Latest news with #LittleVillage
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza says she won't seek re-election
The Brief Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced she won't seek re-election in 2026 and called for stronger leadership in Chicago. She left open the possibility of another run for mayor, criticizing the last two administrations as "very unsuccessful." Mendoza, who has served as comptroller since 2016, said she plans to finish her term before deciding her next political move. CHICAGO - Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced she will not pursue re-election in 2026 and called for stronger leadership in Chicago. Mendoza, 53, made the announcement Wednesday at Los Comales restaurant in Little Village. Mendoza has served as state comptroller since 2016. "I know I leave the comptroller's office in our state in a much, much better spot and I'm definitely not done serving moving forward," Mendoza said. What they're saying Mendoza thanked her supporters and said she plans to finish her term before deciding the next step in her political career. "I'm going to figure out what the right move is for our family, for our city, and for our state. [I will] find out where I'm needed most, what's that next biggest challenge that I need to take on, because no challenge is too big as far as I'm concerned. When I decide what that is, then you better believe I'll be all in because I'll be the best person for the job," Mendoza said. Mendoza made a previous run for mayor in 2019 when she was eliminated in the first round of voting. She went on to endorse Lori Lightfoot, who was eventually elected mayor. Mendoza did not rule out another run for mayor. She cast shade on the tenures of Lightfoot and Mayor Brandon Johnson. "Chicago is in need of competency, of someone who understands the needs of the city, who understands how important the role of the city is in the good functioning of the whole state, and I think we've had two very unsuccessful mayors in a row. Chicagoans deserve better. They deserve a lot better," Mendoza said. Mendoza began her career in politics as a state representative from 2000 to 2011. She then served as the first woman elected as the City Clerk of Chicago until 2016, prior to taking office as state comptroller. The Source The information in this report came from a news conference by Susana Mendoza. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
14 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Susana Mendoza not running for 4th term as Illinois comptroller
Susana Mendoza announced she will not run for a fourth term as Illinois comptroller. She made the announcement at a press conference in Little Village Wednesday morning, becoming emotional at times as she spoke. She has served three terms as the state's top fiscal officer. Speaking to reporters, Mendoza touted her accomplishments as comptroller, city clerk of Chicago and an Illinois state representative. She did not say what her plans for her next step are but did say she's not done with public service. Insiders expect her to make a run at becoming mayor of Chicago, challenging Brandon Johnson for office in the mayoral election in 2027.
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
With violent crime falling in Chicago, advocates seek to grow successful programs
A summer of stunning crime trends — in a positive direction — was the focus of a meeting Monday at Farragut Career Academy in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood. Leaders from various groups helping disrupt crime met to discuss what has been going on this summer, and how to grow programs that are clearly working. Homicides in Chicago are down 57% so far in 2025 over the same period of time in 2024, and Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to spread the good word. But some working on the streets in non-police capacities to help tamp down crime cautioned that officials and advocates should not talk too much and jinx what's happening. "We're in the middle of the game, and you're pitching a perfect game, and you don't want to talk about it, right?" said Aaron Rivas, the Little Village community director of Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago, or SC2. Rivas on Tuesday addressed a group of members of CVI, or Community Violence Intervention. The Little Village community where they met has seen homicides plummet a stunning 72% from the same time last year. "It's more people that are alive, less funerals that we have to deal with, less court advocacy that we have to, you know, be a part of," Rivas said. Citywide, from Jan. 1 through July 13, homicides are down 32% compared with the same stretch last year. Fatal shootings are down 36%, and shootings as a whole are down 40%. What is the secret sauce of 2025? "Summer is always kind of an anxious time for us," said Rivas. "We don't want to say, 'Man, it's quiet out here,' because as soon as we turn a block, you know, things can change. The goal of SC2 leadership is to cut the city's 2021 homicide rate in half to 400. "Then our goal is to cut it in half again in the coming decade, from 400 to 200 homicides," said Susan Lee, executive director of SC2. Former Chicago Public Schools chief executive officer and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan now leads Chicago CRED, an anti-gun violence organization in the city. He said the last time there were fewer than 400 homicides in Chicago was in 1965. "We can't incarnate ourselves out of this. We have to give people a chance to do something different," said Duncan. "Being able to do that collectively is why these numbers are starting to change." For those on the ground, getting to the end of summer safely is job number one. "Something can happen in an instant that can have a ripple effect," said Rivas. CVI, or Community Violence Intervention, comes from the University of Chicago Crime Lab. The organization said using "credible messengers" and behavioral science-informed interventions helps deescalate stressful situations before they lead to violence. The city and county are committing more dollars toward the programs.
Fox News
07-07-2025
- Fox News
Chicago's bloody July Fourth weekend leaves 55 shot, 6 dead: report
During a bloody Fourth of July weekend, more than 50 people were shot and six killed in Chicago, a notorious hot spot for violent crime. Several mass shootings and drive-by shootings accounted for the violence that occurred between midnight on Thursday, July 3, and Sunday night, according to ABC 7, which tracked the violence. On Saturday morning alone, a mass shooter injured four, three critically, in a drive-by attack in the city's Little Village neighborhood. Several suspects inside an SUV opened fire on the victims while they sat in their own vehicle, according to the report. Hours later, two men were reportedly shot dead in separate instances. The first was a 46-year-old man who was shot dead while sitting in his vehicle in the city's Lake View neighborhood. Police have a suspect in custody in that incident, the report said. A 30-year-old man was then found dead with a gunshot wound to the head on the city's West Side. Detectives are investigating, according to the report. Within the span of minutes on Friday night, police reportedly responded to a spate of shootings, all on Chicago's South Side. A 36-year-old man identified as Marco A. Velasquez-Sierra was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the report, and nobody is in custody following that shooting. Around the same time, two unidentified male suspects opened fire on a crowd of people, injuring seven, two critically. Then, another male suspect shot a 16-year-old girl and a 35-year-old man. The girl, identified as Meeyah Smith, died from a gunshot wound to the throat, according to ABC 7. No one is in custody following that shooting. Early Thursday morning, two women were shot, one fatally, also in the city's South Side. Both women were inside a home when an unidentified male suspect allegedly attempted to rob them. After a struggle, shots rang out. The deceased woman was 29. On the same morning, a 21-year-old man was reportedly shot dead in a drive-by shooting in South Side Chicago. Thursday morning's deadly shootings were accompanied by two separate mass shootings, one that injured four, and another that injured three, according to ABC 7. According to city data, there have been 205 homicides in Chicago this year, including 170 fatal shootings. Over Memorial Day weekend at the end of May, 22 people were shot, two fatally, in the city. The Chicago Police Department and Mayor Brandon Johnson's office did not return comment requests.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- CBS News
Chicago man charged with beating, stabbing 43-year-old in Little Village neighborhood
A Chicago man was charged in connection to the beating and stabbing of another man in the Little Village neighborhood. Chicago police said Rey Gonzalez, 21, was arrested by officers and members of the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force on Wednesday in the 3100 block of West Harrison Street. Gonzalez was charged with felony counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with use of a deadly weapon, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, and mob action violence. He was identified as the suspect who beat, stabbed, and seriously injured the 43-year-old victim in the 2800 block of South Kedzie Avenue. Police did not say what led to the attack, the relationship between the two men, or when the attack took place. Gonzalez is scheduled to appear at a detention hearing on Thursday.
