44th Ward Newsletter: January 9, 2026

Dear Neighbors,

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and was able to start 2026 feeling recharged. If you missed it, you can take a look back at our office’s 2025 holiday card from our December newsletters and our Year in Review below, highlighting many moments from the past year. As a reminder, the City’s tree recycling program is now underway. If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to be a little greener in 2026, see a comprehensive recycling guide on the Chicago Environmentalists’ website here—or if it's to hit the gym more often, check out the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce's guide to local fitness options here!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Community Food Box over the holidays. Your generosity made a meaningful impact for neighbors in need. As the program concludes, we have donated the remaining items to the Nourishing Hope food pantry so the food can continue to benefit the community.

We’re also excited to welcome a new business to the ward: Taste of Egg, now open on Clark Street! Serving Indian street food with a vegetarian focus, their menu features flavorful egg-based dishes alongside eggless options for vegan customers, adding another great dining choice to the neighborhood. Learn more about the restaurant here.

In public safety news, our office has seen media reports regarding a potential hate crime that occurred on Broadway in front of The Bagel Restaurant and Deli. We have been in touch with the detective assigned to the case and have offered our assistance. Investigators are currently working to obtain video footage from nearby businesses and residences that may have captured the incident. At this time, the Chicago Police Department does not have additional details to share, but we will continue to keep the community updated as more information becomes available.

The Chicago Police Department has also released their 2025 Year in Review, outlining both recent improvements and continuing challenges that CPD and community partners are working to address. Chicago saw the lowest number of homicides since 1965, with a nearly 30% decline from last year, and achieved a 71% clearance rate for 2025 homicides. Other citywide highlights include the Victims Services division expanding to now also support non-fatal shooting victims, updates on CPD's Robbery Task Force and Organized Retail Crime Task Force, progress on implementing the consent decree, their Officer Wellness Support Plan, and more. 

Below, you can also find a breakdown of 2024 to 2025 statistics specific to our local 19th Police District, which covers several neighborhoods in the area from Fullerton to Lawrence and from the river to the lake.


Larceny - Theft:        5,577 → 4,962   (-11%)
Simple battery:         1,596 → 1,443   (-29%)
Vandalism:                1,215 → 1,128   (-7%)
Fraud:                        1,267 → 1,088   (-14%)
Simple Assault:           729 → 750      (+3%)
Motor Vehicle Theft:    890 → 613      (-30%)
Burglary:                      663 → 472      (-29%)
Robbery:                      393 → 283      (-28%)
Aggravated Battery:    234 → 198      (-15%)
Total crimes:            14,111 → 12,397 (-12%) 


We want to take a moment to acknowledge the horrific shooting in Minneapolis this week, where U.S. citizen Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent on her way home from dropping her son off at school. Our hearts are with Renee’s loved ones and with the entire Minneapolis community as they grieve and demand answers. Coming just weeks after federal immigration enforcement activity in our own city and tear gas deployed in our neighborhood, this tragedy hits especially close to home for many here in Chicago — as yet another reminder that these ICE tactics are not making communities safer, but instead escalating risk, fear, and danger for everyone. We are resharing our office’s Immigration Rights and Resources page here, which includes Know Your Rights information, hotlines, legal support resources, signs available, and opportunities to support rapid-response and mutual aid networks. Please review and share these resources, and reach out to our office with any questions.

As we head into the new year, our office has put together a one-pager outlining many of the community meetings scheduled for the year ahead, including meetings with neighborhood associations as well as police beat meetings across the ward. These meetings are a great way to stay informed, ask questions, and share feedback directly with our office and other local partners. You can click here, see our community calendar, or scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to view the full schedule.

We’re proud to share that The Annoyance Theatre has been selected to receive a $128k City of Chicago neighborhood improvement grant! Chosen as one of just 45 projects citywide from nearly 400 applications, this investment recognizes The Annoyance’s decades-long impact as a hub for comedy, creativity, and nightlife on Belmont since 1987. We’re thrilled to see this beloved Lakeview institution receive well-deserved support for new renovations, and we look forward to what’s next for this iconic venue. Congratulations to the Annoyance Theatre!

Through February 16th, your NFC North champion Chicago Bears are hosting a winter coat drive in partnership with the Salvation Army and participating Jewel-Osco locations across the city. Residents can donate new or gently used winter coats at the Jewel-Osco in our ward at 3630 N Southport, as well as the nearby location at 3531 N Broadway, helping ensure neighbors stay warm this winter. Read more here. For additional ways to give back close to home, you can also visit our website’s Donations Hub here to see other opportunities to support local causes.

As part of our ongoing work to rebuild the neighborhood and move forward after the CTA’s Red and Purple Line Modernization project, we’re glad to share that Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are now open for three CTA-owned vacant sites along Clark. These RFPs mark a long-awaited next chapter of the project to help bring thoughtful, transit-oriented development guided by the community-created 2018 TOD plans, with an emphasis on neighborhood-scale design, ground-floor activity, and potential affordable housing. Proposals are due by February 26th, and you can learn more about the sites and process in the CTA’s statement here or in a Block Club article here. Stay tuned for further community engagement on these parcels, as well as on art installations underneath the train once the project moves to this stage.
 

Please see below for neighborhood infrastructure projects that have already been funded by our office and will carry over into 2026, with construction beginning this spring and summer. These include street resurfacings on Cornelia (Racine to Lakewood), Pine Grove (Surf to Diversey), and Hawthorne (Broadway to Lake Shore Drive); five alley resurfacings across Lakeview East and West Lakeview; new yellow steel bollards at Lake Shore Drive and Roscoe to protect pedestrians waiting at the bus stop; curb and gutter replacement at 829–837 W Newport; speed humps on Briar between Broadway/Sheridan, on Oakdale between Clark/Halsted, and one additional installation on Wayne between Grace/Byron; and new LED traffic signal upgrades with pedestrian countdowns at Halsted & Wellington and Clark & Wellington. If you have ideas for other projects to complete in 2026, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office. Please see our interactive infrastructure map here showing all projects have that have been completed since 2023.

The City’s Shared Cost Sidewalk Program is opening for the year on Monday at 6:00am, giving property owners an affordable way to replace damaged sidewalks with partial funding from the City. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis through 311 or the CHI311 app, and discounts are available for seniors and people with disabilities. Read more about the program here.

Applications are now open to fill three upcoming vacancies on the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), the City’s seven-member police oversight body that plays a central role in setting policy and providing civilian oversight of CPD, COPA, and the Police Board. By ordinance, two of the three open seats must be filled by North Side residents, and two must be filled by youth ages 18–24, creating an important opportunity for young people to help shape Chicago’s public safety system. Applications are open through February 6th, and details on eligibility and responsibilities are available here. Sign up for a virtual info session tomorrow or January 21st here.

Here at the 44th Ward office, my staff and I are also taking a moment to remember Chester Robert Kropidlowski, a longtime Lakeview resident and respected community leader who recently passed away. Chester dedicated decades of his life to public service and advocacy—serving the City of Chicago as a CDOT engineer, leading organizations in Lakeview and Wrigleyville such as East Lake View Neighbors and the Lakeview Citizens' Council, and lending his expertise to major projects and events that shaped our neighborhood. Read more about his life and legacy here. His steady generosity and love for Chicago left a lasting mark on our community. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who knew him.

Legislation:
This year, we advanced several important legislative efforts focused on housing, safety, and neighborhood quality of life. We expanded the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance, legalizing coach houses and basement or attic units citywide in multi-unit and business/commercial districts citywide, and in many single family home areas for the first time since the 1950s. I believe this will be a crucial way to grow Chicago's housing supply responsibly. We also passed legislation that's enabled Chicago to host the 2027 MLB All-Star Game at Wrigley Field, which included funding for permanent security barriers around the ballpark and widening the Addison sidewalk, infrastructure improvements that will benefit the neighborhood long after the event. Other legislative work included cutting red tape for converting vacant storefronts into housing, strengthening regulations on short-term rentals, and passing honorary street designations and resolutions recognizing community leaders, institutions, and milestones that help define Lakeview.
 

Housing, Development & Planning:
We saw progress on several major developments and planning efforts across the ward. This year marked the opening of Lakeview Landing, a new affordable housing community serving residents with disabilities, and we also cut the ribbon on the Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center expansion. We moved forward on projects that balance preservation with growth, including the Briar Street Theater redevelopment, which preserves a historic theater while adding new housing, and supported the Halsted hotel project to grow our role as a tourism destination. Other developments advanced at Belmont and Clifton and Belmont and Racine, adding new housing and ground-floor activity. With your help, we also launched our 2025 Community Plan to guide Lakeview's future, developed with extensive resident input to shape thoughtful growth.
 

New Businesses:
Lakeview welcomed several dozen new businesses this year, adding to the vibrancy of our strong commercial corridors. We celebrated new restaurants, shops, and neighborhood services choosing to call Lakeview home. We were also proud to help secure City grant funding for the Music Box Theatre's addition of a third screen and the opening of Lucky Cat on Clark. A full list of businesses new to our ward in 2025 is available here.
 

Public Safety:
Public safety remained a core focus of our work. We continued our court advocacy efforts, attending hearings across criminal cases that affected our community, working to support victims and engage concerned residents. Our office strengthened partnerships with the 19th Police District, the 19th Police District Council, the Cook County State's Attorney's Community Justice Center, and more. We partnered with these organizations on gun turn-in events, donation drives, and community presentations on package theft prevention, check fraud, and senior safety. These partnerships helped ensure ongoing coordination on safety concerns throughout the year.
 

Community & Partnerships:
Staying connected with residents was at the heart of our work this year. We partnered regularly with institutions such as the Center on Halsted, Chabad of East Lakeview, Nourishing Hope, Toys for Tots, the Chicago Furniture Bank, and our neighborhood associations. Throughout the year, we attended and supported a wide range of gatherings—including parades, block parties, food festivals, cultural and holiday celebrations, school fundraisers, neighborhood traditions such as Southport Art Fest, the Pride Parade, Pride Fest, Market Days, Belmont Sheffield Music Fest, Lakeview Taco Fest, Trick or Treat on Southport, and many more.

Events hosted directly by our office included meetings on housing and proposed bike lanes, bi-annual shredding events, the Kids Bike Parade, our Senior Picnic, seasonal senior luncheons, school supply and backpack drives, property tax exemption workshops, the North Side Small Business Expo, and the annual Wrigley Field community meeting. We also spoke in civic classes at several local schools, continued fundraising toward the Lakeview Dog Park, supported community members through ICE response efforts, and refreshed our website with new resources—including our new Immigrant Rights & Resources and Donations Hub pages, and a refreshed Community Groups and Landmarks page.

Our neighborhood schools also celebrated significant accomplishments this year. Hawthorne Elementary was recognized as a top-ranked CPS elementary school in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report, ranking 4th in the city and 14th in the state, while Our Lady of Mount Carmel earned a designation as a 2025 Illinois Governor’s Blue Ribbon School. Harriet Tubman Elementary continued to stand out as one of only 16 wall-to-wall International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in Chicago Public Schools. Nettelhorst's robotics teams made impressive strides in competitions, with both varsity and junior varsity heading to sectionals in January!
 

Infrastructure & Transit:
We made important investments in safer streets and transportation this year. Halsted Street was resurfaced, complete with new and improved rainbow crosswalks celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. We installed a raised crosswalk at Roscoe and Elaine near Wendt Park to better protect children and families, added detached pedestrian bump-outs along Southport to calm traffic, and completed a new sustainable green alley. We also saw major progress on the CTA Red and Purple Line Modernization, including construction of the new Red–Purple Bypass, the conclusion of Phase One, and vacant project sites being listed market—now cleared, paved, and prepared for productive redevelopment.
 

For more pictures from the year, you can browse our newsletter archive here. As the year comes to a close, I want to thank the many residents who partner with us every day, as well as my staff, Esme, Isaac, Jake, and Jess, and our volunteers and interns for their tireless dedication to the community throughout the year. Whether through civic engagement, community events, feedback on development, or day-to-day constituent service requests, your involvement helps shape the future of our neighborhood. From all of us in the 44th Ward office, we wish you and your loved ones a joyful and restful holiday season, and we look forward to continuing this work together in the year ahead.

LAKEVIEW DOG PARK - DONATION PAGE

NPTO Open House at 2D Restaurant 7-8PM - JAN 13th

FEE WAIVED ADOPTION EVENT - JAN 18th

WRIGLEY WONDERLAND - THRU TOMORROW

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST GRANTS - DUE JAN 15th

OLMCA OPEN HOUSES - JAN 12th & 25th

NETTELHORST 2D Restaurant Fundraiser - Every Thursday

ST ANDREW EARLY LEARNERS PROGRAM - JAN 20-MAR 13th

FREE VIRTUAL LEGAL SEMINARS (NEXT ON JAN 21st)

LAKESHORE FITNESS STUDENT ART CONTEST - DUE JAN 31st

MERLO LIBRARY - JANUARY & FEBRUARY PROGRAMS, ALL AGES

• Tummy Time - Tuesdays 1/6-2/17 Except 1/27, 10:30am (0-5 months)
• Baby Time - Thursdays 1/8-2/26 Except 2/12, 10:30am & 11:30am (6-23 months)
• Family Story Time - 1/10, 2/14, 10:00am (0-5 years)
• Lego Club - Tuesdays 1/6-2/24, 3:30-4:30pm (4-13 years)
• Uno Tournament - 2/7, 2-4:30pm (11+)
• Photography Scavenger Hunt - 1/27, 4:00pm
• Crafts - 1/12, 1/26, 2/1, 2/9 various times
• Monthly Book Club - 1/17, 2/21, 3:00pm
• Painting - 1/27, 2/24, 11:00am
• Click for all program details

APPLY TO BE AN ELECTION JUDGE - ROLLING BASIS

PUBLIC SAFETY & 19th DISTRICT WEEKLY REPORT:
December 29th - January 4th

• Year to Date, Robberies are flat, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 are down 57%
• Year to Date, Aggravated Battery is down 50%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 is down 9%
• Year to Date, Burglaries are up 67%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 they're down 33%
• Year to Date, Thefts are down 53%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 they're down 24%
• Year to Date, Motor Vehicle Thefts are up 67%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 they're up 27%

See full report below: 

MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE RESOURCES

SCOOTER REPORTING

REPORTING POTHOLES

TIPS FROM TOMMY K - JANUARY

GARBAGE & RECYCLING

THE CITY IS HIRING

• City
  • City of Chicago
  • Chicago Public Schools
  • Chicago Transit Authority
  • Park District

• County
  • All - Cook County
  • Cook County State's Attorney
  • Cook County Sheriff's Office
• State/Other
  • State of Illinois
  • Secretary of State of Illinois
  • PACE bus system

44th WARD 2026 COMMUNITY MEETINGS