The Chicago Bears’ board is moving forward with a new home in Hammond, but political leaders on both sides of the Illinois-Indiana state line have vastly different takes on the development. Federal officials say a person in a vehicle died from an explosion on the Eisenhower Expressway yesterday. Chicago’s annual Blues Festival is officially underway at the Ramova Theatre. Plus, we head to Simeon Career Academy, where the school known for sports put on its first play in decades.
Jun 05, 2026•9 min
Community leaders in Chicago are demanding a dedicated office to investigate cases of missing and murdered Black girls and women. The Obama Presidential Center Museum opens to the public on Juneteenth. The Shedd Aquarium has agreed to take some animals from a shuttered marine park at Niagara Falls. Plus, the Chicago Blues Festival kicks off Thursday night and celebrates 55 years of Chicago’s own Alligator Records. Some of the label’s biggest stars will join forces in a headlining set on Friday n...
Jun 04, 2026•7 min
Democratic Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia is the latest prominent Illinois political leader to call for Chicago’s top federal prosecutor to resign. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza says she is officially running for Chicago mayor in 2027. Illinois lawmakers are propping up next year’s state budget by taxing things that haven’t been taxed before, including social media companies and prediction markets like Kalshi. Plus, if you happen to be on a Red Line platform this summer, you may hear some...
Jun 03, 2026•7 min
A bill to protect patient information from states that criminalize abortion is awaiting Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s approval. Drivers working for rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft are closer to being able to unionize. Ground officially breaks Wednesday for a $7 billion development around the United Center on Chicago's Near West Side. Many people are now distancing themselves from civil rights icon Cesar Chavez. Chavez died in 1993. The shift follows a New York Times investigation back in Mar...
Jun 02, 2026•8 min
Illinois lawmakers passed a state budget early Monday morning, and the House and Senate could not agree on a tax-incentive package to entice the Chicago Bears to build a new domed stadium in Arlington Heights. Mayor Brandon Johnson says Chicago continues to offer “the strongest opportunity to retain the Bears.” The Chicago White Sox try to make it six wins in a row when they open a three-game series Monday night against the Minnesota Twins Theater students from Northwestern University are bringi...
Jun 01, 2026•10 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to introduce a sweeping housing ordinance next month to protect renters from eviction and displacement. Chicago is known as one of the world’s great jazz cities, and next week’s concert lineup helps cement that reputation. The Chicago Sky are still looking for their first home win of the season, and the team fell 111-104 against the Toronto Tempo on Wednesday. Plus, it has been a whirlwind 24 hours for Mayor Johnson in the Italian capital of Rome and in neighb...
May 29, 2026•10 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has invited Pope Leo XIV to celebrate Mass in Chicago next year. A local food bank is launching a new campaign to raise awareness about rising food insecurity in the Chicago area. Local elected officials celebrated Asian American leaders in public service on Thursday. Plus, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson met with the Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV on Thursday in Rome. We get into the details about the mayor’s historic Vatican visit.
May 28, 2026•9 min
A Mather High School senior was reunited with his family and friends Tuesday night after spending two months in immigration detention. A new event brought more than 4,000 people with disabilities to Chicago’s Maggie Daley Park for a day of play. A new study out of Northwestern Medicine suggests a link between a decrease of estrogen production in brain tissue to memory decline. The Second City has been a Chicago comedy staple for more than six decades. The company has an illustrious history, fuel...
May 27, 2026•10 min
Chicago’s top federal prosecutor allegedly had contact with grand jurors in the tainted “Broadview Six” case. More than 146 million square feet of warehouse space has been built in the Chicago metro area since 2000, but the warehouse boom has come with a cost. For people caring for loved ones with dementia, even simple outings or activities can start to feel complicated, which can lead to participating in activities less and retreating more into isolating behaviors. Plus, Chicago Mayor Brandon J...
May 26, 2026•8 min
Both major Chicago airports are expecting an uptick in passengers this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year’s number. Lyric Opera of Chicago has received a 20-million-dollar gift from the Illinois-based Nagaunee Foundation. Chicago City Council approved a rule change that will allow gardens to grow a little taller. You can now see fossils of your favorite Pokemon alongside real fossils of ancient life forms at the Field Museum. Plus, the Latin music and culture celebration Sueños Music Fes...
May 22, 2026•7 min
This weekend, three major music events will descend on Chicago. Charges against the four remaining members of the "Broadview Six" will be permanently dropped. The Republican candidate for Illinois Governor has apologized to the Chicago City Council. Plus, Illinois passed a law last year that requires public colleges and universities to establish protocols for what to do if immigration agents come on campus. But a WBEZ and Sun-Times report finds many Illinois schools still don’t have protocols in...
May 21, 2026•7 min
Former federal prosecutor David Glockner has been confirmed as Chicago's new inspector general. Residents of Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood are petitioning for a new, larger library. Plus, the Curious City team gets to the bottom of why the Balbo Monument is still standing, despite its controversial history.
May 20, 2026•9 min
Chicago City Council members tomorrow will be asked to vote on more than $16 million in police misconduct settlements. The Chicago Department of Public Health is expanding non-police crisis response services for residents across the city. The Chicago Sky have a great start to the season, but now have to rebound from a devastating injury after forward Rickea Jackson tore her ACL in the Sky’s win over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday. Plus, the Declaration of Independence turns 250 this summer. Commem...
May 19, 2026•8 min
More than 300 runners participated in Saturday’s inaugural 103rd Street Corridor Peace Walk and Run. Chicagoans can experience the magic of storytelling at the debut show of Cooler by the Lake tomorrow night. Chicago Stars forward Mallory Swanson is back on the active roster after her maternity leave following the birth of her first child in November. Plus, more students in Chicago and across Illinois are getting official recognition for being able to speak, read and write in English and another...
May 18, 2026•8 min
Sam Sianis, the legendary owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, died of natural causes at 91 years old. The 2026 Crosstown Classic kicks off this evening, and the White Sox will host the Cubs at Rate Field for the three-game series. The annual Chi Food Truck Fest is back at Daley Plaza for people lunching in the Loop. Singer-songwriter Alynda Segarra has carved out a space as a leading voice in modern folk music. The singer-songwriter recently found a home right here in Chicago, playing with a group o...
May 15, 2026•9 min
The Iran War is approaching the three month mark, and peace talks between the sides have stalled. Some University of Chicago undergraduates are getting a tuition break. The University announced it would cover the cost of tuition for students whose families make less than $250,000 a year starting in fall 2027. A bill backed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is aimed at helping Illinois residents with auto insurance rates. Plus, Aadam Jacobs obsessively documented Chicago’s indie rock scene ...
May 14, 2026•11 min
A Chicago program that sends mental health professionals instead of police to non-violent 911 calls is now operating citywide. The Adler Planetarium kicks off its summer programming next week. The White Sox are looking to get to a .500 record tonight against the Kansas City Royals. Plus, hot dogs are not just a Chicago thing. They’re very much a Gary, Indiana thing too. The smash-hit TV show “The Bear” is putting a spotlight on one of Gary’s best-kept secrets – a hot dog joint nearly as old as t...
May 13, 2026•8 min
The Chicago City Council could soon vote on a measure that would give restaurants more time to increase their workers’ wages. The Iran war has pushed inflation to its highest level in three years. The rocker, poet and author Patti Smith is the newest winner of an annual literary honor. Plus, a calm has returned to Chicago this spring. Groups of U.S. Border Patrol agents are no longer making surprise visits to Michigan Avenue or marching through neighborhoods like Little Village or Back of the Ya...
May 12, 2026•8 min
A key city panel says Chicago taxpayers should help bankroll the development of a “cultural and entertainment district” around the United Center. Friends of the Chicago River spent their 34th year cleaning up the Chicago River. The Bulls won the fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft during Sunday’s lottery, and experts call this year’s draft class one of the best in years. Plus, the Chicago Bears’ search for a new stadium is now approaching five years. It seems like a resolution may be coming soo...
May 11, 2026•8 min
Chicago Democratic billionaire and private equity CEO Michael Sacks is sounding off on Mayor Brandon Johnson after the mayor criticized Sack’s opposition to his progressive budget proposal. Chicago advocates sounded the alarm Thursday after receiving reports that ICE agents were making arrests at Cook County courthouses. Today marks the one year anniversary of Pope Leo XIV’s appointment to the papacy. Plus, the popular annual Kilbourn Park plant sale on Chicago’s north west side is celebrating i...
May 08, 2026•6 min
A Cook County elected official is hailing the not guilty verdict in her DUI case. Four Chicago-area protesters are suing the federal government over DNA samples taken after they were arrested outside the Broadview ICE facility. Singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant is in Chicago to perform for thousands of Chicago Public School students on Friday. Plus, playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney is known for his poignant observations on race. He won an Oscar for co-writing the movie Moonlight, based on one o...
May 07, 2026•7 min
Anjanette Young, a social worker who became a police reform advocate after a 2019 botched raid on her home, is one step closer to having official sway over Chicago police policy. Another Walgreens on the city's South Side is closing, and community leaders say the closing of the pharmacy's Chatham location follows a trend of corporate abandonment in the area. Tickets to visit the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago's Jackson Park neighborhood went on sale Wednesday morning. Plus, the principal o...
May 06, 2026•7 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is headed to Springfield today in part to lobby against a proposal that would give tax breaks to the Bears for a suburban stadium. The Chicago Sky are getting ready for a new season, and they have a lot of new faces. A group of Chicago musicians is putting together a benefit concert in support of a local nonprofit that uplifts immigrant communities. Plus, earlier this year, the world’s most famous classical music concert featured Florence Price, a late Chicago compo...
May 05, 2026•9 min
A new report says the Trump administration’s deportation campaign has left Chicago immigrants vulnerable to evictions. More than 100 Brookfield Zoo workers walked out on strike after failing to reach a union contract agreement on Friday. Two historically Black colleges — Prairie View A&M and Alabama A&M — played at Wrigley Field this weekend for the first-ever HBCU Baseball Classic. The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for today, and the alert says portions...
May 05, 2026•3 min
A couple thousand people from Chicago and the suburbs gathered in Union Park Friday for a rally and march on May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day. People in Illinois are now being cut from SNAP benefits. A festival celebrating Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian artists in Chicago kicks off Saturday. Plus, during the Trump administration’s deportation campaign in Chicago, immigration agents took away a mother on the Southwest Side. Her three children were all U.S. ...
May 01, 2026•12 min
Thousands of people in Illinois are expected to start losing federal food assistance beginning Friday. The Trump Administration has overhauled the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Federal prosecutors are dropping the main conspiracy charge against the remaining four members of the Broadview Six. Thursday is International Jazz Day, which was co-founded by legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, who hails from Chicago. Plus, the Green Mill has hosted the Uptown Poetry Slam for 40 years, a...
Apr 30, 2026•7 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is declining to say whether the judge behind a decision to let a police shooting suspect out on electronic monitoring should be retained. The U.S Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on the Trump administration's plan to end temporary protections for Haitians and Syrians. Governor JB Pritzker is taking aim at the Supreme Court following a decision announced today that undermines a provision of the federal Voting Rights Act. Plus, a classic August Wilson play tell...
Apr 29, 2026•9 min
The Illinois Accountability Commission is hearing testimony from Chicago residents on the brutal tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during last fall’s Operation Midway Blitz deportation campaign. Students and workers joined forces this morning to support striking University of Illinois-Chicago graduate employees. New figures show contacts to Illinois’ Domestic Violence Hotline have grown for the fifth consecutive year. Plus, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday it’s...
Apr 28, 2026•8 min
The man accused of killing a Chicago police officer and wounding another appeared in court for the first time today. A Chicago-area grocery store says cuts to SNAP food benefits could trickle down to small retailers. A group of Chicago arts leaders are backing proposed legislation that would ban the deceptive practice known as speculative ticketing. Plus, we hear from some Chicagoans who say they are protesting the federal government’s actions by not paying their federal taxes.
Apr 27, 2026•10 min
Monthly premiums for health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act are up about 25% in Illinois. Governor JB Pritzker says lawmakers have to move expeditiously on a tax incentive plan to keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois. The Chicago Bears will be back at it Friday night for the second and third rounds of the NFL draft. Plus, Chef Rick Bayless and his restaurant, Frontera Grill, are a cornerstone of Chicago’s dining scene. But these days, Chef Javauneeka Jacobs is shaping the restauran...
Apr 24, 2026•8 min
