I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

Escalating tensions at Chicago Public schools as the CEO rejects the mayor's request that he resign or spotlight politics.

Teen has the latest.

Scammers targeting elderly residents out of tens of thousands of dollars.

What you should know.

Your older person works with their 49 colleagues to set policy on big citywide issues like public safety.

And would you say is due here rate Wt Tw news explains what exactly a Chicago Alderperson new coach.

>> And now to some of today's top stories in a startling show.

Public defiance towards the mayor Chicago.

Public Schools, CEO Pedro Martinez says he's refusing the mayor's request to resign.

>> In a Chicago Tribune column or Tina's rights, he's not resigning because it would, quote, risk creating a leadership vacuum and instability for the district.

And today Martinez is pushing school board members for a resolution to prohibit school closures until 2027.

This after the CEO came under fire for compiling a list of schools that could be closed as part of an effort to develop the district's five-year strategic plan.

In a letter sent to staff, Martinez says, quote, There are absolutely no plans to close consolidator phase out.

Any district manage schools.

This simply is not a direction that CPS is considering as we plan for the future of our district.

Any CEO thinking about closing schools could never do it alone.

Any school closure or consolidation would need to be approved by the Board of Education and would involve extensive engagement with the school community.

We'll have much more on this in our spotlight.

Politics coming up.

Allegations of widespread abuse of children held in Illinois in Cook County Youth Detention centers are growing.

3 new lawsuits allege more than 200 people were sexually and physically abused as children from 1996, to 2021. Corrections officers, nurses, kitchen staff chaplains and others.

>> As these cases are filed, as more people come forward there are more abusers being identified by multiple victims independently and that and those and those pot, those accounts really corroborate each other >> and and should be of great concern to both the state and Cook County.

>> These new plaintiffs bring the total to 667 people who've allege this abuse since lawsuits were first filed in May.

They're part of a wave of complaints across the U.S., including in Pennsylvania, California, New York and others, though attorneys say Illinois stands out for its magnitude of the problem.

Cook County and Illinois officials declined to comment okay.

>> The city's cost of caring for migrants this year wasn't is highest projected about 9 million dollars less sense.

An expected surge of new arrivals never arrived when approving last year's Budget City Council earmarked 150 million dollars to feed house and care for migrants entering the country illegally after requesting asylum.

Instead, the city expects to spend less than 141 million dollars.

Additionally, the city expects to save another 16 million by closing 3 shelters for the end of October.

Up next scams targeting elderly residents.

What you should know right after this.

>> Chicago tonight is made possible in part why the Alexander and John Nichols family.

The gym and K maybe family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

>> City officials and community groups are alerting neighbors of a crime targeting elderly Chinese women, at least 5 residents have been victims of the so-called blessing scams.

Officials say the victims have been scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars and the perpetrators have yet to be identified.

Joining us, our Grace Chan McKibben executive director of the Coalition for a better Chinese American Community and 11th Ward Alderwoman.

Nicole, we thanks to you both for joining us.

grace.

Let's start with you.

Please explain what the scams are for a so-called blessing scams.

Yet the scams work roughly the same >> elderly elderly woman is see the waiting at the bus stop or walking on the street and she encounters a middle-aged woman who speaks Cantonese and ask for directions to a miracle.

Doctor.

So I've heard about a miracle doctor who can perform miracles in cure all kinds of illnesses and they are around here.

You look like a nice person.

Can you help me?

Find them.

And then they get into a conversation and that we do.

Women typically would walk with the younger women for some time and then they would come up on what seems to be another person that just chance to come upon.

Another woman You know, I've heard of the stock to before and my family, my mother, my relative had been could buy this person and then they got into more and then sometimes is a 3rd person involved sometimes isn't the 3rd woman but also corroborate the story and then what ended up happening is that they would talk to the Stockton on the phone and the women would convince the older person, the somebody this to to them a child or grandchild in grave danger and that she needed 200 blasting a miracle.

And the miracle involves putting money heirlooms in a bag and the bag.

And the the pope, the victim usually ends up with a bottle miracle water.

And there was this for the long and somewhere during with the prayer or the so-called blessing over the goods and money.

>> They swapped out that bag.

Don't open it for a few more days, correct.

And then, of course, by the time she looks into it, tell me a little bit about how white, you know, this group of women is being targeted and how the scammers are able to sort of gain their trust and their confidence.

Yeah, I they probably are just out of the street looking for people that are by themselves.

All the victims are older people that are either coming going to the grocery store coming back from the grocery store.

In one case.

>> The victim was actually coming back from having received food at a food pantry.

So basically they're just looking for people that may be by themselves older, possibly more testing the more vulnerable.

They're also interesting is some of it is cultural to to trust the sort of a younger person to to help you out with something even culture.

I to older people everywhere, trust younger people to I think older people everywhere looking for folks that they can talk to some time.

So lonely.

>> And then also that the the Vince Start having a conversation and always a bit of time they would ride the bus together, walk together during this.

>> Time the perpetrator scheme trust by asking about the victim's family and where they weather from what you family members they have and so on and in.

So doing gained.

Also more information about them.

>> Well, the woman helped you in your office responded to the aftermath of this.

So we we first heard about it from Grace and her staff and we absolutely asked if they've filed a police report.

That's always our first question.

We encourage everybody to file police reports of that.

We can collect the data.

The police can begin to sense trends.

So we've been working with the 9th district police as well as the financial Crimes unit detectives working on the case and actively investigating it.

So yeah, we've helped to put people in touch folks within the Chinatown Neighborhood Watch Network who have access to cameras.

That's how we were able to get some still photos as well as a license plate to hand over to the as of as evidence based on that.

Is there anything we know about the perpetrator's yet?

>> You know there there were 7 enough to know to wear hats where, you and 95 masks skies on.

They were disguising their identity.

So it's been difficult to identify the women.

You know, so police have been asking if anybody witnessed any of these crimes going on and maybe they would have seen something.

>> That might be helpful.

So, you know, there's an open call out to the community for anybody with information or additional video footage shot send it over to the police.

>> Grace, this has happened in China.

Towns Chinatowns in other cities across the country and even internationally.

What do we know about those?

Yeah, we have heard.

So the first person came to us came in the middle of August 2 after she had already reported to police.

So reasoning is so that we can share on Weechat on the Chinese social media so that other people would fall for the same scam.

And then we had since heard from people from other China tells as well as we heard from the fellas reporter who works with BBC that there maybe cases they're similar in London's Chinatown, too.

Alderwoman.

Is there anything that can be done to help the victims or, you know money and possessions?

In some cases, you know, family heirlooms or they just gone.

>> unfortunately think right now they're just gone.

>> I know the police are actively working to investigate the case, but that we know that the first reported case of this happened in May.

And there was not another reported case until August.

We suspect that there's probably other victims out there who just aren't talking about it.

You know, so there's a there's a request out to the community at this point to ask if anybody else fell victim to the same group of scammers so that we can continue to build a case against them.

I think more than anything, the best thing that we can do for the community at this point is to raise awareness for these these scammers in particular that we've haven't had another reported case since the end of August.

But it's campus in general.

You know, there are so many different ways people are trying to scam people, especially the elderly who fairly from old herbal as we were speaking about earlier, are victims or is there a chance that they are eligible for victims Assistance fund?

>> That I'm not.

I'm not familiar So I'm not sure that there's anything that there may be able to recover.

I don't know how many of them actually had like homeowners insurance or anything like that.

Most of the seniors, I think we're living in senior buildings are like renting apartments.

I highly doubt that they had insurance to cover some of these losses.

Unfortunately, grace, how do we prevent scams like this from happening in about 30 seconds?

Yeah, I think that if you have an older person you know, in your >> neighborhood are older defense piece.

Just look out for I think we've been sharing a lot about avoiding phone and text scams, but also avoid, you know, scams.

If you talk to oppressive, I think sometimes people are less on guard when they talk to a real person.

Great, great, okay.

All the women Lee Grace Chairman.

Kevin, thanks to both for joining us.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.

And up next, our Spotlight POLITICS team has the latest on a moratorium on school closures and much more.

>> The pressure on the Chicago Public Schools leader grows.

Meanwhile, the city says it expects to spend less on migrants then in originally thought in the once powerful Alderman Ed Burke is now a federal inmate here with all that and more is our spotlight.

Politics team Amanda have our Sharon and Nick Blumberg >> actually, right have we caught our breath?

Because this afternoon, the drama at CPS has been escalating.

Statements and op-eds are just flying left and right Sunday, when are the teachers union announced that it took a vote of no confidence on CPS.

Ceo Pedro Martinez at its House of Delegates meeting last week.

talk to Stacy Davis, Gates from the sea to you about it last night.

Heather, what is the latest?

Well, we learned officially today that Mayor Brandon Johnson did ask CPS CEO Pedro Martinez to resign.

Martinez declined.

He said in Tribune op-ed you referenced that he did so.

>> Out of the best interests of Chicago students saying that it would be disruptive to change CEOs at this point.

Of course, we're in the middle of CTU.

Contract Negotiations District just approved a new five-year strategic plan.

It was a stunning public.

Just defiance of the mayor and really now it means it hit the ball is in the court of the Chicago Board of Education, which all of those members were appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, who now have the authority to terminate Martinez.

Now, if they do and they do so for cars, Martinez would be dismissed immediately.

But it's they say there's no cause he will be paid for the next 6 months to oversee a transition to the next CPS CEO.

However, this is a lot of chaos in a district that not only needs a new contract with its teachers, but is also facing a 700 million dollar deficit next year and also has so far refused to pay 175 million dollars in 2 its pension funds, which of course, I think part of what precipitated this crisis along with a raging debate over whether they should close schools that are under And let's add to that instability, perhaps with changing CEO, but also a new school board coming in because only half of the members going forward after the election are starting the new Year anyway will be appointed by the mayor and the other half are going to be elected and could have very different viewpoints from the Mayor.

>> Johnson will still have control because the citywide president of the school board will be still his appointee until another couple of years.

But there's just a lot of turmoil, which is one of the reasons that CEO Martinez says he should keep his job, that it too much that you've already had 7 CEOs in the past decade and that that is not good for the school system and its students, particularly as you have a new vision that was unanimously supported by a school board that he helped to draft in the was interesting, too, to see that statement from the Chicago Board of Education talking about this list of potential CO locations, school closures.

>> That we heard Stacy Davis Gates talking about that other folks have raised clearly this seems to be, you know, from all the reporting, a huge part of what contributed to souring the relationship between Mayor Johnson and CEO Martinez, the board coming out with a very strong declaration there that this was something we were discussing in closed session.

We have a responsibility to look into all the options.

It doesn't mean we're going to pursue You know, I think there's maybe some questions about was this something they were trying to do on the slide because school closures are such a 3rd rail in Chicago, understandably, but it's going to be very interesting to see whether there is any way to mend that relationship.

And while the board, you know, has come out and said this has been, you know, misinformation, this is what's going on.

Will the mayor sway his appointees ultimately lead to, you know, asked Martinez and I think their questions, Nick, is it that this list of school closures something that was If you noted that Ford was earnestly doing and meant to keep in close confidence.

>> And that anybody in Chicago politics knows and recognizes that that is part of its duty.

Its fiduciary responsibilities.

And is it being as a political wedge?

Because very much already been hard feelings prior to this coming out between the Chicago teachers union and the 5th floor of City Hall.

So I think one could question.

>> They think that Pedro Martinez in the border trying to close schools, particularly now that they've got a moratorium on Thursday's agenda.

>> Or is this another way that can be used to sort rile up the membership alum its measles?

It's a very interesting dynamic as well.

There used to be a time when it was very clearly CPS.

The board and the mayor on one side and CTU on the other side.

And is a very different dynamic.

Now.

We know that CTU Mayor Brandon Johnson are typically aligned Stacy Davis Gates last night said that the board is as well and that it is Pedro Martinez, who's not on the same page with everyone else.

But I'm not sure that's the case based on the statement that we got today from the board saying that, no, we are not closing schools and we are not taking a picture Martinez's contract any time And add to that.

The fact that, you know, we do have the school board elections coming up in which the CTU is understandably very heavily involved.

So that adds another.

>> Layer on top of it some of the political complexity of having this first round of elections where they have candidates who they would like to see, you know, take their place on the board.

it's just one more complication in an already really, really complicated about because here's a little bit of what union leader Stacey Davis.

Gates told me yesterday about Pedro Martinez on Chicago tonight.

>> Pedro Martinez has to do 2 things.

He has to get in line with his board of education with his boss, the mayor and with the workers who make the district and he needs to create a vision and a plan for how we win the revenue in the funding to offer students with a desired offering them cuts only is not the vision we have for this district and our union will not go backwards.

>> So I guess my question is, who is this most damaging for how it all shakes Really?

I mean, Pedro Martinez, of course, if he loses his job, he says that it is one that wants to keep what it beat the taxpayers that are at a loss if in fact, he ends up getting paid for half of the year that maybe he's not all tight budget time again.

Here is it the mayor.

If the school board members that he appointed don't go along with him and that is seen and Islam are little exactly.

I mean, so I really think that that's hard to answer at this point.

And you're really seeing.

>> So many people come to the for.

They're speaking out the it's driving a further wedge potentially between black elected officials and Latino elected officials.

You've had a coalition of Latino leaders in Chicago saying, hey, wait.

And meanwhile, if talk to Martinez, families, parents of students at home going the way what what's happening.

And I think I think a lot of folks and say they're probably the biggest loser in all this, which is unfortunate because the district is here for the students.

>> In all sites would say we're fighting for those very students.

So that would be Let's let's hope that is the case, So Heather, after convincing City Council to air market was at 70 million dollars.

Thank you I've my daycare 5 months ago, city officials saying I need that money after How much are we talking about 70 Million?

So that was a huge bite in April.

Speaking of big fights that was politically damaging to the mayor.

He had to ask Black Alder people once again dig into the city's pockets and care for these new a Chicago into the time where they see black communities from just under decades disinvestment and with mostly because of the changes made by President Joe Biden at the border, means that that money was never really needed at all.

And in fact, the city included 150 million dollars in the city's 2024 budget.

The city expects to spend only 141 million dollars of that money.

In part because the state and the county in the federal government kicked in some extra cash, but also nowhere near the surge that everybody was expected to be timed with.

The Democratic National Convention arrived, which means that that was political capital expended for no good reason.

But money saved going otherwise.

course, mean, think this was not necessarily a waste of political capital in the sense that had things gone differently.

Had you seen a surge in Chicago was ill prepared for it?

That would have been true trouble for the city for the migrants.

All yours for 1000, there was choice but it's appropriate that money.

But in retrospect, you sure would like to avoid having that fight.

That happened in council.

Every click because we only got 30 work.

Yeah, well, is one of the newest federal inmates.

You know, I think a lot of folks see this.

As you know, there are people that made a real push saying he should not be getting anywhere near the 10 years that prosecutors wanted.

We saw that avalanche of support from an array of folks.

>> Whether or not that had a significant impact on the judge's sentencing.

He sentenced to 2 years.

He'll serve about 20 months.

It's it is a pretty stunning downfall for the onetime head man in charge the city Council.

right.

We're going to leave it on Edberg like politics that you land at the Tomb just a few.

Amanda Vicki others, Rotary Club or a cat spotlight.

And if you're looking for more context on the complicated issues that matter most to you, sign up for our e-mail newsletter, the Daily Chicago and you can do that at W T Tw Dot Com Slash newsletter.

We're back with more right after this.

Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke reported to federal prison this week in Thompson, Illinois, about 150 miles west of here.

He'll begin serving his two-year prison sentence after being convicted on corruption charges.

Burke joins dozens of previous older people who've also ended up in prison, but certainly not all older people are criminals.

So just what does an alderperson actually do?

Heather Sharon tells us in the latest edition of WT Tw News explains.

>> Every 4 years residents of Chicago's 50 wards pick their representatives on the city council officially known as older people.

They are between 115 and 100 and $50,000 a year, not too shabby for a job that comes with instant saying and allows for nearly unlimited side But what exactly does an alderperson give?

Their official job can be divided into 2 big buckets, citywide duties and ward service.

Your older person works with their 49 colleagues to set policy on big citywide issues safety, housing, transportation.

They also decide whether to raise or lower taxes and how to spend those box by passing a budget which they negotiate.

The mayor who isn't a member of the city council, the presides over its meetings.

The mayor gets to pick who serves as chairs.

The city council's nearly 2 dozen committees.

Those older people have real power gets decide which ordinances and resolutions get a piece of the city hall spotlight and stand a chance of becoming law.

>> Life outside City Hall can be much less glamorous.

Other people are in charge of providing direct city services nearly 50,000 people in their gets us out the population of the well size suburbs.

And unfortunately for them, those 50,000 Chicagoans want that pothole fails now and a new garbage cart now and they want that tree in the parkway guessed it.

Now.

>> But in return for dealing with the nitty gritty details of city government.

Older people are free to function like many mayors of their small part of the city under a decades old tradition, known as aldermanic crime.

>> If you looked at the different to the other members of the city council, each all the person gets to decide much of what should and should not happen in their ward.

That means if, for example, you want to need super nice specialty capping you best to get the local person on board before you slept.

The first puts paint on the walls.

While many older people are dedicated public servants.

More than us, he was left that nearly unchecked power go to their heads and ended up becoming the many mayor of a much smaller piece of real estate prisons.

And if you think it's hard to get that pothole filled your person's disease, serving the community, you'll find that it's a lot harder when they're serving time.

>> Luckily, most of them don't go to jail.

You can catch more of our Emmy award-winning series W T Tw News X Planes on our website.

That's at Www dot com Slash news.

And that's our show for this Tuesday night.

Join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10, a wrongful conviction and 10 years in prison leads to a record jury award Marcelle Brown shares his story with us and a Chicago artist honors House music in a new mural outside a local library.

Now for all of us here at Chicago Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

>> Closed captioning is made possible by Robert a cliff and are Chicago personal injury and wrongful death?

That is