32nd Ward Newsletter August 21, 2026

32nd Ward Newsletter August 21, 2026

Dear John,

School starts up next week for most kids, so we urge everyone to be careful and watch for kids as you drive. If you are doing drop off or pickup at any school, please follow the directions of all crossing guards or school safety volunteers who are trying to keep all kids, parents, and neighbors in all of our communities safe.

If you are part of a Kiss and Go at your school, please follow the guidelines- do not block intersections or crosswalks, do not pull U-turns, and take extra care as you traverse the neighborhoods around our schools.

Chicago Dept. of Transportation staff have told Aldermen in the area that the Cortland bridge will be closed longer than anticipated. I've added more information below on that problem bridge.

The Bally's casino financing issue has become a serious problem, so City council members are calling for a hearing in early September and requiring attendance by Bally's staff to share what they intend to do to complete the casino.

This week, another parking meter story published and I had a chance to chat with Tal Rosenberg at Chicago Magazine about it. Click here to read.

There is much more in the newsletter including an update on E-Bikes and E-scooters, as well as the jammed pack weekend of events downtown. So much to do that it might be better to attend a block party, the Lakeview Taco Fest, or other small events and opportunities in the ward.

Have a great weekend!

Alderman Scott Waguespack



Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our shredding event today! Thank you to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart's Office for their prescription drug disposal program, thank you to WMRD Commissioner Marcelino Garcia for raffling off a rain barrel (winner has been contacted), thank you to Menards for hosting, and thank you to Midway Moving for providing the shredding and disposal service! And of course thank you to all of the residents who attended! If you missed this, you can keep up with Midway's other shredding events here.

Congrats to Fortitude Gym!

Congratulations to Katie at Fortitude Gym! This week, I went to her ribbon cutting with the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce. Katie has been working so hard for over a year to get this gym opened and I couldn't be more thrilled to see her dream come true.

Katie has over 15 years of experience and envisions a fitness space that integrates a powerful trifecta of strength training, conditioning, and muscle recovery. She's currently offering an introductory special of $55 for 5 classes so there's no reason not to check it out! You can also head over to the grand opening on August 29th.

Learn more about Katie and her staff at Fortitude Gym here. Once again, congrats to the team!

New State E-Bike and Scooter Legislation

The proliferation of E-bike and E-scooters on Illinois streets and sidewalks has prompted new state legislation. The new state law will prohibit municipalities like the City of Chicago from making any new laws on electric bike and scooters absent specific authorization from the state, so all laws below will be in effect if and when the Governor signs the bill. For an overview of types of EBikes, click here. Due to the increase in traumatic injuries for users of micro-mobility devices, we highly recommend users wear a helmet and ride within the rules of the road. More from local partner Childrens Hospital of Illinois -doctors warn-E-bikes and E-scooters are not toys.

SB3484: E-Bikes and Micromobility Device Regulation

Summary: This act establishes uniform statewide classifications and operating rules for electric bicycles and other micromobility devices. It would expressly preempt the City of Chicago from regulating low-speed electric bicycles, electric micromobility devices, and motor driven cycles except where State law specifically preserves local authority. This bill passed both chambers and was sent to the Governor on June 30, 2026. If enacted, it would take effect January 1, 2027. Key provisions include:

Low-Speed Electric Bicycles (under 750 watts): This bill retains three statewide classes and applies the same express home rule preemption to all three.

• Class 1: Pedal-assist only, with assistance ending at 20 mph; minimum operator age 15.
• Class 2: May use the motor without pedaling, with assistance ending at 20 mph; minimum operator age 15.
• Class 3: Pedal-assist only, with assistance ending at 28 mph; minimum operator age 16.

This bill also removes municipalities, counties, and local authorities from the entities that may prohibit low-speed e-bikes on bicycle paths. Park districts, forest preserve districts, conservation districts, and transit districts may continue to regulate e-bikes on bicycle paths under their jurisdiction.


Higher-Powered Electric Bicycles / Motor Driven Cycles: Any electric bicycle that does not qualify as a low-speed electric bicycle is treated as a motor driven cycle; the definition includes electric motor driven cycles rated above 750 watts and up to 8,000 watts. State law imposes licensing, titling, registration, insurance, and operating requirements.

Electric Micromobility Devices: This category includes low-weight, low-speed devices used for personal transportation up to 28 mph, including electric scooters, electric skateboards, and electric unicycles. Micromobility devices may only be operated by a person 16 or older, and are subject to new equipment requirements, including brakes and lamps for nighttime use. Additionally, micromobility devices may be used on any roadway with a speed limit of 35 mph or less, but may not be used on any sidewalk, highway, or other roadway with a speed limit above 35 mph. This act also imposes various operations requirements, including banning passengers and impaired operation, and allows for impoundment by the State and local law enforcement agencies.

Cortland Bridge Update

In an update on the state of the Cortland Bridge, CDOT put out a statement that reads in part: "The structural assessment confirmed that the nearly 125-year-old bridge is no longer capable of safely carrying vehicular traffic in its current condition. Because of the complexity and extent of the necessary work to restore the bridge, CDOT must re-evaluate the rehabilitation approach. Restoring the Cortland Street Bridge will be a multi-year effort, and it will remain closed to 

vehicular traffic as CDOT advances the required environmental review, engineering, and design work."

Since there seems to be no end in sight to the asessments and repairs, I have asked the Commissioner of CDOT to proceed with efforts to remove the landmark status of the Cortland Bridge in order to build a new bridge that will meet federal standards. 

On August 13th, my office met with CDOT engineers regarding the continued and extended closure of the Cortland bridge. The new timeline extending the closure of the bridge is not acceptable and after years of repeated repairs to the failing bridge, the only option at this point is to replace the bridge. 

The bridge continues to deteriorate; requiring more closures, more delays for users of all modes of transportation and more waste of taxpayer dollars. Years of apparent repairs have not worked, as documented by CDOT. 

The recent timeline of problems included 2015 repairs on structural steel that were critically deteriorated. In 2019, CDOT again asked for significant repairs, closing the bridge for months. Then in the fall of 2025 CDOT stated that several area bridges including Cortland, “are exceeding their service life and require either replacement or major rehabilitation and the Cortland Bridge is “currently considered to be 'Serious' condition by federal standards.” “Like Lake Street, the Cortland Street Bridge has gone through multiple repairs overs its 100+ years and is beyond the stage of being able to perform localized repairs.”  

In October 28, 2025, eight council colleagues sent a letter to CDOT addressing the traffic disaster created by CDOT's combined closures of the bridges and roads at State Street, Lake Street, Chicago Avenue, Halsted Street, and Cortland Avenue.

It is clear from a multitude of memos and discussions over the last several years that the Cortland Street bridge has passed beyond its useful life and is in need of replacement to avoid more multi-year closures.

32nd Ward Supports Share Our Spare

Help Us Uplift Families in Need!

Our office is once again proud to partner with Share Our Spare to host a diaper drive from now through September 20, 2026. The drive helps ensure that all Chicago area kids have access to a sufficient supply of clean diapers. The facts about diaper need in Chicago are sobering:

• The National Diaper Bank Network Diaper Check 2023 survey found that 1 in 2 U.S. families with young children experience diaper need – a dramatic increase from the 1 in 3 figure from last year.
• Diaper need is the lack of a sufficient supply of diapers to keep an infant or child clean, dry, and healthy.
• 35% of caregivers reported cutting back on food and 28% reported skipping meals to afford diapers for their children.
• Diaper need is a public health crisis! It is associated with physical, emotional, and economic harm to children and families.

Share Our Spare is on track to distribute more than 2 MILLION diapers! In order to reach this goal, they need our help to ensure they have enough diapers to meet the needs of the children they serve.

We invite you to help Share Our Spare collect one month of community sponsored diapers for the 2,000 children they provide for monthly. We will coordinate deliveries to Share our Spare. 

You can support this drive three ways!

• Purchasing diapers here!
• Bringing packages of size 3 and up diapers and/or wipes to our office at 2657 N Clybourn. Open packages of diapers are accepted!
• Making a monetary donation here to help Share Our Spare purchase diapers at cost.

August CAPS Meetings

14th Police District

1434- August 26, 6pm

Bucktown/Wicker Park Library

1701 N. Milwaukee

[email protected]

14th District Twitter

14th District CAPS- 312-744-1261



19th Police District-

1931- August 25, 6:30pm

Lathrop Advancement Center

2820 N. Leavitt

1932- August 27, 6:30pm

Lincoln Belmont Library

1150 W. Fullerton

[email protected]

19th District Twitter

19th District CAPS- 312-744-0064

Beats 1921 and 1922 Meeting Recap-

Beat 1921 (Damen/Belmont/River/Irving)-

In the past month long period, there were eight thefts in this beat, three of which were retail. There were six criminal damages to property; five were to vehicles where nothing was taken, and one was of a package where the offender opened it, but didn’t take the contents. There were two burglaries, one of a catalytic converter (the police are working on putting together another catalytic converter event; we will announce it once it is scheduled) and one to a business. There were four deceptive practice reports, including a number of scam phone calls. If you receive any scam calls, you can report them to the Federal Communications Commission. Best rule of thumb is to not pick up any calls from numbers you don’t know. Make sure that your number is on the Do Not Call Registry. If you do get a call you’re not sure about (example- message saying your bank needs to talk to you about an issue), don’t call the number on the message before checking to see if the number is legit; click here for more info on spoofing.

Concerns brought up by the audience were regarding people not stopping for stop signs, especially on Roscoe and Claremont. Please make sure to always drive safely, especially as school is starting next week.

An update on last month’s concern regarding the fire in Audubon’s dumpster- CPS should be putting up signage next week to inform people of when they can/cannot be on school grounds, a camera has been priced, and the school is asking that the police continue to monitor the area at nights, especially on weekends and holidays.

Beat 1922 (Damen/Belmont/Southport/Irving)-

In the past month, there were twenty thefts in this beat; eight were shoplifting and ten were to mailroom/porches. Please make sure that your front door is always locked and, if you live in a multi-unit building, that all tenants know not to buzz in anyone that they themselves weren’t expecting. If you aren’t going to be home to receive a package, you can have them delivered to an Amazon or UPS locker, or have them delivered to your office. This is also a reminder to register your bikes and to keep them locked up, even when in a garage or enclosed porch. If your bike is stolen, you can check the stolen bike registry. 

There were six deceptive practice calls in this beat, including of the funeral scam that we’ve mentioned in the past. Never hand your phone over to anyone you don’t know. If someone is asking for donations and claims the City knows about it, but can’t give a website where donations can be made, won’t accept cash, etc, call 911 and give the police a description of the individuals.

There was a burglary arrest made in this beat. On the 3200 block of Ravenswood, on August 15th, two offenders broke into a car. The police found them a couple of blocks away, and the victim was able to ID the offenders. They were also found with auto theft tools and were arrested.

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 16, 17, and 18 (parts of Bucktown). 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.

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

Jammed Packed Chicago Weekend Events

Residents and visitors should be aware of the multitude of downtown events this weekend.

Per OEMC- Report Suspicious Activity: If you See Something Say Something. Should you or someone you know need emergency assistance, you are able to screenshot and share with 911 call takers and dispatchers the last known location of the person you are trying to help.

Events this weekend:

Usher & Chris Brown at Soldier Field

Friday – Saturday, August 21 – 22, 7:00 p.m.

Kacey Musgraves at United Center

Friday, August 21, 6:30 p.m.

Chicago Triathlon - Saturday, August 22, 7:00a.m., Sunday, August 23, 6:00 a.m. All streets around Roosevelt, LSD, Balbo and Columbus affected by closures.

New York Mets @ Chicago White Sox

Friday, August 21, 6:40 p.m., Saturday, August 22, 6:10 p.m., Sunday, August 23, 1:10 p.m.

Bulls Fest

Saturday – Sunday, August 22 – 23, 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

West Loop Art Fest

Saturday – Sunday, August 22 – 23, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

The 2026 West Loop Art Fest will take place on Saturday and Sunday, August 22 and 23 from 10AM to 7PM along Fulton Street in Chicago's West Loop.

India Independence Day Parade

Sunday, August 23, 10:30 a.m.

At the end point of the parade, there will be a Garba and Bhangra Dancing Grand Finale at Devon Avenue and Washtenaw Avenue.

Navy Pier Summer Fireworks

Saturday, August 22, 10:00 p.m.

Do all of this^ or just go to Lakeview Taco Fest, Friday, August 21, 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., Saturday, August 22, 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., Sunday, August 23, 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

For more information on CTA services and reroutes, visit transitchicago.com or call 312-836-7000 from any area code/1-888-YOUR-I CTA.

 Rematch of the Chicago Police Knights vs Alders!

Join us for a day of softball fun and community - plus support a good cause! White Sox legend Ozzie Guillen will be throwing out the first pitch!

August 27th

Rate Field (Sox Park), 333 W 35th St

6:30 PM (doors open at 5:30 PM)

Suggested $10 donation at the door - all proceeds will help kids with school supplies and baseball clinics. 

$5 Divvy Membership for Qualifying Low

Income Residents!

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) aims to offer all residents an affordable, accessible and fun transportation option. D4E provides a $5 Annual Membership to qualifying residents. The program also incorporates a cash payment system for those individuals who do not have debit, credit card, or prepaid card required for a standard Divvy membership.

Apply here to see if you qualify!

The Bucktown Arts Fest is coming up at the end of this month. A fest by the community, for the community – all proceeds from the volunteer-run Bucktown Arts Fest go to fund, develop, and support arts and education programming at Holstein Park and in local Bucktown/Wicker Park classrooms. 

Lincoln Park Health & Wellness Weekend

Get ready to refresh, recharge, and feel your best during Lincoln Park Health & Wellness Weekend!

Health & Wellness Showcase

This event is open to the public and free to attend! Explore 30+ local businesses offering free mini-treatments, exclusive giveaways, and more. Pick up a Health & Wellness Passport when you arrive for your chance to win a Health & Wellness Weekend Swag Bag!

ONE DAY ONLY: Saturday, August 29, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Lincoln Common Plaza, 2335 N. Lincoln

Free Outdoor Workout Classes

Sign up for free outdoor workout classes on Saturday, August 29 – Sunday, August 30.

Click here to sign up for classes.

Click flyer above for more information and to register.

Registration for Bike the Drive is Now Open!

Bike the Drive is Active Transportation Alliance's largest fundraiser and your once-a-year opportunity to ride your bicycle (or skate) on Dusable Lake Shore Drive! This year, it's on Sept. 6th with the lanes opening at 6:30 am. The earlier your register, the more you save!

Active Transportation Alliance is a non-profit advocacy organization working to improve conditions for walking, biking, and public transit throughout Chicagoland. You can register, check out the route, and make note of where you can start by going to bikethedrive.org. SEE YOU THERE!

Click here for tickets

Office of Emergency Management & Communications Invites Residents to Register for Fall 2026 Community Engagement Response Team (CERT) Training

The City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management & Communications (OEMC) invites residents to register for the Community Engagement Response Team (CERT) training program for Fall 2026. This program offers an opportunity to learn basic hands-on disaster response techniques and life-saving skills to utilize in your own homes and neighborhoods.

CERT members train for a minimum 27 hours of classroom and 3 hours hands-on practical skills in the following areas before becoming a registered volunteer:

·       Disaster preparedness

·       Fire safety & utility controls

·       Light search and rescue

·       Team organization

·       Disaster psychology

·       Terrorism response

·       Disaster medical operations

Upon completion of the class, participants have the option to become a Chicago Citizen Corps CERT volunteer and assist professional emergency services in various deployments. Past participants have played a role in emergency exercises and assisted the City of Chicago during various large-scale emergencies such as the response to COVID-19, Emergency Operations Center activations, and other natural disasters. Other special events that CERT volunteers assist in are the Chicago Air and Water Show, St. Patrick’s River Dyeing, Chicago Marathon, Summertime beach safety patrols, and more.

Residents can register here.  For additional information on emergency preparedness information, visit the OEMC website here.

Jewish Free Loan Chicago provides zero-interest personal loans of up to $7,500 to Chicagoland residents, regardless of faith. The loans can help with expenses such as medical bills, car or home repairs, moving costs, childcare, and other unexpected financial needs.

Last 2026 Chicago Business Resource Expo! Aug. 29

REGISTER HERE!

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

• 2 Months Late, 2nd Installment of 2025 Cook County Property Tax Bills Due Oct. 1
• Cook County Board of Review Urges Residents to Start Appeals for 2026 Tax Bills After Recent Storm Damage
• Newswire: South Siders Reject Quantum Campus
• Alderpeople Weigh In on Bally’s Slowing Construction, Shaky Revenue From Video Gambling Terminals
• NASCAR Not Returning to Downtown Chicago Next Year, Will Race in Joliet

Alderman Scott Waguespack

2657 North Clybourn

Chicago, IL 60614

(773) 248-1330

[email protected]