One parent says she feels shut out of the debate about whether to keep the Chicago Public School chief in his job. Cook County might help more Chicagoans with guaranteed income now that the city has cut its own program. The Council on American Islamic Relations of Chicago, Sacramento and New Jersey announced a lawsuit against the U.S. State Department to demand it evacuates Palestinian-American citizens from Gaza.
Dec 20, 2024•5 min
A Cook County commissioner is calling for support for Amazon workers on strike. The Council on American Islamic Relations in Chicago is joining two other chapters to sue the U.S. State Department. The Chicago Cubs and Sammy Sosa are mending fences after years apart.
Dec 19, 2024•4 min
On the agenda for a special Chicago Board of Ed meeting Friday: the CEO's potential ouster. Cook County’s new top prosecutor drops charges against a cop recorded on video repeatedly punching an Arab American teenager. A news study found factors like gender, education and income are influencing one’s feeling of loneliness.
Dec 19, 2024•5 min
The prosecution is resting in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain. A church on Chicago’s North Side wants to help people dealing with grief and sadness during the holidays through a Blue Christmas service tonight. Demolition is underway on a building that housed the E2 nightclub.
Dec 18, 2024•3 min
The head of Chicago’s Film Office is out of a job. It’s the latest in an ongoing staff shakeup at the city’s cultural arts department. Officials at Columbia College Chicago say program cuts are necessary to the school’s future. How Chicago’s 2025 budget will affect your pocketbook.
Dec 18, 2024•4 min
Advocate Health Care is making a $1 billion investment on Chicago’s South Side. Food delivery app GrubHub will pay nearly $25 million to customers, drivers and restaurants nationwide thanks to a multi-year investigation from the Illinois Attorney General’s office and the Federal Trade Commission. Chicago’s police oversight commission is asking residents to share their experiences with traffic stops this evening.
Dec 17, 2024•3 min
Chicago’s new budget avoids a property tax increase that the mayor had initially proposed. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announces who will serve on the partly elected, partly appointed school board that takes over this January. A measure in Springfield would make sure insurance companies aren’t relying on artificial intelligence to deny claims.
Dec 17, 2024•5 min
A lobbyist aligned with former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is testifying about the joke-worthy job expectations of a clout-heavy AT&T subcontractor. The Chicago Department of Public Health reports eight cases of mpox in the last three months. Illinois Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is sounding an alarm over the incoming president’s immigration plans.
Dec 16, 2024•4 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is offering a fourth version of his budget proposal to the City Council he hopes will end weeks of tense negotiations and delays. Chicago Department of Public Health officials are closely monitoring hospitalizations from repertory viruses. The ACLU of Illinois is raising concerns about free speech at two north suburban public library systems.
Dec 16, 2024•5 min
A vote on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's 2025 budget proposal has been pushed back to Monday. The State of Illinois has received $290 million in federal grant money for a railway improvement project on Chicago’s South Side. The Archdiocese of Chicago held its annual Posada today and prayed outside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Center downtown.
Dec 13, 2024•4 min
Brandon Johnson is the latest in a line of Chicago mayors who’ve set aside funds for police vacancies they have no chance of filling. Chicago Public Schools looks poised to keep open five of seven charter schools slated for closure. A new report shows Illinois still owes a lot of money on pensions – but the gap is closing.
Dec 13, 2024•5 min
A new study has ideas for how to make Cook County’s complicated property tax system more fair. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says he’d be willing to speak with President-elect Donald Trump’s border czar, but questions Thomas Homan’s legal authority to carry out mass deportations. Activists want President Joe Biden to use the last days of his lame-duck term to grant protections to undocumented immigrants.
Dec 12, 2024•3 min
Family and fellow first responders will gather at a South Side church today to say goodbye to fallen Oak Park police detective Allan Reddins. Illinois restarts a program to offer down payment *and* student loan assistance. A bid to help a disgraced political worker is a new focus in the racketeering conspiracy trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Dec 12, 2024•5 min
City of Chicago Warming Centers are open as temperatures dip into the single digits tonight. A new quantum computing campus is coming to Chicago's South Side. A federal judge is setting aside concerns about a government witness’ competency in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Dec 11, 2024•4 min
The latest on the city of Chicago’s contentious budget process as a December 31st deadline looms. An effort to give Springfield voters the power to recall the county sheriff gets shot down, once again. Ukrainian refugees in Chicago can now access free language learning courses and vocational training at Wright College in Humboldt Park.
Dec 11, 2024•5 min
Property taxes could be going up in Chicago. Pastors and community leaders met today at the Columbus Park Refectory to discuss a revival of activity they want to help usher in on Chicago’s West Side. A restaurant in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood has earned a prestigious Michelin Star less than a year after opening its doors.
Dec 10, 2024•3 min
We hear from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s chief of staff amid fallout in his press office. Tom Homan, president-elect Donald Trump’s new border czar, was in Chicago last night speaking to a crowd of GOP supporters on the Northwest Side. A downstate congresswoman appears as a government witness in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Dec 10, 2024•5 min
A coalition of civil rights groups is pushing Illinois lawmakers to require police to receive ongoing training to identify hate crimes. Chicago Public Schools celebrated the opening of 22 sensory classrooms across the district for students with disabilities today. Major League Baseball owners, executives and managers are all gathered in Dallas this week for the annual Winter Meetings.
Dec 09, 2024•3 min
The price of water is going up for some Illinois residents. A new Northwestern University study shows the impact misinformation has on consumers. We hear from a Belmont Cragin teen that blew his SAT exam out of the water.
Dec 09, 2024•4 min
Chicago officials today are carrying out a months-old plan to clear away the city’s biggest homeless encampment. A former Illinois lawmaker involved in two alleged bribery schemes facing Michael Madigan will have to testify in the former House speaker’s racketeering conspiracy trial. Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson says he fired Head Coach Luke Richardson because the team was developing bad habits and falling short in too many games.
Dec 06, 2024•4 min
Former President Barack Obama was in Chicago last night to talk about unifying Americans. Remembering Oak Park Detective Allan Reddins. The Illinois Department of Public Health is warning against respiratory illnesses.
Dec 06, 2024•5 min
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled today the smell of raw cannabis is enough for police to search a vehicle without a warrant. The new director of Chicago’s office that helps formerly incarcerated people reenter their communities says he has big goals for 2025. A key part of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s bid to turn the state into an electric vehicle manufacturing hub just hit a speed bump.
Dec 05, 2024•4 min
The charter school network that is aiming to close 7 schools failed to show up to a board meeting to answer questions. Chicago’s law department is cracking down of owners who don’t maintain vacant lots. Cook County holds a summit to improve language access for residents with limited English proficiency.
Dec 05, 2024•5 min
The Chicago Board of Education has offered the head of the school district a buyout. Job recommendations Michael Madigan presented to Gov. JB Pritzker are emerging as a focus in the former speaker’s federal corruption trial. A snowy cold front means a windy afternoon and evening in the Chicago area.
Dec 04, 2024•4 min
Mayor Brandon Johnson shared a new violence reduction goal for next year. The Chicago Teachers Union narrows its demands as it tries to land a contract before Trump is inaugurated. Cook County’s public health system is launching free doula services for pregnant patients.
Dec 04, 2024•5 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says he supports a pilot program to plow the city’s sidewalks, despite not including enough money for it in his budget proposal. The Chicago Bears are looking to the future following the unprecedented firing of now-former Head Coach Matt Eberflus. Musicians Kendrick Lamar and SZA will hit the road together next year – including a stop in Chicago.
Dec 03, 2024•3 min
The new Cook County State’s Attorney announced a new pre-trial detention policy after taking the oath of office. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson brushes off principal support for the school district's CEO; Johnson says it is about support for students. UChicago professors and students are rallying today to demand leaders fulfill a promise to host scholars from Gaza.
Dec 03, 2024•5 min
Defense lawyers for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan are now tearing into the testimony of a government mole. The top prosecutor in Springfield is vowing to keep Sean Grayson in jail while he awaits trial for the shooting death of Sonya Massey. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is warning potential donors to make wise contributions ahead of Giving Tuesday.
Dec 02, 2024•3 min
What is the top priority for Cook County’s new top prosecutor? Some City Council members want further cuts to reduce next year’s proposed city budget. Chicago advocates are training undocumented immigrants about their rights ahead of looming threats of deportation.
Dec 02, 2024•5 min
Federal prosecutors today ended their direct examination of a star government witness in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Homicides in Chicago have decreased by nearly 9% so far this year compared to last year. The Illinois Department of Public Health says we’re currently seeing low levels of seasonal respiratory illness, but warns that those numbers may shoot up after Thanksgiving.
Nov 27, 2024•3 min