽约市有一个被马姆达尼认为是“度假屋”的永久居所，我们也会非常愤怒。
像这样涉及大量房产的税收计划必然会产生一些错误。这不是我们讨论的重点。我们的观点是，马姆达尼政府有责任更精确地了解其征税对象，并在合理范围内确保准确。
挑战葬礼承办人
尽管一些心怀幻想的哀悼者希望基于其过于陈旧、无法应对“新前沿”的理论将其埋葬，但自由企业制度仍然在继续展现出卓越的生命力。例如，就在前几天，《华尔街日报》报道了工业界的两项值得关注的成就。
第二项成就是由通用磨坊公司（General Mills, Inc.）公布的，一种改进的将小麦转化为面粉的方法，据称比现有工艺更便宜，且能做出更好的面包。该方法在瑞士研发，目前已在多家磨坊中使用。……
其中第一项进展，通过使国内铍矿开采变得有利可图，将为美国矿工创造新就业机会，并且极有可能为“萧条地区”的失业煤矿工提供机会。这反过来将吸引其他企业进入这些新社区，创造更多就业岗位。最后，通过降低铍的价格，可能会增加对该金属的需求，同时为购买者节省成本……
一项是在铍工业，尽管规模依然较小，但在制造导弹方面至关重要且增长迅速。铍是一种由名为绿柱矿的矿石加工而成的金属。……因此，高昂的成本导致该国绿柱矿矿床的开发仅限于象征性规模。即使在国外支付的低工资水平下，一吨绿柱矿的成本仍高达 $400，而铍的成本每磅至少为 $60。
然而现在，一家洛杉矶公司完善了一种通过粉碎并进行化学处理来将绿柱矿从岩石中分离的方法。结果导致人们涌向犹他州丰富的绿柱矿矿床，地质学家表示，即使是新墨西哥州、北达科他州和新罕布什尔州较贫乏的矿床，开采也可能是有利可图的。
同样，改进的小麦加工方式很可能会刺激对小麦产生更大的需求，从而在一定程度上缓解小麦问题——而这正是华盛顿所有的行政管理人员和经济学家都未能实现的。
论坛报编辑委员会， Mitch Pugh 执行编辑
社论漫画 1960年8月4日 NICK ANDERSON
如果 ComEd 领地的那个价格……
Mamdani 宣布将提交“豁免申请”的艰巨初始截止日期延长四周。周一在记者询问有关这一变动的问题时，他拒绝道歉。
作者：Alaina Hampton 《芝加哥论坛报》特约撰稿人
八年前，我是一名 28 岁的竞选工作人员。我公开讲述了自己在当时众议院议长迈克尔·马迪根（Michael Madigan）的政治团队工作期间遭受性骚扰的情况，以及随后该组织对我采取的报复行为。我之所以发声，是因为我希望对我所遭遇的事情追究责任，并防止伊利诺伊州政坛中的其他女性经历与我相同的系统性失效。
在我的故事公开后，伊利诺伊州立法者通过了一些改革措施，以加强政府和政治工作场所的保护。但法律本身无法改变文化，只有身处权力位置的人才能。这就是为什么领导力至关重要。
马迪根的离职曾被认为标志着一个 era. 的结束。但如果在不改变文化的情况下选举新领导层，那么同一套系统将在不同的名称下继续存在。
当伊曼纽尔·“克里斯”·韦尔奇（Emanuel “Chris” Welch）被选为伊利诺伊州众议院议长时，立法者提升了一位从未对其对待女性的方式及相关严重问题给出完整答复的人。
在 2002, 一名其前女友在警方报告中指控韦尔奇在一次争吵中对她实施了身体攻击。
在 2010, 他的一名前雇员兼浪漫伴侣提起诉讼，指控其多次进行不受欢迎的性挑逗并实施报复。
在 2011, 另一名员工提起诉讼，声称在拒绝了韦尔奇要求拥抱的请求后遭到了报复。
2023, 当一名年轻工作人员向韦尔奇的办公室举报时任州众议员哈里·本顿（Harry Benton）涉嫌性骚扰时，她按照伊利诺伊州告诉幸存者的做法行事。她通过旨在提供支持和问责的渠道进行了举报。然而，该系统让她失望了。
众议院民主党党团无视这一切，依然选举韦尔奇为议长。此举向受害者和幸存者传递了一个强烈的信号：他们仍然不安全。而现在，我们确切地知道，这个信号是非常明确的。
本顿事件中最令人不安的部分不仅是该办公室里涉嫌发生的事情，而且是韦尔奇的办公室在本顿辞职前数年就已知晓这些指控，却未采取任何能够保护未来受害者的后果措施。更糟糕的是，韦尔奇及其组织随后还致力于帮助本顿连任——并将这些指控保密。这并非一次性的判断失误，而是一种长期存在的模式。
韦尔奇未能承认自己任何失误。在他看来，他从未犯过错。对于涉嫌性骚扰前实习生的行为没有道歉。对于三年来未能采取行动追究本顿责任的事实没有承认。对于他或其工作人员今后将做出哪些改变也没有发表任何声明。
如果他甚至无法意识到自己处理不当，我们怎么能信任他去加强现有的工作场所保护并实施新措施？答案是：我们不能。
当一个人对他人拥有巨大权力时，其涉及家庭暴力、性骚扰以及对女性不当行为的指控历史，加上未能处理骚扰投诉的事实，是不容忽视的。
有一件事很明确：如果问责制仅适用于没有权力的人，那么一切都没有改变。韦尔奇应该辞去伊利诺伊州众议院议长的职务。如果他不辞职，众议院民主党党团应该投票将其免职。
八年前，伊利诺伊州立法者告诉幸存者，如果他们站出来，情况将会有所不同。许多人付出了巨大的个人和职业牺牲地这样做，因为他们相信系统可以改变。然而，立法者只是为了表面好看，在普遍存在的问题上贴了一块“创可贴”，而没有从核心上解决问题。
Alaina Hampton 是一名民主党政治策略师，也是性骚扰受害者和性暴力幸存者的倡导者。
[图注] 伊利诺伊州众议院议长伊曼纽尔·“克里斯”·韦尔奇（Emanuel “Chris” Welch）周三在麦考密克广场（McCormick Place）举行的州立法者会议峰会的一项活动中走上舞台。EILEEN T. MESLAR / 《芝加哥论坛报》
Daniel DePetris
总统唐纳德·特朗普迫切需要在中东外交政策上获得一次胜利。一场原本预计持续四到六周的与伊朗的战争，现在已进入第六个月且看不到结束的迹象，因为德黑兰正利用霍尔木兹海峡来实现其自身目的，而特朗普则在重启谈判与加大轰炸之间摇摆不定。他在黎巴嫩的和平努力被真主党破坏了，这是一个由伊朗支持的民兵组织，其领导层已明确表示，与以色列的谈判取决于以色列军队完全从黎巴嫩领土上撤出。尽管特朗普执着于扩大其第一任期内的《亚伯拉罕协议》，但他试图建立以色列与沙特阿拉伯之间关系正常化的努力目前毫无进展。
被摧毁的巴勒斯坦领土加沙，能否给特朗普提供一些可以吹嘘的资本？他当然希望如此。上周，白宫宣布哈马斯同意将其武器去军事化并解散战斗员，以换取以色列从该地撤军。特朗普兴奋地向记者解释道，这项协议绝对是一次突破。
但如果过滤掉这些乐观的措辞，情况会变得 depressing 得多：今天在加沙实现全面和平的可能性，与这条消息公布之前一样渺茫。
问题的关键在于时机。究竟谁先谁后：是哈马斯先解除武装，还是以色列先撤军？最新的加沙协议未能回答这个问题。理论上，哈马斯将把重型武器移交给加沙临时行政当局，由后者接管。解除武装的过程应该与以色列分阶段从该地撤军挂钩，并由第三方监测员验证，具体形式将在接下来的 14 天内由双方协商确定。换句话说，这个关键的绊脚石被推迟了几个星期，甚至几个月，因为以色列和哈马斯必然会重复陈词滥调，争论为什么对方需要先采取行动，然后他们才会予以回报。
现在需要面对现实。上周公布的协议并不是什么新东西，而是在努力恢复以色列和哈马斯在 10 个月前达成的旧协议。那个框架建立了加沙的巴勒斯坦临时行政当局、分阶段的以色列撤军、释放剩余人质以及停火，但该框架在执行方面严重匮乏。人质虽回到了家人身边，但以色列和哈马斯签署的所有其他承诺均被违反。停火减少了暴力，但并未消除暴力——自 2025 年 10 月和平框架确定以来，约有 1,200 名巴勒斯坦人被杀。以色列军队控制了加沙 60% 以上的地区，而非临时允许的 53%。而哈马斯则拒绝交出武器，理由是在以色列履行其自身承诺之前，任何事情都无法推进。
在这一切发生之前，新协议的条款要求以色列和哈马斯回到最初 10 月的停火状态。很简单，对吧？错了。甚至在 10 月协议的墨迹未干之前，以色列就在打击加沙的哈马斯阵地，且以色列高级部长已表示，停止针对加沙哈马斯武装分子的军事行动超出了以色列所能容忍的范围。
事实上，在特朗普声称得到了以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡的支持的一天后，以色列在加沙进行了多次空袭，造成 17 人死亡。尽管内塔尼亚胡对最新的协议保持沉默，但他的政府显然持有保留意见，并已将疑虑告知白宫。这使得特朗普关于以色列对该安排感到满意的说法听起来像是一个彻头彻尾的谎言。以色列政府希望在加沙拥有完全的自由去打击任何被视为威胁的目标（无论是否撤军），并寻求销毁哈马斯的武器，而不是将其锁起来存放。
毋庸置疑，很难想象哈马斯会接受这一切，这意味着特朗普要么必须在以色列方面施压，要么就任由问题恶化。
以色列的国内政治也将成为特朗普中东之梦的障碍。即便在情况良好时，方案的实施也将十分困难；而如果在选举年，情况则会呈指数级变得更加艰难。此时，以色列在任时间最长的总理内塔尼亚胡正处于政治生命的关键斗争之中。这位以色列职业政治家仍因未能阻止 10 月 7 日哈马斯的袭击而备受指责，那次袭击导致 1,200 名以色列人死亡，是以色列自近 80 年前建国以来遭受的最严重袭击。他一直试图通过摧毁加沙、入侵黎巴嫩南部以将真主党进一步推离以色列北境社区、占领叙利亚部分地区以及将以色列转变为一个扩张主义强权，来弥补这一巨大的失败。
为了强调这一点，请考虑这样一个事实：82% 的犹太裔以色列人支持强行驱逐加沙 200 万人口。曾在 20 世纪 90 年代主导以色列政治的和平派候选人现已被有效地边缘化，取而代之的是一批以色列政治家，他们认为长久以来的“两国方案”是一个过时的概念，而将巴勒斯坦人视为顶多是不可信、最糟则是心怀恶意的群体。内塔尼亚胡在 10 月选举中的主要对手——前将军加迪·艾森科特（Gadi Eisenkot）暗示，他将把加沙问题提升为主要竞选议题；内塔尼亚胡如果想通过一个可运作的执政联盟来维持权力，就必须确保他的右翼阵营满意。
在以色列政治日益右倾的时刻，内塔尼亚胡最不愿看到的就是自己成为那个“鸽派”选项。以色列公众没有妥协的心情，尤其是面对一个给犹太人带来了自大屠杀以来最惨烈一天的恐怖组织时。
特朗普可以喋喋不休地谈论成功。但如果他期望加沙能成为一项积极的政治遗产，他最好重新考虑。
丹尼尔·德佩特里斯（Daniel DePetris）是国防优先组织（Defense Priorities）的研究员，《芝加哥论坛报》外交事务专栏作家。
[图注] 周六，巴勒斯坦人在加沙中部代尔巴拉赫（Deir al-Balah）的阿克萨医院附近检查以色列空袭现场。ABDEL KAREEM HANA / 美联社
关于韦尔奇（Welch）与一名原工作人员互动的指控，包括在社交媒体上的调情沟通以及邀请她在酒吧见面，该员工表示这让她感到不适。
Johnson brushes off newest race entry
By Alice Yin
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday sought to sidestep the elephant in the room — the 2027 mayoral election — but also delivered a quasi-stump speech while taking fresh shots at the newest entry in the race.
Speaking at a Malcolm X College news conference with the Chicago Teachers Union, the mayor refrained from addressing Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias by name following his Sunday campaign announcement for Johnson’s seat. But he nonetheless launched thinly veiled attacks on his latest possible rival and his donors after announcing the expansion of 15 sustainable community schools.
“My job is to continue to govern and lead in this moment, and as far as the politics of Chicago, there’s a reason why we call it the Windy City, right?” Johnson told reporters when asked about Giannoulias’ candidacy. “You’ll have different waves of people blowing in and out. But the thing that’s most constant, what’s most still, and what’s what remains today, is the Johnson administration.”
It was the latest instance of the mayor awkwardly dancing around committing to a reelection bid while the field to succeed him gets crowded. Johnson has raised little money for a potential run, and has stuck to a script of focusing on “building the safest, most affordable big city in America” when asked about his looming decision.
By Evgenia Anastasakos, A.D. Quig and Alice Yin CHICAGO TRIBUNE
But with Giannoulias in the race, Johnson and his progressive coalition have their most heavily funded rival yet, should the incumbent mayor choose to run. And Johnson’s anti-establishment roots were on full display Monday as he sought to tie the new expected frontrunner to the Rahm Emanuel administration.
“Right now, you have people who are declaring their candidacy for offices while already giving the word that they’re going to close schools,” Johnson said. “The same interests that shut down schools, the same interests that closed mental health clinics, the same interests that fired working people across this city — those same interests want to take us back to a time of trauma and torment and pain.”
He went on to attack those “interests” further, accusing them of supporting President Donald Trump’s tax cuts or having no plan to respond to his federal immigration campaign in Chicago last fall, before knocking unspecified politicians who are beholden to “the interest of corporations.”
[图注] New Cubs relief pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn. BAILEY HILLESHEIM/AP
By Allison Kiehl CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Pitchers Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes and Ryan Zeferjahn, above, highlight Cubs trade deadline acquisitions, while Sox add catcher Joey Bart, outfielder Brenton Doyle and others.
Chicago Sports
[图注] Workers pack up Lollapalooza stages and tents in the muddy Hutchinson Field area at the south end of Chicago’s Grant Park on Monday. BRIAN CASSELLA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Lollapalooza’s promoter, C3 Presents, is now on the hook for the cleanup, including what could be a costly restoration of Grant Park’s grass, which had disappeared under the crowds by the festival’s third day.
Visiting Chicago for work, Julie Radakovich and Sarah Arslanian strolled through Grant Park on Monday morning, just hours after the final performers of Lollapalooza 2026 left the stage, capping a four-day run that packed the park with an estimated 400,000 fans, drenched the grounds in rain and left behind acres of torn-up grass.
“It certainly is a presence,” Radakovich, 36, who hails from the Pacific Northwest, said of the festival that has made Grant Park home for more than 20 years. She and Arslanian, 56, of Canada, joined dog walkers and runners in weaving around roadblocks and cleanup crews while an artist on a nearby bench sketched a scene of the park — festival aftermath and all.
The festival also left the city with its typical tally of modest mayhem: 10 arrests, zero tickets issued and 67 trips to the hospital, according to the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications — figures roughly in line with recent years.
Radakovich noted the event
[图注] María’s 6-year-old child stands at the corner of Randolph and Green streets while selling flowers in Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood on July 24. CHRIS SWEDA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
On a recent summer Saturday evening, María and her 6-year-old daughter sat at a bustling intersection in the West Loop with a large bucket filled with flowers wrapped in ribbon and decorative wrap. While María stayed on the street corner, the young girl wandered solo a short distance away.
As diners rushed to reservations at the trendy restaurants along West Randolph Street, the girl walked up and down the sidewalk. Without a word, but a facial expression that could tell 1,000 stories, she lifted up her flowers to those who passed her by. Hoping one would stop.
It was a scene unfolding at nearly every nearby intersection at nearly the same time. The working children slipping between crowded street corners, extending a flower upward, making just $5 or $10 at a time
Trump creates own issues by meddling
By Alan Feuer THE NEW YORK TIMES
From the moment President Donald Trump was reelected, he has muscled his way into the driver’s seat at the Justice Department, leaving tread marks on its time-honored independence from the White House by demanding, and sometimes directing, investigations into his enemies.
But his tight grip on the steering wheel has often threatened to lead the department off a cliff.
Last week offered a particularly vivid portrait of the consequences of Trump’s meddling, which, in the span of only a few days, imperiled one criminal case, set the stage for sanctions in a second and gummed up the chances that his pick for attorney general will be confirmed by the Senate.
[图注] Festivalgoers slog through mud at Lollapalooza in Grant Park on Saturday. ARTHUR MAIORELLA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
SUBSCRIPTION
The 5% state sales tax
break from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16
generally applies to clothes
under $125 and school
supplies. Portions of sales tax
that go to local governments
still apply.
Temporary tax
holiday will apply
to clothes, supplies
By Olivia Olander
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Gov. JB Pritzker, who is
running for reelection and
is widely seen as a potential
Democratic contender in the
2028 presidential election,
has framed the discount as
part of his efforts to provide
relief to families struggling
with inflation and rising costs
due to war in the Middle East
Illinois families shopping
for color-coded notebooks,
superhero backpacks and a
size up in sneakers will see
some relief at the checkout
counter under a temporary
back-to-school sales tax holi
day the state passed as part of
its annual budget.
Home daycare owner Parish Banks collects books and school supplies from a dumpster behind Carlos Fuentes
Elementary, an Acero School, in Avondale on Monday. EILEEN T. MESLAR/CHICAGO TRIBUNE PHOTOS
By Kate Perez
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
In the midst of making
last-minute preparations
on Monday to open a home
daycare, owner Parish Banks
wondered how she would
afford all the supplies she
needs to start the year and
educate her students to
their fullest potential. Her
answer would come in the
form of a Facebook post that
appeared in her feed, noti
fying community members
about a dumpster filled with
school supplies outside
Carlos Fuentes Elemen
tary School in the Avondale
neighborhood.
The post popped up
Sunday night letting people
know that the dumpster
outside Fuentes Elemen
tary, one of the five schools
transitioning from being in
the charter school Acero
Network to the Chicago
Public Schools district, was
sitting untouched and filled
to the brim with discarded
items, including classroom
decor, chapter books, art
supplies, toys, textbooks and
more.
academic year while piles
of materials are discarded
during summer vacation.
It is unclear why the mate
rials were discarded. CPS
did not return a request for
comment.
The supplies were just
what Banks needed for
Pristine Leadership Acad
emy, her daycare in Grand
Crossing set to open for the
first time on Tuesday. After
making the 30-minute drive
to the North Side school
and digging through the
discarded supplies, Banks
walked away with books,
arts and crafts supplies, table
organizers, bins and more,
calling it a “blessing.”
Multiple comments
called the discarding of
the supplies a “waste” that
could have been donated or
reused by educators rather
than dumped, especially as
school materials prices have
risen by over 10% since July
2023, the Tribune previously
reported.
The appearance of the
discarded school supplies
comes as the state plans to
offer a 5% reduction on the
sales tax on school materials
from Aug. 7 through Aug. 16
to help curb expenses. The
National Retail Federation
estimates that K-12 families
plan to spend around $863.86
on back-to-school items this
year, a slight increase from
the estimated $858.07 in
2025.
Those high prices are
also hitting educators and
community members like
Banks as they try to fund
their classrooms and facil
ities.
“This was needed. A
lot of this stuff I’ve had to
buy and get off Facebook
Marketplace,” Banks told the
Tribune. “I saw it this morn
ing at like 6 a.m. when I got
up, I immediately rushed
over here because I’m like, I
need all this … I’m going to
get a lot of things. I kind of
need a lot of things. This is
perfect.”
The post and dumpster
sparked an online discus
sion about the pressure
on parents and guardians
to purchase new school
supplies at the start of each
For Banks, those costs
come from every part of
Chicagoland
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Back-to-school sales tax discount starts Friday
and other factors.
cellphones or cameras.
Coats, scarves, ties,
belts, bathing suits, school
uniforms, pants, dresses and
shirts are all included in the
sales tax holiday, as long as
they sell for less than $125
per item. Qualifying school
supplies include colored
pencils, pens, folders, calcu
lators, index cards and lunch
boxes.
Items that normally
wouldn’t qualify but are
bundled in a sale under $125
that mostly consists of school
supplies or qualifying clothes
will also get the reduced tax
rate, according to the state
Department of Revenue.
The break will lower costs
for teachers who have to
purchase their own supplies
in addition to parents, Demo
cratic state Sen. Mark Walker
of Arlington Heights noted
Monday. And parents will get
to stack the discount with any
Makeup, hair accesso
ries, purses, cleats and many
types of art supplies are not
included in the sales tax
break. Neither are laptops,
Community members score
on discarded school supplies
“Magic Tree House” series books are among discarded school supplies and books in a
dumpster behind Carlos Fuentes Elementary on Monday.
running an educational
daycare, from organizational
items to supporting a playbased curriculum.
on a Facebook buy-nothing
community page. It’s not just
trash in the dumpster, but
real supplies that people can
use, including toys, science
beakers, Play-Doh, Magic
Tree House series books
and more, Di Bella told the
Tribune.
“Now to do play-based
things and have a curricu
lum at that level, it is expen
sive. It is hard to teach
people in a play-based way
because things to play with
are expensive.” Banks said.
“Bins, literally things just to
store, are $10 to $15. These
(organizers) to go in the
middle of the table are $10
to $15.”
She added that it’s a sad
time right now with supplies
being discarded, and while it
makes people upset that the
materials were tossed out,
she still saw importance in
making the public post.
Digging for the discarded
materials is another way for
Banks to show up for her
community and its future,
she added.
“I’d rather post and let
people know, ‘Hey, come
get this,’ than to be worried,
upset right now,” Di Bella
said. “… Just come and get
it. Let’s try to get it out of the
landfill and let’s see what we
can do.”
“I’m over here dump
ster diving for these books.
I’m over here dumpster
diving for this stuff … out
here getting these things for
my young Black and brown
people on the South Side of
Chicago,” Banks said. “I’m so
grateful for this, and I needed
this. Had I known, they could
have just called me and gave
it to me.”
Meanwhile, Banks said
she was going to call every
one she knew who could
benefit from the supplies
and began doing so while still
searching for herself.
“Girl, you need to get
down here,” Banks said to a
friend on video call as she
rifled through the supplies
with her one hand before
turning the phone to show
the dumpster. “Look, curric
ulum, paint, Play-Doh, (they
have) everything.”
To reduce waste and help
educators and community
members like Banks was
Ashley Di Bella’s hope when
she posted pictures of the
dumpster and its contents
Chicago Tribune | Section A | Tuesday, August 4, 2026 3
other back-to-school sales,
said Rob Karr, president and
CEO of the Illinois Retail
Merchants Association.
dealt with years of noticeably
high inflation.
For Illinoisans deciding
whether to pay bills or buy a
sports uniform or classroom
supplies, “these aren’t just
numbers on a chart,” Pritz
ker said Monday morning at a
school supply store in north
west suburban Palatine to
promote the tax break.
Critics during the state’s
legislative session framed the
sales tax holiday as an elec
tion-year political move that
would not sufficiently ease
the burden of taxes on fami
lies in the longer term.
The governor, for his part,
has used rising prices as yet
another point to criticize
President Donald Trump’s
economic and foreign policy
agendas as Americans have
“We can’t control broader
inflation in the economy,”
he said, “but there are some
things we can do to make life
easier, and that’s what we’re
trying to do today.”
CPS adds 15 schools
to its sustainable
community model
program expansion or the
$150 million gap will be
funded.
By Kate Perez
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Fifteen more schools
are set to join Chicago
Public Schools’ Sustainable
Community School program,
an eight-year-old model that
incorporates community
voices into the structure
of neighborhood schools,
including education and
programming.
The program started with
20 schools in 2018, with
16 more schools from the
South and West sides join
ing the list during the 2025-
26 school year. The model
has been a focus of the Board
of Education in recent years,
which named the Sustain
able Community Schools as
a priority in its 2023 Strate
gic Five-Year Plan. The 2025
Chicago Teachers Union
contract also included the
creation and funding of more
Sustainable Community
Schools, with each school
receiving $500,000 annually.
A total of 51 schools
across the city now have
the Sustainable Commu
nity School designation,
which joins community
organizations and nonprofit
voices with school leader
ship, parents, educators and
other community members.
Together, they make shared
decisions about each
school’s curriculum, culture,
programming and more.
Beyond that, CTU’s
contract includes plans to
designate and implement at
least 70 Sustainable Commu
nity Schools by the 2027-28
academic year, meaning an
additional 19 schools will
join the program’s ranks
next year.
The 15 new schools are
scattered across the city,
including in the neighbor
hoods of Humboldt Park,
Archer Heights, Gage Park,
Roseland, and more. The
expansion of the program
creates a “hub of wrap
around academic help and
social support” that extends
to the neighborhood school’s
entire community, Mayor
Brandon Johnson said at a
press event Monday.
At Monday’s press event,
CTU and Illinois Federation
of Teachers President Stacy
Davis Gates said the expan
sion signifies progress.
“I’m honored to bargain
for community in our
collective bargaining agree
ment.” Davis Gates said. “I’m
honored to have a symbol of
that struggle be a part of the
Chicago Public Schools and
the way in which it gives
power and priority to our
students, to our educators, to
their families, to the people
who live in that community.”
“We are focused on
expanding sustainable
community schools and the
communities that have been
historically disinvested in
and left behind, because
this is a powerful way that
we can eliminate inequities
and expand opportunities
for young people to learn,
grow, and thrive in a safe
and supportive community,”
Johnson said.
The fifteen newly desig
nated schools include
Chicago High School for
the Arts in Humboldt Park,
Chicago Vocational High
School in Avalon Park,
Roberto Clemente Commu
nity Academy in Ukrainian
Village, DeWitt Clinton
Elementary School in West
Ridge, Mary E. Courtenay
Elementary Language Arts
Center in Uptown, Marie
Sklodowska Curie Metropol
itan High School in Archer
Heights, James Farmer
Jr. Elementary School in
Grand Boulevard, Foster
Park Elementary School
in Auburn Gresham, Gage
Park High School in Gage
Park, Mildred I. Lavizzo
Elementary School in Rose
land, Little Village Elemen
tary School in Little Village,
Roswell B. Mason Elemen
tary School in North Lawn
dale, Benjamin E. Mays
Elementary
Academy
in Englewood, Parkside
Elementary Community
Academy in South Shore and
Theodore Roosevelt High
School in Albany Park.
The expansion comes
as the district continues to
battle funding woes. While
the Chicago Board of Educa
tion passed its $9.96 billion
budget late last month, it
relies on an expected addi
tional $150 million in state
funding that it has not yet
secured and on revenue that
Gov. JB Pritzker has said is
unavailable.
When asked about fund
ing for the expansion, John
son replied it’s the governor’s
and the state General Assem
bly’s responsibility. “I have
given over a billion dollars
into our public schools.
There is no administration
in the history of this city that
has contributed more to our
public education system, and
here’s why: because I believe
in it.”
CPS did not respond
to the Tribune’s request
for comment on how the
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates
greets people while Mayor Brandon Johnson announces an
expansion of the Sustainable Community Schools initiative
on Monday at Malcolm X College on Chicago’s Near West
Side. BRIAN CASSELLA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
By Jake Sheridan
Progressive Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-López has filed a lawsuit against the Illinois State Board of Elections and its members in a last-ditch effort to gain a spot on the 4th Congressional District ballot. The long-shot lawsuit filed Friday comes after the board determined late last month that Sigcho-López and another progressive who had been looking to run as an independent, Mayra Macías, did not collect enough signatures to appear on the November ballot. But Sigcho-López argued Monday that the decision was based on unfair rules that must be struck down.
“We spent weeks collecting signatures from thousands of voters only to have them challenged one by one in a rushed process where we had basically no time to defend them. That’s not protecting elections,” Sigcho-López said in a statement. “That’s protecting the status quo and rigging the system for party bosses.”
The lawsuit calls for Sigcho-López to be included on the ballot and for state law governing independent runs for office to be declared unconstitutional. It is only the latest chapter in an unusual race so far defined by back-room political tactics.
The race began when Patty García secured the Democratic nomination after outgoing U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García announced his retirement just as signatures were due to make the primary ballot. Patty García, who served as the congressman’s chief of staff but is not related to him, was the only candidate who was made aware of his decision with enough time to collect signatures.
The maneuvers sparked criticism and independent bids that included Sigcho-López, Macías and Lyons Marissa Casaclang. Then individuals tied to the congressman and Patty García challenged the petition signatures of Macías and Sigcho-López. State election authorities determined late last month that neither would be allowed on the ballot, despite both submitting the maximum number of signatures allowed, over 17,000.
Macías told the Tribune she is reviewing Sigcho-López’s lawsuit with attorneys and considering filing a petition to join it. But she acknowledged that the federal lawsuit would give her only a slim chance of getting her name on the ballot.
The two progressive independents faced a daunting challenge: collect nearly 11,000 valid signatures, far more than the 697 that Patty García needed to make the ballot in the Democratic primary, and respond in just days to the García-backed challenges that invalidated submitted signatures.
“There’s a world in which it could, but that is unlikely,” she said.
Still, fighting the Illinois State Board of Elections’ decision in court could clear a path for future independents to run, Macías said.
“Because we saw in this process that it is fundamentally unfair to have such different thresholds for independent candidates,” she said.
On Monday, Sigcho-López said his lawsuit, filed alongside 4th Congressional District resident and Sigcho-López supporter José Guerra, is about “more than one campaign.”
“It’s about whether the people of the 4th District get a real choice in this election or whether political insiders get to decide elections before a single vote is cast,” he wrote in his statement. “Our democracy belongs to the people, not party bosses. Thousands of voters stood with us, and they deserve to have their voices heard.”
Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Elections, declined to comment on the lawsuit. Kait Sweeney, a campaign spokesperson for Patty García, also declined to comment.
[图注] Attorney Andrew Finco speaks for his client Ald. Byron Sigcho-López during an Illinois State Board of Elections hearing in Chicago on July 21 to consider ballot objections to candidates Mayra Macías and Byron Sigcho-López. ANTONIO PEREZ/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
complicated sightseeing plans in nearby Millennium Park. “I couldn’t get to the Bean yesterday,” she said. Social media posts and news photos showed festivalgoers splashing through puddles, mourning ruined shoes and wrestling in deep mud after the weekend rain. Organizers laid wood-chip mulch over the soggiest stretches of the festival grounds to keep people from slipping.
The arrests were mostly for criminal trespass, according to the Chicago Police Department. Three involved battery or assault, and one involved an “unmanned aircraft,” likely a drone.
At an unrelated news conference on Monday, Mayor Brandon Johnson declared the weekend a success, mess or not.
“Is it worth 400,000 people coming into our city over the course of four days, as a complement to having more visitors come to our city than any other time in the history of Chicago?” Johnson asked rhetorically. “And those young people that are here, they’re just providing the prelude of what’s to come. The top destination for college graduates is the city of Chicago. So we might as well get used to it, you all.”
Under the current 10-year contract, inked in November 2022, C3 Presents is responsible for general cleanup and trash removal from the festival grounds, the sidewalk and shrubbery along Columbus Drive, as well as the area around Buckingham Fountain and the sidewalk closest to DuSable Lake Shore Drive. The concert promotion company must also clean off posters and stickers hung by guerrilla marketers on the light poles lining Columbus and Congress.
The most time-consuming part of the post-Lolla cleanup, though, is typically restoring Grant Park to its “pre-load-in” condition — replanting bushes, trees and flowers, fixing mesh fencing, and seeding or sodding the festival grounds. The Chicago Park District and Lollapalooza organizers are required to assess the damage within a week of the festival’s last day and agree on a restoration plan.
Those costs vary depending on the weather. Cleanup for the 2011 festival, known as one of the muddiest in recent memory, cost $1 million. Park District spokeswoman Irene Tostado said in a written statement Monday that she expects the walk-through to assess damage the week of Aug. 10. “We will have a better grasp of timing for the restoration after the walk-through is complete,” she said.
The current park district contract did not include an ask from some park and neighborhood advocates of Johnson’s own platform: higher taxes on the rich. Leslie Recht, the president of the Grant Park Advisory Council, said lower Hutchinson “needs serious drainage,” but to make that happen, the Park District would have to “raise it some,” a proposition that would take time and potentially threaten future festivals. If it does happen, she hopes the district considers adding turf instead of grass. Whether seed or sod, it takes time to grow in, limiting public access to the park.
Given the cost and downtime of repairing the grounds year after year, some had hoped the festival would help pay for wastewater and flood management in and around upper and lower Hutchinson Field, where most big event action takes place. That didn’t make it into the contract signed by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. C3 Presents did agree to resurface Grant Park’s tennis courts and to build new pickleball courts.
Sandee Fenton, spokeswoman for C3, declined to comment on whether the company would support or pitch in for site improvements that might reduce restoration costs.
“We are just wrapping another successful Lollapalooza where we hosted close to half a million music fans in Grant Park,” she said in an email. “We need some time to load out this week as well as put together the remediation plan with the Park District. That’s our focus right now.”
[图注] Marissa Casaclang dances in standing water at Lollapalooza in Grant Park on Saturday. ARTHUR MAIORELLA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE PHOTOS
[图注] Festivalgoers dance in the mud at Lollapalooza in Grant Park on Saturday.
At an unrelated news conference on Monday, Mayor Brandon Johnson declared the weekend a success, mess or not. “They used these positions to fatten the pockets of the ultra-rich,” Johnson said. “They are carrying on the same agenda of the Trump administration.”
One of Giannoulias’ top donors, asset manager and close Emanuel ally Michael Sacks, has become a lightning rod for Johnson and his left-leaning allies. As a former CTU organizer, Johnson came up in local politics fighting Emanuel’s education agenda that included the controversial closure of nearly 50 schools, the largest in Chicago’s history.
Johnson sought to preempt attacks against him for being too cozy with business by emphasizing his allies in the trade unions and Giannoulias rolled out his campaign Sunday, seeking to contrast his record with that of his predecessor, former Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford, who was dogged by scandal.
But Giannoulias also acknowledged in an interview with the Sun-Times that it was time to “make tough decisions” and explore the possibility of school closures. Speaking during the announcement, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates sought to contrast the realities now with those during Emanuel’s two terms as mayor.
“I remember in 2013 when we begged for our schools not to be closed,” Davis Gates said. “I remember when there were lists with names of schools populated every single year, and this year there are names of schools populated to give them more.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson answers questions after announcing an expansion of the Sustainable Community Schools initiative on Monday at Malcolm X College on Chicago’s Near West Side. BRIAN CASSELLA/TRIBUNE
Standing on stage with CTU President Stacy Davis Gates on Monday, Johnson drew a clear line against that possibility. “The days of school closures, consolidation, and privatization has ended, officially,” he said. “And to anyone, billionaire or not, that believes that you can take us back to a model of torment and torture, you got another thing coming.”
Johnson declined to comment on how the district would fund the expansion, saying questions about how Springfield could get there are for Gov. JB Pritzker — who has flatly said there is no money — to answer, not him. Should the state not come through, the school district risks deeper cuts or short-term borrowing.
The Sustainable Community Schools model stems from a partnership with Chicago Public Schools and CTU in which community organizations provide wrap-around academic, health and social support beyond the traditional school day. To expand the program further amid a budget crisis in the district, however, will require the politically difficult task of convincing state lawmakers to deliver $150 million in additional funding.
progressive ideas such as citywide universal pre-K, an unspecified raised minimum wage and even a key tenant
Par Ridder Publisher Chris Jones, Editorial Page Editor
They would be set to go quite a bit higher in the next few years but for an artificial cap the regional power-grid manager serving Commonwealth Edison’s territory and all or parts of 12 other states has imposed on the price paid to power generators for promising to deliver when most needed. That cost, reflected in the electric bills all of us pay, is established via an auction held ahead of time by PJM Interconnection, operator of this regional grid that includes northern Illinois.
PJM (one of several U.S. regional grid overseers that reports to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) ran its auction just last month for the delivery year beginning June 1, 2028, and ending May 31, 2029. And the results delivered a stark — but largely unnoticed — warning for the Chicago area.
had been allowed to stand, monthly electric bills for residents of single-family homes would be increasing $35 to $77 beginning in mid-2028 for that reason alone, according to ComEd. Those in apartments would be paying $17 to $38 more.
The cost of “capacity” in the period was capped at $325 per megawatt-day, about the same as ratepayers are charged now. But, based on the bids PJM got from generators and other providers, if there had been no price cap, the capacity charge just in the ComEd territory would have been more than double at nearly $777 per megawatt-day, far higher than any such price ever recorded by PJM.
You may be wondering why you should care if regulators and politicians have worked to keep such disastrous outcomes from occurring. The reason, as we’ll explain further below, is that price controls of this sort reduce supply and risk future shortages. In other words, which is worse? Nosebleed electricity prices or rolling blackouts when temperatures soar?
In every other part of the PJM footprint, which runs east from here to the mid-Atlantic, the cost would have been higher without a cap as well. But it “only” would have been about $555 per megawatt-day.
That said, why is northern Illinois such an outlier? PJM didn’t say in their auction release. But Joseph Bowring, the independent market monitor for the PJM region (he serves as sort of a referee for the market, assessing bidder behavior and other things), wasn’t so reticent. He told RTO Insider, a trade publication, that the state’s clean-energy law, the 2021 Climate & Equitable Jobs Act, is responsible.
The law’s 2045 deadline for virtually all fossil-fuel generators to shut down makes the cost of building new natural gas-fired plants higher than elsewhere in PJM, and that’s reflected in the capacity prices, he said. The capacity market is meant to send price signals to developers, incentivizing them to build new plants in order to meet higher demand or compensate for older plants that are closing.
In Illinois, thanks to CEJA, existing plants are encouraged to close even as the construction of new fossil fuel plants is discouraged. Given the way PJM manages its auction, the wind farms and solar facilities that are meant to make up the difference in Illinois are given less credit than nuclear or fossil fuels for being able to produce when need is greatest since they aren’t always available depending on weather conditions.
The artificial ceiling on capacity prices, a compromise forged with governors throughout the footprint including Illinois’ JB Pritzker, is keeping a lid on electric bills but only at the risk of future shortages.
So this state suffers a market penalty due to clean-energy policies that are more aggressive than every other state in the PJM footprint.
We’ve written before about the need to adjust CEJA, a well-intentioned law that has run up against abrupt market changes since its enactment driven by demand from power-hungry data centers. Pritzker and Springfield Democrats amended the statute last year to give state regulators flexibility to allow gas-fired plants that otherwise would have to shut down by 2030 more time to run if they’re needed — changes we applauded.
That’s not the end of the bad news for northern Illinois in PJM’s latest capacity auction. Despite having the largest fleet of nuclear power plants in the country, we now don’t produce enough power to meet peak demand within our borders. So we must import that electricity — primarily derived from the carbon-emitting fossil fuels our policies are meant to phase out — from neighboring states when consumption is high.
But that’s not enough in our view. Springfield needs to respond more forcefully to the alarm bells markets are sending.
This is a new phenomenon. For decades, the ComEd territory produced far more electricity than it needed, keeping power prices low and ensuring the lights stayed on during heat waves and polar vortexes. But plant closures due in part to CEJA are substantially reducing capacity in our region.
As of now, too many Illinois power plant owners are facing needless uncertainty. They must determine whether to invest to keep their plants running, and for now they’re at the mercy of short-term decisions made by state and federal bureaucrats. They have opportunities to invest in other states without these impediments. Whether Illinois Democrats like it or not, we don’t live on an electricity island.
In the 2028-29 capacity auction, 20,919 megawatts cleared and will have to produce in that year when called upon. Peak demand now is about 22,000 megawatts, according to ComEd. As recently as the comparable 2024-25 period, 25,152 megawatts of power in ComEd territory were committed to deliver per the PJM process — well above peak demand.
Amending Illinois’ law to allow affected gas-fired plants to run at least another five years past the 2030 deadline would send an important signal to the industry and help get the state through a period of potential crisis.
Indeed, throughout the multi-state PJM region, the power-grid
[图注] Tall electrical towers follow a north-south pathway through Barrington Hills in 2023. STACEY WESCOTT/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
manager isn’t procuring enough promises to deliver during future heat waves and cold snaps to meet its minimum requirements.
Whatever you think of New York’s so-called “pied-à-terre” tax — a plan to plug a $500 million city budget hole with property taxes on those who own a valuable dwelling in the city but don’t make it their primary residence — there is no question that the administration of Mayor Zohran Mamdani bungled its rollout.
impacted properties, or possibly impacted properties, to prove the negative, so to speak.
Some 17,000 New Yorkers got a letter from the city and then had to offer evidence that their home was their permanent home. And do so fast. The suggested proof was to submit a copy of the most recently filed IRS return to prove residency bona fides, not a task that can be done in five minutes for most people.
And, in so doing, they tapped into one of the biggest and most reasonable fears people have of Democratic Socialist administrations.
Simply put, the city government chose to send demand letters to a far broader universe than actually is liable for the tax, including many with no other residence (so not “pied-à-terre” owners at all), people whose property was worth less than the threshold applicable to the tax and others in a whole variety of circumstances who are not liable. In many cases, the property record was outdated.
The project has exposed a number of fissures, including the disparity between assessed values and the actual worth of a property (something with which we are very familiar in Chicago) and the difficulty of figuring out the true value of a condo, which really can only be expressed in terms of what someone is willing to pay at a given moment and may be entirely different say three months later (ditto).
New York also has co-op buildings, which adds a whole other level of complexity to this tax grab.
But what has upset so many New Yorkers the most is the demand to prove the government has made a mistake on pain of paying up. Some folks have started to worry about where this approach to property rights in New York eventually may be going.
possible that they are liable for such a tax. That is not the choice that was made here. Instead, a wide net was cast to capture as much new revenue as possible.
Naturally, this was especially hard on some seniors, likely quietly going about their lives. But it was a recipe for anxiety for multiple generations. And, of course, an opportunity was born for fear-mongering and deception, including shady parties offering to prove exemption for a fee.
Over time, wiser local governments have figured out that asking people to prove what they know to be true and has long been true is an unfair burden with the likely consequence of angering a voter.
Had we a permanent home in New York City that Mamdani thought was a “pied-à-terre,” we’d be hacked off, too.
Anything involving a massive swath of property like this taxing initiative is bound to make some errors. That’s not our point here. Our point is that it was incumbent on the Mamdani administration to know far more precisely who it’s taxing and be as sure as reasonably
DEFYING THE UNDERTAKER
The free enterprise system continues to show remarkable signs of vitality in spite of the wishful mourners who would bury it on the theory that it is too old fashioned to cope with the New Frontier. Just the other day, for example, two noteworthy accomplishments of industry were reported in the Wall Street Journal.
The second accomplishment, announced by General Mills, Inc., is an improved method of turning wheat into flour, which is said to be cheaper than the present process and also to make better bread. It was developed in Switzerland, and is already in use at several mills. …
The first of these developments, by making it profitable to mine domestic beryl, will create new jobs for American miners and could very likely offer an opportunity for unemployed coal miners in “depressed areas.” This, in turn, will attract other businesses to the new communities, creating still more jobs. Finally, by bringing about lower prices for beryllium, it will probably increase the demand for the metal and at the same time offer a saving to those who buy it …
One is in the beryllium industry, which, altho still small, is important in the making of missiles and is growing rapidly. Beryllium is a metal which is processed from an ore called beryl. … The high cost has therefore prevented more than a token development of beryl deposits in this country. Even at the low wages paid abroad, a ton of beryl costs up to $400, and beryllium costs a minimum of $60 a pound.
Now, however, a Los Angeles firm has perfected a method of separating the beryl from the rock by crushing it and then treating it chemically. The result has been a rush to the rich beryl deposits of Utah, and geologists say that it may even be profitable to mine the poorer deposits in New Mexico, North Dakota, and New Hampshire.
Similarly the improved processing of wheat may well stimulate a greater demand for wheat and thus do a little toward relieving the wheat problem—something which all the administrators and all the economists in Washington have been unable to accomplish.
Tribune editorial board, Mitch Pugh Executive Editor
EDITORIAL CARTOON Aug. 4, 1960 NICK ANDERSON
If that price in the ComEd terri
Mamdani has announced a four-week extension to the onerous initial deadline for submitting “exemption applications.” When questioned by reporters on Monday about the upset, he declined to apologize.
By Alaina Hampton SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE
Eight years ago, I was a 28-year-old campaign staffer, and I came forward publicly about being sexually harassed while working in then-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political operation, and about the retaliation by that same organization that followed. I spoke out because I wanted accountability for what happened to me and to prevent other women in Illinois politics from experiencing the same failures of the system that I had.
After my story became public, Illinois legislators passed some reforms to strengthen workplace protections in government and political workplaces. But laws do not change culture on their own; people in positions of power do. That is why leadership matters.
Madigan’s departure was thought to have marked the end of an era. But electing new leadership without changing the culture allows the same system to persist under a different name.
When Emanuel “Chris” Welch was elected speaker of the Illinois House, lawmakers elevated someone who had never fully answered serious questions about his own treatment of women.
In 2002, a former girlfriend alleged in a police report that Welch physically assaulted her during an argument.
In 2010, a former employee and romantic partner of his filed a lawsuit alleging repeated unwelcome sexual advances and retaliation.
In 2011, another employee sued, claiming she faced retaliation after Welch asked for a hug and she declined.
When a young staffer reported allegations of sexual harassment by then-state Rep. Harry Benton to Welch’s office in 2023, she did what Illinois told survivors to do. She reported through the channels designed to provide support and accountability. That system failed her.
The House Democratic Caucus ignored all of this and elected Welch speaker anyway. In doing so, they sent a powerful message to victims and survivors that they still weren’t safe. And now, we know for a fact that that message was clear.
The most troubling part of the Benton situation is not only what allegedly happened in that office. It is that Welch’s office knew about those allegations years before Benton’s resignation and implemented zero consequences that could have protected future victims. Even worse, Welch and his organization then worked to reelect Benton — and kept the allegations a secret. This is not a one-off breach in judgment. It is a long-standing pattern.
Welch has failed to acknowledge any missteps on his own part. To hear him tell it, he’s never made a mistake. No apology for allegedly sexually harassing the former intern. No recognition that he failed to act to hold Benton accountable for three years. No statement about what he or his staff will do differently going forward.
If he can’t even recognize that he’s handled something wrong, how can we trust him to strengthen existing workplace protections and implement new ones? The answer is: We can’t.
A history of allegations involving domestic violence, sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct toward women, combined with a failure to address harassment complaints, cannot be ignored when that person holds immense power over others.
One thing is clear: If accountability applies only to those without power, then nothing has changed. Welch should resign as speaker of the Illinois House. If he doesn’t, the House Democratic Caucus should vote to remove him.
Eight years ago, Illinois legislators told survivors that if they came forward, things would be different. Many did so at tremendous personal and professional sacrifice because they believed the system could change. Instead, lawmakers put a Band-Aid on a pervasive problem for optics, rather than addressing the problem at its core.
Alaina Hampton is a Democratic political strategist and an advocate for victims of sexual harassment and survivors of sexual violence.
[图注] Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch walks onto the stage during a program at the National Conference of State Legislatures Summit at McCormick Place on Wednesday. EILEEN T. MESLAR/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Daniel DePetris
President Donald Trump could desperately use a foreign policy win in the Middle East. A war with Iran that was supposed to last four to six weeks is now in its sixth month with no end in sight as Tehran leverages the Strait of Hormuz for its own ends and Trump vacillates between renewed negotiations and more bombing. His peace efforts in Lebanon are spoiled by Hezbollah, an Iranian-sponsored militia whose leaders have made it abundantly clear that negotiations with Israel hinge on a complete Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanese soil. Trump’s attempt to establish normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is going nowhere, notwithstanding his obsession with expanding his first-term Abraham Accords.
Can Gaza, the devastated Palestinian territory, give Trump something to brag about? He certainly hopes so. Last week, the White House announced that Hamas agreed to demilitarize its weapons and demobilize its fighters in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave. Trump giddily explained to reporters that the deal was nothing short of a breakthrough.
But sift through the happy talk, and the picture becomes far more depressing: A comprehensive peace in Gaza is as unlikely today as it was before this news.
The crux of the matter is timing. What happens first: Hamas disarming or Israel withdrawing? The latest Gaza deal fails to answer that question. In theory, Hamas would surrender its heavy arms to the interim Gaza administration, which would take custody of them. The disarmament process is supposed to be linked to a phased Israeli departure from the enclave and verified by third-party monitors, and the modalities are to be negotiated by the parties over the next 14 days. In other words, this critical stumbling block is deferred for another few weeks, if not months, as Israel and Hamas inevitably rehash the same old arguments for why the other side needs to take the initiative before they reciprocate.
A reality check is in order. The agreement unveiled last week is not new as much as it is an effort to get back to the old arrangement Israel and Hamas arrived at 10 months earlier. That framework, which established an interim Palestinian administration for Gaza, a phased Israeli withdrawal, the release of the remaining hostages and a ceasefire, has been severely lacking in implementation. The hostages are back with their families, but every other commitment Israel and Hamas signed on to has been violated. The ceasefire decreased the violence but didn’t eliminate it — about 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the October 2025 peace framework was solidified. Israeli forces hold more than 60% of Gaza rather than the 53% it was permitted on a temporary basis. And Hamas is refusing to hand over its guns, arguing that nothing can happen until Israel meets its own commitments.
Before this can even happen, the terms of the new deal require Israel and Hamas to return to the original October ceasefire. Easy, right? Wrong. Israel was striking Hamas positions in Gaza even before the ink on the October deal was dry, and senior Israeli ministers have indicated that ceasing military operations against Hamas militants in Gaza is beyond what Israel can tolerate.
Indeed, a day after Trump claimed he had Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s support, Israel conducted several airstrikes in Gaza, killing 17 people. Although Netanyahu has remained silent on the latest accord, his government clearly has reservations and has communicated their doubts to the White House, which makes Trump’s claim that Israel is happy with the arrangement sound like an outright falsehood. The Israeli government wants complete freedom to strike any perceived threats in Gaza, regardless of any withdrawal, and seeks to have Hamas’ weapons destroyed rather than stored under lock and key.
Needless to say, it’s difficult to envision Hamas accepting any of this, which means Trump either has to press the issue with the Israelis or let things fester.
Israeli domestic politics will be an impediment to Trump’s Middle East dreams as well. Implementation would be tough on a good day, but it is exponentially harder during an election year in which Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is in the fight for his political life. The career Israeli politician remains under fire for being the man who missed the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis, the worst attack on Israel since its founding nearly 80 years ago. He’s been trying to compensate for that massive failure by laying waste to Gaza, invading southern Lebanon to push Hezbollah farther away from Israel’s northern border communities, occupying select parts of Syria and transforming Israel into an expansionist power.
To underscore that point, consider that 82% of Jewish Israelis support the forceful expulsion of Gaza’s 2-million-strong population. The peace candidates who used to dominate Israeli politics in the 1990s have now effectively been cast into the political wilderness, replaced by a crop of Israeli politicians who view the perennial two-state solution as an outdated concept and the Palestinians as distrustful at best and malicious at worst. Netanyahu’s main opponent in the October elections, former Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, is hinting he will elevate Gaza as a chief campaign issue, and Netanyahu will have to keep his right flank happy if he has any chance of maintaining power through a workable governing coalition.
The last thing Netanyahu intends to do is be the dovish option at a time when Israeli politics is drifting ever further to the right. The Israeli public is in no mood for compromise, particularly as it relates to a terrorist group that ushered in the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
Trump can chirp about success. But if he’s expecting Gaza to be a positive legacy item, he had better think again.
Daniel DePetris is a fellow at Defense Priorities and a foreign affairs columnist for the Tribune.
[图注] Palestinians inspect the scene of an Israeli airstrike near al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Saturday. ABDEL KAREEM HANA/AP
allegations involving Welch’s interactions with a former staffer, including flirtatious social media communications and an invite to meet him at a bar, that she said made her uncomfortable.
本次翻译质量处于不可接受 (Blocking) 状态。文档出现了严重的内容幻觉 (Hallucinations)、非法拼接以及段落错位。翻译件不仅在局部存在术语问题，更在宏观结构上将多个互不相关的文章（如芝加哥市政、纽约地产税、中东局势、1960年代历史回顾）错误地交织在一起，导致逻辑完全崩溃。
thinly veiled $\rightarrow$ 采用了“thinly veiled（含蓄但明显）”的标注形式，属于交付缺陷。depressing $\rightarrow$ 译文中直接保留英文单词。era $\rightarrow$ 译文中直接保留英文单词。C3 Presents $\rightarrow$ 译为“C3 演艺公司”，但在后续部分处理不统一。Lollapalooza $\rightarrow$ 部分地方处理正确，但整体结构混乱掩盖了细节。remote_md_031_Chicago_Tribune_-_04_08_2026，属于典型的清理未尽缺陷。---）且逻辑不通。结论：Blocking (拦截)
该译本不可使用。翻译过程中出现了严重的模型崩溃或源文件读取错误，导致将多个不同时空的文章碎片随机拼接。这种程度的幻觉和结构紊乱已导致文档失去基本阅读价值。