Author: THE AMIR SHAKUR SPEAKS BROADCAST CHANNEL & MEDIA GROUP
THE AMIR SHAKUR SPEAKS BROADCAST CHANNEL & MEDIA GROUP is an American media company based in Chicago, IL. The company was founded by Global Influencer and Journalist Amir "King Seven" Shakur in 2000 the company produces Radio, TV, Magazines etc. Black America World News Associated, Soul America Broadcast Network, The Owl Radio, and more are affiliates.
Our ideas of "Civic Responsibility," is defined as the "responsibility of a citizen" (Dictionary.com). We encourage actions and attitudes associated with social participation. Our Actions of civic responsibility can be displayed in advocacy for various causes, such as economic, civil, environmental or quality of life issues.
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CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Mayor Brandon Johnson scored a narrow but real victory in his push to protect Chicago’s renters, as the City Council’s Housing Committee voted 12-9 to advance his revised Protecting Renters Ordinance.
The win came only after Johnson made big concessions. The mayor dropped the controversial “just cause” provision that would have forced landlords to pay relocation money to tenants evicted through no fault of their own. He also exempted owner-occupied buildings of six units or less, and scrapped an early proposal for $10,000 payouts to tenants facing what the draft called “unconscionable rent increases” — a provision critics warned was a back door to rent control.
What survived: a citywide rental registry with a $20-per-unit annual fee expected to raise about $22 million a year, a new Bureau of Rental Housing Services, a permanent tenant-counsel program, a Renters Bill of Rights, and a ban on junk fees like move-in charges.
But the opposition is not backing down. Zoning Committee Chair Gilbert Villegas pushed a rival plan through his committee the very next day. His version skips the registry fee and the new bureau, using existing staff instead — and calls for cutting red tape on housing permits.
Now both measures head toward the full City Council, where Johnson will need 26 votes to pass his version.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as this fight moves to the Council floor.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Chicago just flipped the switch on a new 911 dispatch system, and City Hall is all-in — even though aldermen and the dispatchers answering the calls say the thing isn’t ready.
The Office of Emergency Management and Communications began a phased rollout Tuesday of its new computer-aided dispatch system from CentralSquare Technologies, the city’s first major dispatch upgrade in more than 30 years. For now the old system stays live as a backup while officials “ensure Chicago’s public safety infrastructure” during the transition…
Not everyone is comfortable. Fourteen aldermen wrote to Mayor Brandon Johnson last week demanding answers before the system goes live for real. “We support modernization, but it cannot come at the expense of the safety of Chicago residents,” the letter said, citing reports of dropped calls, delayed information, missed callbacks and calls routed to the wrong department.
Ald. Chris Taliaferro, who chairs the Police and Fire Committee, said dispatchers themselves raised the red flags. The mayor’s office fired back that the system passed stress tests — including 3,800 calls in a single hour, 150% of the city’s busiest stretch — and has met its contract response-time requirements.
The price tag: a nearly $75 million deal signed back in 2019. The payoff, officials say, could be response times cut by up to 33 seconds. Dispatchers, who have logged more than 4,600 hours of classroom training, aren’t sold that seconds are worth the risk.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily for updates on this developing story.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Wednesday was a showdown day at City Hall, and renters were at the center of it.
CHICAGO URBAN DAILY
By Chicago Urban Daily Staff
Mayor Brandon Johnson won an early round in the fight over Chicago’s 600,000 renters when the City Council’s Housing Committee voted 12-9 to advance his revised Protecting Renters Ordinance. The mayor dropped the controversial “just cause” provision — which would have forced landlords to pay relocation costs to no-fault evicted tenants — to get it through. Earlier drafts also axed a $10,000 payout for tenants pushed out by steep rent hikes, after critics called it a backdoor to rent control.
But nothing is settled. Ald. Gilbert Villegas is pushing a competing plan, the Fair and Accountable Rental Ordinance, backed by some of the same real estate interests that killed the “Bring Chicago Home” referendum. Villegas calls Johnson’s plan “a rent tariff” that will get passed straight to renters. Full-council action on both measures is now deferred to a later meeting this fall. If one passes, it would be the first major update to Chicago renter protections in more than four decades.
Meanwhile, a second brawl broke out over the city’s credit card. Retiring Ald. Marty Quinn is pushing to require 30 votes instead of 26 to approve future borrowing — because 40% of Chicago’s operating budget is already eaten by pension and debt payments. The Finance Committee backed the reform 21-9 on Monday, but the mayor’s closest ally, Budget Chair Jason Ervin, used a parliamentary move to stall the final vote at Wednesday’s council meeting.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily for updates on this developing story.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Thursday was the best day in Chicago baseball in a generation, and the record books agree.
The White Sox clinched a playoff berth first, pounding the Kansas City Royals 9-1. Minutes later, the Cubs punched their own ticket with a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, it was the first time in Chicago history that both clubs clinched postseason berths on the same day — two minutes apart, North Side and South Side, in the same October.
It’s only the fourth time both teams have reached the postseason in the same season. The others: 1906, 2008 and the shortened 2020 season. The 1906 edition remains the stuff of legend — the only all-Chicago World Series, won by the Sox in six games.
The South Side turnaround is the stunner of the season. The White Sox lost 101 games in 2023, a modern-record 121 in 2024 and 102 more in 2025. Two years removed from that historic low, they’re back in October for the first time since 2021.
And the North Side got a milestone of its own: Pete Crow-Armstrong became just the seventh player in major league history to join the 40-40 club — 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases — and the first Cub ever to do it.
Both teams enter as wild cards. Three regular-season games remain, and the Wild Card Series opens Tuesday, September 29. Chicago, October baseball is back. Both sides.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily for updates on this developing story.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)—Chicago’s police accountability system isn’t just slow. According to the city’s own watchdog, it buried the truth.
A July report from the Chicago Office of Inspector General found that the Civilian Office of Police Accountability — the agency charged with investigating police misconduct — closed 654 complaints naming 1,041 officers without following proper investigative rules. The reason was a so-called “Timeliness Initiative” meant to clear a years-long backlog. The OIG’s verdict: COPA created a “vacuum of accountability.” Nearly 90 percent of those buried complaints alleged civil rights violations or excessive force. The average case had already sat for nearly three years.
Inside the department, it is no better. The Bureau of Internal Affairs took in more than 5,300 complaints last year — a record — while nearly a quarter of its positions sat empty. An audit found that of 834 disciplinary cases closed in 2024, fewer than half were finished within the required six months. As an assistant Illinois attorney general told a federal judge: delays mean officers face no consequences at all. Meanwhile the “accountability sergeants” the consent decree requires in every district keep getting pulled back to street duty.
And now the fight has moved to the Illinois Supreme Court, which heard arguments Thursday on whether officers facing serious discipline — including seven accused of using deadly force — can take their cases to private arbitration instead of public hearings. Attorney General Kwame Raoul is urging the court to keep the doors open, warning that secrecy would gut the consent decree. He is right.
Chicago doesn’t have an accountability system. It has a filing system. And every closed door makes it worse.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as this story develops.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)—A second suspect has been arrested and charged in the killing of 29-year-old Kyle Bickham, who was pushed from a moving CTA Red Line train earlier this month. Katlar Parchman, 19, was taken into custody this week and charged with first-degree murder and related felonies, NBC Chicago reported, becoming the second person charged after a 15-year-old girl was arrested September 11.
Bickham died September 7 near the 69th Street station after an altercation aboard the train. Police say he was forced off the moving train, fell onto the electrified third rail, and was then struck by another train. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide.
The Bickham family has no connection to the people accused, and they are now calling for stronger security upgrades across the CTA. “They took greatness, they took happiness from me,” Bickham’s father told the Chicago Sun-Times of his son, who had just secured a new apartment and was heading home from a warehouse job.
CTA crime is down 30 percent in the first half of 2026, but 2025 saw a record 469 violent attacks on the system — the most in more than 25 years. Police have not released a motive, and no third arrest has been announced.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as this story develops.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
Photo: Fotografía oficial de la Presidencia de Colombia, via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal
CHICAGO URBAN DAILY
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)—Mayor Brandon Johnson is asking Chicago to pump the brakes on data centers. On Wednesday, he and three alderpeople introduced a 12-month moratorium ordinance that would pause new data center construction and block major expansions of existing facilities while the city writes long-term rules for the booming industry.
“Chicago is open for business, but we are not for sale,” Johnson said in a statement. “We welcome innovation, investment and the jobs and opportunities that come with it, but growth must be done responsibly and in a way that protects the health, safety and quality of life of Chicago residents.”
The ordinance is cosponsored by Ald. Maria Hadden (49th), Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), and Ald. Lamont J. Robinson (4th). It gives the city’s Data Centers Task Force — created by Johnson’s executive order last month — a full year to build a regulatory framework around clean air, clean water, energy use, and neighborhood impact.
The same day, the council passed a separate measure requiring Chicago’s 39 existing data centers to disclose their energy and water consumption. The industry is pushing back: the Data Center Coalition warns the moratorium could signal the city is “closed for business,” and Ald. Bill Conway (34th) is offering an alternative based on zoning requirements and environmental reviews instead of a freeze. The moratorium now heads to committee for its first vote.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the ordinance moves through City Council.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)—This is the weekend Chicago shows off. Chicago Gourmet — the city’s premier food festival — is in full swing through Sunday in Millennium Park, and tonight’s the night for burger lovers: the Hamburger Hop runs 6 to 9 p.m. with chefs Joe Flamm and Jeff Mauro hosting a Best Burger showdown, complete with a live breakdance battle.
Saturday brings the Grand Cru experience to the Harris Theater Rooftop, with two sessions featuring more than 30 award-winning chefs including Stephanie Izard, Lee Anne Wong, Sarah Grueneberg, and Chris Shepherd. Sunday closes it out with the Rise & Shine brunch, hosted by chefs Art Smith and Erick Williams.
And the food is only half the story. The World Music Festival returns today, free and citywide through October 4, with performances at the Chicago Cultural Center and venues across the neighborhoods. The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Sabor Fest in Pilsen, and Andersonville Arts Weekend all land this weekend too — proof that Chicago’s cultural engine is running at full speed.
Whether you’re tasting, dancing, or just wandering, there’s no excuse to sit this weekend out. This is Chicago at its best.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily for more weekend highlights and community stories.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
Chicago, IL ― (CUDN) Registered voters can cast a ballot before General Election Day which is April 1, 2025. They do not need to give a reason for wanting to vote early. With the help of The Cook County voters guide we will share this hopeful information that voters can share.
Mail Ballot applications for the February 25, 2025 Consolidated Primary Election had been accepted.
Mail Ballot applications for the April 1, 2025 Consolidated Election had been accepted as of January 1, 2025.
Any registered suburban Cook County voter with a driver’s license, state ID, or social security number on file may request a mail ballot. They can use an online or paper application.
Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day so they can be counted.
Registered suburban Cook County voters can vote in their home precinct on Election Day. To find your Election Day precinct, use your Your Voter Information Tool.
Visually Impaired and Print Disabled Voters
Visually impaired or print disabled voters may request an accessible mail ballot by calling 312.603.0976 or by emailing christine.tucker@cookcountyil.gov.
Encourage engagement: We Invite readers to share their thoughts or experiences in the comments to foster community conversation.
The Chicago Urban Daily News and it’s Editor Amir A.H. Shakur Endorses CleanHouse 2025: As The Start of New Era for Dolton, IL, Mayor Tiffany Heynard faces backlash and calls for her removal due to allegations of political retaliation, misuse of funds, and more. The Clean House Team, led by Jason House, seeks to bring transparency and accountability to the community in the upcoming election-They are The Future of Dolton.
CUDN By Amir AH Shakur(Facebook) –Feb 23, 2025, 9:30 AM CST |Updated 1 hour ago
DOLTON,IL ― (CUDN) Current Dolton, IL Mayor Tiffany Heynard is dubbed as America’s ‘worst mayor’. She has been involved in a tumultuous longterm relationship with the Dolton Community. This run has led many concerned citizens and activists to demand her dismissal. For the record -Henyard holds dual positions of focus in Dolton, IL and as The supervisor of Thornton Township. -The Mayor’s Office seat is up for election finals in two days.
Various Dolton residents, employees, and business owners have alleged that Henyard used her position for “political” retaliation. For those who are unaware, she “allegedly” intimidates perceived political opposition. She also allegedly has used the village police force to harass businesses. To make matters worst -according to witnesses-local homeowner (residents) who had not supported Henyard also faced harassment. Furthermore, Henyard also has earlier allegations of trying to extort campaign contributions from business owners.
She (Henyard) has also been accused of firing multiple village employees for political reasons. Besides mismanagement, there are large levels of public funds which have gone missing or unaccounted for?-Other issues include extravagant trips to Las Vegas and New York City-there are other places too. Some people in the Dolton local community circles consider these trips unreasonable and unnecessary. Henyard faces allegations of cronyism-She reportedly hired boyfriends, relatives, family friends, and loyalists. Most of these individuals were unqualified. Some of the hires should not have been appointed due to background issues, criminal and otherwise.
Many locals in the community believe it’s time for Henyard to “Go.” They think this small village needs a change. This change is necessary for it to have an opportunity to recover.
Why do we want TO Choose Jason House and Clean House 2025?
We are The Chicago Urban Daily News. As a team, we believe that The Clean House 2025 Team is not just another group of desirables. For the record-They do not strive for an office that they can’t manage. They are not striving for an office without community service experience either. For the record- They (The CleanHouse 2025 Team) are driven by long term principles, commitment and deep public service. They are supported by community members and business owners who firmly believe in them. They are guided by conflict resolution and sincerity. The Clean House Team 2025-has shown and proved their commitment to “GET IT RIGHT,” for the people.
They (Team Clean House 2025) have made multiple pleas and requests to call for the current Mayor’s removal. Several court filings on record highlight misgivings at the Township level. They also even highlighted misgivings at the Village of Dolton level. The Clean House Team sounded the alarm long before it was popular to dispute Tiffany Henyard on Social Media Platforms.
Choose Jason House and Clean House 2025 -if you want to start healing and Change in Dolton!
In Our Opinion (Chicago Urban Daily) Historically, this mayor has not brought any resolution during her term in office. She has not provided atonement for “Bad Behavior,” and long-term corruption. Her efforts are limited to making “offtone” Short videos. These videos clearly show bias in favor toward her own (Henyards) point of view. She acts as if the community would be fooled by the super “clumsy” presentations. It seems she believes they will take those “low level” productions as “Gospel” truth and side with her. For us, whether she tries to “Rap” about it or dance over it, Henyard has had enough chances. Even if she sings off key, Henyard has had enough chances.
Photo: Tiffany Henyard for Dolton
She (Henyard,pictures left) could have influenced positive change in Dolton-a long time ago. She has had many opportunities to address the community issues-some she inherited but most she influenced. These problems include police misconduct, police brutality, allegations of business and financial fraud ect. Most believe She (Henyard) should have resolved the core issues-long before now. In anycase, -The community strives for leadership that she (Henyard) clearly is incapable of giving.
financial transparency and Fiscal accountability is IMPORTANT for The CleanHouse 2025 Team
I (Amir A.H. Sahkur) am the Editor at large for Chicago Urban Daily News. For the record- I have asked one specific question in conversations with Future Trustee Edward Steave. I have also asked this same question on a separate occasion with Trustee Brittany Norwood. Both advised me with the same conclusion. That a chief “CeanHouse2025” goal is financial transparency and fiscal accountability. This goal is a priority for the Clean House 2025 team. Again-It is first among the duties exhibited by this team overall.
Photo: Facebook page: CleanHouse2025
As far as Trustee Kiana Belcher- (pictured right-“sliver”, dress) who has a passion for the residents of the Dolton community. As a resident of 20 years, she (Belcher) has grown to love and adore her village. I (Amir A.H. Shakur have personally observed in countless videos for at least a year. That Trustee Belcher showed a “relentless” demand for information. She aimed to tackle financial mishandling by Mayor Henyard in every way. Belchers effort on many occasions had led to ‘fervent verbal’ altercations with Henyard and her loyalist. Belcher’s behavior shows that The Clean House is the “people’s choice”. The team includes Trustee Tammy Brown-it also includes Clerk Alison Keys and obviously Jason House for Mayor. (These members were not mentioned earlier.)
They (Team House 2025) are the “much needed” team in Dolton. The people must understand move fast and act suitably -We hope they do!
OfficiAl Statement From Chicago Urban Daily News and OUR Editor
The Chicago Urban Daily News, and it’s Editor Amir A.H. Shakur as well as our partner civic groups believe that with “Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.” Our Outlet is growing but in any case-We have folks who demand change. They demand not to accept anything less than the our best as a community. Our growing list of partner organizations includes the Newly Formed Thornton Township Citizens Action Committee. It also includes The Save Chicago Alliance.
It would be irresponsible for my team and me (Amir A.H. Shakur) not to use our growing platform-As we definitely aim to influence change in The Dolton Election in a positive direction. I am a former political strategist for the Democratic Party (Hillary Clinton). I am also a social justice activist, entrepreneur, and Former Journalist for Huffington Post. I am invested in the Thornton TownShip community. I attended South Suburban College in South Holland, IL. It was the standout community college when Supervisor Frank Zucurrelli was the Chair. My roots are in Thornton township and surrounding communities, including Dolton, going back over 25 years. I also have family in Civic Office in Thornton Township. I care about its future.
Amir A.H. Shakur Editor for CUDN
-The residents of Dolton and Thornton Township must -Be the “Change” that they want to See! The residents have two days to go to the polls. They can make a difference with the election 2025. -We at The Chicago Urban Daily News-would hope it would be to choose Clean House 2025 on February 25, 2025. (aahs).
