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

I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

A new school year kicks off for Chicago public school students.

Local groups are hoping to keep them in class for the long haul by reducing chronic absenteeism.

Thousands remain without power in Gary, Indiana, nearly 2 weeks after intense storms hit the area.

We have the latest relief efforts.

>> When 26 marks the one and only time all 21 up for election.

>> And what to know about November's historic Chicago School board elections.

>> First off tonight, today marks the first day of classes for Chicago public school students.

>> This is actually one of the most amazing times of the year.

And it's because it is the year of New beginnings this year.

Cps is asking all of our families and our students to dream big as we embark on this new journey of the new school year and all that, it will bring.

And while hundreds of thousands head back to the classroom.

>> Local officials continue to advocate for more state funding to help prevent staffing layoffs.

The district is counting on 285 million dollars into funding under its new budget and 150 million in state funding.

That hasn't been approved yet.

Its Springfield fails to come through with the additional revenue.

Cps says it will likely need to make midyear cuts and layoffs.

Suburban Cook County taxpayers bore the brunt of last year's tax increase which soared past the rate of inflation.

Research from the county treasurer's office shows taxing agencies so property tax bills totaling nearly 20 billion dollars in 2025, that's 3.9% higher than in 2024, the annual inflation rate in the region was 3.1% in 2025.

Maria Pappas is research team says property taxes soared at double the inflation rate between 1995, 2025. this year's increase in property taxes were concentrated in the north and northwest suburbs where voters agreed to hike taxes to cover school park and library improvements.

For more on this year's property tax bills, visit our website.

The U.S.

Supreme Court is easing President Donald Trump's path to restrict mail-in voting ahead of November's midterm elections in an unsigned order.

Just today, the court's conservative justices said that Trump could begin carrying out parts of his executive order despite some aspects still being in legal limbo under the administration's proposal, the federal government would compile a list of eligible voters and ordered the U.S.

Postal Service to deliver ballots only to those residents.

The executive order continues to create uncertainty about voting rules for the midterm elections that are less than 3 months away.

Chicago sports fans will hear a new but familiar voice when getting their morning news.

The parent company for 1, 0, 4, 3.

The score announces Jarrett Payton will co-host the new Morning show hot in Peyton from 5.30, to 10 weekday mornings.

The news comes just after the station announced it was parting ways with longtime host Mike Mulligan who joined us on this program just last week to talk about the Cubs White Sox crosstown Classic Payton is a former NFL running back and was recently the evening Sports anchor for WGN-TV.

He's, of course, the son of legendary Chicago Bears icon Walter Payton.

>> I got no Jared over the years.

He's a great person.

His energy, his knowledge of not just football, obviously he played at the University of Miami.

He played in the NFL.

But what he knows about baseball in basketball and other sports.

I think he'll bring that energy to the airwaves every day.

>> The new program starts in one week on August 31st.

Up next, the latest on widespread power outages in northwest Indiana that are still impacting some residents nearly 2 weeks later.

It's right after this.

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

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

>> It's been almost 2 weeks since a swept through Illinois and northwest Indiana with high winds damaging homes, uprooting trees and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of residents while comment.

Customers in the air in the Chicago area saw their power restored within a matter of a few days.

Nipsco the electricity utility for northern Indiana reported that as of 04:00PM today over 9,000 customers are still without power.

Nearly 7,000 of those are in the city of Gary with another 800 in Portage.

Nipsco says it expects to have power back on in both of those cities tomorrow night as the scrutiny builds over the pace of restoring power, community members are stepping up to help residents in need.

Joining us, our Calvin Davis, government and politics reporter with Capital beat Gary.

And Joshua Austin, executive director at City Life Center Northwest Indiana.

We also reached out to utility company Nipsco and we'll share a statement from them shortly.

We also reached out to the mayors of Gary and Portage, Indiana, but have not heard back.

Joshan.

Calvin, thanks to you for joining us.

I'm Josh.

When did you realize that this storm is going to have the impact that it did?

>> The day it happened, I was here at the building.

I was in the lockdown because we have smart locks.

And so when the power's out of the building, you're locked out of the building side.

The big in my car during this storm.

Thank God I was safe.

But I saw it as it was happening and saw trees going down and lightning striking poles and things like that.

And then after that immediately after the storm was over, I drove around the city of Gary and saw the media devastation, the flooding, the trees down everywhere, power lines down.

>> Hold The polls just snapped in half.

>> It was it was different from any storm that we've had.

>> All right.

And I'm glad that you're safe sitting in the car with that storm happening must have been terrifying.

Calvin, what have you learned about why the storm caused so much damage?

>> Yeah, so I spent a lot of time last week talking to some environmental research is a meteorologist and actually become a little faster myself because I too.

had never seen that type of damage with trees being uprooted from the ground.

What we've been told about that storm that to Rachel storms is that they they bring sustained winds and almost hurricane force winds extend meteorologist even caught in the land.

Hurricane.

And they couple them with the fact that we've had some extremely rainy seasons here and soul combination of that with soil with those strong winds and the fact that those trees were around so many power lines is than it's going cut it back.

She told me when I asked or last week what made the recovery process so difficult in gear and that's when she spoke to the amount of tree coverage.

>> Madam Tree coverage and it sounds like the ground having been so wet from previous storms made it easy for those trees fall over.

Up next, Knicks go said in a statement to Wt Tw News just last Friday, quote, Nipsco employees who live in these area in these communities have been working around the clock since before the first storm touched down with mobilized emergency support from across the country to help and together, we will not rest until power is restored to every home and small business in our service territory.

Calvin, what of Nipsco spokespeople said about why Kerry in Portage specifically why it's taking so long for them to get their power back.

>> Yeah.

So the word from them has has always been related to the amount of tree coverage.

And was able to speak with an arborist who actually did tree Canopy Studies last year found that no berries tree canopy is higher than some of the the other areas.

But in terms of the that's what we're seeing.

A lot of elected officials from the governor of the state all the way to the mayor.

All eyes are on its go right now in terms of how they handled the response after the storm, particularly around the amount of line and that they had.

>> Yeah.

And we know the state of Indiana, the governor there has asked for an investigation into whether or not it's go.

He's done the job of maintaining its IT infrastructure.

Josh, what is this on, Gary, specifically, what does it for residents there?

>> Well, there's some residents who are just glad that hope is coming back.

You know, they've a lot.

They lost some hope.

You know, we're going so many days without but community has been a big thing here.

Everyone coming together.

>> Banding together from the churches to the Greeks.

You know, I'm a member of cab outside my so we went out barbecuing think people been doing things as live center.

This is one of the holes breakfast, lunch and dinner is served every day and then this multiple sites around the city.

And so people are feeling that that hoping that that support and that need they still are not happy.

You know, that they're without power.

But people are seeing that the government and that the local officials are working for them.

>> It there is a majority black community, of you know, Josh, kind of what are you?

You know, how do you think that's impacted the But also just how people even from outside of the community, how they're viewing what's happening in the slow pace of of returning to power.

>> It's not sure because somebody earlier should somebody earlier than it doesn't help that it's a black community because for years people of color have been marginalized left behind the last to get the proper response.

And so it does not help at all.

I don't think that in particular, but the reason why the response was slow is because we were people of color.

However, it does not help the matter.

There are lots of people of all races and all creeds who have been affected.

Now, this storm all, you know, all over the northwest, Indiana, as well as you know, that northern part that southern part of Chicago area.

But it doesn't help in this particular area where majority of people are below the poverty line right here around our building.

The median income is less than $30,000.

So when people are without power, more spotty power or certain areas get power sooner than others, it makes people feel a certain type of way.

But I believe that that people are working hard all over because their areas that where wealthy people sit on have power, even at this time.

>> Calvin, what impacts if you see news outages have on residents.

>> Yeah.

I mean, the main one has been centered around full, but, you just a doctor.

Austin said we've seen the committee leaned on each other in speaking with researcher who studies know read the way show resiliency.

The the main ingredient in that is their connectivity.

And you know that they carry on my life.

The community is very connected here.

And, you know, in situations like this, you're able to see neighbors, Leno, neighbors, organizations being kind of a stable place for people to go live resolve them on some of the she was able to go there several days.

so the community is leaning on itself.

But I think that a crisis like this really does his community because, you know, you don't have people displaced.

You have people isolated in Seoul in order to reach those people need to have strong connections.

And that's that's what we've been seeing.

>> Josh, you know, just just a few seconds left, what does the path to recovery look like?

Once power comes back on?

>> Once power comes back on, we need mental health services for families.

They're going to have PTSD after experiencing this when child care and I mean free childcare for families so that they can go work extra hours, they can go recover so that that to the insurance companies offenders could assess damage to houses in even apartment complexes.

And we need continuous support even beyond.

Just the power's back.

Ok, go, be good.

No, we need that.

That continuous support even beyond told it remains on track to.

from that.

>> Yeah.

Just as the power's back on doesn't mean all the problems are solved after going more than 2 weeks without power.

That's where we'll have to leave the best of luck to you both.

Kelvin Davis and Josh Austin, thanks so much.

Up next, we answer the most pressing questions about how this year's elections for Chicago Board of Education will work.

>> Reflecting the people and perspectives that make a buck This story is part of Chicago tonight.

Black Voice.

>> You may have heard there's an election coming up for Chicago school board members.

But how does it all work?

Never fear or W T Tw News explains series.

Has you covered?

Here's our Matt Masterson to help sort out all the details for this November election.

>> A decade Chicago has been the only city in Illinois with its board of Education handpicked by its much to the chagrin of education advocates long for to be an elected body.

This fall.

Those advocates finally get there, which it's off to the races.

In the November general election for the first time ever.

All 21 seats on the board will be up for ending a reign of mayoral control that dates back to 18.

95 under Richard the board already underwent one radical shift in 2024.

Tripling in size from 7 members to 20 10 of those members were elected by city residents and the other 11, a majority were still picked by the mayor.

The board approved Chicago Public schools, budget and policies sets the annual academic calendar.

It hires and evaluates the school district Now that power will be fully with the people so hollow the next round of elections play Illinois lawmakers divided Chicago into 20 separate voting districts.

One representative from each will be elected by voters in that district to serve on the school board.

Lucky number.

21 is reserved for board.

President will be elected by all Chicago voters and represent the whole city much like the mayor.

2026 marks the one and only time all 21 up for election.

>> That's because 10 seats will be 4 year terms and the other 10 will serve terms.

Those terms will been rotate in future elections.

So just half the board will be up for election once.

And where there are elections, especially in Chicago.

There's also spent lots of it.

It rocked the found.

The group spent 13 million dollars from the 2024 luncheons.

And that was with just 10 seats up for grabs as that number jumps to 21 this year, expect campaign spending to go up up what the races begin.

>> And will be hosting a town hall with all 5 of the candidates running for Chicago Board of Education.

President.

And you're invited.

It's September 15th at 05:30PM, here at R W T Tw Studios.

The event is free, but we need RSVP.

You can do that at W T Tw dot com slash events.

Up next, how local organizations are working to keep students in school.

>> Its UK reporting on Chicago tonight is brought to you in part by press forward.

Chicago.

>> Thousands of kits flooded the hallways of Chicago public schools this morning for the first day of school.

But for many CPS students, they may become chronically absent, meaning they'll miss 10% or more of the academic year.

The new initiative is working to combat that for local organizations received grants to help increase attendance by providing mental health services, family support and more.

They're focusing on areas on the south and West sides that experience higher rates of absenteeism joining us to talk more about this are Bradley Johnson CEO builds Chicago nonprofit youth development organization on the city's west side.

Vero T's senior director of community Wellness at an LA say Chicago nonprofit organization that works to confront systemic inequities located in Little Village.

And Natalie Brand A C I O C I better search of a better Chicago to venture philanthropy organization that invest and nonprofits helping children in poverty.

Thanks to all of you for joining I'm Natalie.

Let's start the numbers.

Right.

Nearly half of CPS students were considered chronically absent during a 2024 25 school year.

Those rates were particularly high for freshman.

48.5% and seniors at 72% in high school.

What do we know about why students are absent to this extent this regularly and frequently?

Well, there are many reasons why young people are absent could stress it be anything from chronic illness to family, stability, issues, mental health concerns stemming from anxiety and depression.

>> And so part of the work that we at ABC U.S.

to understand all of the different barriers that are getting in the way of youth opportunity.

And it was through that deep dive into the data that we discover just how many young people are missing school and obviously missing school matters for so many reasons.

Not only because of academics, right?

You're missing critical learning opportunities.

But you're also missing access to critical supports and resources like mental health, like food access, or even simply a caring adult who's there to listen to the young person.

And so this is really an issue that we want to bring attention to.

>> To that point, you know, what do you think it was important in?

And of course, we're going to talk to the 2 of you about the work that you're doing in particular.

But why do you think it was important to have local organizations intervene on a community level rather than have this be something that CPS or the state does.

Yeah.

So part of our research, we discovered that, you know, there are many reasons many drivers of chronic absenteeism and they really vary by community.

>> And so part of our everyday counts initiative is understanding that there are many solutions to this problem.

And back to me based organizations are best positioned to deliver programming that is responsive to those community needs and all of this work is happening alongside schools.

And so each of the 4 organizations are having staff within the school building have really strong school partnerships now working alongside staff at schools.

And so they're bringing additional capacity to do the work that a lot of school simply can't do.

Whether that's door knocking sitting with a family to really provide a family crisis, support all of those things that, again, our educators don't have the time or capacity over the years we've begun to ask more and more of our schools.

>> better CPS data shows that lets next and black students experienced disproportionately high rates of chronic absenteeism.

Black students, 45%, Latino students.

41% start with you first.

Why do you think these rates are higher in these communities?

>> Well, there's several reasons.

I think point number of them, mental health challenges, economic hardship also and black and brown communities.

The immigrant crisis.

But ICE has been a big problem.

We have refugee and immigrant families who been terrorized essentially ID scared to come out.

We also been impacted by the pandemic that has yet to really deal a lot of change young people and students willing to come out.

The other factor is the community from community safety.

It's mental challenges as well for the several factors that that play a part in it.

But the main thing is, is that absenteeism is a problem, but it's a symptom of a larger problem.

And these are some of these root issues.

>> Vero, same question.

But also what are some of the long-term impacts of chronic absences for black and Latino students?

>> Yeah, I have to add on the immigration challenges.

Definitely created a great deal of fear for our communities to engage in larger systems that can be quite intimidating.

But I think also long term is the lack of connecting this to school can lead to disengagement from community and wide.

And so our communities just not engaging in community events working in the community, living in the community honoring and loving the community leads to disengagement can also lead to disconnect in this, which I think then leads to inner fighting sometimes or competing for resources.

You go to school to connect with people.

You go to school to learn.

And without that, you just feel disengaged and disconnected.

>> Bradley Bill plan to use the money to provide mentor in clinical therapy after school programming.

You're working with Spencer Technology Academy.

Tell us a little more about the work of doing well.

You know, Spencer Technology Academy had the highest absentee incident.

>> Hempstead, TSA in Austin neighborhood.

They were hovering around 55% chronic absenteeism.

And so we know that those issues lead to other things that feeds into violence prevention, but also life outcomes.

And so with our work thankful to have that Congo with that allowing us to do put up for team inside of a school so that we have care coordination.

We have therapists inside his school.

We have youth advocate working with the kids throughout the day.

Plus the after school program as well.

And then wrap around supports able to get into the homes and work directly with the parents as well as providing incentives for young people to help the want to be at school.

same question in losses, providing mental health services in family across 7 community schools in Little Village.

So a bigger footprint.

It sounds like.

>> Tell us what you think.

This is the best approach for helping students and families.

>> first, we were already embedded in 15 schools in Little Village.

And so ABC is giving us an opportunity to activate love.

The already established partnerships and work projects that were already in.

And we believe that by bridging the community into schools, helping reduce the barriers that are our families have in just engaging with the school.

And that could just be from calling finding out to picking up the phone when CPS calls.

What we want to do is increase trust in the for the community with school systems and help bridge elementary to high school.

You mentioned earlier about that that that absenteeism starts about freshman year, right?

What happens?

Freshman year.

They become of age to work.

And I worry that sometimes some of our young people are going out to work.

And that's where the priorities are.

And what we're hoping is that by invigorating mental health supports family support and activating outside partnerships, like simple tonight who give us our elevated mental health for adults is that our young people will stay in school longer and find more opportunities to find their niche and hopefully not seek outside supports outside, know, engagement.

>> And so we know that, you know, your 2 organizations are just a piece of the puzzle that a better Chicago is is putting together because another one of the grants that you're giving there actually employing young people to get paid.

Tell me a little bit about that why that's important now that that it helps counter the absenteeism.

So the lines, 98, it's also a community-based organization in Little Village and one of the barriers there that folks have mentioned is this migration enforcement, which forced young people.

>> To go out you know, raise money for their families when their parents can go to work.

And so that is really driving young people outside of the typical school environment.

And so what this organization is doing is bringing paring some of those job placement opportunities education.

So sense of icing, their attendance at school, but also giving them a chance to work in their local community where there are a number of businesses so that they can get their foot in the door in terms of entrepreneurship and expose themselves to expose them to different careers.

And so it's an opportunity to meet their immediate needs, which are, you know, which is focused on economics.

Well, also at the sizing, the importance of staying in school, the every day counts initiative that the 10 million Dollar grant to be given to organizations over the next 5 years.

What's next?

>> Today's days, literally the first day of Yeah, data.

And so these organizations have been working hard to launch their programming.

So over the next couple of years, what we're doing is going to be learning about what's working.

We're building this learning cohort that is testing out different solutions.

We hope to reach 465 students across 12 schools and 3 communities and hopefully recover.

2600 days of missed school.

And so we'll be learning about what's working, what's not working and ultimately elevating that to the field so that we're able to scale of the most promising solutions citywide, OK, that's a good place to leave Thanks to all of you for joining us.

Bradley Johnson, Teas and Natalie Barrera.

Thank you.

Thank And that's our show for this Monday night.

Join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10.

>> The new leader of the Chicago Department of Public Health joins us to share his goals for the health and wellness of Chicagoans.

Ride it out.

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

Stay healthy and safe and have a good thing.

>> Closed captioning is made possible by Clifford and Clifford Law offices, Chicago, personal injury and wrongful