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

I'm Nick Blumberg.

Brandis Friedman is on assignment.

Here's what we're looking at.

City council members resolve to move to resolve lawsuits tied to a disgraced Chicago police detective.

The wasteful spending desronvil is math just doesn't add up.

Jb Pritzker and Darren Bailey met in a W t Tw News Forum last night.

We have some of the key takeaways they're using.

>> The Vatican announces Pope Leo has cancer.

What to know about the diagnosis and how the Catholic community is responding.

>> importance of to maintain ourselves.

man to know he story.

And a new exhibition takes us back in time to explore the roots of Puerto Rican Chicago.

>> First off tonight, the Chicago Public Schools, Inspector general again finds no misconduct from school board candidate Eladio Dominguez, according to Dominguez, his campaign.

>> He had previously been investigated for allegations of inappropriate conduct toward a teen girl in 2017, including asking what kind of men she was attracted to and picking her up and swing her around watchdog probe didn't find sufficient evidence to substantiate any wrongdoing.

But the case was reopened in recent weeks today, Dominguez, his campaign posted a copy of the confidential filing from the CPS Office of Student Protections and Title 9, which notes no actionable finding of misconduct and that the matter is closed.

The inspector general did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Significant progress on the Chicago Police Department consent decree.

But a changing of the guard could present challenges.

The court-appointed monitors overseeing CPD Zephyr to stop routinely violating black and Latino residents.

Constitutional rights praised the department for making significant progress between January first and June.

30th of this year.

They say that as of the end of June, CPD had fully complied with 32% of the consent decree up from 25% at last check.

But they warn that the retirement of Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling in July poses, quote, a test for the CPD to show that its reforms are now built into how it operates.

We've got much more about this story on our website.

2 major Chicago area health systems are announcing plans to merge.

And Denver Health says it's looking to become part of the rush University system endeavors, 9 city and suburban hospitals.

Plus, plus, Russia's 3 would make it one of the area's largest medical networks and Denver's hospitals will reportedly keep their names under the Rush University banner and the deal comes with a 1 billion dollar investment from endeavors endowment.

The merger still requires approval from hospital regulators.

The National Nurses organizing committee pushed back on the announcement that union represents 2000 nurses at Russian says 1200 nurses at endeavors.

Edward Hospital just petition for an election board member and Chicago nurse Brenda Langford said in a statement, quote, hospital mergers are big corporate transactions that result in higher prices.

Service cuts and other moves to maximize profits.

The proposed merger of Rush and Endeavor is no difference.

An effort to bar candidates in the midterm election from running for mayor of Chicago hits a roadblock.

Merrill hopeful Bill Quinlan filed suit last month against Alexa Julius Maria Pappas and my quickly, plus, the state and city election boards alleging that state law bars.

Those candidates from simultaneously running for reelection while also vying for Mayor Quinlan claims that a 2024 election law change moving the filing period for Chicago mayor before the midterm should block double dippers.

But earlier today a judge dismissed his suit.

Quinlan says he plans to appeal.

Up next city council votes to pay millions to 17 men who are wrongfully convicted.

Heather?

Sure around with that story right after this.

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

The Joyce Foundation.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donuts.

>> The total cost of defending and resolving lawsuits naming disgraced former Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara now stands at nearly 473 million dollars.

That's according to Awt Tw News analysis.

The City Council voted unanimously to settle 16 lawsuits today by paying nearly 261 million dollars.

>> Today marks another historic step towards justice for 17 individuals who spent a combined 383 years in custody as a result of wrongful convictions.

And while we can never undo the harm or give them back the years that they lost, I'm proud of.

My administration that we can provide some measure of restitution and help these individuals move forward.

Our work is unfinished and my administration remains committed to addressing misconduct responsibly, bringing justice to those harmed while protecting Chicago taxpayers from continuing to bear the costs of past misconduct.

>> Our Heather Sharon joins us now from City Hall with more.

So Heather, remind us who former detective Llevara is and what these lawsuits accused him of doing.

>> Well, starting in the 1980's detective Guevara was assigned to investigate crimes and murders in Humboldt Park and until his retirement in 2005, he investigated hundreds of of murders and other crimes and has been repeatedly accused of fabricating evidence, coercing confessions and witnesses or hating evidence.

Now he has taken the 5th Amendment in many of these cases hundreds of times.

So lawyers for the city told the City council that they have very little hope of prevailing trial and this massive settlement, what actually saved the city, a significant amount of money that didn't make this vote any easier from some older people.

But as you heard, mayor say, many are hopeful.

This is the start of putting this chapter in Chicago Police Department history behind the city.

>> And before today, the city had resolved 16 lawsuits.

Naming are how many more lawsuits are pending.

>> There are still 25 federal lawsuits naming Guevara and the other officers he worked alongside for decades.

I asked the mayor after the city council meeting whether Chicago in should expect to pay a similar amount to resolve those lawsuits.

And he said that he really couldn't speculate.

Now, 2 of those lawsuit has been resolved with settlements that still need to be approved by the Chicago City Council.

We expect that to happen in the coming months.

But there is no doubt that the financial toll of Ronaldo Guevara is alleged misconduct has yet to be fully understood.

It.

>> Yeah, A significant hit to the city there.

So that mask settlement past without any debate.

But today's meeting did feature a pretty tense back and forth over a plan to make it harder for the city to borrow money.

Let's listen to some of that.

>> This is due to city has never been caught.

The black and Latino communities now fast forward.

This council.

Is as diverse he's ever been.

Well, guess who's the 14?

>> There's this fallacy being pushed around that.

A three-fifths majority.

Well, somehow paralyze any new infrastructure development in this city.

And that's absolutely incorrect.

And Heather, just briefly, what happened there?

>> Well, the mayor vetoed an ordinance that would have required 30 votes from the city Council instead of a simple majority of 26 votes and that the tow was not overridden, but by the slimmest possible margin.

Just one vote signaling again that this is a city council that does not see itself as a stamp and has big questions about how Mayor Johnson is handling the city's finances.

And its massive debt burden.

>> All right, Heather Sharon from City Hall, thanks very much.

Thanks, man.

And you can read.

Com slash news.

2 candidates for Illinois governor squared off last night in this studio for their only scheduled meeting before the November election.

>> The discussion got heated at times between incumbent Democrat, JB Pritzker and Republican challenger Darren Bailey as they weighed in on the state budget school funding public safety and more and with Pritzker seeking his 3rd term in office.

His record was a major talking point.

It's time for Governor Pritzker to own the failures and the problems >> Illinois because theoretically 8 years in the super majority, we shouldn't be dealing with these issues are in daily is not saying to you is how he has pushed back.

He has not.

He thinks it's OK, he sat silently.

Well, Donald Trump has taken these things away from people in the state of Illinois.

Our Matt Masterson joins us now with some takeaways from last night's forum.

at what points of Pritzker's record as governor did Bailey hit and how to Pritzker responds?

Well, Nick, Darren Bailey essentially attacked Pritzker's entire 8 year term in office, but he specifically hit on the governor over wasteful spending.

>> On this states for sanctuary policies for immigrants as well as state oversight for public schools and he called for repeal to Illinois's criminal justice.

The landmark legislation, the Safety Act Pritzker defended his record, but he also called a belief are not presenting more ideas of his own.

While Bailey said he wants to remove the safety Act, he didn't say specifically what he wants to to replace that other than involving more law enforcement officials in those discussions.

Pritzker also can repeatedly connected Bailey back with President Donald Trump was, of course, indoors Bailey in this run.

He endorsed in the previous run as well.

he called out the leaf are not pushing back against the Trump administration's proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP funding for Illinois residents and said that this is the government that Bailey wants to see the 2 candidates also disagreed on raising taxes on high income earners.

Here's a little bit of what they had to say.

>> Mr.

Bailey, should the state consider other options for raising taxes on high income earners?

We need to live within our means and we need to spend responsibly and cut the wasteful spending that we've been witnessing over the last 8 years.

Well, when I propose that we lower taxes for working families and ask the wealthy and the big corporations to pay their fair share.

>> Darren Bailey voted against that.

So what kind of approach is to budgeting?

Did you hear the candidates suggest last night on the millionaires tax?

Darren Bailey, of course opposes it.

He called it, quote, a socialist mentality.

>> And he said that's responsible for driving out job creators in Illinois, pointing specifically to billionaire businessman Ken Griffin, who, of course, opted to move south to sunny Florida.

Bailey said he wants to focus more on growing business and not pushing people out of Illinois, of course, Pritzker on other hand is in favor of the millionaires tax.

But he said the on that the state needs to do more to fight for the middle class.

He called out Billy for raising property taxes during his time as a state legislator.

And he also said to opposed the only nation of the grocery tax while he was there as well.

So Pritzker said he needs to focus more on doing more for the middle class and making the wealthy fate pair pay their fair share.

And of course, there is everyone's favorite topic.

That is Bears.

We heard the candidates projecting different levels of confidence that the Bears would actually stay in Illinois.

Here's a bit of that.

>> And I believe that in November we're gonna be able to get something done to keep the bears in the state of Illinois.

But I'm not going to do it at the expense of the taxpayers.

I'm just glad I'm not going to be known as the governor that lost the Bears.

You want to know why he's going to wait to November because the Bears are going to Indiana.

Some that would take away from that exchange.

Bailey said it's a done deal that he's been assured by Indiana Governor Mike Braun that the Bears are moving to him and that one of those sites will get chosen.

It's a done deal.

>> And that Pritzker's the one to blame the governor on the other hand, expressed more optimism that something could get done, that their negotiations with the team in the state have been ongoing.

He said that the state feels closer now than it has been in the past.

Of course, Pritzker met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently and he said last night he told me after the debate that not only could Illinois potentially present an option in suburban Arlington Heights, the long run but site out there, but that Illinois could also possibly keep the Bears somehow in the city of Chicago if they come to an agreement, some down somewhere down the line, option that think a lot of people had thought was completely lost.

That Masterson, thanks very much.

Expect.

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

And while you're there, you can also watch last night's forum that the W T Tw Dot com Slash news.

Pope Leo, the 14th Cancer diagnosis has been met with an outpouring of support from Catholics and many others around the world.

He has had no carcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer discovered following the removal of a lower lobe on the pope's right lung.

The Vatican says Pope Leo will take about a week to recover and that plans to visit South America next month are still happening.

Joining us to talk about the new czar, Dr Calvin Long, a medical volunteer for the American Lung Association and surgeon with the northwestern medicine canning Thoracic Institute.

And father Paddy Gallagher, assistant professor of sociology at Loyola University, Chicago.

Thank you both for being here.

We appreciate it so far you'll get the last time we spoke was after the fire, happier occasion of Pope Leo's What was your reaction to the news of his illness?

>> You know, I found myself like a lot of the people around me here at Loyola University, a little stunned to know why this was something that was unexpected for all kinds of reasons.

You know, Pope Leo, as pope's goes relatively young, just turning 71 years old.

He's also pretty athletic guys been known to be playing tennis and swimming over the summer time on his days off that he's been taking and he takes good care of himself.

Like you've been working with the physical trainer up to 3 times a week when he was serving as a bishop before his election as the to the papacy.

So this was something that struck us really myself really as a as a shock.

I have learned in recent days that he does have a little bit of a history of cancer in his family.

So, of course, this may contribute to it.

But I really found myself and some of the people around me surprised, stunned a little wounded, you know, scared maybe even by the news that Pope Leo has has a lung cancer.

>> Understandably so.

You know it Dr Long.

The Vatican has not disclosed what stage the pope's cancers and but he did say the nodule was detected very early.

It's well localized.

How significant is early detection cases like this we cannot emphasize the importance of early detection.

Oftentimes when people are wrong on don't they just don't have symptoms.

They don't have a cough or shortness of breath people think they would have.

>> And like the father said, you sometimes we see people are very healthy and they've also never smoke.

So they don't really have traditional risk factors for lung cancer.

And we're going to find these things early is to screen imaging.

>> And we mentioned that it's, you know, the most common form of lung cancer.

What exactly is at no It is a type of in technical terms cancer of glands.

I can actually happen in different parts of the body.

In your intestines, in your stomach, you're pressed, but in the it's the most common type.

As you mentioned, and it can take on many forms that can happen in people who have smoke, but also people who haven't smoked can be something folks might not expect necessarily father killed or what his medical care look like inside the Vatican.

>> You know, pope's for many years, not surprisingly, have received a really excellent medical care.

And over the last number of years have often been treated at the Gum Ellie Hospital in Rome, but excellent facility.

There's often a personal physician that will come see the Pope, Pope Leo himself was treated as a people suite.

In fact, on the 10th floor of the Gemelli Hospital that's actually under renovation right now.

So the pope was not able to stay there, but he has a little chapel.

There were, in fact, the good news that we were hurt we have heard is that he's recovering well and was able to can celebrate Mass in chapel before returning to his own apartment.

So there is good health care that he's received over a number of time.

And as the good doctor said, we we can see evidence of that by the fact that this was detected from some of the early screenings that he was receiving.

>> Well, an early screening.

Also, the Pope underwent robotic surgery, you know, Dr Long.

We actually have a video.

Have performing some of that?

How widespread is the use of robotics in surgery right now?

Yeah, probably is very widespread in the United States different countries.

It's taking in various degrees.

Some of the Asian countries have a lot of robots and European But it really depends on whether the government or the institution wants to find robotic surgery.

And what's the advantage there?

surgery just allow surgeons to do minimally invasive keyhole surgery in a much more advanced away.

We used do it with instruments only move up and down side to side.

But now when we put these instruments into the chest, in this case, we can actually move fold 360 degrees like restate like we're actually just putting our hands in the patient without having to make big decisions to do that.

You know, Father guilty.

You mentioned the very welcome news that, as you said, you know, the pope is, you know, able to participate mask that he's, you know, seems to be recovering pretty, you know, pretty well.

You know, if he were feeling too ill or perhaps too fatigued to perform his usual duties who might step in for him.

>> So we have a number of officials who can help the governing of a enormous institution like the Roman Catholic Church.

The first person who would be stepping in as the secretary of state.

And so that would that that process would be very smooth and would run in very normal fashion.

But one instance, actually that hat that is maybe a little bit interesting and does help us understand how seriously the doctors were taking this diagnosis is that Pope Leo had a very full packed schedule up until right before he decided to have the surgery.

He did.

Let everyone know we didn't keep the secret that his audience on Sunday's regular people audience on Sunday he announced in fact to the gathered crowds that will be having this procedure.

right before that, he had had a gathering.

In fact, the men are still there of all of the presidents of the conferences of bishops from around the world.

So, for example, the presidents of the president of the United States Conference of kept at a conference of Catholic bishops is currently in Rome, as are all of the others and their meeting reviewing a major and cyclical that Pope Francis released about a decade ago.

And so these conversations are really important to Pope Leo.

And he had gathered these people there to be able to have a really important robust conversation about how we can carry forward some of these important agenda items that Pope Francis had left for him to do.

So those kinds of things are there that said we have a really distributed leadership model.

So the current, you president of the Conference of the Cardinals is Colonel Taglia from Philippines who was just elected recently.

He secretary of state, many others will be able to step into those roles and this is one of the things the advantages we have from having a 2000 year-old institution.

We've done transitions a number of times.

Yeah, you've had some practice Dr about 30 seconds left.

But as father mentioned, there's a family history with Pope Leo of cancer.

How significant of a factor can that be?

>> Generally for lung cancer, it doesn't play a huge part.

There is some linkage, but we actually think it's because family members shared the same environment and we think that environmental exposures probably much more important.

So.

>> If you are exposed to secondhand smoke are heavy pollution from industry that might account for more of the lung cancer risk.

Then actually mutations are passed down from individual to individual.

>> All right.

Certainly a lot of folks hoping for a speedy recovery here.

That's where we'll have to leave our conversation.

Father Patty, do great Dr.

Kelvin Long.

Thank you both very much.

Pleasure to be with you.

And up next, a new exhibit captures the roots of Puerto Rican Chicago.

Today.

Humble Park is at the center of Puerto Rican culture in Chicago.

But it wasn't always that way during the 1950's thousands of Puerto Ricans migrated to Chicago, building communities in neighborhoods like Lincoln Park West Towne Lake View and South Chicago, our Joint Hernandez takes us inside a new exhibition documenting that journey through a photographer's lens and what it means to become Chicago Ricken.

If you could, what year would you go back to?

>> He finds 84 83.

This was really active moments in the community.

The push in action in the a huge Politically wise is really active really progressive.

>> Goggles, floaties holds thousands of memories from a time when Puerto Ricans were building new homes in Chicago.

Input we go.

very important.

You know, even when come from, >> And then did what we could for people.

>> A new exhibition gives us a glimpse of the Chicago field all through his lens.

>> moment.

Casement people who do need make time.

This you I mean, never done My point come to this memo.

is big the collection of photos at the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance is a passion project.

>> Co-curator what his Felix was determined to bring to life.

>> new generation migration of Puerto Rican say come here and they get fast needed by home park in beautiful.

And he says that sense of community but death.

That's not to be >> For thousands of Puerto Ricans who came to Chicago in the 1950's, including the float is family starting a new life here was far from welcoming from housing discrimination and displacement to police brutality.

Flotus was just 19 years old when he started taking photos documenting the people, places and struggles that shapes Puerto Rican life in Chicago.

>> The exhibition brings you to the story of Migration of Cardinals.

You can see from where they come from you go through the experience Lincoln Park, doing the work of fact to the cinema Cardinals, floaties, sound of community.

>> exhibition also dives into what it means to be black and Puerto Rican.

He understood the importance local main those faces and that section of Puerto Rican black identity.

my favorite.

>> From the local Pete, vendor to a man on a bike holding a rooster at the Puerto Rican parade.

More than 121 photographs capture moments in time stories.

Florida's can tell you all about.

>> going to tell you ready do right.

radio, that tragic ending.

should cover it up keep up in the >> The exhibition is also interactive.

All you need is your phone.

You click on the QR code and this is Carlos saying the >> Many of his images have been featured in magazines, books and films making memories out of ordinary life.

>> Well, you know what?

food People come and be a disposition.

review to the members member that then they You can Thank thank you so much prevent >> All these memories are especially important now as Humble Park continues to change.

For Chicago tonight, I'm joined at 9 this.

>> The free exhibition runs until next year.

We're back to wrap things up right after this.

>> Reflecting the people perspectives that make can This story is part of Chicago tonight.

Not the >> And that's our show for this Wednesday night.

Join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10.

We'll have a one-on-one interview with the head of JP Morgan Chase on the nation's economy investment in Chicago and much more.

Now for all of us here at Chicago tonight.

I'm Nick Lumber.

Thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

Closed captioning is made possible by Robert a and Clifford law offices.

>> Personal injury, law firm.