Funeral services for the Reverend Jesse Jackson begin next week. The dance for a new stadium is intensifying between the Chicago Bears, Illinois, and Indiana. The Bulls take on the Toronto Raptors tonight at the United Center. Plus, a theater in Aurora is teaming up with Naperville’s Awesome Life Academy to perform improv for youth with special needs.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s $56 billion dollar state budget proposal mostly holds the line on new taxes. The Reverend Jesse Jackson spent decades fighting for the rights of minorities, including immigrants. The Newberry Library in Chicago has received $4 million from the Mellon Foundation to expand access to its vast Indigenous collections, with a focus on language. Plus, Pritzker used his annual State of the State speech to rail against President Trump and his brutal deportation campaign an...
Remembrances have also been coming in from political leaders across the nation and across the political aisle in response to the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson’s death. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will present his eighth state budget proposal Wednesday. More grocery prices in Chicago have either increased or stayed the same rather than going down in the past year. Plus, Jackson is remembered as one of the country's most influential leaders, founding what became the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Bronzev...
Illinois Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García says the White House response to Democratic demands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms has been “unsatisfactory.” Some advocates are warning that the First Amendment’s protection of a free press is under attack. The Chicago White Sox will be back on the field later this week when Spring Training play opens. Plus, a Roosevelt University graduate student is trying to be the first person to run every block in Chicago. 1979 streets later, he’s ne...
A federal judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to allow clergy access to the immigration processing center in suburban Broadview on Ash Wednesday next week. Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly is criticizing longtime Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in his bid to win her job. The Chicago Cubs advanced to the postseason for the first time in four years and came within a game of the National League Championship Series. Plus, Chicago Black Restaurant Week features specials ...
The Trump administration announced plans to revoke the landmark 2009 Endangerment Finding, which is the basis for federal regulation of climate pollution. A trove of evidence is out now related to December’s shooting of Marimar Martinez by a Border Patrol agent in Brighton Park on Chicago’s south side. The village of Arlington Heights isn’t giving up hope on its dream of being the new home of the Chicago Bears. Plus, a Chicago mom is furious about the way her son’s class at a northwest side elem...
The lead attorney for the Chicago woman shot by a Border Patrol agent says newly released evidence shows that the feds are lying about the incident. After more than two years of public meetings, the Chicago Park District has unveiled its 2026 Grant Park Framework plan. Chicago White Sox pitchers and catchers have reported for spring training in Arizona. Plus, about 24% of people in Illinois who get SNAP food benefits could lose them this year because of the Trump administration's expanded work r...
2025 was a big year for Chicago’s tourism industry – the city’s official tourism bureau says hotel demand was up by more than 2%. The Art Institute of Chicago has acquired its first Norman Rockwell painting. The lineup for this year's Sueños Music Festival has dropped. Plus, we hear from two teen brothers from suburban West Chicago who have been documenting federal immigration raids in Minnesota.
The Archbishop of Chicago is calling for an apology from the White House after President Trump shared a racist video on Truth Social last week. About 50 homes in south suburban Dixmoor were without water for multiple hours this weekend due to two back-to-back water main breaks in the area. The director of the Grant Park Music Festival, Giancarlo Guerrero, performed with Bad Bunny during the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday. Plus, many Asians have not come forward with stories of being targeted...
A federal judge is allowing a Chicago woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last fall to release evidence from the case, including text messages sent by the agent who shot Marimar Martinez five times. Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says federal immigration enforcement must change before the Department of Homeland Security can receive extended funding. Volunteers in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood were on a mission to keep people warm this morning by giving away free coats, hats, gl...
Many independent grocery stores could be at risk because of new federal work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is in Chicago this week for his forthcoming immersive project “Theater of the Mind.” A high school choir from Chicago’s south side known for competing in America’s Got Talent performed at Loyola University Chicago on Wednesday for Black History Month. Plus, Chicago public schools plan to celebrate Black History Mont...
A federal judge in Indiana has ordered the Trump administration not to deport the Chicago man acquitted in January of putting a bounty on the head of U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino. Illinois is joining a network run by the World Health Organization, and the move comes after the U.S. officially withdrew in January from the WHO. The Chicago Blackhawks will play their final game Wednesday before a three-week long break for the Winter Olympics, where forward Teuvo Teravainen will be pla...
Illinois has faced a decades-long pension funding crisis, and Governor JB Pritzker yesterday announced a plan to fix it. The Black Excellence Revue from Second City is back for its fourth year with the show “Black and Highly Flavored.” It’s the first-ever Wetlands Week at Shedd Aquarium. Plus, some Northwestern students and faculty are questioning administrators after a symbol known to represent opposition to equal rights for women and minority communities appeared on campus.
Chicago's Metropolitan Capital Bank & Trust becomes the first U.S. bank to close in 2026, amid assurances that depositors will not lose money. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has injected $5 million into a Super PAC supporting Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton's bid for U.S. Senate, a race also featuring Raja Krishnamorthy and Robin Kelly. The episode also highlights the Chicago premiere of "Drumline Live," a theatrical show inspired by HBCU marching bands, and features Chef Cliff Rome discussing his culinary plans for the upcoming Obama Presidential Center, emphasizing community and nostalgic South Side dining experiences.
Martin Luther King moved to Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood in January 1966 to fight against racist real estate practices in the city, and others continue his work today. Some small business owners across the Chicago area closed up shop today as part of a general strike to protest immigration enforcement across the country. Forty years ago this week, the space shuttle Challenger exploded just after liftoff. One of the seven crewmembers onboard was Christa McAuliffe, and WBEZ’s Jim Nayder s...
A former downstate cop has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering an unarmed Black woman in her Springfield-area home. Sean Grayson, who is white, fatally shot Sonya Massey in 2024. The Chicago City Council recently passed an ordinance to ban the sale of some hemp-derived products. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced a campaign to address the dangers of some micromobility vehicles, such as electric bikes and scooters. Plus, the International Puppet Theater Festiva...
The Rundown details local Chicago news, including a candlelight vigil by National Nurses United for Alex Pretti and a call to halt ICE funding. It also highlights Illinois establishing its first statewide abortion fund and Alderperson Byron Sigcho-Lopez's independent congressional campaign. A significant segment recounts a school administrator's efforts to support two students whose only guardian was detained by immigration authorities.
Elected officials in Minneapolis are warning Chicagoans they should be ready for increased violence and surveillance tactics by federal agents if the city sees another deportation blitz. Chicago's 2026 festival and event lineup is out now, with events starting in May with the Maxwell Street Market and continuing through the end of the year. Bulls forward Matas Buzelis has again been chosen as an NBA Rising Star. Plus, three Democrats vying to become Illinois’ next U.S. senator shared a stage in ...
The Rundown delivers top Chicago headlines, detailing a law firm's statement on a killing by federal immigration agents and a crowded Democratic primary debate for the U.S. Senate seat. The episode also highlights the Bon Shea Awards, where immigration issues were voiced, and the release of new pediatric vaccine guidelines. A significant portion celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Chicago Bears' iconic Super Bowl victory, reflecting on their dominance and legacy, before a brief weather update.
A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must keep federal funds flowing to child care subsidies and other social service programs in Illinois and four other Democratic-controlled states. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is calling for ICE to end its operations everywhere. The Chicago shelter Harmony House for Cats is hosting its first tuxedo cat soirée Friday night at Burning Bush Brewery in the city’s North Center neighborhood. Plus, a fe...
The Illinois Department of Human Rights has filed a housing discrimination charge and is investigating the landlord of the South Shore apartment building raided last year by immigration agents. An extreme cold warning will go into effect Thursday night for the Chicago area, with windchills expected to reach 35 degrees below zero in the early morning hours on Friday. The Chicago Public Library announced the grand opening of Legler Regional Library’s food pantry. Plus, how Operation Midway Blitz h...
Federal prosecutors have rested their case against Juan Espinoza Martinez, the Chicago man accused of offering $10,000 for the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino. Cook County officials worry more people will get sick as they’re pushed out of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program with eligibility requirements changing on February 1st. Chicago is preparing to host UNESCO’s International Jazz Day in April. Plus, more than 170,000 Illinois residents are behind on their student...
A new report explores what’s behind ongoing enrollment decreases in Chicago Public Schools. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is denouncing President Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and throwing support to Danish sovereignty. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul says his office has filed more than 50 lawsuits and more than 100 amicus briefs during the first year of President Trump’s second term. Plus, in January of 1966, Martin Luther King Jr. moved into an apartment in Chicago’s North Lawndale neigh...
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has changed his tune on who needs to pay off the remaining debt from the Soldier Field renovation 23 years ago. Former Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the 40th Annual Interfaith Breakfast in Chicago. Divisions emerged over Gaza in the race for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District. Plus, the Chicago Bears are entering the second round of the playoffs, and fans aren’t leaving anything to chance. During last weekend’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers, fans s...
Child care workers rallied outside the Trump Tower in Chicago’s River North neighborhood to condemn the federal funding freeze for child care programs. The final day to enroll in a federal Affordable Care Act health insurance plan is January 15, but the Illinois state-run marketplace has extended its deadline to the end of the month. Chicago is unveiling a first-of-its-kind support center on the South Side for women returning from incarceration. Plus, the Trump administration is using a legal sh...
The Supreme Court is allowing a downstate Republican Congressman to sue Illinois for the way it counts mail-in ballots. The U.S. House has passed a spending package to cut $125 million from lead pipe replacement funding. The city of Chicago is set to pay nearly $1 million to settle another police misconduct lawsuit stemming from 2020 protests against the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Plus, a new exhibit at the Chicago History Museum documents a long tradition of resistance in Chi...
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says he’s been in meetings with Bears leadership recently about the possibility of keeping the Bears in Illinois as the team mulls a move to Northwest Indiana. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says a teen curfew ordinance set for a vote next week is more “thoughtful” than the one he vetoed last year. The National Weather Service says an extended system of wintry weather could result in several back-to-back opportunities for snowfall. Plus, 2026 will bring several big n...
The state of Illinois has extended the open enrollment deadline for people who buy health insurance through the state-run marketplace to January 31st. Independent bookstore owners in Chicago are sounding the alarm as chain bookseller Barnes & Noble brings its nationwide expansion to the city. Some owners say it’s taking business away from smaller bookstores. A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore nearly $12 million in funding to the Itasca-based American Academy of P...
Illinois could lose $1 billion in federal funding for childcare and other social services, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul is in court with four other Democratic-led states trying to fight the latest funding freeze. Last November, the Trump administration released pending guidance for the Clean Water Act, and the EPA’s impact analysis found that more than 80% of the country’s wetlands would no longer be protected. The Chicago Bears will kick off their NFL post season on Saturday against the Gre...
Illinois U.S. Representative Robin Kelly has announced she intends to file articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a woman Wednesday in Minneapolis. Kelly alleges Noem has turned ICE into a rogue force that violates the constitution and tears families apart. A Cook County father is suing Roblox, accusing the popular gaming platform of failing to protect his 9-year-old son from sexual exploitation. Gre...
