Chicago’s Bloody Weekend; Seattle Monitors Portland’s Homeless Camps

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
GUN VIOLENCE | This past weekend was the city’s bloodiest since police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was named to his position. More than 50 people were shot, and eight died between Friday afternoon and early Monday morning. During a 3-and-a-half-hour period on Saturday, one man was killed and 14 others wounded by gunfire—roughly translating to someone in the city being shot every 14 minutes. In an unrelated news conference, Johnson stated that the violence is being driven by about 1,300 people on the department’s “strategic subject list.” “That means essentially that we know who they are,” Johnson said. This marks the third consecutive year that Chicago has seen double-digit increases in shootings. [Chicago Tribune]

PORTLAND, OREGON
HOMELESSNESS | In February, Mayor Charlie Hales laid out new rules allowing homeless people to set up camp on sidewalks and some vacant city property from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. The approach is drawing some attention from officials in Seattle. “We are following it closely,” said Scott Lindsay, a special assistant to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. Portland officials are also trying to move more people off the streets by authorizing organized tent cities that have rules of conduct and support services. These approaches have not been without pushback. In April, a handful of local businesses and neighborhood groups filed a lawsuit against the city over Hales’ overnight camping policy. [The Seattle Times]

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
WOMEN’S RIGHTS | Just in time for Mother’s Day, a New York City Commission of Human Rights issued new guidelines that make it illegal for restaurants and bars to refuse to serve alcoholic beverages to pregnant women. The guidelines also apply to foods deemed risky for mothers-to-be like soft cheese or raw fish. Bar owners have expressed some confusion about the new rules, noting that they are already responsible under state laws to post signs warning about the dangers that alcohol poses to fetuses. [The New York Times]

FLINT, MICHIGAN
LAWSUITS | A federal lawsuit filed Monday by a former Flint administrator accuses Mayor Karen Weaver of attempting to redirect donations for families affected by the city’s water crisis to her campaign fund. The wrongful termination lawsuit says the administrator was fired for twice requesting a probe into the matter. While it’s unclear if any money was actually diverted from the Safe Water/Safe Homes charity to Karenabout Flint, the suit accuses Weaver’s assistant of giving people misleading, step-by-step donation instructions. [Reuters]

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
SPEECH | Teachers in the Land of Enchantment will once again be able to freely voice criticism about standardized tests without fear of violating a state policy. The New Mexico Public Education Department said Monday it would scrap a rule that dates back to former Gov. Bill Richardson’s tenure, which prohibits teachers in the state from making disparaging comments about standardized tests. “We don’t want it and we’ve never used it, so we are pleased to get rid of it,” said an education department spokesperson. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico filed a lawsuit in March over the rule. [Albuquerque Journal]

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT
BUDGETING | The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities called on state lawmakers to change how cities’ and towns’ education budgets are managed following the release of Democrats’ budget bill. Among its list of demands: rolling back the minimum spending requirement, requiring a two-thirds vote to approve unfunded mandates, and giving localities more control when modifying municipal employee retirement programs. A state Senate budget vote is scheduled for Thursday, while the House date is to be determined. "If this budget is accompanied with the appropriate structural relief, then we can have a budget that is sustainable, predictable and one that really does address the needs of Connecticut's taxpayers," Joe DeLong, CCM executive director, said in a statement. "If that structural relief is not put into this budget, then essentially what we have is a budget where the legislature has punted the football and they've gone home and told their constituents they've scored a touchdown." [Hartford Courant]

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
SUPER BOWLS | The tab for city services during February’s Super Bowl 50 was $9.6 million, more than double initial estimates, according to a city controller report released Monday. Despite the heftier-than-expected price tag to host the event, the report said that the city still came out ahead by about $2 million because the football game generated around $11.6 million. Mayor Ed Lee, a proponent of bringing the NFL’s biggest game to the city, touted its apparent benefits Monday. But critics remained unswayed by figures showing the city profited. “If you read the fine print, The City didn’t make $1.9 million. It arguably barely broke even or lost money,” city Supervisor Aaron Peskin said. Supervisor Jane Kim quipped: “If you ask the average resident, if all the the inconveniences were worth it, if the $2 million in revenue was worth it, I think most San Franciscans would say no.” [San Francisco Examiner]

MCKENZIE COUNTY, NORTH DAKOTA
WOLVERINES | A wolverine shot and killed last month by a rancher in this western North Dakota county traveled from at least as far away as Colorado. “I think that will probably set some new records,” said a biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Wildlife Division, referring to the hundreds of miles of terrain covered by the animal. The wolverine sighting was the first one confirmed in North Dakota in over a century. The animal had been outfitted with a radio tracking device in 2008, when it was in Wyoming. Although they look like small bears, wolverines are in fact the largest members of the weasel family. Their preferred habitat tends to be remote places with dense snow cover. An elusive animal, their population in the lower 48 states is believed to be in the hundreds. [The Bismarck Tribune]

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY
CITY FINANCE | Another meeting among the state’s lawmakers has dissolved into discord. Monday began on a hopeful note: “We’re going to try to get something on paper today,” said Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto after a three-hour meeting of about 10 Assembly Democrats. Yet Prieto may have squandered that initial optimism by telling reporters that he felt no pressure to act quickly because “bankruptcy is always the other option that’s there.” Fellow Assembly members were “shocked and outraged” by the comment. The sparring has become an almost daily occurrence in a State House split over what role New Jersey should play in helping Atlantic City. [Philly.com]

TOPEKA, KANSAS
TWITTER | Gov. Sam Brownback was following 368 people on Twitter as of earlier this week. At the same time, his account had 14,700 followers. A columnist at The Kansas City Star took a look to see who the Republican governor follows. What he found was a mix. There were accounts for conservative political groups like @FreedomWorks and businesses, such as @Cargill and @Black_Veatch. Among the other accounts were a handful that have devoted tweets to mocking the governor, like @deargovsam, and one for the comedian team Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. [The Kansas City Star]