Bull riders, Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations, craft cocktails and a musical parody usher in the weekend. Here are a dozen things to do in and around Chicago.

A probationary Chicago police officer who was off duty shot three people at a suburban bowling alley Tuesday night, according to the agency that investigates police shootings.

As of Tuesday, just over 17% of children ages 5 to 11 were fully vaccinated, more than two months after shots for the age group became available.

The Labor Department reported Wednesday that excluding volatile food and gas prices, so-called core prices surged 0.6% from November to December. Measured year over year, core prices jumped 5.5% in December, the fastest such increase since 1991.

Efforts to use COVID-19 testing to ensure outbreaks could be stamped out before they catch fire was at the heart of the dispute between school officials and union leaders.

The latest on CTU labor action as students are set to return Wednesday. Plus, the fight over voting rights. Illinois House speaker's one-year anniversary. And a local radio news anchor signs off after 51 years.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch reflects on his first year on the job. Welch’s historic win followed Michael Madigan’s decadeslong hold on political power in the Illinois House. 

Rank-and-file members of the Chicago Teachers Union are in the process of voting on the deal reached by the union and the city on new COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said she expects the vote to be complete by the end of the week. 

Pounding his fist for emphasis, President Joe Biden challenged senators on Tuesday to “stand against voter suppression,” urging them to change Senate rules in order to pass voting rights legislation that Republicans are blocking from debate and votes.

Bindy Bitterman’s new book “Skiddly Diddly Skat” is a celebration of limerick writing.

Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J. and Richard Burr, R-N.C., introduced the bill to honor Emmett Till and his mother with the highest civilian honor that Congress awards. 

“I just love breaking news, because I know I’m telling people things they don’t know,” said Pat Cassidy, who after 51 years as a radio news anchor has signed off. 

In need of a COVID-19 test? Don’t just go to any site, cautions Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who says pop-up COVID-19 testing sites aren’t licensed or regulated by any government agency. He shares tips for how to choose a testing site. 

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday that she tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing cold-like symptoms.

A Chicago-based addiction treatment center, which like others nationwide has faced fierce opposition to opening suburban branches, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday to force one suburb to stop blocking its expansion plans.