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Chicagoland faces a $770 million total public transportation fiscal cliff, which would result in austerity measures – extreme service cuts – in 2026. That is, unless Illinois legislators take decisive action by the end of next month to address the budget gap.

• "Demolition Underway To Make Room For Red Line Extension, Officials Say" at second "Meet the Contractor" meeting (Block Club)

The $5.7 billion Red Line Extension is moving closer to becoming a reality, more than half a century after it was first promised to Far South Siders. The CTA is holding three "Meet the Contractor" sessions this month to provide updates and answer questions about the project.

CTA Vice President of Security Kevin Ryan said that the artificial intelligence-assisted security cameras the transit agency started to pilot last August led to six arrests, including for a robbery in progress. 

• ATA: "State lawmakers must fully fund transit operations before it’s too late"

Read the previously published first portion of this interview, focusing on the 25 mph speed limit issue, here.

• Steven Higashide: "Transportation Professionals Saw Elon Musk’s Lies and Disdain for the Public Firsthand: Just ask anyone in Chicago" (Streetsblog USA)

"I’m tired of making ghost bikes," said Christina Whitehouse. She's the founder of Bike Lane Uprising, a Chicago-based civic tech platform that makes it "easy to report cars in bike lanes and hold violators accountable." BLU also helps organize the installation of white-painted "ghost bike" memorials to people killed while riding bikes that are installed along too many of Chicago’s streets. "We buy materials for ghost bikes in bulk. We have them in our basements," she said.

• Letter from RTA Chief Kirk Dillard: "If the state would fund its mandates, the RTA wouldn’t be faced with such a fiscal crisis" (Tribune)