32nd Ward Newsletter July 17, 2026

32nd Ward Newsletter July 17, 2026

Dear John,


I hope you're able to get out and enjoy the weather once the smoke clears this weekend. Unfortunately, many events were cancelled across Chicago; the Fire game showcasing the first game of the great Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, Millennium Park shows and even tonight's kickoff of the Lakeview-Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce Burger Fest. Burger Fest will resume tomorrow on Belmont weather permitting.  I'll be judging at Burger Fest this Saturday along with Tim Jacobi of CBS News Chicago, John Moug of Moug & Karla Mornings on B96. Should be another competitive burger contest as StopAlong looks to retain their crown as one of the best burgers in Chicago.

Our neighborhood continues to be full of many other wonderful events. I'm happy to help sponsor events like last weekend's Bucktown Garden Walk which was a great success for the community. This weekend is also the kickoff of the Sheffield Garden Walk, held almost annually since 1969. You can also buy tickets to enjoy the historic Sheffield Neighbors’ architecture walk. Roscoe Village also looks forward to their garden walk in ten days. It was wonderful to stroll through the Bucktown neighborhood and see residents participating in one of Chicago's favorite traditions—creating beautiful gardens that are both eye-catching and environmentally friendly for everyone to enjoy. I hope you can take the time to enjoy the Sheffield and Roscoe Village Walks as well.

I also want to update you on several important legislative actions that took place at City Council this week.

Together with several of my colleagues, we introduced an alternative ordinance to the mayor's proposal regarding rental housing. The mayor's ordinance would place significant burdens and costs on small landlords and renters—especially seniors who rely on rental income to maintain their properties—while failing to strike the right balance between the needs of renters and property owners. My council colleagues and I believe a better approach is possible. Our alternative ordinance will include all stakeholders at the table to develop fair policies that protect residents, preserve quality housing, and encourage the creation of more affordable and welcoming homes throughout our city.

Another ordinance that I was happy to support was Alderman Knudsen's Prediction Markets Ordinance that prohibits City employees from using non-public government information to place bets on online prediction markets. The state has also made a move to prohibit government information from being used to profit from prediction markets.

The Council also passed legislation for the 78 project area and Foundry Park. The 78 is a vacant lot south of Roosevelt Road and west of Clark and will house the new Chicago Fire stadium. Up to $424.9 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) support will reimburse developer Roosevelt/Clark Partners LLC for eligible construction costs involving portions of LaSalle, 13th, 14th and 15th streets; improvements to portions of Wells and Clark streets and Roosevelt Road; upgrades to on-site Metra tracks; river wall improvements along the South Branch; an approximately 1,200-space, below-grade parking structure that will be owned and operated by the City of Chicago; and publicly accessible open space. This site has sat vacant for decades after an abandoned railyard was demolished in the 1970s. The site has had a controversial history but will now be home to the Fire, and new housing and retail in years to come.

Below you will find an update on public safety issues including the retirement of Larry Snelling, one of our best Superintendent's in recent years.

Have a good weekend and be safe until the weather clears up!

Alderman Scott Waguespack

Safety Information on the Heat and Poor Air Quality

Please check on your family and friends through this intense weather in Chicago

July CAPS Meeting



14th Police District

1432- July 22, 6pm

Holstein Park

2200 N. Oakley

[email protected]

14th District Twitter

14th District CAPS- 312-744-1261



19th Police District

1931- July 28, 6:30pm 

Lathrop Advancement Center

2820 N. Leavitt

1932- July 23, 6:30pm 

Lincoln Park Library

1150 W. Fullerton

[email protected]

19th District Twitter

19th District CAPS- 312-744-0064

Beat 1921 (Belmont/River/Irving/Damen) and Beat 1922 (Damen/Irving/Southport/Belmont) Meeting Recap

In beat 1921, there was one burglary of an e-bike from a garage. There was one robbery of a man who was delivering cigarettes to the Speedway at Damen and Roscoe; with 16 cartons of cigarettes stolen. There were also four motor vehicle thefts and three catalytic converter thefts.  

In beat 1922, there were no burglaries and no robberies. There were two motor vehicle thefts, six catalytic converter thefts.

A big issue in both beats is the continuation of the tap to pay scam across the City. There were three reports of the scam taking place at Mariano’s parking lot on Western, Speedway on Damen, and the old CVS at Western and Irving as well as on the 3200 block of Ashland, and on Ravenswood north of Addison. The scam starts with a a victim asking for tap-to-pay donations for an event such as a loved one’s funeral, or a fundraiser. Scammers are asking for a low amount, but then charging the victim larger amounts, sometimes over a thousand dollars, once they get on the victim’s phone.  

Never use tap to pay to donate money to someone you don’t know, and never hand your phone over to someone you don’t know. If you see anyone engaging in this scam, please call 911 and give a description of the offenders and location to the police. Please make sure to tell your friends and family about this scam to avoid being victims.

The burglaries in the Roscoe Village area have involved retail theft at stores, followed by garages, and residences. Please double check your garage and car doors to make sure they are closed and locked when leaving home and when going to bed for the night.

Police provided an update on the robbery/assault that happened on the 3500 block of Hoyne back in April. Two more teens were arrested after they were turned in by their mother. Like the others, they were charged with felony battery on the public way. There have now been a total of eight juveniles arrested in this incident. We will continue to monitor the work of the State's Attorney with the victim's family and CPD.

‘At least 10’ high schoolers attacked and robbed a man as he walked home from work in Roscoe Village, alderman says

Another recent issue of concern at the meeting was the dumpster fire started at Audubon on July 6th by several teens who also harassed nearby residents.

The Audubon Principal James was in attendance with CPS Chief of Safety and Security and we discussed ways to prevent the issues from continuing.

The 19th District stressed that residents call 911. The beat car team will be made aware of this concern so that this location can have extra attention.

Superintendent Snelling Retires

As many of you know, CPD Superintendent Snelling has retired with interim Superintendent Fred Waller taking command of CPD. The City must conduct a search for a new police superintendent that will be managed by the CCPSA. The CCPSA must conduct a transparent, thorough, and community-informed search. The Commission has 120 days to provide nominees to the Mayor, with city Council approval. 

Over the next 120 days, the Commission will host a webpage that will publish the process and timeline of the search. The site will include feedback forms and dates on public listening sessions. We will provide this information as it becomes available to us. I would ask that residents and businesses in our ward provide the important feedback necessary to find a superintendent who has been as effective as Superintendent Snelling and who is capable of working with the entire city to keep our neighborhoods safe. 

  Public Transporation Safety

I recently spoke about the efforts of the Regional Transit Task Force (RTTF) that includes the Chicago Police, Cook County Sheriff and other agencies working to improve safety on public transit. The Cook County State's Attorney provides staff from all areas of the CCSAO to support effective prosecutions. As part of converations with individual appointees to the NITA board, and in committee disciussions, I am asking the NITA baord members to make sure that when the RTTF transit pilot ends, a permanent program is created to continue the downward trend in crimes on our trains and buses.

National Night Out is August 4th

You can attend National Night Out, an event with your local police on August 4th. At these events, you can speak with your local officers, there's events for kids, food, music, raffles and more! See the flyers below for information on your district's event.

2026 Street Cleaning Schedule

Street cleaning season is in full swing. Sweepers will do more than one pass on the block in their initial cleaning but will not come back to clean sections outside of their officially scheduled day.

Next week, street sweeping will occur in sections 3, 4, and 5 (parts of Roscoe Village and West Lakeview). Click on the map above to see your section's schedule.

Please be on the lookout for signs and make sure to move your vehicle on your scheduled day (south and east sides of the street are normally done on the first day, north and west on the second; please watch for signs).

Please take the time to help clear the curb in front of your property to keep the sewers flowing well. Any landscaping debris should be bagged and put in the alley by your trash cans. Please do not sweep landscaping debris into the street. Piles of leaves and heavy garbage also clog the sweepers and will cause significant delays. Other large objects like branches will also damage the sweepers, so please remove them from curbs. Many of our clogged drains are covered in bottles, plastic bags and heavy landscaping debris that prevents good drainage. Removing plastics from the curbs and drains also helps keep our Chicago River and Lake Michigan free of the debris. Data from the Friends of the Chicago River shows that about 85% of litter in the Chicago-Calumet River system is plastic, with nearly 93% of local fish ingesting microplastics.

Residents can view street sweepers in real time using the Sweeper Tracker online tool. 

Protect Our Sewers

The City advises that parkways remain grass, in part to absorb water better. This is also so that things such as mulch and gravel don't clog up the sewers. If you do chose to have mulch, gravel, or some other surface that could clog up the sewers, please make sure to put a border around it to keep it from scattering on to the sidewalk and from going down the sewer.

Upcoming Menu Street and Alley Pavings

Streets being repaved this month-

Henderson from Ravenswood to Wolcott

Lakewood from Fletcher to Belmont

Lakewood from Wellington to Nelson

Alleys being repaved this month-

Wrightwood- Wrightwood/Altgeld, Wayne/Southport

Montana- Montana/Fullerton, Oakley/Western

Wellington- Wellington/Lakewood/Lincoln

Once these streets/alleys are milled down, repaving tends to happen within three weeks. Any speedhumps would be replaced after asphalt is replaced on the public way.

Residential Lighting Project

Damen, Diversey to Belmont

I would like to inform you of upcoming work on Damen from Diversey to Belmont. The work is part of the Chicago Residential Lighting Improvements program. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in the week of July 27, 2026, pending clearance from and coordination with existing utilities, current work schedule fluctuations, and weather permitting. John Burns Construction is the contractor for this project and Stanley Consultants is providing resident engineering services for the Chicago Department of Transportation.

The work will include the installation of foundations, boring of underground conduits, cable pulling, the installation of new residential lighting poles with piggy back lights, LED Smart Lighting luminaires, and the restoration of concrete sidewalks and parkways disturbed by the construction. The existing light poles will be removed once the new lighting system is functioning properly.

During construction, temporary “No Parking” signs will be periodically installed as required for each activity listed above so that work may be performed safely. These temporary signs will restrict parking during working hours, and residents can park normally after the posted hours and overnight, and usually all day on weekends.

The existing lights will remain working until the new lighting system is functional. If no lighting is observed at night at any time, please notify 311 or our office.

Water Main Project

Greenview, Fullerton to Altgeld

Update 7/17/26

• The new 8” ductile iron water main installation has been completed on Greenview from Altgeld to Fullerton. The old water main has been turned off; the new water main is in service and live. All the services have been transferred from the old water main to the newly installed water main.
• The side connection on Montana & Greenview has been completed.
• The final connection on Fullerton & Greenview has been completed.
• The last fire hydrant has been installed as has the last catch basin outlet.

Tentative schedule for the week of July 20 (All field activities are weather dependent) -

• The final connection in the alley will be done on Monday.
• The final LSLR is tentatively set for Tuesday.
• Crews will be cleaning up the job site on Wednesday and clearing equipment off the streets on Thursday. 
• Once the final LSLR is completed, the job will be sent to restoration.

In addition to contacting our office with questions, residents can look for a Water Department supervisor on the street wearing a white hard hat to have questions answered immediately. 

Metra Clybourn Station Feasibility Study

We have been meeting with Metra and their staff to work on improvements to the Metra Station at Armitage and Ashland. Congressman Quigley has also been working with us to obtain funding to make improvements in the near term until a larger rebuild project can be undertaken. Rider information and ideas have been shared with Metra and the July 23rd event is another opportunity for riders to share their ideas with IDOT and Metra's study team.

Roscoe Village Burger Fest This Weekend!

Get ready for a burger-filled summer as Roscoe Village Burger Fest returns for its 19th mouthwatering year this July! This beloved Windy City tradition brings together Chicago’s top eateries, each serving up their juiciest, most creative takes on the classic burger.

But this festival isn’t just about the burgers—it’s a full-blown summer celebration of food, music, and family fun!

• Two Stages of Live Music – Rock out to an incredible lineup of bands all weekend long.
• Arts & Crafts – Explore unique, locally made goods from talented artists and vendors.
• Action-Packed Kids’ Zone – Fun activities, games, and entertainment for the little ones.
• Chicago’s Best Burger Competition – Cast your vote and help crown the city’s ultimate burger champion!

A $10 suggested donation supports the invaluable programs and services of the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce.

NOTE- Due to the air quality, this event will not be held on Friday, July 17. It is still scheduled for the weekend.

Register now to be an exhibitor in the 2026 Roscoe Village Garden Walk on July 26th from 12pm-5pm. Deadline to register is July 18th.

Bike the North Branch: Blues & Brews Tour on July 25 - North Branch Works

Please join North Branch Works for our bike tour on July 25th from 10 a.m. to noon. To register, please click here.  

This 5-mile tour will highlight businesses from the music industry and the brewing and distilling world, that keep the city singing and dancing! 

The ride will start near famed Chicago venues, The Hideout and The Salt Shed, and follow the Elston separated bike lanes to Rockwell. We will make our first stop at Rockwell on the River for coffee and pastries at Dolce Arte (3057 N Rockwell St). 

After gathering refreshments, they will make a short jaunt to the outer walls of Electrical Audio (2621 W Belmont Ave) and visit Steve Albini Way to tell the story of an incredible audio engineer who worked with bands such as Nirvana, The Pixies, and PJ Harvey.  

The journey continues on the 312 River Run Trail, which includes the breathtaking Riverview Bridge that provides a safe connection across the Chicago River. While taking in the beautiful scenery and riding along the North Branch, we will discuss its designation as a "working" river with recreational benefits as well as collective efforts to revitalize the natural habitat. 



At Irving Park Road, we will leave the trail and stop into Delmark Records (4121 N Rockwell St) to discuss blues recordings at, "the oldest continuously operating jazz and blues independent record label in the United States." 

The ride concludes at Burning Bush Brewery (4014 N Rockwell St). Pizza will be provided at no extra cost! 

The 2026 ComEd Powering the Holidays Program is now accepting applications. For the sixth year, ComEd has partnered with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to award grants of up to $2,500 for community-based holiday light events throughout ComEd's service area. 

• Eligible applicants include municipalities, townships, counties, and other local government entities, as well as nonprofit organizations and cultural institutions that partner with at least one municipality.

• Grant funding may be used to support community-based holiday light events taking place between November 1, 2026, and February 13, 2027.

• Applications are open through August 21, 2026. The application, program guidelines, and additional information can be found here.

Recognizing the important role holiday celebrations play in bringing communities together, I encourage you to learn more about this opportunity and share it with organizations in your network that may be interested in applying. To help spread the word, two shareable graphics are attached for sharing with your networks. 

Click flyer above for more information and to register.

Additional City Resources for You & Your Family


These services are provided free of charge to all Chicagoans.



Family & Maternal Health

CDPH WIC Clinics

Pregnant Or Recently Had A Baby?

Healthy Children, Let’s Prevent Lead Poisoning

Preventive Care & Clinics

Need a Vaccine? Immunization Clinics

Free Prostate or Breast Cancer Screening During Birthday Month

Mental Health & Wellness

Mental Health Clinics

Healing Arts Chicago

Environmental & Lifestyle Health

Check Air Quality Near You

Quit Smoking

Community & Other Services

More Services: chicago.gov/health

See a Problem on Your Block? Call 311.

311 is Chicago’s non-emergency service line. It connects you to City services for issues that affect your block, your home, or your health.

By Phone: Dial 3-1-1 from any phone in Chicago.

Online: Visit the official 311 portal

City News

• The Wag Lab, Bucktown’s New Doggy Daycare, Takes Donations for Homeless Pets and Their Owners
• Chicago City Council Committee Delays Vote on Parking Meter Sale After New Discussions Revealed
• Parking Meter Sale Heads for Make-Or-Break Vote at City Hall
• Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Budget Chair Comes Out Against Parking Meter Sale
• City Council Blocks Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Chicago Housing Authority Appointments
• Mayor Johnson’s Plan to Crack Down on Ice Agents Under City Council Scrutiny
• Multiple Loop ‘L’ Stations Closing Next 2 Weekends, Riders Should Allow Extra Travel Time
• Chicago Voters Won’t Weigh Whether to Tax Millionaires — but Will Be Asked About Shotspotter, Festivals
• Chicago’s Bird-Friendly Building Ordinance Freed From City Council Limbo, Zoning Committee Is Next Hurdle
• 27 Things to Do in Chicago This Weekend: West Fest, Tacos y Tamales, and Chicago Climate Week
• ‘Failure is the only option’: Alders say Mayor Johnson isn’t doing his job with city budget

Alderman Scott Waguespack

2657 North Clybourn

Chicago, IL 60614

(773) 248-1330

[email protected]