On Thursday, Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, introduced legislation mandates that a funeral director must place a unique identifier on the deceased’s body, body bag, and any body part, organ, or tissue separated from the deceased to be used in nontransplant organ donation. A director must also maintain chain of custody documentation. 

Chicago police on Friday announced criminal charges against two girls, ages 12 and 17, after they allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from a half dozen different stores over the past few weeks and months.

The city’s current contract with SoundThinking — which was previously known as ShotSpotter — expires Feb. 16. Mayor Brandon Johnson made a campaign promise to end the contract, but has not yet indicated whether he’ll renew the deal.

The White Sox are out with dazzling plans for a new stadium. Pushback to a mining proposal on the Southeast Side. And what warm February temperatures could mean for Chicago.

Developers have a massive underground warehouse dream for the Southeast Side. But for some, the project is potential environmental and public health concern.

Temperatures reached a high of 57 degrees in Chicago on Thursday. As the city experiences an El Nino year, 2024 is seeing temperatures about 1 to 3 degrees above average.

The eight local unions that authorized strikes are spread throughout Illinois and represent around 3,800 employees, including drivers, highway maintainers and bridge tenders. Negotiations between the state and the unions have lasted more than seven months. 

Barnes & Noble plans to open two stores in the city this year, in addition to other locations in suburban Chicago and Northwest Indiana.

Officials at Lurie Children’s Hospital said Thursday that they are still working with the FBI and other law enforcement but told reporters that a “known criminal threat actor” had accessed the hospital’s network.

The report from special counsel Robert Hur, released Thursday, represents a harshly critical assessment of Biden’s handling of sensitive government materials, but also details the reasons why he should not be charged with the crime.

“What’s disappointing is that it takes a federal law to push institutions and agencies to comply and to even just create consultation with tribes,” said Eli Suzukovich, director of cultural preservation and compliance for the Office for Research at Northwestern University.

Supporters say the ShotSpotter system is a useful tool that helps Chicago police officers get to crime scenes faster. But critics say the technology is unreliable and contributes to over policing in communities of color.

In the renderings released Thursday night by developer Related Midwest, the new ballpark is pictured along with surrounding new buildings.

The case is based on claims that former President Donald Trump’s actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol amounted to an insurrection, and thus he should be disqualified from holding public office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

Will Chicago stick with the controversial ShotSpotter gunshot detection system? Exploring the roots of gospel. And a rundown of art and culture activities in the city this Black History Month.