A veterinarian once employed by suburban horse-racing track Hawthorne is accusing that facility – and a state agency – of misconduct. The north suburban man accused of killing seven people at the 2022 Highland Park 4th of July Parade didn’t show up to a scheduled court hearing today. People in Canada and some northern U.S. cities may see faint auroras late tonight.
Some business owners on the city’s West Side are dreading the return of Riot Fest to Douglass Park later this month. A year since Illinois eliminated cash bail, a study looks at crime rates and the size of jail populations. A new festival kicking off this weekend looks to be a “hoot” for Chicago bird enthusiasts.
Riot Fest is heading back to Chicago’s west side. Rates of syphilis are rising across the country, including in Chicago. University of Illinois system leaders say their three campuses have enrolled a record number of students.
The Johnson Publishing Company was the powerhouse publisher of Ebony and Jet, influential and trendsetting magazines that offered narratives, products and depictions of Black folks that spoke to Black folks throughout the 20th century and beyond. Chicago artist Theaster Gates has been a caretaker, of sorts, for the archive of artifacts that once lived at 820 S. Michigan Avenue, the longtime home of the Johnson Publishing Company that filed for bankruptcy liquidation in 2019. Now, Gates has assem...
The Park District board is set to vote on a permit for Riot Fest today… and one catering company with ties to a board member will set up shop at the big music festival. Chicago officials plan to close three migrant shelters, but some advocates worry about doing so before the city has a plan to end homelessness. An Illinois lawmaker is hoping for a more bipartisan Farm Bill.
City of Chicago officials plan to close three migrant shelters by the end of October since fewer people are arriving in the city. The state of Illinois is spending $6 million to bolster career training for people experiencing homelessness. The Chicago White Sox are just nine losses away from ending up on the wrong side of baseball history.
More charging stations across Illinois could make it easier to own an electric vehicle – new federal money is making that possible. In light of the Georgia school shooting, Illinois state lawmakers look to pass more safe gun storage laws. A new data study aims to help libraries demonstrate their value as community anchors in presentations to stakeholders.
The city of Chicago is enacting a hiring freeze to help close looming budget gaps. A Cook County Commissioner is hosting a public hearing about the lack of public transit in the northwest suburbs. The Chicago Sky will finish the WNBA season without star Angel Reese after a sidelining wrist injury.
Growing up in Englewood, Chatham and Washington Park in the 1960s and ‘70s, Ernest Dawkins said he knew he’d be a musician. “I always had a dream that I was playing the saxophone and I didn’t even know what a saxophone was when I was a child,” Dawkins said on the Rundown podcast. Dawkins is one of the world’s premiere saxophonists and composers. He’s the leader of several ensembles, including the New Horizons Ensemble and the Live the Spirit residency projects. He’s also the founder and director...
Some Chicago alderpersons say unspent federal relief dollars should be used to plug the city’s budget holes. CTA bus and rail operators raced against each other in a friendly competition over the weekend. Evanston hosted its first folk festival over the weekend.
A letter obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows 16 current or former employees of COPA, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, are calling on an oversight board to consider taking the first step toward removing the agency’s chief, Andrea Kersten. The leader of Chicago’s immigrant and refugee rights committee wants to hold hearings on how to remove barriers to housing for migrants. A new play about legendary Chicago columnist Mike Royko opens tonight at the Chopin Theater.
Chicago Latin pop artist Adam Martinez said he can struggle with conversational Spanish, not unlike the late Mexican-American superstar, Selena, who learned Spanish as a young adult. “Selena is one of my biggest inspirations,” Martinez said. “She learned through music. And there’s a lot of people in my family who only speak Spanish. And so I love to communicate with them through the way that I know, which is music.” Martinez released an album last year, titled “Sol.” He said he met his girlfrien...
A new Save A Lot comes to West Garfield Park. Chicago's school board election is heating up as two groups raise big money to support candidates. Chicago Bears President Kevin Warren says there’s no deadline for closing a deal on a stadium downtown.
Some CTA riders are rattled by the murders on the Blue Line this week and are changing their routines as a result. Illinois State Senator Doris Turner says she’s holding off – for now – on filing police reform legislation in honor of Sonya Massey. The Illinois Flag Commission is now accepting designs for a new state flag.
The alleged shooter in a quadruple murder on the CTA Blue Line this week is ordered to remain locked up pending trial. A report says in 2023 – more dogs and cats were killed at Chicago’s Care and Animal Control shelter than in any other year since 2016. Meteorological summer is over… what weather can we expect during fall?
A judge ordered pre-trial detention for the alleged shooter in this week’s quadruple homicide on a CTA Blue Line train. The book “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin is this year’s pick for the Chicago Public Library’s One Book, One Chicago program. Tears were shed in last night’s finale of HBO’s Hard Knocks docu-series featuring the Chicago Bears.
Usually at a live performance, the audience is encouraged to give the performers their undivided attention. But at Meanwhile Chicago – a variety show featuring storytellers, essayists, comics and dancers – the audience is encouraged to draw and doodle the whole time. “When you put a piece of paper and a pen in front of someone, almost everyone is going to grab it and start doodling,” said Megan Kirby, who created Meanwhile with her friend Catherine Eves in 2016. “We were trying to figure out how...
Illinois elected officials say they are prioritizing safety on public transit, in the wake of a fatal shooting on the Blue Line. About 30 people gathered outside Chicago’s Israeli consulate last night to protest Israel's government and mourn the recent deaths of Hamas-held hostages. Northwestern’s LGBTQI+ Rights Clinic is asking the US Supreme court to overturn a ban that prohibits gender affirming care for minors.
Chicago’s top federal judge says the publication this year of home addresses for members of the federal bench is dangerous. Foxtrot is reopening its Gold Coast location on Thursday, five months after it closed. The Archdiocese of Chicago will be the first Catholic diocese in the state to offer natural burials.
An update on Chicago’s response to the influx of asylum seekers bused her from Texas. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle explains why she’s been quiet on abortion rights two years after Roe v Wade fell. Plus, the busy Ashland Avenue bus route will now run north an extra mile.
Chicago could soon be one of the largest cities worldwide without an intercity bus terminal. The Illinois Tollway is reminding drivers it has its own service to request roadside assistance. Federal COVID relief funding for school districts expires in September.
Chicago musicians Marquis Hill – a jazz trumpeter and bandleader – and Manasseh – a singer and soul artist – both stopped by Vocalo to talk with Nudia Hernandez about their lives, their love for one another, and their recent and upcoming collaborations. “He’s booked and busy,” Hernandez said of Hill. And Manasseh? “I feel like is the next big up-and-coming Chicago artist,” Hernandez said. Both artists are slated to perform on the stage at Pritzker Pavilion for Vocalo’s Summer Finale on Sept. 20....
There’s been a possible breakthrough in Chicago’s teacher contract negotiations: Chicago Public Schools administrators are planning to offer significant raises. The new Hard Rock Casino in Rockford is now open. The CTA is now using a new program powered by artificial intelligence to detect guns brandished by passengers at its train stations.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is anticipating a roughly $982 million budget gap for next year. The Food and Drug Administration has approved new COVID-19 vaccines to tackle new strains of the virus for the fall and winter months. The Chicago Jazz Festival kicks off tonight.
Chicago Public Schools’ inspector general is leaving the district for a new job. The State of Illinois is probably getting a new flag. The bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease have been found in the drinking water at the EPA’s regional headquarters in Chicago.
For the first time in five years the Chicago Abortion Fund is scaling back who it can help. Chicago’s civilian police oversight commission is talking about ways to reform traffic stops. New details surrounding the death of Emmett Till are coming out today on the 69th anniversary of Till’s murder.
Imagine dancing your heart out with your bestie like you used to, but still getting home by 10 p.m. That’s the idea behind Earlybirds Club, according to creators (and high school friends) Susie Lee and Laura Baginski. “It’s a dance party for women that starts early and ends early because we all value our sleep,” Baginski said. Lee and Baginski have been selling out Earlybirds Club dance parties since February, and have a handful more scheduled through the end of the year, including a Halloween p...
Who will be running for Chicago’s first ever school board? The list is basically set. The city’s civilian police oversight held a hearing on traffic stop reform last night. New research shows Chicago’s housing developers are disproportionately white and male.
Chicago has reached record-breaking heat. Democratic Illinois lawmakers are vowing to enact Karina’s Bill, a measure that would require judges to order the confiscation of guns from people who have restraining orders against them. Brookfield Zoo announced that Judy, a 24-year-old bison, has died.
Chicago Public School students started their new school year yesterday in record heat – and are back for more of it today. A national bus tour kicking off in Chicago highlights child and home care workers’ struggles. Hopes that Illinois legislative employees will be allowed to unionize are dwindling.
