Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced her run to be Chicago’s next mayor. Releasing a video posted to YouTube last Wednesday, Mendoza, 54, stated, “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, about how a city this strong should work better for the people who build it.”

Mendoza, a Democrat, served as comptroller since 2016 and before her statewide role, she served as the first woman elected as Chicago City Clerk. Mendoza also served 6-terms in the Illinois House of Representatives, where she passed legislation to create the free school breakfast program for k-12 elementary schools in Illinois and co-founded the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and member of the HOPE (Hispanas Organized for Political Equality).

She also previously ran for mayor in 2019, a year that featured a deep field after then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel declined to run for a third term. Mendoza garnered only 9% of the vote, coming in fifth place. Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle advanced to the runoff, which Lightfoot won decisively.

While Mayor Brandon Johnson as not formally announces he will seek reelection, Rep. Mike Quigley, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, former teacher Joe Holberg, and small business owner Liam Stanton have all announced their candidacies. Chicagoans will decide their next mayor on February 23, 2027.

Photo Credit: Susana Mendoza For Chicago Website

International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago (ILCC) Founder and Executive Director Pepe Vargas announced he will be retiring due to health related issues. Hailing from Colombia, Vargas founded ILCC in 1987 with a mission on promoting Latino culture through its flagship event, the annual Chicago Latino Film Festival. ILCC has become the driver of a bevy of festivals centered on promoting Latino culture, such as the Chicago Latino Music Series and other events.

“I never saw myself retiring from the organization. I love what I do and believe that the work we do at the ILCC is important, relevant, and transcendental not only for the Latino community but for the entire City of Chicago,” said Vargas. “But recent events have served as a wake-up call for me. I need to prioritize my health above all things; I want to see my grandchildren grow into vibrant, productive and creative adults, much like my children have.

“I step down with the full confidence that I have assembled a team that is as committed and passionate about the ILCC’s mission as I still am. As my right-hand man, Mateo has single-handedly elevated our music, dance and theater programming while establishing strong relationships with local arts and community organizations. He has also played a pivotal role in the post-pandemic success of the Chicago Latino Film Festival. I am optimistic and excited about this organization’s future and am eternally grateful for the support we have received from artists, from the many corporate and funding institutions and, most importantly, from our community,” added Vargas.

What started out as a small-scale 14 film festival in St. Augustine College over 40 years ago, developed into a cultural staple with films from across Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the U.S., and enjoyed by close to 50,000 people. Under Vargas’s leadership, the Chicago Latino Film Festival is the now the longest continuously running Latino film festival in the country. “Pepe Vargas is more than a cultural leader. He is an institution within Chicago’s arts community. For decades, he has championed the idea that Latino culture deserves not only recognition, but a permanent and thriving place within the city’s cultural identity. His leadership has elevated countless voices, strengthened organizations, and enriched the cultural life of Chicago. His legacy will endure in the institutions he built, the people he mentored, and the communities he brought together through the power of arts and culture,” said ILCC Board.

Vargas will officially step down on June 30. The ILCC’s Board of Directors also announced the immediate appointment of Deputy Executive Director Mateo Mulcahy as Interim Executive Director. Mulcahy will transition to Executive Director on July 1st, 2026.

Photo Credit: The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago

The Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP), announced the scheduled annual increase in Chicago’s minimum wage, a scheduled enhancement of the Fair Workweek Ordinance requirements and the full establishment of the legal rights provisions of the Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance. These changes will go into effect July 1, 2026. To view informational flyers, Frequently Asked Questions, and public notices on Chicago’s labor laws, visit Chicago.gov/Labor Standards. Beginning July 1, 2026: 

• The minimum wage will be $17.05. 
  
• The minimum wage for subsidized youth employment programs and subsidized transitional employment programs has caught up to the full minimum wage for the first time ever and will be $17.05.

• Under the One Fair Wage Compromise Ordinance, the wages of tipped workers such as restaurant servers, bartenders, bussers and runners who earn a subminimum wage of $12.96 per hour will remain steady until the next scheduled increase on July 1, 2028.

ComEd announced it exceeded $10 billion in Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) under contract at the end of 2025 – an investment that is helping expand access to clean energy, support lower energy costs over time, and deliver environmental benefits for customers across northern Illinois. The milestone is equivalent to 383 million megawatt-hours of new renewable energy produced in Illinois. Distributed energy resources (DER) like rooftop solar have reached 1.7 gigawatts (GW) on ComEd’s grid, which is enough to power 306,000 homes for a year. Growth accelerated in 2025 with approximately 105 million additional RECs added under contract last year, making it one of the most significant single-year expansions of renewable energy support in Illinois history.

RECs represent the environmental attributes of electricity generated from renewable energy, and the $10 billion milestone reflects the cumulative value of ComEd’s active REC contracts, which it pays out to renewable energy developers over terms of up to 20 years. These long-term commitments provide financial certainty for developers while helping bring more affordable renewable energy options to customers across northern Illinois. In Illinois, electric utilities purchase and retire RECs to comply with the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, which sets goals for utilities to obtain a percentage of their electricity from renewable energy sources. The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), passed in 2021, sets Illinois on a path to 100% clean energy by 2050 with 40% of energy coming from renewables by 2030 and 50% by 2040.

State Farm and The Salvation Army have launched a nationwide virtual back-to-school drive to provide essential supplies to families in need, giving employees, agents, and communities an easy way to support local students ahead of the new school year. The initiative allows the State Farm team and their network to purchase age-appropriate supplies, including backpacks, notebooks composition books, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, rulers, folders, erasers, etc., to support Salvation Army locations across the United States. All items are shipped directly to local Salvation Army locations at no cost to support localized back to school efforts. The platform allows donors to enter a ZIP code and choose the location they wish to support, ensuring their generosity stays within their own communities in keeping with The Salvation Army’s Give Where You Live philosophy. The virtual back-to-school drive will run through September 30th. Additional information can be found at www.salarmyncil.org.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is reminding students about the many summer learning programs and resources across the city. From specialty camps to programs that support credit recovery, transitions to a new grade level, or internships, there are hundreds of opportunities to keep young CPS scholars engaged and enjoying time with each other until CPS classes resume on Monday, Aug. 24th. Summer learning and reading provides opportunities for enrichment and academic acceleration that supports continued social, emotional, and academic growth through the summer months.  CPL is also running its annual Summer at CPL under this year’s theme, Chapters of Chicago. Chicago Youth Works, formerly “One Summer Chicago” is providing Chicago’s students and young adults with employment this summer.  Applications remain now open for youth ages 14 to 24 to fill an anticipated 29,000 jobs and internships. Chicago Park District is offering summer camps, focused fitness music, and art programs as well as targeted programming for teens and family-friendly activities such as the “Night Out in the Parks,” events including special movie nights. For additional information about summer programming for Pre-K-12th graders, visit the CPS Summer Programs website (cps.edu/summerprograms)

Recognizing the importance of reproductive health data privacy for Illinois residents, State Senator Celina Villanueva advanced a measure to keep reproductive data out of the wrong hands. A health information exchange is used to electronically transfer patient medical data, for the use of maintaining medical records or to share among providers, to improve diagnostic efficiency and the overall quality of patient care. To keep abortion records safe, Villanueva’s measure, the Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act, would require health information exchanges to:

• Limit user access to systems containing abortion-related medical information

• Refrain from sharing data across state lines, unless the reason for the disclosure is for technical support, quality assurance or billing purposes, or the patient consents to sharing their data

• Disable access to segregated information for out-of-state entities.

House Bill 5295 passed the Senate Saturday and heads to the House for concurrence.

On Saturday night, June 13, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) will bring its flagship fundraising event, The Overnight, to Chicago for the first time in 17 years. Starting and ending at the iconic Navy Pier, approximately 2,000 participants from across the country will embark on a powerful, 16-mile journey from dusk until dawn, walking along Lake Michigan to bring suicide prevention out of the shadows and into the light. The Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk fosters a safe, stigma-free environment where participants share personal stories, find healing, and raise community awareness. Funds raised through the event directly support AFSP’s mission to fund scientific research, educate the public about mental health, advocate for life-saving public policies, and support those impacted by suicide. Those interested in participating in the Overnight can still register at TheOvernight.org.

Photo Credit: Kenny Chun and Justin Shockley

The initiative aims to reduce gaps in access to care and improve maternal health outcomes through a whole-person approach to care. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is announcing five participating health care providers in the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Transforming Maternal Health Model (TMaH):

• UW Health Swedish American Hospital in Rockford

• Crusader Community Health in Rockford

• Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin

• Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville

• VNA Health in Elgin

The federal program is providing up to $17 million in funding over 10 years to assist Illinois and other awarded state Medicaid agencies in developing and piloting a more integrated approach to maternal healthcare. The pilot will take a comprehensive approach to physical health, mental health and social needs throughout the pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care continuum. Through the pilot, participating providers will implement a new value-based payment mechanism that will incentivize whole person health outcomes by rewarding health systems and providers for their steadfast support of moms and babies across the state. The model’s three-year pre-implementation period is underway, running through 2028.

Summertime has arrived in Chicago, with street festivals and outdoor activities galore kicking off all over the city. CDPH encourages everyone to get outside and move around this summer, but make sure to do so safely. As the weather warms up it’s always important to take the proper precautions in the heat – drink lots of water, limit outdoor activity when the heat rises above 90 degrees, and make sure to wear sunscreen when spending extended time outside. Open Air Chicago is a citywide project consisting of 277 air sensors collecting air quality information for Chicago communities and residents. CDPH issues Air Quality Alerts when conditions become unhealthy in Chicago, and anyone can access Open Air Chicago’s 24-hour data at any time by visiting the Clarity Map online. Exerting yourself outdoors when air quality is poor can be hazardous to your health; breathe easy by keeping an eye on Chicago’s air quality this summer. For more information, visit www.chicago.gov