Bank of America withdrew from Chicago’s plan to sell roughly $1 billion in vehicle fines, stalling a controversial budget move and leaving questions for people who owe tickets.

Sheriff’s police say a smoke‑shop worker was arrested after a July 8 search at a South Damen gas‑station storefront recovered large amounts of cannabis, psilocybin and a loaded firearm.

Neighbors in Bronzeville say the Nat King Cole mural at 43rd and King Drive was taken down during exterior repairs, and residents are demanding a transparent plan for restoration.

A developer is pitching a data center on part of a 31.4‑acre South Elgin farm owned by former county board member Mike Kenyon, raising questions about water, noise and tax revenue.

An Irvine preservation fund bought Carroll Tower, a 108‑unit senior affordable community in St. Charles, and pledged capital repairs plus a 20‑year affordability extension.

Wicker Park’s Meet Me On Milwaukee is coming back this fall, closing Milwaukee Avenue on the last Sundays of August, September and October for pop-ups, music and extra shopping hours. Organizers point to big foot-traffic gains from last year’s pilot.

Inspectors found water leaks, rotted rafters and nine code violations at 50 Yard Line on East 75th Street, and the Department of Buildings has ordered the bar closed until repairs are completed.

A 34-year-old man was shot early Thursday in Roseland and taken to the University of Chicago Hospital; some CTA buses were briefly rerouted on Forest Avenue.

Cushman & Wakefield reports Chicago logged 21.8M SF of industrial leases through mid‑2026, driven by big‑box deals and steady rent growth. Vacancy remained around 4.8%.

Freddie Mac’s weekly survey shows the 30‑year fixed mortgage averaged 6.55% this week — the highest reading in nearly a year — as bond yields and oil prices push borrowing costs up.

Illinois Tech won a UGC Letter of Approval to open a Mumbai campus and will enroll students for fall 2026, becoming the first U.S. university to offer U.S. degrees in India.

CTA and IDOT moved the Forest Park Blue Line into a funded design phase while the city approved a Division‑Austin bus‑turnaround refresh.

A late‑night motorcycle crash near Chicago Rockford International Airport killed two people; the Winnebago County Coroner identified the victims and police are investigating.