Top left: Mayor Brandon Johnson takes “Chicago Tonight” co-host Brandis Friedman around the Austin community on April 13, 2023. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) Top right: The state Capitol. (WTTW News) Bottom left: Field Museum staff collected 1,000 dead birds Oct. 5, 2023, from the grounds of McCormick Place. (Courtesy of Taylor Hains) Bottom right: File photo of guns. (WTTW News)
In 2023, Chicago elected a new mayor, Illinois banned so-called assault weapons and NASCAR hosted its inaugural street race in Chicago.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of asylum seekers were sent to the city from the Texas border, creating an ongoing crisis and ever-evolving response.
The year closed out with former Ald. Ed Burke, who was for years the most powerful member of the City Council, convicted of racketeering in a landmark corruption trial.
Through it all, the WTTW News team covered the political, business, education, health and arts stories that mattered most to local readers.
Here are 10 of WTTW News’ most-read articles of the year.
A Chicago woman and her 14-year-old son were charged in June with first-degree murder; prosecutors alleged the woman ordered the boy to fatally shoot a man following an altercation at a West Pullman restaurant.
The charges were dropped just days later, a decision the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said was made “based upon our continued review and in light of emerging evidence.” The dismissal came after a video of a portion of the confrontation inside the restaurant was widely shared on social media. Read more
Field Museum staff collected 1,000 dead birds Thursday from the grounds of McCormick Place. (Courtesy of Taylor Hains)
On a morning in early October, Chicago’s birding community was abuzz about “fallout” conditions, with migrating birds passing over some points of the city at the rate of 100,000 an hour. A combination of high intensity migration and conditions adverse to flying had funneled an overwhelming number of birds toward Chicago’s lakefront.
But the excitement later turned to shock as reports of a different mass birding event began circulating. More than 1,000 birds were killed colliding with McCormick Place alone, as shared by Field Museum staff who regularly gather dead birds from the convention center’s grounds. Read more
3. Chicago Homicides Declined in 2022, But Total Still Among Highest Since ‘90s
Chicago in 2022 recorded its fewest homicides since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the city’s total for the year still ranked among the highest since the 1990s, according to Chicago Police Department data.
From Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2022, there were 695 homicides in Chicago. The vast majority of homicide victims in 2022 — more than three out of every four — were Black, city data shows. The victims were predominantly male (nearly 87%), while one in three victims were in their 20s. Read more
4. Which Guns Are Covered by Illinois’ Assault Weapons Ban?
Gov. J.B. Pritzker in January signed into law the Protect Illinois Communities Act, banning the possession, manufacture and sale of so-called assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. While the law lists specific models, it’s not an exhaustive list.
People who owned the covered guns prior to the law can keep them but are now required to file an affidavit with the Illinois State Police. The agency recently held public hearings on the matter, with critics calling the law too vague. The U.S. Supreme Court this month declined to put a hold on the law, but legal challenges remain. Read more
5. Number of Shootings, Homicides Across Chicago Down So Far in 2023 Compared to Last Year: Police
After Chicago in 2022 recorded its fewest homicides since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of homicides continued to decline in early 2023. Chicago recorded fewer shootings in February 2023 than any February since at least 2019, according to CPD data, while the number of homicides in the first months of 2023 was below each of the last two years. Read more
Brandon Johnson celebrates after winning the Chicago mayoral election on April 4, 2023. (WTTW News)
Lori Lightfoot in February lost her bid for a second term as Chicago mayor, as former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas and then Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson advanced into an April runoff. Johnson went on to become the second Black man elected to lead the nation’s third-largest city.
“Today we celebrate the revival and the restoration of the city of Chicago,” Johnson said in his April 4 victory speech. “It is time for Chicago to come alive, come alive Chicago. My name is Brandon Johnson, and I can’t wait to be sworn in as the next mayor of the greatest city in the world.” Read more
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s reelection campaign sent an email to Chicago Public Schools teachers Wednesday asking them to encourage their students to volunteer to help Lightfoot win a second term as mayor – and earn class credit.
In January, the reelection campaign for then Mayor Lori Lightfoot sent an email to Chicago Public Schools teachers asking them to encourage their students to volunteer to help Lightfoot win a second term as mayor — and earn class credit. As mayor, Lightfoot appointed not only the superintendent of the Chicago Public Schools but also the members of the Chicago Board of Education. Chicago’s ethics ordinance prohibits the use of public resources, including email accounts, for non-official purposes.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates slammed the campaign’s action as “unethical,” while the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois said the emails may have violated federal law. After WTTW News published details about the emails, Lightfoot's campaign put out a statement that said the campaign would “cease contact with CPS employees” out of an “abundance of caution.” Read more
Chicago is often the center of attention when it comes to talking about crime data in a national context. But experts caution that interpreting numbers without examining the underlying influences can lead to misunderstandings.
WTTW News investigative reporter Jared Rutecki explored structural issues in how crime is reported and the challenges of interpreting crime data. Read more
If the threat of prison, fines and a ruined reputation isn’t enough, Illinois politicians have another reason not to criminally abuse their office: A new state law means they’ll also lose their job. The new statute forbids officials convicted of “a felony, bribery, perjury or other infamous crime” from holding local or state level elected positions.
Illinois had already prohibited anyone convicted of felonies or “infamous crime” from holding local office, be it mayor, alderperson or a school board position. But until this year, only voters at the ballot box could prevent someone convicted of such a crime from becoming a state legislator or even governor. Read more
10. 10 Things to Know About Bruce Springsteen and Chicago Before His Wrigley Field Shows
Bruce Springsteen performs in Copenhagen, Denmark, in July 2023. (Rob Demartin)
Bruce Springsteen’s first concert in Chicago was more than 50 years ago in January 1973 at the Quiet Knight. Ahead of two shows at Wrigley Field this summer, WTTW News reporter Marc Vitali rounded up 10 facts about the Boss and his history with Chicago. Read more
