Democrats hold all of Illinois’ statewide offices and super-majorities in the legislature, and they’re looking to not only keep it that way come November, but to also tighten their stronghold, including by tipping suburban contests, like the DuPage and Kane County boards.

We’re live at the Illinois State Fair and it’s Democrat Day. Plus, opening statements in the R. Kelly trial. Why insulin is so expensive. And earning a bachelor’s degree in a maximum security prison.

Highland Park calls for a ban on semi-automatic weapons. Our politics team weighs in on that story and more.

President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law this week, which among other things, puts a $35 cap on insulin prices. But that will only apply to Medicare recipients, leaving the rest of Americans who depend on the life-saving medication to continue paying huge prices.

While many schools will offer classes for credit to prison inmates, Northwestern University says its the only top 10 school that grants degrees to prisoners. And next spring, students at Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison in Will County, will be the first to receive their bachelor's degrees from Northwestern while in prison.

The Chicago Welcome Back Center launched Tuesday at Richard J. Daley College and will serve as a resource center for individuals trained internationally in health care fields who are working to receive licensure in the U.S. 

The unanimous advisory opinion issued Monday and signed by Chair William Conlon represents the first time the board has addressed the issues that surround the decision by an incumbent mayor to run for re-election.

Opening statements got underway at the Dirksen Federal Building on Wednesday in R. Kelly’s second federal trial, where he stands accused of multiple child pornography-related charges, as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice and enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The man was pulled from the water early Wednesday morning. More than 30 people have drowned in Lake Michigan so far in 2022.

Platforms like Facebook and Twitter are generally staying the course from the 2020 voting season, which was marred by conspiracies and culminated in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Video app TikTok, which has soared in popularity since the last election cycle, announced Wednesday it is launching an election center.

From Barcelona to Tel Aviv, scientists say they are witnessing exceptional temperature hikes ranging from 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit to 9 degrees Fahrenheit above the norm for this time of year. Water temperatures have regularly exceeded 86 degrees on some days.

Speaking to NBC in the wake of her loss, the third-term congresswoman called Trump “a very grave threat and risk to our republic,” and said defeating him will require “a broad and united front of Republicans, Democrats and independents — and that’s what I intend to be part of.”

President Biden signs his signature piece of legislation. The state’s top doctor on COVID and more. An Afghanistan war interpreter’s fight for citizenship. And the Morton Arboretum turns 100.

Dr. Sameer Vohra took over the Illinois Department of Public Health earlier this month.

A dual memoir by a Chicago-native U.S. Marine and an Afghan interpreter offers insight into the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan one year later and the Afghans who are still trying to find safety and security.