CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is implementing a hiring freeze for the city through the end of the year. That's according to a Thursday memo from the city's budget director. It comes as the city faces a 2026 budget gap of more than $1 billion.

We wrote a few days ago that we’d wait to see what Mayor Brandon Johnson had in mind when he said he would pursue “progressive revenue” options rather than a property tax hike to help plug Chicago’s $1 billion-plus deficit for next year before passing judgment.