Midwest
Chicago Mayor touts his achievements leading 'greatest freaking city in the world’
Mayor Brandon Johnson penned an op-ed for the Chicago Sun Times on Wednesday touting his administration’s accomplishments.
“Chicago needed treatment, not trauma,” Johnson wrote, commemorating a full year since his inauguration in 2023. “That treatment would come by investing in people and in systems of care.”
Johnson, who has spoken about race before, proclaimed that under his leadership, “We reopened the Department of the Environment and have a Cabinet that is 43% Black and 60% women — demographics that are radically different from previous administrations.”
While he said that Chicago stands strong, he claimed “That strength, however, has been tested, as one year ago, we inherited a migrant crisis entering a reckless and wicked phase.”
Brandon Johnson, mayor of Chicago, during an inauguration ceremony at the Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago on May 15, 2023. (Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CHICAGO MAYOR URGES BIDEN TO GRANT WORK PERMITS TO HALF MILLION ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
“We have cleared women and children from sleeping on airport and police district floors, returned Chicago Park District facilities to communities and cut our shelter population by 50%,” he said, touting his responses to the crisis. “Prior to taking office, we were told the city of Chicago cannot accept any more new arrivals. We responded by taking in more than 30,000.”
He described how drastically the migrant crisis has changed over the past 2 years.
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“Just prior to my administration, between Jan. 1, 2023, and May 12, 2023, there were 11 buses of new arrivals sent to the Chicagoland area,” he wrote. “Since May 12, 2023 — the Friday before my inauguration — there have been 800 buses sent to the Chicago area. Ninety-nine percent of the buses sent to our area since Jan.1, 2023, came after I took office. This is by design. You become a target when you commit to investing in people.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson gives an update on migrant issues at City Hall on Jan. 29, 2024, in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
BLACK CHICAGO VOTERS RIP MAYOR ON EXTRA $70M FOR MIGRANTS AS RECALL PETITION GATHERS STEAM
Johnson said he manages to respond to this crisis “while still making critical investments in affordable housing, mental health and public safety. We are investing more than $100 million into crime prevention and intervention, launching a comprehensive plan to address the root causes of violence in four of the most disinvested communities in our city.” He added, “We are reopening mental health clinics and increasing resources for victims and survivors of crime.”
“I look forward to another year of working with everyone to create safety, unity and prosperity in the greatest freaking city in the world,” he said as he concluded his piece. “Let us go forward, Chicago. Together.”
Over the past year, Republican governors like Texas’ Greg Abbott have sent buses of incoming asylum seekers to Democrat-controlled states and sanctuary cities in an effort to demonstrate the severity of the crisis border states are facing.
“He is attacking democratically-run cities, and particularly cities that are being led by Black leaders or leaders-of-color,” Johnson argued in a January interview. “This is unconscionable. I mean, it’s a very raggedy approach. And quite frankly, not only is it reckless and raggedy, but it is evil-spirited.”
While some Democratic leaders have responded to the unprecedented migrant crisis by calling on Biden to secure the border, Mayor Brandon Johnson sparked rage among Black Chicagoans for requesting an additional $70 million in taxpayers’ funds to be spent on tackling the city’s migrant crisis.
“We need that money in my neighborhood, we need that money on my block,” one Black woman wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cowboy hat declared at a City Council meeting amid an effort to recall the mayor. “So I’m asking ya’ll to use our tax money for our people, we need it.”
Chicago has made headline for street takeovers, where a mob of young people engaged in criminal activity ranging from vandalism to assault. While the mayor condemned such activity, he has also been criticized for defending the young people from criticism.
“In no way do I condone the destructive activity we saw in the Loop and lakefront this weekend. It is unacceptable and has no place in our city,” Johnson stated in a speech. “However, it is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities.”
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Some of the city’s top music stars will headline the new Hart of Detroit Summer Festival set for June 19 at Hart Plaza.
The riverside party is 12 hours of hip-hop music, DJs, gospel karaoke, food trucks and a chance to shop small businesses. Headliners include Detroit rappers Kash Doll, Babytron, Icewear Vezzo, Trick Trick, Bruiser Wolf, Babyfxce E, 1UpTee and more, plus New Jersey’s Fetty Wap and Atlanta’s Boldy James.
The concerts will start at 5 p.m. and span two stages.
“Expected to draw attendees from across the Midwest, the festival blends music, culture, entrepreneurship and community into one of Detroit’s defining summer experiences,” reads a press release announcing the event.
The festival runs from noon to midnight. General admission tickets start at $75.63 with VIP access ranging $139.49-$239.40.
Tickets and a full schedule can be found at 313summer.com.
mbaetens@detroitnews.com
Milwaukee, WI
I Use These Milwaukee Tools Every Day, and They’re up to 50% Off Ahead of Memorial Day
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Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
A good set of cordless tools will give your DIY projects polish, save you time, and make your life easier. But quality tools can be expensive. I use Milwaukee 18-volt tools in my personal tool kit and I’ve used them for everything from fixing my bathroom sink to building a deck. The batteries last at least 10 years without needing to be replaced, and the tools are comfortable to grip for long periods of time. There are some good Memorial Day deals at Home Depot on the tools I swear by.
If you’re starting a cordless tool set from scratch, a bundle will save you money and set you up with all the basics you need. Because these sets usually come with batteries and chargers as well as tools, they’re a good choice to begin a cordless tool set.
The Milwaukee 18-volt, six-tool set is now $499, 50% off its regular price. The bundle comes with a drill, an impact driver, an oscillating multitool, a circular saw, an angle grinder, a work light, two four-amp-hour batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. These tools can be used for basic projects, like hanging shelves, and for more advanced projects like cutting and building your own shelves.
Most DIY home improvement projects, from installing molding to repairing a deck will involve some cutting. Depending on what the scope of your project is, different types of cutting and shaping tools will be useful for different applications. There are a few good deals on cutting tools that will come in handy if you’re doing any building, patching, or rebuilding.
The 18-volt Milwaukee sawzall is $269, 51% off its usual price. This saw comes with a five-amp-hour battery, a charger, and a stacking case that’s compatible with the Milwaukee system. A sawzall is good for making rough cuts and trimming small to medium branches on trees and shrubs.
The 18-volt Milwaukee oscillating multitool is $119, 40% off its typical price. It comes with a two-amp-hour battery and a charger. This is the most versatile tool out there: It can be used to plunge cut, trim plaster and drywall, cut wood, PVC, metal, and foam, and can be adapted for sanding and buffing. I use my oscillating multitool on nearly every project I work on.
The Milwaukee 18-volt angle grinder is $299, 47% off its regular price. This tool comes with two six-amp-hour batteries and a charger. You can use an angle grinder for cutting metal, grinding welds, polishing metal, cutting off screw and nail tips that poke through, and for cleaning and buffing your surfaces. Some people use angle grinders for cutting tile and removing grout, but if you use yours for this, it’s important to make sure that the tile you’re cutting isn’t made from stone, that your material is wet, and that you wear proper safety gear like safety goggles and a respirator. The dust from masonry and tile can contain silica dust that’s quite dangerous to inhale.
What do you think so far?
This Milwaukee drill and driver are both on sale
A drill and driver are the most basic tools in a cordless set. Both the Milwaukee 18-volt, ½-inch chuck cordless drill and the 18-volt cordless impact driver are $129, 35% off their usual price. These tools will allow you to drive screws and bolts and drill holes for projects like mounting a flat screen TV or swapping out hardware on your cabinets.
These Milwaukee bits and extras are on sale, too
Milwaukee makes a wide range of tools to fit their 18-volt batteries, and one of my favorite surprise tools is on sale right now. There’s also an excellent deal on a hole saw set from Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee 18-volt cordless inflator is $299, 45% off its typical price. This tool comes with two six-amp-hour batteries and a charger. It can be really handy to have in your emergency roadside kit to inflate a tire and you can also use it for rafts or other inflatables. The inflator tool has a pressure gauge, an auto-shut-off feature, and three-foot hose for easy reach.
The Milwaukee eight-piece hole saw kit is $29.97, 40% off its regular price. The set comes with four sizes of hole saw blades, three drill bits, an arbor, and case. Hole saws can be used for cutting larger sized holes for passing wiring through timber, installing some types of door latches and knobs, and for creating cable pass-throughs in desktops.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Minnesota Star Tribune is out with its new ranking of the 50 largest public companies in Minnesota.
The list, compiled by Star Tribune business reporter Patrick Kennedy, offers a snapshot of some of the state’s biggest employers and best-known businesses.
UnitedHealth Group remained Minnesota’s largest public company, according to the list.
The 50 largest public companies in the state produced $861 billion in revenue, up 6.8 percent, according to the report. However, net profits fell 2 percent in 2025.
The ranking also showed employment declines among many of Minnesota’s biggest public companies. Overall employment among the top 50 fell by more than 43,000.
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