(The Center Square) – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says a new property tax debt relief pilot program is being funded primarily with proceeds from litigation against Texas-based bus companies that brought new arrivals to the city.
According to the mayor’s office, the pilot program will provide up to $5,000 to qualifying homeowners in Englewood, South Shore and the Lower West Side to keep residents in their homes.
The program is designed to help homeowners at risk of tax sale from unpaid property taxes in tax years 2023 or 2024.
Gaming board approves self-exclusion rule
The Illinois Gaming Board has approved a proposed rule that adds video gaming to the agency’s voluntary Self-Exclusion Program for problem gamblers.
If approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, the IGB rule will allow people who enroll in the program to exclude themselves from the state’s network of roughly 50,000 video gaming terminals through identity verification at video gaming redemption terminals.
In addition, the gaming board issued approvals for 81 video gaming establishment licenses and 234 Level 2 sports wagering occupational licenses.
Chicago officials report record traffic at O’Hare
Chicago officials say O’Hare International Airport recorded its busiest summer in history for the second year in a row.
According to a statement from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office, O’Hare welcomed more than 25 million passengers from June through August 2026, an increase of about 2.7% over 2025.
Poll: True independents say U.S. on wrong track
Seven in 10 true independents say the country is headed the wrong way, but a new poll said most won’t commit to either major party’s candidate.
The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found 70% of true independents say things in the country are heading in the wrong direction, against 13% who say it’s going in the right direction.
True independents are voters who, asked whether they lean toward one of the major parties, say neither. Among all registered voters, 58% said wrong direction and 31% said right direction.
The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll was conducted by Noble Predictive Insights from Oct. 5-7, surveying 2,527 registered U.S. voters. Respondents included 1,136 Republicans, 1,171 Democrats and 220 true independents. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.95 percentage points, but higher for subgroups.
Brett Rowland contributed to this story
