I really disagree with this framing. The state didn’t “bail out” CTA like some kind of overextended private enterprise. They corrected a long-standing deficit of financial support for a vital public service. Fran’s whole interview on her podcast with Leerhsen was like this, and it really irked me.

IMO, there are significant parallels between local encampment evictions & national deportations. among them who gets called a threat to public safety, who people with power think "deserve" to live on land. Who gets to be a member of the public?

Rep. Yassamin Ansari has set up a table and this sign outside Speaker Johnson’s office.

Kinda interesting to see Twin Cities progressives react with surprise that a plurality of North Side voters picked Frey. Same sort of thing happened in Chicago when most of the South and West Sides stuck with Lightfoot in the first round of the 2023 election over the more progressive Johnson.

Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default. Here's how to turn it off. First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner

Spotted a sun dog over Logan Square just now. When high-level cirrus clouds pass in front of the sun, there’s a good chance you’ll see one! #ilwx

Not an urbanist, a 10 year old.

Just so we are clear: ICE went into a day care center—a private business—without a judicial warrant, and unlawfully kidnapped a worker in front of parents and children.

Oops! All Chicago

We've got you 👍

If this doesn't have you seeing red, then you've got a deep rot in your soul.

It's all just so beautiful

I'm happy that Mamdani won. But I won't let that get in the way of my celebrating Cuomo losing.

Dems: the Far Right is taking over the GOP! GOP: Hell yea they are! [wins election] ~~~~~~~~~~~ GOP: The Radical Left is taking over the Democratic Party! Dems: Nuh-uh! We're just like you guys, we swear! [loses horribly]

"We need another Hudson River crossing. Let's build the bridge where the river is narrow so it's cheaper." - a Fool "Let's build the bridge just outside Port Authority jurisdiction so we can keep the toll money for ourselves. Oh, that's one of the river's widest points? Ehhh...whatever." - a Genius

He's shooting his friends in the face with the angels now

TBH it feels like Chuy's heart hasn't been in it for a while. The dynamism and energy we saw a decade ago is gone. He's probably just ready to retire and be a grandpa.

ONE GOV AGENCY: [looking at my previous RealID, my apartment lease, my bank records, my utility bills] i'm sorry we can't verify who you are ANOTHER GOV AGENCY: [detecting me as seven pixels barely registering from four miles away] there he is. he has a dissent score of 53. do i take the shot

NEW: Footage of a US citizen in Chicago being rammed then dragged from her car on her way to work. Abducted, with no warrant, her family couldn’t find her for hours. She was later released with NO CHARGE. A DHS statement said she “violently resisted arrest, injuring two officers”. You decide…

One of the strangest but captivating exhibits at MSI is Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle. It’s beautiful, whimsical, incredibly detailed, and pure delight. The exhibit could probably use some contextualization, but part of the charm for me comes from just how random it feels.

So what time does game 8 start?

MSI has such a cool collection of vehicles. So much history. These are: -NYCC Engine #999, first human-made vehicle to go 100 mph - a freaking German u-boat! - Mercury 7 spacecraft, carried the 6th human to ever go to space - Apollo 8 command module, first humans to leave Earth’s orbit

Current* conditions near Sandusky, OH:

At least nature gifted us with a beautiful sunset on the first evening of standard time.

Some fun inaccuracies from the train model at MSI: ▫️C&NW never ran service to Indiana Dunes ▫️There has never been a lake freighter named Julius Rosenwald (rather, he was the original benefactor of MSI) ▫️Riverside Plaza isn’t next to Union Station, it’s next to Ogilvie (formerly the CNW terminal)

I like when they cover their mouths to whisper with each other, like they’re talking about boys that they like

“Yes We Can” is sounding a bit more like a threat these days…

I'm sorry, Canada (evergreen)

Toronto, you will not taste victory until you sacrifice Drake

Wild couple of outs!

I’m probably the only person outside of Los Angeles who kinda wants the Dodgers to win, not because I like the Dodgers but because I think LA deserves to have something to celebrate. Between the fire and ICE, it’s been a tough year, and I feel some solidarity with Angelenos.

Wishing my fellow parents with young kids a happy 5 a.m. wake-up time tomorrow.

🚊🎉 We did it. We not only saved transit – we secured transformative reforms and funding to grow! This is the kind of impactful advocacy we need more than ever. Get your tickets and celebrate with us to power our work for another year! ⏰ Nov 5th @ 7pm 📍 Mrs Murphys (3905 N Lincoln Ave)

Gorgeous autumn colors in LaBagh Woods today

A partial list of what Bovino does not have to tell a federal judge happened today: *An agent pushed a City Council member in Albany Park *Agents deployed pepper spray in Albany Park & Evanston *Agents were involved in a car crash in Evanston *An agent pointed a gun at a woman in Evanston

💀🚫🧊

OMG. "Big tough guy... I wear helmet sunglasses because I'm so scared of people... you prick.. YOU PRICK! I'm going to kick your fucking ass, you piece of shit"

With the transit bill passed and the Illinois state flag redesign flop firmly in the rearview mirror, it's time for the next amateur design competition: creating a Northern Illinois Transit Authority logo! Last spring I playfully mocked up a NITA logo in a style reminiscent of SF's MUNI worm.

Passing major legislation in the middle of the night is generally a bad way to do things, but it does occasionally work out well, like when you can pass statewide parking reform without anybody really noticing.

once again posting The Chart

we should close off a whole bunch of streets from dusk to midnight on 10/31, save for emergency vehicles

Happy Halloween!

With a 35/22 vote, transit funding and reform passes the Illinois Senate. An historic governance reform and $1.5 billion annual investment in transit proceeds!

Downstate folks upset about the share of funding that’d go to NE Illinois in the latest iteration of the transit bill, consider this: about 845,000 people rode CTA on an average day in 2024. That’s more than the population of every county in the state except Cook and DuPage.

Counterproposal: The Bears should buy the parking meter lease and give it back to the City.

Mexican immigration was basically the only thing that kept Chicago's population from completely cratering after 1970. We as a city owe our Mexican-American neighbors a huge debt of gratitude.

State roads are just 9% of the total road network in Chicago, but they account for 44% of traffic fatalities @illinoisdot.bsky.social needs major, major reform

As somebody who passes through here almost daily, I'm very excited that the most active phase of construction is almost done. Despite what the haters say, this is going to be a major improvement for pedestrians and drivers. For cyclists it's a mixed bag. Definitely safer, but also definitely slower.

A massive burr oak I saw while apple picking in Wisconsin a few weeks ago.