Why our motivations for helping those in need matter just as much as how we help them.

As throngs of Chicagoans poured into the street in jubilation on Saturday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined in the celebrating the election of Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as president and vice president.

A smattering of protests broke out around the country Saturday after former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidency, with President Donald Trump and his supporters refusing to accept defeat.

Saturday’s election verdict isn’t the last step in selecting an American president. There is still a weekslong timeline during which the 538-member Electoral College picks the president. 

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 12,438 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, exceeding by more than 2,000 the previous record for new infections reported in a 24-hour period, which was set Friday.

Kamala Harris made history Saturday, shattering barriers that have kept men — almost all of them white — entrenched at the highest levels of American politics for more than two centuries.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker self-isolated Friday and was awaiting test results after learning that he may have been exposed to the coronavirus at a meeting earlier this week.

The count continues in the race for Electoral College votes. A congressional race in Illinois is too close to call. Top Democrats want Illinois House Speaker Madigan to step down as party chairman.

Democrat Joe Biden was on the cusp of winning the presidency Friday night after he opened up narrow leads over President Donald Trump in critical battleground states.

The transportation agency’s first-ever Bike Car makes its debut Saturday on the Milwaukee District North Line as part of a pilot program that will run through spring 2021.

As Illinois saw more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases Friday, state health officials released new data showing there have been 10 school-based coronavirus outbreaks, while hundreds of schools have faced potential exposures.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to create a new public safety office in an effort to save money by making the city’s law enforcement agencies more efficient has yet to show results — and aldermen are losing patience.

Pumpkin Smash events are taking place Saturday throughout the Chicago area as part of an effort to keep the hefty Halloween jack-o’-lanterns out of landfills. 

Between 8% and 9% of the trash produced every year by Chicago residents is kept out of landfills, officials said Friday — acknowledging that the city’s efforts to boost Chicago’s recycling rate remain stalled.

Republican Jim Oberweis believes there aren’t enough ballots outstanding that would allow incumbent Democrat Lauren Underwood to overtake his slim lead in Illinois' 14th Congressional district.