Being a Chicagoan, I see that there is something up on the news lately. Recent analytics shows that almost 5.5% of the raise has been on the salary of the locals. The survey reveals that there were gradual hikes in the annual salary of Chicago’s people.

The rise in the salary can be understood within various factors but the first and foremost would be the reform that has been created. 

This has further created a reform and asks the other cities to learn something from them. The larger number of labor works that these companies ask for their employees was something very questioning. 

When the survey was taken from 45 out of 50 cities of Chicago, it was reported that the hikes in the salary of the people have been seeing increasing this year. Many people have already been promoted in their jobs and now the highest Annual salary of these have reported to $130,000.

Moreover, the people are taking this as big reforms and this is no less than a revolution. It all started when three aldermen have been reported in serious controversial cases. The current start of these three men in the jail and all of the three are facing charges for their sins.

Chicago has already been seen as a high corruption state and it was already reported that the state has been facing some of the major issues. Just after 2019, nine aldermen have faced charges against corruption, bribe and tax fraud cases. 

The federal court of Chicago has been taking serious measures to stop all these reckless behavior and with a proper judiciary system, things are coming into the hand. 

As the corruption is getting low, we are seeing changes like hikes in salary around ourselves. We are hoping that in the next few years, people like this get the script actions and the state may become more indecent and self-dependent with it. 

The head of the Better Government Association, David Greising reported about the cases. He added everything about the issue to the reporters.  In the conference, he said, “The city pensions are a bust. The mayor just signed rich contracts with the police and teachers. With offices half-empty, restaurants and theaters dim or dark, economic disparities higher than ever, it’s hardly the time for aldermen to give themselves pay hikes …”

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CHICAGO (CBS) — Bradley Rukstales was accused of storming the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot – and just hours after his arrest, he admitted it to CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar.

On Tuesday – eight months later – Rukstales, 53, has pleaded guilty.

READ MORE: 4-Year-Old Girl Shot In Arm While Walking With Father In Englewood

Rukstales was one of numerous people hit with federal charges after supporters of President Donald Trump turned violent and stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Rukstales, of Inverness, had been the chief executive officer of Schaumburg-based tech company Cogensia. He was fired by the company the same day he was hit with federal charges for his role in the riot.

So far, the U.S. Department of Justice has identified and charged 13 people from Illinois with participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Five people died in the attack. Rukstales faces six months in federal prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

De Mar talked exclusively with Rukstales a day after the riot and his arrest.

RELATED: Brad Rukstales Of Inverness, Arrested At U.S. Capitol Riot, Apologizes And Expresses Embarrassment

“It turned into chaos,” Rukstales said on Jan. 7.

He added: “I had nothing to do with charging anybody or anything or any of that. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time – and I regret my part in that. That’s all I’m comfortable saying.”

READ MORE: Chicago Weather: Beach Hazards Through Thursday Morning

De Mar then asked Rukstales if he was inside the Capitol the day before. Rukstales said he was.

As Capitol Police retreated down a flight of stairs that winter day, federal prosecutors said chairs tumbled down behind them. Rukstales is accused of throwing one of those chairs.

Charging documents say he “picked up one of the chairs at the bottom of the stairwell, and threw it in the direction of where the officers had retreated down the corridor.”

As police yelled for people to leave, one of the officers brushed up against Rukstales from behind — his arm stretched out toward officers.

“The officer immediately turned around, brought Rukstales to the ground, and he and another officers dragged Rukstales behind their defensive line to be arrested,” the charges alleged.

Rukstales was initially charged with unlawful entry in D.C. Superior Court, but now federal prosecutors have charged him with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; or knowingly, with intent to impede government business or official functions, engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

“Everything that happened yesterday, I think, was terrible. I’m sorry for my part in it,” Rukstales told De Mar on Jan. 7.

Rukistales is the first Illinois resident to plead guilty in the riots. He will find out his sentence later in November.

MORE NEWS: Owner Of Suburban Moving Company Is Subject Of Arrest Warrant, Numerous Consumer Complaints About Undelivered Items, But He Says It’s ‘Impossible’ And Claims Misunderstandings

He faces up to six months in prison and a fine of $5,000.

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It’s the last summer weekend to squeeze in a family vacation, but airline bookings for Labor Day weekend are down. McDonald’s looks at closing indoor dining as the delta variant of COVID-19 drives a surge of infections. And a local medical equipment maker is nearing a $10 billion deal.

Crain’s Chicago Business editor Ann Dwyer takes us behind the headlines.

Thanks to our sponsors:

Crain’s Headlines is a joint production between WTTW and Crain’s Chicago Business. It airs every Monday through Thursday on the WTTW News program “Chicago Tonight.” 

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CHICAGO (CBS) — A robbery in the middle of State Street in River North early Saturday morning left two men hurt, and businesses on edge.

As CBS 2’s Asal Rezaei reported Sunday night, workers said they are concerned about increasing crime and violence in the area.

READ MORE: Attorneys Say CPD Officer Tried To Tackle Woman As She Walked Her Dog At North Avenue Beach, Claim She Was Racially Profiled

River North, of course, is a busy area in Chicago – home to dozens of restaurants, bars, and convenience stores.

An employee of a 24-hour Subway sandwich shop at 447 N. State St. said the shop closed early on the Friday night shift, after two men were attacked in the middle of the street.

“People got robbed,” said Subway employee Guillermo Salgudo. “People got beat up.”

Salgudo was working at the Subway that night and saw a man getting robbed.

“The other guy tried to defend him, and then he got beat up,” Salgudo said.

He said the crime has gotten really bad in the area over the past month and a half.

READ MORE: Chicago Weather: Storms Leave Area, Things Quieting Down Overnight

“Right now, we’ve got drug dealers, a lot of prostitution, a lot of homeless – it’s really bad right here,” Salgudo said.

On State Street just north of the Chicago River, there are a lot of frustrations from many shop owners. The owner of a 7-Eleven said one of her managers recently quit from having nightmares from the crime in the area.

She also said just moments after Rezaei and her crew came to interview on Sunday, one of the employees at the 7-Eleven was shoved by someone who was shoplifting.

While she could not speak on camera, the owner of the 7-Eleven showed us surveillance video of how busy it can get outside the store. She said on many nights – including this weekend – her employees lock themselves inside the store when crowds outside get too big.

Neighboring employees like Salgudo said they want to feel safer at work – and want to see more police officers patrolling the area.

“We can’t defend ourselves right here,” he said. “They’re the only ones that can help us.”

MORE NEWS: Live Updates From CBS News: Hurricane Ida Slams Louisiana As An ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Storm; New Orleans Reports ‘No Power’

As of late Sunday, there had been no arrests in the early Saturday morning robbery.

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CHICAGO (CBS) — At least 19 people had been shot in Chicago this weekend as of Saturday night, and one of them had been killed.

At least four of the surviving victims were the age of 18.

READ MORE: Malique Long, 17, Held Without Bond In Murder, Attempted Carjacking Of 70-Year-Old Yvonne Ruzich

The first fatal shooting happened at 11:55 p.m. in the 900 block of West 59th Street in Englewood.

READ MORE: Chicago Weather: Steamy Pattern Ends Sunday

A 27-year-old man was driving when a black sedan pulled up and someone inside shot him multiple times. The victim’s car crashed into two unoccupied parked cars, and he was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

MORE NEWS: Brothers In Custody For Questioning After They Reveal Mother, Sister Are Buried In Lyons Backyard; 2 Bodies Recovered

In other incidents since 5 p.m. Friday:

• • At 8:04 p.m. Friday, a 26-year-old man and another man of an unknown age were in an apartment in the 6900 block of South Eggleston Avenue in Englewood when they were both shot The 26-year-old man was shot in the left egg and left arm and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where his condition was stabilized, while the second victim was shot in the head and was taken to the same hospital in critical condition.
  • At 10:05 p.m. Friday, two teens were discovered in a car in the 2800 block of West Adams Street in East Garfield Park with gunshot wounds. One victim, a 15-year-old boy, was shot in the neck and was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County, while the other, a 19-year-old man, was shot in the chest and arm and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital.
  • At 10:15 p.m. Friday, a 14-year-old boy was outside with a group of people in the 4100 block of West West End Avenue in West Garfield Park when he was shot in the neck. The boy was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in critical condition. It is not known If the boy was the intended target, and witnesses have been uncooperative.
  • At 11:56 p.m. Friday, two 16-year-olds – a boy and a girl – were walking in the 8700 block of South Holland Road in Auburn Gresham when they heard shots and felt pain. The boy was shot in the chin, while the girl suffered a graze wound to the leg The victims did not see the shooter and did not know the source of the shots. The victims were taken by a passerby to OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park in good condition, and the boy was later transferred to Stroger Hospital of Cook County.
  • At 12:25 a.m. Saturday, a 47-year-old woman was driving in the 3500 block of South Kedzie Avenue in Brighton Park when she was caught in the crossfire between people in two cars who were shooting at each other. The woman was shot in the face and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition.
  • At 2:02 a.m. Sunday, a 41-year-old man was standing outside in the 0-99 block of North Long Avenue in South Austin when a man came up and shot him. The victim suffered a graze wound to the arm and was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park in good condition.
  • At 2:50 a.m. Saturday, a man was found in a parked car in the 1500 block of West Cornelia Avenue in Lakeview with gunshot wounds to his back and legs. The man was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in serious condition. Further details are not known.
  • At 2:59 a.m. Saturday, a 33-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man were traveling in a car in the 1500 block of South Homan Avenue in Lawndale when someone in a passing blue car shot them both. The woman was shot in the arm and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, while the man suffered a graze wound and refused medical treatment.
  • At 2:59 a.m. Saturday, a 27-year-old man was in the passenger seat of a parked car in the 5100 block of West Agatite Avenue in Portage Park when another man came up and asked him for money. The victim said he didn’t have any and drove off, and the other man fired shots and struck him in the groin. The victim was driven by a friend to Community First Medical Center and was then transferred to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was in critical condition. Police said the suspect was a Black male in his 20s, standing 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a face tattoo, a black sweater, and blue jeans.
  • At 3 a.m. Saturday, a 30-year-old man was walking in the 7600 block of South South Chicago Avenue in Grand Crossing when he was shot in the foot. The man did not see who shot him. He self-transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition.
  • At 2:40 p.m. Saturday, a 54-year-old man was on the sidewalk in the 9800 block of South Hoxie Avenue in Jeffery Manor when he was shot in the right leg. The victim was taken to Advocate Trinity Hospital, where he was stabilized.
  • At 2:51 p.m. Saturday, a 24-year-old man was in the backyard of a home in the 0-99 block of East 119th Street in West Pullman when someone came up, took out a gun, and shot him. The victim was shot in the left hand and was taken to Advocate Trinity Hospital in good condition.
  • At 3:14 p.m. Saturday, a 21-year-old man was traveling in a vehicle in the 3500 block of West Ogden Avenue in Lawndale when another vehicle pulled up and someone inside shot him. The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the right flank.
  • At 10:09 p.m. Saturday, an 18-year-old man was walking in the 4000 block of South Wabash Avenue in Bronzeville when three men came up and shot him in the leg. The victim was taken to the U of C Medical Center in good condition. The gunmen were wearing dark clothing.

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CHICAGO — After Bronzeville community organizer Johnnie Owens was shot to death in a brazen home invasion last week, his widow remembers his extraordinary life through the relationships he built.

Owens was often referred to as a community organizer, but was really a gardener, a man who planted seeds and loved to watch them grow.

Rosalyn Owens, his wife, said he was tirelessly dedicated to his craft. She said she knew he was the one when they suggested they foster parents for two twin boys just a few months after beginning dating.

“He took to the babies. I didn’t have to quit my job, he just moved in because he was taking care of the babies,” Owens said.

Johnnie Owens was shot on August 17 when a man broke into his Hazel Crest home.

“It’s hard, my husband was a good man and for something like this to happen, the boldness of it, you know I’m not trying to focus on that,” Owens said.

The 65-year-old began his career as an organizer working with a young Barack Obama. Owens as a guest at the Obamas’ wedding, and was mentioned in the former President’s first book, ‘Dreams from my Father.’

In the book, Obama praised his boundless curiosity and called him ‘a philosopher of the blues.’

“They were close, yes. We weren’t together during that time but he told me stories,” Owens said.

Johnnie Owens earned a Master’s Degree in urban geography from Chicago State University and was also a master griller, renowned for his touch with steaks and ribs.

Owens brought his passion for food to Bronzeville when he founded the Bronzeville Neighborhood Garden in 2016, working to teach the community how to nurture itself.

Rosalyn Owens said she wants to keep the garden in Bronzeville, and has organized a GoFundMe to help raise funds to maintain it.

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Immigrants facing deportation in Cook County will be able to access legal representation from public defenders, starting January 2022.

A pair of bills signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker provides not only legal counsel (see HB 2790), but also public information campaigns so immigrants and refugees will know their rights (see HB 709).

“You cannot access rights that you don’t know you have, and the consequences can be devastating,” said State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, a sponsor of both of these bills. “With respect to access to representation, everyone deserves representation in a courtroom, especially when the stakes are as high as they are in an immigration case.”

Hena Mansori, attorney supervisor and head of the immigration unit at the Cook County Public Defender’s Office, says her office has been working on implementing a right-to-representation model since the bill passed and is currently in the process of increasing staffing in preparation for next year.

“This bill adds language that allows us discretionary authority to take on removal cases before the Chicago Immigration Court,” Mansori said. “It’s not taking on all immigration cases by any means, but it allows us to make a dent in the number of cases that need representation.”

According to Gong-Gershowitz and Mansori, cost and language have posed barriers for immigrants seeking counsel in removal proceedings.

“An ICE agent is armed and exercises authority of state in a way that leaves immigrants feeling powerless,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “Feeling as if they have no ability to exercise their rights, oftentimes being asked to sign a document they don’t understand presented to them in English and they couldn’t read it.”

According to the National Immigrant Justice Center, detained immigrants are eleven times more likely to pursue relief when they have legal counsel and are twice as likely to obtain relief than detained immigrants without counsel.

“The results in the cases aren’t dependent on the merits,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “The difference is your ability to articulate the merits of your case. Having access to counsel has a dramatic impact in the success of someone obtaining relief.”

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CHICAGO (CBS) — Seward Park is supposed to be a place for recreation and for kids to play – but instead, it’s full of trash, drug baggies, and brick piles.

The neighborhood blight comes as the result of a stalled construction project. CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar looked for answers Wednesday night on what the holdup is.

READ MORE: Chicago Weather: Staying Hot And Humid Thursday

With tall grasslands and swampy stagnant water may have, one might be led to believe – at least looking at a picture – there is some kind of a nature preserve at Seward Park. There isn’t.

It is all the consequence of months of neglect at the park on the Near North Side, off Division and Orleans streets near the former site of the Cabrini-Green housing development.

“They ended up starting a project, which they didn’t have the scope of what it took to actually finish the project,” said E.J. Karsten.

Karsten lives near the park and regularly teaches pickleball lessons on the courts. Construction fencing has sidelined him and anyone else who wants to use the public courts.

The basketball rims aren’t even attached to the backboards.

De Mar: “And that’s got to be frustrating for you.”

Karsten: “Very much so. This project has not allowed for the community to be able to use those basketball courts.”

In 2018, the Chicago Park District secured $4 million for improvements to the park – upgrades to the fieldhouse windows, roof, and concrete among the repairs.

READ MORE: Chicago Weather: Severe Thunderstorms Hit Chicago Area For Second Night; Damage, Downed Power Lines Reported In Western Suburbs

But a hammer hasn’t been lifted in months, and supplies for the project just sit there.

The city said it found more serious damage and needed time to secure proper permits.

“It’s not acceptable,” said Maria Scandariato. “Number one, if there was no progress being made on the park, the park should have been opened the entire summer.”

Scandariato also lives nearby. She is frustrated that the seemingly abandoned construction site has locked her and the rest of the community out – while welcoming others in.

“What’s happening is an increased number of homeless people who are occupying the park – like how are we addressing their safety and security?” Scandariato said.

“It’s been hangout because, there’s so many places you can hide around the fencing,” Karsten added.

On Wednesday night, as CBS 2 photographer Scott Placko flew a drone over the park, a large pile of trash was visible leading up to the fieldhouse. That was when he spotted a woman on the steps slumped over.

We called paramedics. The woman was checked out and refused medical attention.

“Where kids going to hang out?” Scandariato said. “Where are they going to play?”

MORE NEWS: Fundraiser Gives Big Boost To Woodridge Families Still Suffering After June Tornadoes

A Chicago Park District representative said the new permits have been secured and contractors are being remobilized – and work should start sometime in the next few weeks. But this project isn’t expected to be completed until spring 2022.

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CHICAGO (CBS Chicago/CBS News) — Charlie Watts, the drummer whose beat kept The Rolling Stones alive for six decades, has died.

Publicist Bernard Doherty said Tuesday that Watts “passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.” Watts was 80.

READ MORE: Suspect Wanted On Warrants In California, Including One For Murder, Is Shot And Killed By Amtrak Police At Union Station

“Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation,” Doherty said.

Bandmates Mick Jagger and Keith Richards each left tributes to Watts on Tuesday, using images rather than words.

pic.twitter.com/MrPpJI0Hxd

— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) August 24, 2021

pic.twitter.com/YUR6lckf8k

— Keith Richards (@officialKeef) August 24, 2021

Watts had announced earlier this month he would not tour with the Stones in 2021 because of an undefined health issue. When Watts turned 80 in June, Jagger posted a birthday message and video montage of the drummer on Twitter.

Watts was a lifelong jazz lover, preferring Miles Davis to Elvis Presley. But Keith Richards used the records of Muddy Waters and other Chicago blues icons to give the Stones their name and much of their sound – and to convert Watts into a rock and roll drummer.

READ MORE: Chicago Weather: Extreme Heat, Humidity Again On Wednesday

The Rolling Stones, of course, have played in Chicago several dozen times. But their first visit to Chicago was not to play a concert, but to record at Chess Studios.

“They came here on their first tour of America and they recorded in Chess Studios. Chess Records was so seminal and so important to them that it was a dream come true when the first time they were in America they got to record at Chess,” said Ileen Gallagher, the curator of the touring “Exhibitionism” exhibit of Rolling Stones memorabilia that made a stop at Navy Pier in 2017.

“Chicago is the home of the blues and the Stones are a band because of the blues, so the fact that it’s here, it’s the way it should be,” said Chicago photographer Paul Natkin told WBBM Newsradio in a 2017 interview.

Chess Records was founded by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess in 1950. It is renowned as the recording home of Father of Rock and Roll Chuck Berry – who commuted to Chicago from St. Louis to record all his best-known hits – as well as R&B pioneer Bo Diddley, and blues icons Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, and of course, Muddy Waters.

The Rolling Stones held a session at Chess Studios in June 1964. In his memoir, “Life,” guitarist Richards wrote that the band recorded 14 tracks in two days. The recordings included Bobby Womack’s “It’s All Over Now” – which became a hit for the Stones – as well as some blues and Berry covers, and an instrumental blues jam honoring the Near South Side street address of the Chess Studios, “2120 South Michigan Avenue.”

Richards also wrote that they encountered Muddy Waters on a ladder painting the ceiling at Chess. Seventeen years later in 1981, Waters would join them onstage at the old Checkerboard Lounge, at 423 E. 43rd St. in Bronzeville, for a concert that was memorialized on the album “Live at the Checkerboard Lounge.”

The Rolling Stones’ first Chicago show was at the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place in the fall of 1964, and they have played many dozens of shows since. They’ve played at long-gone venues such as the International Amphitheatre and the Chicago Stadium, and extant venues from Soldier Field to the United Center and what is now Guaranteed Rate Field – as well as the old Double Door in Wicker Park and the Aragon Ballroom in Uptown.

They most recently played to a sold-out crowd at Soldier Field in 2019. And as Lin Brehmer of WXRT radio recalled, Watts was as great as ever.

“And there was Charlie, what – 78 years old? Pounding the skins,” Brehmer said, “and he was phenomenal.”

Brehmer added: “One of the things that’s driving me crazy today is people saying, ‘Oh, what an underrated drummer.’ And if you paid any attention to the Rolling Stones, nobody underrated Charlie Watts.”

MORE NEWS: Chicago Weather: Rounds Of Storms Blow Through Chicago Area, Leaving Roads And Gas Stations Flooded, Boats Capsized

Watts’ exact cause of death remained unknown Tuesday night, but he had been recovering from a medical procedure.

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CHICAGO (CBS) — The WTA tour is at XS Tennis Village for the Chicago Tennis Festival, and Venus Williams was among the players taking part.

The 41-year-old star was unable to win in front of a pro-Venus crowd, dropping her first-round match in straight sets.

READ MORE: Firefighter, 3 Residents Injured In Fire At South Shore Apartment Building

But she is still appreciative that the South Side is hosting a tour event.

READ MORE: Chicago Weather: Steamy And Stormy

“Great to see the crowd and the support I got out there. I was like so delighted and so unexpected. I definitely wish I could have won today. I was just so rusty,” Williams said. “I’d love for the conditions to continue where we’re able to play sports on the South Side, because it’s really beautiful here.”

MORE NEWS: 4 People Shot At Sheridan Road And Wilson Avenue In Uptown

The Chicago Women’s Open runs through Saturday at Washington Park.

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