>> Hello and thanks for joining us on Chicago tonight.

Black voices, I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

Chicago public school students return to the classroom.

We talk with teachers union president about the district's budget challenges.

Illinois is seeing the highest amount of prison lockdowns in 5 years.

What it means for those on the inside.

And in Illinois nutritional program for low-income families is eliminated amid federal cuts.

A look at the impact.

>> First off tonight, some of today's top stories.

>> Chicago City council members are being asked to tighten up on the rules of conduct for older people.

Chicago Inspector General De Pere Wis Berger explains Aldermanic misconduct is governed by the city's governmental ethics ordinance or of course, criminal law as well.

But she says there's still a wide swath of potential misconduct that doesn't fall under the ethics ordinance.

Meaning there is no redress.

If an alderman should say treat someone just courteously or violate the city's diversity and equal employment opportunity Policy, which Berger raised the issue in a letter to Alderwoman Michele Harris who chairs the committee on committees and rules and gave her office a month to respond but says as of yet, there has been no response from the council way.

Chicago Public Schools is facing a 734 million dollar shortfall but hopes of additional funding coming from the state of Illinois during its fall veto session appear unlikely.

>> At the local level, every school is going to have to do whatever it it to is required in order to protect those students and I will stand with them in that endeavor.

But there is not extra money laying around in Springfield, mainly in part because of what Donald Trump is done at the federal level.

>> Governor JB pits Pritzker made the comments to date a groundbreaking event for the new Allied Health and Nursing Center at south Suburban College in South Holland.

Officials say the 130,000 Square foot facility will include state-of-the-art classrooms and advanced simulation labs.

Coming up in the program, we'll hear from Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis.

Gates on the CPS Budget proposal and more.

As Southwest Side.

Neighbors are cleaning up from the recent storm damage elected officials are calling for infrastructure investments in a disaster zone declaration.

>> We keep hearing the same question.

Why does keep happening to us?

Families are tired of cleaning.

After every storm and every time that rains, they still wonder if it's going to happen again.

They're tired of paying the price for many years of being neglected.

>> That was all the woman Gutierrez who says this year alone, 6 Southwest side communities, including Archer Heights, Gage Park and West Lawn have made up over 60% of flooding.

Reports in Chicago and in her 14th Ward alone, 2000 families have made reports since July.

She, along with other elected officials, are also advising constituents on finding resources and avoiding cleanup scams.

They're also asking residents to complete a flood damage assessment survey by Friday.

You can find that survey on our website.

And if you found it difficult, canceling your gym membership, you're not alone.

The Federal Trade Commission is today suing LA Fitness and other gyms over its cancellation practices.

The complaint alleges the company uses opaque and complicated methods to make it difficult or more difficult for consumers to cancel.

The FTC says, quote, tens of thousands of LA Fitness customers reported difficulties.

Cancellation was often restricted to specific times or required speaking to specific managers who are often not president president or available.

The California-based company has more than 3.7 million members at 600 low click locations, including more than 50 in Chicago area.

We did reach out to LA Fitness for comment but have not heard back.

Up next, we sit down one-on-one with CTU President Stacy Davis.

Gates.

>> Chicago tonight, Black Voices he's made possible in part by the support of these donors.

>> Chicago public school students are returning to the classroom this week.

But a budget cloud is hovering over the district.

Cps is facing a 734 million dollar shortfall with a deadline to pass a balanced budget.

Coming next Friday.

And with the governor and state lawmakers pushing back on additional funding requests, the options facing CPS board members and its interim CEO appear to be narrowing.

Joining us now to share her thoughts on those financial challenges ahead.

As of course, Stacy Davis, Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union.

We did invite CPS, interim CEO Macklin King on the program.

We look forward to having her on as soon as she accepts our invitation.

Meanwhile, Stacy, welcome back.

Thank you for having me.

So let's talk about the first week of school.

Students returned this week.

What are you hearing from your members about how the first few days are going?

Well, I'm hearing elation and celebration.

The first day of school.

>> Was this school year where we went back, where libraries are being reopened with librarians as a result of our collective bargaining agreement.

Class sizes are smaller.

We have more people working with our early childhood educators.

We have more case managers.

But conversely, we don't have crossing guards.

Children are going without hot lunches.

We are seeing this at the same time as Trump is dismantling the Department of Education, which means that special education families have 0 redress.

It also means at the same time SNAP benefits are being marginalized.

Hot lunches are being taken away from public school students in Chicago.

So it is the best of times and the worst of times.

We often know that the first few days of school, especially when the district has not passed a budget when there are times of financial uncertainty of feel like we talked about this in years past those first few weeks can also be there can be some issues that no one was expecting for that Have any of your members raised any of those issues?

So on the 3rd day, we are getting calls and right now because building level administrators have told our members to go soft.

>> On toilet paper and paper towels because of the budget we're hearing from coaches.

We have a coach at Carver Elementary School who has a Fleck football team for the girls and it took him a while to get organized.

And now sports administration Chicago, public schools are telling him that they have no funds for it.

Even though the Chicago Bears are subsidizing the program.

the level of chaos that delinquent in receiving 1.6 billion dollars from the governor and the General Assembly.

This is every August chaos because they refuse to pay the Chicago students with.

They deserve.

I want to come back, of course, state funding because as we we know and as we've mentioned several times on this program, there's that 734 million dollar budget shortfall that the district has to resolve in time too.

Pass a budget by law next Right now the board is split over whether to defer this 175 million dollar pension payment and take on new borrowing.

What are you?

What do you think and how do you expect that to get results when you nearly 2 billion dollars, you don't have any big decisions to make every decision that those people on the Board of Education has to make is a bad decision.

They are caught a fine cuts to the classroom.

They are telling people to go without special education services or even transportation to the school.

Meanwhile, we're hearing and know from our governor and from our General Assembly.

That doesn't compute, especially when and your mother who got a second job over the summer to make sure that she was able to get her daughter to school because she has no transportation.

There is no in a world that someone in charge of this great state can tell.

Children know back in 2022.

CTU at the time said that Mayor Lightfoot was saddling CPS with that 175 million dollar pension payment instead of funding critical positions.

>> Is to you now?

Okay with CPS making that payment rather than the city.

And you know, the mayor, Mayor Johnson, appointed board members are pushing for.

>> No, we're OK with JB Pritzker.

Speaker Welsh incident president harm it, calling a special session and getting their rank and file Super majority Democrats back in Springfield to figure out how to help us make ends meet here in Chicago.

But it's not just Chicago.

It's Naperville which will have of a picket line tomorrow.

It is rock for it is Elgin.

If you push Chicago public schools rochefort schools in Elgin schools, all of the bills that they have do from the state, then that's 2 billion dollars.

Children are going with out math teachers for an entire school year because they won't pay the bill.

So every August there will be chaos in Chicago because they are short the requisite money to run the distric.

Do that said, though, that 175 million our pension payment?

It's turned into a hot potato with everybody sort of passing it back and who who should be taking this on the state of Illinois through our governor or Senate president and our speaker of the House should alleviate that stress.

>> Look, we have board members who are trying their level best to figure out how to fund our schools.

You have a CEO who is upside down with trying to figure the same thing out.

The difference is that both factions have are very small and only difference is brought on because of a 2 billion dollar bill that is going unpaid by a billionaire governor and the Illinois General Assembly.

We need to be very clear that these are the people during difficult things and trying to figure it out.

And we also need to put pressure on our state government to give them some relief.

You cannot get a good decision when your budget doesn't have the revenue that it is legally required to have.

So and to be clear, the 2 billion dollar bill that you're referring to is this the amount that would be funded the city under the evidence base funding formula that the state.

>> Funds schools under.

That's absolutely right.

In 2017, the state of Illinois passed evidence-based funding formula.

One of the best formula is an entire country and the formula needs revenue.

We don't have that revenue and statutorily.

They are in arrears by 1.6 billion dollars here together with Rockford and Elgin is 2 billion dollars, OK?

So we've mentioned Springfield, a number of times, of course.

And we have a little bit of sound from state representatives and Williams and Curtis Farber who joined us on this program last week.

Here's what they had to say about CPS is funding challenges in the possibility of support from Springfield.

>> There are some structural inequities built into how schools are funded.

For example, Chicago public schools pay for most of their own pension payment where schools throughout the rest of the state.

The state contributes more.

I would like to see quite a few changes.

And I think this president for that.

>> We look at the, you know, transit.

There's been conversations about not just sending funds 2 C T a R t without some kind of additional oversight.

>> So what do you make of that?

It Springfield should magically produce more money, that it comes with strings that comes with oversight.

>> I do not understand anything that I'm hearing from Democrats and with a trifecta, a liberal super majority in the House and in the Senate.

If you look at Washington right now, they have a trifecta and they have basically remade this sis.

It and less than a year.

And I have representatives that I know and love who cannot figure out how to Trump roof.

Illinois, how to fund schools for children and how to get us around the city in the state.

I don't understand it if nothing else pay attention to how Trump and his team gets work done.

Another values are messed up.

It is dignified and it is wrong and they get it Meanwhile, these people are talking about problems as if they don't have any power.

I think that's a little too late and too short.

So we also heard from Governor Pritzker at the top of the show.

He was asked a question about this very issue and he said, quote, There is extra money lying around in Springfield given the state's own budget challenges.

>> How do you get Springfield to move on this?

Actually, there is money lying around.

>> Donald Trump gave billionaires in Illinois 5 billion dollar tax break.

The governor, the super majority in the House and the Senate can figure out how billionaires get to pay more.

So there is money lying around and for teachers all over the city and all over the state.

You know what they did?

They found money in their savings account.

They found many out their paychecks.

They found many out of their household budgets to figure out how to buy backpacks, notebooks, shoes, clothes, tall, trees for their students.

It is completely offensive and unacceptable to hear people who have authority and power who have been empowered even to protect this in this moment of tyranny.

Take a pass.

>> Okay.

That's where we'll have to leave to you.

President Stacy Davis.

Gates Happy First week of school.

Thank you for joining us.

Thank you.

Up next, why prisons across Illinois are seeing a rise in lockdowns.

Summers in prison are known for being stifling Lee hot and during repeated lockdown conditions, a prison cell can feel more like solitary confinement.

Awt Tw news analysis shows this year.

People incarcerated in Illinois are seeing a record amount of lockdowns.

Our Blair Paddock joins us now with more Blair.

What is the cause of these high lockdowns?

Yeah.

So the high lockdowns are largely due to staffing shortages.

It you see categorizes lockdowns in 2 ways.

One being administrative, which is.

>> Routine disruptions to facility that can be staffing shortages or incident based lockdowns.

And those are, you know, an incident happening and the safety or security of facility being compromised.

And as you can see, administrative lockdowns are way up.

One example, looking at the down state prison Menard.

They've been on lockdown nearly every day since October 2023. and January to mid July of this year, they've only been able to stop about 44% of that prison on average.

What are conditions like during lockdowns?

Yeah, they're pretty similar to solitary confinement.

Going back an art.

I talked to a guy who had seen the cafeteria for the first time this summer.

And he's been for about 3 years.

visitation can get canceled or not getting out of cell yard time.

They have streaming services on these new tablets that they have.

But those prices can add up.

So it can be really draining both physically and mentally be in walked on.

24 7, so limited fresh air at the very least, obviously no trips to the commissary or libraries are limiting trips.

So what is the Illinois Department of Corrections have to say about this high amount of lockdowns?

Yeah.

So they say that they're working on it.

both they and the union that represents most correctional workers asked me they pointed to these regional training facilities that they say are picking up the pace of staffing.

But, you know, I talked to the John Howard Association, their prison watchdog group in the state in the SE.

If staffing numbers can't get up, if men aren't cannot keep a facility staffed, you know, they should look consolidating facilities, which I'm sure, of course, is a whole other conversation that lots of folks that have to weigh in where.

Patrick, thank you so much.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

>> And you can read Blair's full story on our website.

It's all at W T Tw Dot com Slash news.

Over 1 million Illinois residents have benefited from an educational program that teaches SNAP recipients about nutrition.

But since the Trump administration's massive budget bill cut 287 billion dollars in SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps.

The program known as Snap.

Ed is coming to an end after 30 years.

Joining us now with more on the local impact, our Daylin Duffel Meyer, director of the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion at the University of Illinois.

Chicago Demetria Adams.

Nutrition specialist of the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Thanks to both for joining us.

Thanks for having a mix.

So Dylan, first one tell me how this program works.

Please.

>> So we get money from the federal government passes through the state goes to the University Illinois system and then it's split between extension, which is house in Urbana, Champaign.

And then you I see which is at our office, the office to commit engagement, neighborhood, health partnerships, and we focus exclusively on the city of Chicago where we deliver nutrition education to anybody who's eligible for SNAP benefits.

So any federally means tested program.

If you're eligible, you're eligible services.

We work doesn't matter the age or the location.

We we do contrition, education, physical activity, healthy lifestyle, trouble.

Was that helpful?

Was it useful for folks who are receiving snap benefits?

It's good.

It's good question.

So when idea is that if you're getting money from taxpayers had that you should be has had kind of mindful and efficient with that spending.

So, you know, there's no waste, fraud or abuse.

You know something like that.

our program, we people stretch their dollars as far as they can through the different activities cooking at home meal, planning prep shopping.

>> you know, grocery store planning, you know, that kind of things.

So we helped people spend their dollars wisely.

And that's the out and making healthier choices I make helpful to wake up to sure you tell us about your role in the program.

What you do.

>> Ok, I'm a nutrition.

Peer educator.

I go out and the community, the community I serve as the Roseland and Pullman community.

What I do I go out and I teach.

Nutrition education and also physical activities.

seniors, churches, libraries, promise market Pomona.

The classes that we teach.

I do 2 different time to come this one.

I'm going in the community.

One is create better help.

And in that not only teach nutrition education physical activity, but I also I do a cooking demo?

And in that demo, what create help they get a sample.

Now, the other missed that I teach cooking matters.

And that plan is.

They get take the full meal home, cook, the meal that I prepared before They can do that at home based on current learned in your class.

What kind of misconceptions do you hear from folks when it comes to cooking and nutrition?

Facts?

>> Well, one of misconception I just dealt with week was one of my clients, the Senate that they want to go back in star cooking with lard.

And that's not a healthy choice.

And I had break it down to a big client.

Why it's not a healthy choice and because a bit if you cooking or that this high before you cook it, when you ingest it, when think it's going it's going to Daniel honorees are going going to get caught up.

>> All right.

So so important like nutritional lessons like that, yeah, not only that but physical activity part as well because you can eat well all day.

But you also have to be physically active as well.

>> Some movement better than no movement.

They How will the program's the loss of funding?

How will that impact the work that you do?

The food access advocacy work?

>> So it's a great question.

That's one of the biggest challenges is is the access component.

You know, we can teach nutrition education all day long, but if families can access the foods or access the resources they need to engage in the knowledge that they've just learned.

It's it's kind of a work for not.

And one of our big programs are one of our new or innovative programs is our top box meal Kit project where we're able to kind of get around the axis issued by having meals delivered directly to people's homes.

We we think this is one of the first projects in the country that actually allows people to use their EBT card to link in Illinois to purchase meals and have been delivered directly to their home again, not having to do, you know, massive investments and, you know, grocery store infrastructure and things like that.

But sewing the issue immediately.

And with how are, you know, funding cut?

It's it's a big deal.

We won't be able to support this project and provide the wrap around services that, you know, help people actually take advantage of this project, which is the recipes, the nutrition facts, labels, things like that and helping top box.

You know Dawn on, you know what to do next.

>> The as we discuss, you know, the Republican led House Committee on agriculture claim that the snap and program yielded no meaningful change called it a waste of taxpayers.

Money.

Dimitri, I'm gonna come to you on this one.

First, how have you seen this program?

You know, personally affect people's lives.

The people who receive the services benefit one of the things it is the clients they want this program.

>> You know, they have not been introduced to program until we came along.

And now that this going to be cut from it, they don't have that access.

They don't have the knowledge of how to eat.

Well, how to be healthy and also had to be physically active.

>> same question to you like how have you seen this impacts people in and what are your concerns?

So one of the things that I'm particularly proud of with our program, you know, that there's a lot of focus on individual people's transformation.

>> You know, somebody lost a bunch of pounds are they're cooking more at home.

Things like that.

That's wonderful.

But the thing that I'm most proud of is our work also with the institutions that are taking care of the people.

All right.

So this is your Chicago public schools.

This is Chicago Park district.

These are your local groups like the great Off Aggression Development Corporation, you know, and we work with these groups to help them adopt a culture of wellness, a culture of health.

And so.

Those are the things that I'm most proud of.

And I really want to challenge this notion of it being a wasteful program or something that doesn't yield benefits because the the things that we do behind the scenes pay dividends for the future, right?

You know, sometimes when you plant a seed for a tree, you may not experience the shade that the tree have provides in the future.

But that doesn't mean that the work is not valuable.

that's where we stand.

We stand.

We think that we make an investment now in the communities that we live in, that we work in that we play in and that it will pay off in the future with a healthier healthy children next generation that that's a very good place to leave daily from Iran to Major Adams.

Thanks to both for joining us.

Best of luck to you.

>> Thank you.

thanks for having And that's our show for this Wednesday night.

Join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10.

>> A new report shows massive hyperscale data centers are endangering the Great Lakes.

We dig into how.

And rapper and frontman of the hip-hop group Public Enemy Check These in town.

He joins us to talk about his latest venture.

Now for all of us here Chicago tonight, what voices?

I'm Brandis Friedman, thanks for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

>> Closed captioning is made possible by Robert a and Clifford Chicago personal injury and wrongful death that