Food
Chicago Black Restaurant Week Kicks Off
Chicago Black Restaurant Week begins today, running through February 22. Now in its 11th year, the celebration features nearly 40 Black-owned restaurants offering special fixed-price menus—a format that lets each owner set their own "community deal" rather than conforming to rigid pricing tiers.
New additions this year include Sanders BBQ Supply Co. in Beverly and CheSa's Bistro in Avondale. The event has grown from a local dining promotion into something bigger: schools now organize field trips to participating restaurants during Black History Month, and out-of-town visitors increasingly make the trip specifically for CBRW.
For the complete list of participating restaurants, visit the official website or the Sun-Times roundup.
Immigration
Top Cop Endorses COPA Investigation Authority
Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Thursday he supports giving COPA authority to investigate whether CPD officers violated the Welcoming City Ordinance by assisting federal immigration agents—because, he said, no one would "trust" probes conducted by internal affairs.
"There should be an outside body doing that work," Snelling told the joint session of the Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Police and Fire Committees.
COPA's chief administrator LaKenya White has said her office is prepared to investigate 40 complaints filed against CPD over its interactions with federal agents since June. The proposal goes before the full City Council on February 18.
Bikes
Archer Avenue Standoff Continues
The Archer Avenue Complete Streets project in Brighton Park remains a flashpoint as construction nears completion. The redesign—part of the city's response to a corridor that saw 14 traffic deaths and 1,426 injuries from 2019-2023—includes protected bike lanes, pedestrian refuge islands, and curb extensions.
But opposition has been fierce. A South Side Weekly profile published this week details how the controversy has become intertwined with local political ambitions. Former School Board candidate Eva Villalobos has emerged as a visible organizer of rallies opposing the project, framing it as decisions "forced" onto the community.
The safety case is stark: Archer and Kedzie Avenues together accounted for 57 percent of all serious traffic injuries or fatalities to pedestrians and cyclists in Brighton Park last year. But navigating the tension between safety data and community sentiment remains the harder problem.
Federal Funding Freeze Looms
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's order halting new federal grants for bike infrastructure continues to cast a shadow over future Chicago projects. CBS Chicago reports that projects already under construction have their funding secured, but anything not yet obligated is now under review.
Chicago has 478 miles of bike network—including buffered, protected, and neighborhood greenway segments. What happens next depends on how strictly the administration enforces its new priorities.
Lead
Small Business Wins $1.67M in Lead Line Contracts
Mayor Johnson's administration announced last month that four inaugural Lead Service Line Replacement Small Business Initiative contracts—totaling over $1.67 million—have been awarded to three small, minority- and women-owned construction firms.
The contracts represent more than a spending announcement. The city made several adjustments to make the work accessible:
- Reduced bonding: Set at 33.3% of total bid (down from the typical 100%)
- Divided scopes: Larger projects split into smaller contract opportunities
- Expanded NAICS codes: More specialty areas now eligible for subcontracting
Additional water and sewer projects are expected to be advertised in Q1 2026.
The scale of the challenge remains immense: Chicago has nearly 400,000 lead service lines, with full replacement not expected until 2076—30 years past the federal deadline.
Housing
ADU Countdown: 52 Days
April 1 approaches. Chicago's citywide ADU ordinance takes effect, expanding eligibility beyond the five pilot areas that have operated since May 2021.
Chicago Black Restaurant Week runs February 8-22. Bloom Plant Based Kitchen's final service is February 21—the team says a new concept is in the works.